What are we watching today?

Personally I think it looks like crap.  This isn't what Southwick should be.

They threw the track prep so the Coenen's wouldn't have as much of an advantage.

The need to import more sand, so it can be what it was in the 90s... This is not the mx338 track i remember from terrifirma 2

For one thing, NO track whether it’s a local track or AMA national track is going to have the same sand or dirt that it’s always had after 30+ years of action. 
It gets roosted away, washed away after years worth of rainy Spring races, mud races etc. 338 sees races ALL year except for the winter. There is activity at the track from March to Nov./Dec. every year so take that into account. 

Secondly, yes we got rain up here Monday and Tuesday but we’ve had several heat waves recently and another one coming this week, there are serious drought restrictions regarding watering going on (which knowing this town I’m sure they aren’t letting 338 just use as much water as they want. The track sits directly over the area aquifer) and if you came to the race you definitely saw the signs all over town. Sand also drains like crazy and doesn’t retain hardly any water. 

Third, you can blame the TV networks mainly for the track changing and all the trees of the past getting cut down for VIP areas and better camera viewing etc etc. The tracks been ruined compared to what is used to be for gotta be close to 20 years now? Sucks but get used to it. 

It’ll never be what it was in the 90s. Nothing will ever be what it was in the 90s. It’s still a unique surface to the circuit and clearly everyone including the best in the world is challenged by it so let’s look at the positives because nothing is gonna be what it was 20-30 years ago 👍

Didn’t look very smooth to me

The track has changed a lot. The frog pond was the deepest section on the whole track and the new back section before the finish where the old pits used to be is the hardest pack section on the track. So they lost the deepest and added the hardest. They had to add length when they lost the frog pond section so they added it there. Plus the old pits sucked, so they put em behind the start. I wish they would put an over under on the hill down to the start so they could jump over and go back to the frog pond, but I think the epa shut that section down because its a wetland. 

I’m still happy with the track overall but them taking out the buckley berm this year sucks. They already took out the camel humps right after buckley, now buckley too? For a vip section? They could make up for some of it if they added rollers there like they did 1 year or brought the camel humps back. Removing buckley berm for a straight away is ridiculous. Put the fn camel humps back to make up for losing buckley and id be (more) fine with it.  Taking out buckley AND putting a fn straight away there is INSANE put the fuckin camel humps back at least. 

-All that being said the track is still absolutely brutal, unless youve raced it or watched in person the tv doesnt do it justice (and it still looked really bad on tv). 

Maybe bikes are better???