Arching between the high-rises at the base of the Gaslamp Quarter, Petco Park might be one of the prettiest and most quaint venues on the AMA Supercross tour. Just eleven years old the 41,000 stadium is the home of the San Diego Padres baseball team and is a hefty pitch from a series of bars, restaurants, distinctive red-brick buildings and a hint of bohemia. Fondly remembered by some in the paddock upon its inauguration last year Petco was on the receiving end of a few grumbles this time. Major construction work outside the facility cast the majority of the paddock into a distant lot, reachable by various road closures, makeshift bike lanes and narrow pedestrian passes. The surrounding poverty and homelessness is a stark contrast to the splendour within and immediately outside of the arena itself.
Parking, access and entry were all slightly chaotic and local traffic closures were still an issue for organisers Feld up until a week before the event. Driving past the vast and quiet Qualcomm stadium (playing field of the NFL’s Chargers) to reach Petco this morning it did seem that Feld had made life difficult for themselves by squeezing everything in and around this – admittedly more desirable downtown – postcode.
James Stewart – cleared to ride after his A1 knock to the head but not the lean and lithe athlete we’ve come to expect in recent years – was present on the morning track walk as sunshine hit San Diego in the wake of almost two unstable days of weather and copious rainfall on Friday night. The showers seemed to have a positive effect on a tacky track throughout practice with the whoops and jump-faces standing up well to 450SX and 250SX groups.
A spacious layout contained a few options and a double apex on the first turn that tightens up considerably for the first jump section could see some interesting moves this evening. The principal rhythm straight might be an acute passing zone with riders trying a double-double, triple-single or a mammoth triple-triple-double into the 90 degree left hander. Turning inside means missing the next triple in what is the run to the chequered flag.
In other news it seems that the landscape for promotion of high-profile dirt bike races could be shifting. The Charlotte Motor Speedway will host the penultimate round of the FIM MXGP World Championship on September 3rd (MXGP of Americas) which is set to ape the Daytona SX by taking place on the oval infield, under lights and on Saturday night. Some key American specialist press are being taken to North Carolina this week to view a presentation on how the complex is aiming to expand its event portfolio and the plans for MXGP. In some quarters the fixture is being seen as a little too close to Supercross. The same reticence was allegedly behind Youthstream’s eventual decision to alter their plans for an indoor Grand Prix in the confines of Schalke’s football stadium to the Riders & Manufacturers Cup now a standalone fixture on October 8th and mirroring the Motocross of Nations format but swapping nationalities for brand representation. Apparently some wrangles over rights and FIM sanctioning for indoor motorcycle events was at the base of the switch.
How will the balance between FIM, AMA, Supercross (Feld), MXGP (Youthstream), MX Nationals (MX Sports) and all the interests in between with the likes of proactive sponsor Monster Energy and Red Bull involved find new common ground around the meeting tables? Around San Diego there was also unfounded gossip of how Feld could be on the brink of enlarging Supercross. What this also mean for the intensive international calendars for 2017 and beyond?
