Reactions From First Supercross Experience
Photo: racerxonline.com
This past Saturday, I had the chance to go down to Atlanta to experience my first Supercross race. Always ready to experience something new, I jumped at the opportunity and I, along with half the Sports Chief crew, headed down I-85. To start with, I know absolutely nothing about Supercross. Before the trip I wouldn’t have been able to tell you the difference between Supercross and Motocross, the racing structure, or the names of any riders. I traveled to Atlanta with no expectations and came back having had a pretty good time.
The racing didn’t start until 6:30 p.m., but we arrived at the time fan fest started around noon. I’ve been to NASCAR fan fests before and this was very similar with the layout and things to do. There were around 100 canopies set up with sponsors, race teams, activities, etc. We walked around for a while, won a few free items, and got a few autographs. It was also pretty cool having the fan fest in the outdoor space where the old Georgia Dome used to sit. I don’t know what Atlanta’s plans are for that spot, but it would be perfect to use (or continue to use) as a tailgate spot for any event.
After a few hours of fan fest, it was time to venture inside Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time. My first thought upon walking in was the enormity of it. I’m sure that’s the biggest building I’ve ever stepped foot in. Everything inside was really nice, as it should be, with the best part being the food prices. If you aren’t aware, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is known for having very customer-friendly food prices, no matter the event. So it was very nice to be able to eat lunch and dinner there and not break the bank. Hot dogs were $2, hamburgers were $5, chicken & fries baskets were $6, and stadium sodas (with free re-fills) were $4.
In the hours before the race, fans could sit anywhere in the stadium they wanted and watch the qualifying and practicing of all the different classes of dirt bikes that would be competing. This was a great time to walk around the stadium to get pictures, and of course walk down to the lowest possible seats to take in the action.
Once 6:30 rolled around, it was time for everyone to go to their ticketed seats, where ours were on the upper level. I would note that our upper-level seats offered for great views of the race and the entire stadium. One of the coolest things was the rider introductions, where the 450 class riders were introduced one-by-one with their chosen entrance song, while they did wheelies and rode around the track. The lights were off, the music was loud, and flames would shoot up into the air which created a very cool atmosphere to get fans really excited about the race.
There were around 8-10 different races on the night, with multiple heats for riders to make the cut for the main events. The two main events featured the 250 and the 450 races. Even though the 250 riders aren’t as well known, it was a very fun race because one of the riders, Austin Forkner, hadn’t lost a race yet this season. I was pulling for him to keep the streak alive, but being paired with the West Coast riders in this race (which doesn’t happen too often) made it a tougher challenge. He took the early lead, but after 5-6 laps was passed by West Coast rider Adam Cianciarulo who held on for the win. Forkner would finish 3rd.
The last race of the night was the 450 riders, featuring all the big names that I tried to learn. From what I gathered, Cooper Webb came out of nowhere this season and has been dominating. Other big names I was keeping an eye on were Ken Roczen, Eli Tomac, and Chad Reed. Cooper Webb got out to an early lead and never looked back, taking the checkered flag. With Webb being from North Carolina, I was happy he won and enjoyed his post-race interview where he stated he wanted to perform well for the folks from North Carolina.
Overall, I had a good time at this event. New experiences are always fun, and this was a totally new experience for me. I learned a lot about the sport, including the different races held, rules, strategies, and racers’ names. For someone like me, at times it was tough to keep up with who was who throughout the race. The riders would get pretty spread out and I would lose track of where the first-place racer was, along with certain other riders I wanted to keep track with. One thing that really helps keep new people interested is the short length of the races. The heat races were only 5-7 minutes and the main events were around 20 minutes. Unlike NASCAR, where it’s one race with the same drivers for three hours, Supercross offers a lot of different races with different riders to keep it fresh, and I appreciated that. It is definitely something I would recommend for people to go experience. Like with my first WWE experience last week, I was amazed at how athletic those people were, and I was amazed here at how talented these racers were to do the things they did. It definitely gave me a new perspective and appreciation for all types of dirt bike racers around the world.
Garett