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Five lead changes amongst 4 different leaders. Lots of action and passing in the top ten. Unpredictable crashes, passes, fades and late charges. I might not be ready to rank it above Atlanta 1990, but it was pretty damn close. What a great way to kick off the season.
A1 definitely delivered the goods! I'm not sure where it ranks but it was the most exciting A1 in the last 5 years or so
Tomac lost the race once and won it twice.
Yeah, he looks dialed in. I hope the others can keep challenging him.
Honestly , it wasnt a classic, but after a long off season it absolutely delivered.
Wasnt a runaway, had lead changes , had the possible ' dream winner' in Mookie, Then Tomac's charge back, Roczen showing us what a yellow bike looks like at the front and Webb finding something to make us think.
Even Barcia leading .
But apart form Sexton on Mookie, (and Mookie making a great recovery) i dont remember seeing any contact , it was just an excitement filled main that you knew wasnt gonna be over till it was over.
The great thing for me is that it left us with less answers than we had before the race.
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That track provided great racing. The rain soaked dirt was very soft, but it kinda worked out to provide some challenging sections. Oakland might be a real mud race, if the weather for cast holds…
Dang, you've got high standards, bro! I just know that I thoroughly enjoyed that race last night.
Yeah I’ve been watching for a very long time and that was one of the best A1s I’ve seen. It was a good technical track, and had everything we all wanted from barcia and mookie leading, rockzen up front, tip overs / crashes (no one got hurt but made for an edge of the seat race) , last lap passes. The two last champs leaving 1and 2 in the points. what more can you ask for.
I started watching seriously around 2016 and that’s the best race I’ve seen. There was a good one in Atlanta a few years ago, but I’d say this was the most exciting. So many curveballs! Great way to start the season, besides Forkner
Last night’s track provided something that the two bangers used to deliver; everyone making mistakes.
Imperfection makes good racing.
I was brought up on 80's SX. So i will have.
I dont mean it wasnt good, it was a proper edge of the seat race, no doubt , but it wasnt a true back and forth battle, sure we had loads of leaders and lots of action, but the only pass that had any kind of attitude was Sexton on Mookie, and that was hardly a bar banger.
Yes it was great, and we watched live in the middle of the night, and its probably the best A1 we have had in ages, it lived up to the hype , but in 5 years will it be remembered other than being a great A1.
Gotta agree. It was a stellar race and better than many in recent years. Perfect start to the 2023 racing season!
This take always leaves me confused......you mean when McGrath won 72 SX races and then RC also destroyed everyone indoors/out? Maybe you were watching races for 11th place because those were snoozers at the front. When was this great racing you speak of that was somehow due to the bikes? Anaheim 86? The racing then was not "better" either, but there were 4-6 guys on the same level on any given weekend.....and thats what we have now if they stay healthy.
That was a great race, but if in 37 years you remember it like the '86 Bailey / Johnson race then let me know.
It was an incredible first round, but in my opinion I don't think it's an instant classic. It will probably be remembered more than any A1 in the past few years.
Toronto 2014, Salt Lake 2017...those are the instant classics as far as comeback rides go. Tomac was impressive, but he could still see the leaders when he got up. I'm a Tomac fan, too...
I would agree with you that Eli's comeback wasn't as impressive as the two rides you mentioned. I just think the race was a classic because of all of the surprises. I think we all assumed that Eli threw it away, but he surprised us. Mookie had everybody pulling for him, Webb's late charge, Kenny sniffing the lead on yellow for a while, action in the top ten for the entire race.
If this race gets remembered as a classic it'll be because it was exciting and it was won by a legend.
Right after 90 atlanta. Has any rider crashed out of the top 5 after the 11:00 min mark and came back to win? Ricky looped out at pontiac and got 2nd to nate dawg
Yeah McGrath and RC never had any good races, neither did RC and Reed, RC and Stew, or RC, Reed and Stew. Emig, DV and Windham were nowhere to be seen.
Don’t even start me on the early 90s, such a bore. 80’s? No personalities, no trick bikes, no challenging tracks, no competition…..you’re right, I’m sorry I don’t know what I was thinking.
Yep, and RC and Stews races were just as good or better on four strokes and I guess the Chase and Eli battles were just awful last summer etc. Your point was two strokes somehow made it better and that's just false. There were just as many injuries and the racing was great sometimes and not great others. Weather, track design, injuries, bike setup, fitness, and many other factors impact it, not whether the engine has a camshaft or not.
I agree with the trick bikes and personalities of the 80's. Thats when I was a kid and I still dream about the 80's/90's Hondas of RJ, Stanton, Bailey, and later McGrath.
Pit Row
I just watched the 16 min highlights. Easy track with a few soft parts. No where near as technical as a 90,s. Track. Others that where there say everyone made alot of mistakes. But No where as many as a 90,s sx race. I rank it 442 . Way more battles in the 90,s behind the leader MC because of the 2-st and no flow technical tracks.
Please go back and read my original comment- I was saying everyone making mistakes makes good racing. People made more mistakes on 2t’s than they do now, A1 23 being an exception and those mistakes delivered.
The stuff you’re saying is mostly true, but also mostly irrelevant to point I was making.
You lost me at, "easy track."
All I have to say is I was taking a nap on Sunday and my tv (YouTube app) started playing bar to bar 2007. Romantic memories of racing do not hold up over time. Someday the technology will exist to compare different generations of racing. Dropping 2023 Tomac into ‘83, ‘93, ‘03, ‘13 sx would be a shock. In 2033, we will probably be saying the same thing, though we may be getting closer to human limits. Drugs and active suspension, traction control/power delivery could push the limits higher
Great season opener ! As far as comparing it to other races ? I’ll be honest, I don’t know how you guys even remember who was battling who on what specific dates and places from years past. I’m impressed ! I remember 1 or 2 races from the past that stand out, Doug Henry’s first ride on the 4 stroke and maybe 1 or 2 others but for the most part they’re all a blur. Thanks for jarring my memory on some epic battles I had completely forgot about
Looking forward to next week ! 
“I don’t know what HD is but my doctor says I have 80 of them”
Yep. Sorry about creating a debate that wasn't there. I was making it more about the 2 stroke vs 4 stroke debate and see what you are saying.
Post a reply to: Last night was an instant classic. Where does it rank?