AUS-X Open Supercross

CPR wrote:

Dry as a dead dingoes donga and hot as satans asshole.

jemcee wrote:

Before the storm swept through there was more humidity than in satan's undies

Dropbear wrote:

That track was shit, and that first turn? Wtf

Dropbear wrote:

That track was shit, and that first turn? Wtf

Dropbear wrote:

That track was shit, and that first turn? Wtf

Dougy1 wrote:

First turn was retarded .. like coming to a dead end ! Who the fuck thought that was a good idea.
Probs for television

Anton_514 wrote:

Just some things to note... Stadium has a parking garage under the floor, and thus, a weight restriction. No heavy equipment was allowed in to turn...

Just some things to note...

Stadium has a parking garage under the floor, and thus, a weight restriction. No heavy equipment was allowed in to turn the dirt over and it sounds like there was a limit to how much material could be brought in. So that could be the reason for a slightly less than standard SX track.

Brayton had busted ribs and a punctured lung from a crash between rounds two and three. Now that the season is over, expect him to be more forthcoming about it (I didn’t know til I got here Tuesday).

The back to back races really takes a toll on bikes, more than we might think. Osby’s bike had little break to cool off, same for a few others to make corrections after crashes. Felt for those guys as the three races clicked off, but this format proves to be interesting in a test of man and machine

Oldenburg feels good after his ride tonight, lap times show his speed and consistency. He has a confirmed he has a ride for 2020 West Coast, no change to what he had down here.

ML512 has a good pick in Blose for 2020 team.

Metcalfe should still be considered one of the top 100 racers in the world.

Henry Miller had a tough break in his practice crash. He’ll head back to the US and get a full report on his shoulder injury this week.

Dropbear wrote:

That track was shit, and that first turn? Wtf

scott_nz wrote:

who on earth designed and signed off on that first turn ? it was a shocker,

Dropbear wrote:

That track was shit, and that first turn? Wtf

Dougy1 wrote:

First turn was retarded .. like coming to a dead end ! Who the fuck thought that was a good idea.
Probs for television

Dropbear wrote:

And where did they get that dirt/clay? Alice Springs?

scott_nz wrote:

im surpised that the teams do not have leaf blowers down on the line to keep air going through the bikes,

BS12 wrote:

An armchair expert's views & opinions from watching the broadcast from the 250 LCQ on: - unfortunately the dirt turned to concrete and heavily blue grooved...

An armchair expert's views & opinions from watching the broadcast from the 250 LCQ on:

- unfortunately the dirt turned to concrete and heavily blue grooved in sections. No grip = very timid racing into and out of turns, for the most part

- track design looked much better on paper. Unfortunately it looks as though usable floor space was less than expected both in length and width. Seemingly not enough run off at the end of most lanes/not enough dirt in the turns. The turns certainly were not open/tall enough to cater for riders entry speeds. Obviously bowl turn safety was likely part of the lack of berm height. The turns crumbled pretty quickly, making it worse.

- stadium width made for essentially turning on a dime a necessity, however with no inside line grip/ruts, the turns were awkward and chaotic.

- again regarding stadium dimensions, the 2 smaller straights behind the start appeared very cramped.

- speak of the start, the first turn situation was a disaster. Again forecasted usable floor dimensions vs reality looked to have played a part, with a plan to have a proper S bend style start rather than the absolute pinch off that eventuated.

(Hindsight edit: some footage from friends at the race may prove all of my speculation and observations about the track wrong).

- moving on, I feel like the timid riding styles due to the track surface resulted in much less exciting racing overall, especially compared to New Zealand. And on this, the commentary lacked genuine excitement and hype, rather more constructed hype and general commentary technique. Weigandt was going nuts in Auckland. RC was solld still.

- visually, the images were breathtaking. A full size SX track and event inside Marvel Stadium with a 30,000+ strong crowd? WOW!! Camera angles, coverage all top notch for the most part however it definitely looked like a much less exciting atmosphere than we're used to in years past at the Kudos Bank excitement machine. The whole thing was definitely bigger, but with so much empty space remaining, the atmosphere suffered. Could have been different in real life however.

On to the riders.

- Brayton is head strong AF. When it was crunch time, he delivered 10 fold and was faultless throughout 3 pressure cooking gate drops/mains, and on a surface/in a situation begging him to slip up. Oh by the way he's fast, too. Word is he also suffered some broken ribs at one point this seaaon. Congrats on the 4-peat. Listening to his words carefully and in some other interviews, I dare say its 4 won & done for his ventures down under.

- Clout, on the other hand, folded, and rather easily at that. Top qualifier, heat winner, Super Pole winner to an absolute capitulation in the mains. Binned it early in main 1, wasted his Repco short cut in main 2 while in good position already, and a horrible start in main 3 had him stuck in the first turn.
Kudos to a great and breakthrough season for him though. First time in a pressure situation of that magnitude, so a mulligan granted and many lessons learned.

- Anderson: rips. Corner speed certainly didn't go unnoticed in tricky conditions.

- Josh Hill is a classic case of Instagram vs reality and flying at the test track. Multiple opportunities to strut his stuff and flex some raw speed on the field throughout the 3 rounds he was here, but it simply never showed up. A big name no less, but chalk him up as an also ran. Some work to do if he wants to make an impact back home.
Edited in hindsight: I'm comparing him to leading US names in Anderson and Brayton as well as seasoned riders Clout & Reardon. So I can't be too critical. Dude is still very quick.

- Joey Savatgy earned some easy money. Woeful in Auckland and an unfortunate crash in practice in Melbourne. Really hoping it's nothing serious and we see what he can offer sooner rather than later. Feeling for the JGR guys too. 3 international events now for Joey with absolutely nothing to show for it, except for a busted ankle.

- Chad Reed. Chad freakin Reed. How do you judge his performance, if it all? Healing from broken ribs, motivated by his retirement announcement. Puts Anderson on the deck early in main 1 to take the lead and eventually 2nd (3rd?) place, but beyond that, underwhelming. Again the ribs factor is an unknown but on face value his pace definitely looked off, at least compared to the top guys, and even though he had a bulky chest protector, he certainly looks like he's been enjoying his time down under. Can you blame him though? At the same time, he looked much fitter at Monster Cup than here. You definitely can't physio broken ribs but can certainly watch your food intake. Not sure how to judge/what to say about it all. The dude is an all time legend and has earned the right to call his own shots.

- Josh Osby folded, Chris Blose rose to the occasion. Oldenburg was also on to a good one all night.

- Jett Lawrence is on an obvious fast and steep learning curve. Got better and better each time out. Whoop speed is potentially a weak point, whilst his send-o-meter sure as fuck isn't. Dude definitely is not scared to go big, with arguably the best & biggest rhythm combos in the SX2 class. Never looked out of control, however given his lack of fucks to give in terms of going for it, I wouldn't be surprised to see his rookie season marred by an injury. Early days yet, but I'm not expecting him to set the world on fire at A1. Will happily eat my shorts if proven wrong, however.

That's all I've got.

MASSIVE congratulations to Adam Bailey and the AME team for this history making event. Australia has been screaming for this for decades and his team delivered it. Despite my armchair analysis it truly was an extraordinary spectacle and achievement for the sport down under.
Despite plenty of experience with the concrete floored Kudos Bank Arena, Marvel is a grass surface with a floor that needed reinforcing underneath first before a single sheet of plywood was laid, let alone dirt bought in. To make things worse, it seems the U2 concert load out took longer than expected, hence a late start to the track build. (My observations only - could have all been perfectly on time. However generally on a Thursday afternoon you expect to see a few jumps maybe, not the grass surface still). I'm sure the team learned a boat load at this event that they can apply to make next year's even better.

Cheers!

BS12 wrote:

An armchair expert's views & opinions from watching the broadcast from the 250 LCQ on: - unfortunately the dirt turned to concrete and heavily blue grooved...

An armchair expert's views & opinions from watching the broadcast from the 250 LCQ on:

- unfortunately the dirt turned to concrete and heavily blue grooved in sections. No grip = very timid racing into and out of turns, for the most part

- track design looked much better on paper. Unfortunately it looks as though usable floor space was less than expected both in length and width. Seemingly not enough run off at the end of most lanes/not enough dirt in the turns. The turns certainly were not open/tall enough to cater for riders entry speeds. Obviously bowl turn safety was likely part of the lack of berm height. The turns crumbled pretty quickly, making it worse.

- stadium width made for essentially turning on a dime a necessity, however with no inside line grip/ruts, the turns were awkward and chaotic.

- again regarding stadium dimensions, the 2 smaller straights behind the start appeared very cramped.

- speak of the start, the first turn situation was a disaster. Again forecasted usable floor dimensions vs reality looked to have played a part, with a plan to have a proper S bend style start rather than the absolute pinch off that eventuated.

(Hindsight edit: some footage from friends at the race may prove all of my speculation and observations about the track wrong).

- moving on, I feel like the timid riding styles due to the track surface resulted in much less exciting racing overall, especially compared to New Zealand. And on this, the commentary lacked genuine excitement and hype, rather more constructed hype and general commentary technique. Weigandt was going nuts in Auckland. RC was solld still.

- visually, the images were breathtaking. A full size SX track and event inside Marvel Stadium with a 30,000+ strong crowd? WOW!! Camera angles, coverage all top notch for the most part however it definitely looked like a much less exciting atmosphere than we're used to in years past at the Kudos Bank excitement machine. The whole thing was definitely bigger, but with so much empty space remaining, the atmosphere suffered. Could have been different in real life however.

On to the riders.

- Brayton is head strong AF. When it was crunch time, he delivered 10 fold and was faultless throughout 3 pressure cooking gate drops/mains, and on a surface/in a situation begging him to slip up. Oh by the way he's fast, too. Word is he also suffered some broken ribs at one point this seaaon. Congrats on the 4-peat. Listening to his words carefully and in some other interviews, I dare say its 4 won & done for his ventures down under.

- Clout, on the other hand, folded, and rather easily at that. Top qualifier, heat winner, Super Pole winner to an absolute capitulation in the mains. Binned it early in main 1, wasted his Repco short cut in main 2 while in good position already, and a horrible start in main 3 had him stuck in the first turn.
Kudos to a great and breakthrough season for him though. First time in a pressure situation of that magnitude, so a mulligan granted and many lessons learned.

- Anderson: rips. Corner speed certainly didn't go unnoticed in tricky conditions.

- Josh Hill is a classic case of Instagram vs reality and flying at the test track. Multiple opportunities to strut his stuff and flex some raw speed on the field throughout the 3 rounds he was here, but it simply never showed up. A big name no less, but chalk him up as an also ran. Some work to do if he wants to make an impact back home.
Edited in hindsight: I'm comparing him to leading US names in Anderson and Brayton as well as seasoned riders Clout & Reardon. So I can't be too critical. Dude is still very quick.

- Joey Savatgy earned some easy money. Woeful in Auckland and an unfortunate crash in practice in Melbourne. Really hoping it's nothing serious and we see what he can offer sooner rather than later. Feeling for the JGR guys too. 3 international events now for Joey with absolutely nothing to show for it, except for a busted ankle.

- Chad Reed. Chad freakin Reed. How do you judge his performance, if it all? Healing from broken ribs, motivated by his retirement announcement. Puts Anderson on the deck early in main 1 to take the lead and eventually 2nd (3rd?) place, but beyond that, underwhelming. Again the ribs factor is an unknown but on face value his pace definitely looked off, at least compared to the top guys, and even though he had a bulky chest protector, he certainly looks like he's been enjoying his time down under. Can you blame him though? At the same time, he looked much fitter at Monster Cup than here. You definitely can't physio broken ribs but can certainly watch your food intake. Not sure how to judge/what to say about it all. The dude is an all time legend and has earned the right to call his own shots.

- Josh Osby folded, Chris Blose rose to the occasion. Oldenburg was also on to a good one all night.

- Jett Lawrence is on an obvious fast and steep learning curve. Got better and better each time out. Whoop speed is potentially a weak point, whilst his send-o-meter sure as fuck isn't. Dude definitely is not scared to go big, with arguably the best & biggest rhythm combos in the SX2 class. Never looked out of control, however given his lack of fucks to give in terms of going for it, I wouldn't be surprised to see his rookie season marred by an injury. Early days yet, but I'm not expecting him to set the world on fire at A1. Will happily eat my shorts if proven wrong, however.

That's all I've got.

MASSIVE congratulations to Adam Bailey and the AME team for this history making event. Australia has been screaming for this for decades and his team delivered it. Despite my armchair analysis it truly was an extraordinary spectacle and achievement for the sport down under.
Despite plenty of experience with the concrete floored Kudos Bank Arena, Marvel is a grass surface with a floor that needed reinforcing underneath first before a single sheet of plywood was laid, let alone dirt bought in. To make things worse, it seems the U2 concert load out took longer than expected, hence a late start to the track build. (My observations only - could have all been perfectly on time. However generally on a Thursday afternoon you expect to see a few jumps maybe, not the grass surface still). I'm sure the team learned a boat load at this event that they can apply to make next year's even better.

Cheers!

Barry_Smith wrote:

My son has been up since 6am asking if it’s time to go to the stadium.....about every 30 seconds. He’s super-pumped. Hopefully he doesn’t wear himself...

My son has been up since 6am asking if it’s time to go to the stadium.....about every 30 seconds. He’s super-pumped. Hopefully he doesn’t wear himself out before the show. Nothing an early arvo pizza and a nap can’t fix.

Aaryn234 wrote:

Haha I have been up since 6am doing the same, so excited for this. Growing up could only ever dream of seeing a Supercross event of...

Haha I have been up since 6am doing the same, so excited for this.

Growing up could only ever dream of seeing a Supercross event of this scale in Australia. Sure I grew up through the good years where we would get 5,000 - 10,000 to our small indoor stadiums to fill them up.

Aus-X Sydney was great for sure, but also limited to about 15,000 seats.

This weekend we have one of the best stadiums in Australia, the biggest indoor stadium in Australia (With storms around the roof will be shut tonight) at least 38,000 fans, which should reach 40,000 in a stadium that hold around 50,000 depending on the configuration.

The floor space is huge, the dirt is unreal for this event, it really is everything we have ever dreamed of.

Every person I know involved with the sport in any way from my home state of South Australia is heading across, it will be the same for most from the other states. It is going to be epic.

I can't wait to get down there and take it all and shoot the event from the floor, easily the biggest SX this country has seen, im pumped, super pumped haha.

Jake-247 wrote:

Have fun guys! Looks like it should be an unreal night of racing, the buzz around the event is like nothing I have sen before. I...

Have fun guys! Looks like it should be an unreal night of racing, the buzz around the event is like nothing I have sen before.

I made it down to Sydney the last 3 years and had a great time but unfortunately couldn't make it down to Melbourne Heres hoping its a success and I can make it down next year for it!

Aaryn234 wrote:

Haha I have been up since 6am doing the same, so excited for this. Growing up could only ever dream of seeing a Supercross event of...

Haha I have been up since 6am doing the same, so excited for this.

Growing up could only ever dream of seeing a Supercross event of this scale in Australia. Sure I grew up through the good years where we would get 5,000 - 10,000 to our small indoor stadiums to fill them up.

Aus-X Sydney was great for sure, but also limited to about 15,000 seats.

This weekend we have one of the best stadiums in Australia, the biggest indoor stadium in Australia (With storms around the roof will be shut tonight) at least 38,000 fans, which should reach 40,000 in a stadium that hold around 50,000 depending on the configuration.

The floor space is huge, the dirt is unreal for this event, it really is everything we have ever dreamed of.

Every person I know involved with the sport in any way from my home state of South Australia is heading across, it will be the same for most from the other states. It is going to be epic.

I can't wait to get down there and take it all and shoot the event from the floor, easily the biggest SX this country has seen, im pumped, super pumped haha.

Jake-247 wrote:

Have fun guys! Looks like it should be an unreal night of racing, the buzz around the event is like nothing I have sen before. I...

Have fun guys! Looks like it should be an unreal night of racing, the buzz around the event is like nothing I have sen before.

I made it down to Sydney the last 3 years and had a great time but unfortunately couldn't make it down to Melbourne Heres hoping its a success and I can make it down next year for it!

Aaryn234 wrote:

Our weekend turned out amazing, shot press day, my son was over with me with my wife and daughter flying in later, so he got the...

Our weekend turned out amazing, shot press day, my son was over with me with my wife and daughter flying in later, so he got the full press day experience including playing Supercross 3 the game with the likes of Anderson, Savatgy, RC and Jet Lawrence.

Then 9am Saturday morning I got a call from KTM Australia, unfortunately for one young rider his flights got canceled and they could not make it, so Jayden got the call up for the 50 race.

Finished 6th and had the time of his life, such a rad weekend. My wife shared the experience with him, while I was out there working and shooting the event.

BS12 wrote:

An armchair expert's views & opinions from watching the broadcast from the 250 LCQ on: - unfortunately the dirt turned to concrete and heavily blue grooved...

An armchair expert's views & opinions from watching the broadcast from the 250 LCQ on:

- unfortunately the dirt turned to concrete and heavily blue grooved in sections. No grip = very timid racing into and out of turns, for the most part

- track design looked much better on paper. Unfortunately it looks as though usable floor space was less than expected both in length and width. Seemingly not enough run off at the end of most lanes/not enough dirt in the turns. The turns certainly were not open/tall enough to cater for riders entry speeds. Obviously bowl turn safety was likely part of the lack of berm height. The turns crumbled pretty quickly, making it worse.

- stadium width made for essentially turning on a dime a necessity, however with no inside line grip/ruts, the turns were awkward and chaotic.

- again regarding stadium dimensions, the 2 smaller straights behind the start appeared very cramped.

- speak of the start, the first turn situation was a disaster. Again forecasted usable floor dimensions vs reality looked to have played a part, with a plan to have a proper S bend style start rather than the absolute pinch off that eventuated.

(Hindsight edit: some footage from friends at the race may prove all of my speculation and observations about the track wrong).

- moving on, I feel like the timid riding styles due to the track surface resulted in much less exciting racing overall, especially compared to New Zealand. And on this, the commentary lacked genuine excitement and hype, rather more constructed hype and general commentary technique. Weigandt was going nuts in Auckland. RC was solld still.

- visually, the images were breathtaking. A full size SX track and event inside Marvel Stadium with a 30,000+ strong crowd? WOW!! Camera angles, coverage all top notch for the most part however it definitely looked like a much less exciting atmosphere than we're used to in years past at the Kudos Bank excitement machine. The whole thing was definitely bigger, but with so much empty space remaining, the atmosphere suffered. Could have been different in real life however.

On to the riders.

- Brayton is head strong AF. When it was crunch time, he delivered 10 fold and was faultless throughout 3 pressure cooking gate drops/mains, and on a surface/in a situation begging him to slip up. Oh by the way he's fast, too. Word is he also suffered some broken ribs at one point this seaaon. Congrats on the 4-peat. Listening to his words carefully and in some other interviews, I dare say its 4 won & done for his ventures down under.

- Clout, on the other hand, folded, and rather easily at that. Top qualifier, heat winner, Super Pole winner to an absolute capitulation in the mains. Binned it early in main 1, wasted his Repco short cut in main 2 while in good position already, and a horrible start in main 3 had him stuck in the first turn.
Kudos to a great and breakthrough season for him though. First time in a pressure situation of that magnitude, so a mulligan granted and many lessons learned.

- Anderson: rips. Corner speed certainly didn't go unnoticed in tricky conditions.

- Josh Hill is a classic case of Instagram vs reality and flying at the test track. Multiple opportunities to strut his stuff and flex some raw speed on the field throughout the 3 rounds he was here, but it simply never showed up. A big name no less, but chalk him up as an also ran. Some work to do if he wants to make an impact back home.
Edited in hindsight: I'm comparing him to leading US names in Anderson and Brayton as well as seasoned riders Clout & Reardon. So I can't be too critical. Dude is still very quick.

- Joey Savatgy earned some easy money. Woeful in Auckland and an unfortunate crash in practice in Melbourne. Really hoping it's nothing serious and we see what he can offer sooner rather than later. Feeling for the JGR guys too. 3 international events now for Joey with absolutely nothing to show for it, except for a busted ankle.

- Chad Reed. Chad freakin Reed. How do you judge his performance, if it all? Healing from broken ribs, motivated by his retirement announcement. Puts Anderson on the deck early in main 1 to take the lead and eventually 2nd (3rd?) place, but beyond that, underwhelming. Again the ribs factor is an unknown but on face value his pace definitely looked off, at least compared to the top guys, and even though he had a bulky chest protector, he certainly looks like he's been enjoying his time down under. Can you blame him though? At the same time, he looked much fitter at Monster Cup than here. You definitely can't physio broken ribs but can certainly watch your food intake. Not sure how to judge/what to say about it all. The dude is an all time legend and has earned the right to call his own shots.

- Josh Osby folded, Chris Blose rose to the occasion. Oldenburg was also on to a good one all night.

- Jett Lawrence is on an obvious fast and steep learning curve. Got better and better each time out. Whoop speed is potentially a weak point, whilst his send-o-meter sure as fuck isn't. Dude definitely is not scared to go big, with arguably the best & biggest rhythm combos in the SX2 class. Never looked out of control, however given his lack of fucks to give in terms of going for it, I wouldn't be surprised to see his rookie season marred by an injury. Early days yet, but I'm not expecting him to set the world on fire at A1. Will happily eat my shorts if proven wrong, however.

That's all I've got.

MASSIVE congratulations to Adam Bailey and the AME team for this history making event. Australia has been screaming for this for decades and his team delivered it. Despite my armchair analysis it truly was an extraordinary spectacle and achievement for the sport down under.
Despite plenty of experience with the concrete floored Kudos Bank Arena, Marvel is a grass surface with a floor that needed reinforcing underneath first before a single sheet of plywood was laid, let alone dirt bought in. To make things worse, it seems the U2 concert load out took longer than expected, hence a late start to the track build. (My observations only - could have all been perfectly on time. However generally on a Thursday afternoon you expect to see a few jumps maybe, not the grass surface still). I'm sure the team learned a boat load at this event that they can apply to make next year's even better.

Cheers!

cablecable wrote:

i dont follow aus racing cloely and have heard of luke clout but never knew he was this good, how old is he? wonder if any...

i dont follow aus racing cloely and have heard of luke clout but never knew he was this good, how old is he? wonder if any ama teams would give him a shot..

-MAVERICK- wrote:

Clout will be 25 next month.

cablecable wrote:

i dont follow aus racing cloely and have heard of luke clout but never knew he was this good, how old is he? wonder if any...

i dont follow aus racing cloely and have heard of luke clout but never knew he was this good, how old is he? wonder if any ama teams would give him a shot..

-MAVERICK- wrote:

Clout will be 25 next month.

Boomslang wrote:

He spent some time in the US. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/12/01/387928/s1200_Screenshot_20191201_120859_Samsung_Internet.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/12/01/387927/s1200_Screenshot_20191201_120847_Samsung_Internet.jpg[/img]

He spent some time in the US.

-MAVERICK- wrote:

Clout will be 25 next month.

Boomslang wrote:

He spent some time in the US. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/12/01/387928/s1200_Screenshot_20191201_120859_Samsung_Internet.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/12/01/387927/s1200_Screenshot_20191201_120847_Samsung_Internet.jpg[/img]

He spent some time in the US.

Motofinne wrote:

Perfect example of a late bloomer.

-MAVERICK- wrote: