Vital MX Pit Bits: 2023 Seattle Supercross

Welcome back to Pit Bits from the only stop on the schedule in the Pacific Northwest. This is Seattle 2023.

You really have to study the track...

Two holeshots, $6,000 in bonuses, and one stock KTM engine.

Always some good Seahawks tributes for the Seattle Supercross.

While the AEO team is based out of California and their first shop is in Arizona, the ownership is originally from the Pacific Northwest. So it's basically a home race for the team.

The pits in Seattle are indoors and have a much tighter layout then seen at most rounds.

During indoor rounds the teams have condensed pit areas, no awnings, no tractor (usually related to regulations around tractors and fuel) and they run the trailers off live power couplers linked into the stadium's power grid.

The fans get to get a bit closer than usual at these rounds.

Fun fact, Star Racing's 250 trailer was the original JGRMX trailer that they got back in the winter of 2007.

He hasn't ran them this Supercross season but as a little reminder, no, Levi Kitchen isn't running Steg Pegz indoors in 2023.

Stock engine mounts for both Kitchen and Robertson. Grip tape on both fuel tanks and a little different placement for their side number plate grip tape.

A clean new design for Eli Tomac.

The white plate was short-lived...

Cooper Webb will retain his red plate, but now shared...

The BarX team went for a lined parallel lineup with their semi.

A bit of a difference between teammates. Wageman is running a set of Ride Engineering clamps, that have been blasted off, while Brandon Scharer was running stock RM-Z250 triple clamps.

The factory Kawasaki crew is always seems to be the most prepared for all pit situations, equipment, and overall work layout.

Notice anything new about AC's machine?

Maybe a peek at Jason Anderson's bike will help you see the difference.

Yup, she's thick! AC is a taller rider but for the first time in his career, he's racing with a thick seat. Because of the Kawi's layout, the thick seat looks massive! It also has quite a rounded character on the top. This is the second weekend that AC has run the seat, as he started racing with it in Detroit.

Enzo Lopes has been really holding it down for the ClubMX team on the West coast and we followed him for the day at Seattle. Check back later this week for a full video feature.

AJE's Jerry Robin had a connection with a local sponsor, Mazda of Everett, who stepped up and did a team deal for Seattle.

Dirt Bike Kidz (DBK) also linked up with AJE for the remainder of the 2023 Supercross season.

Carson Mumford finally made his racing debut in 2023 and still has a few rounds left in Supercross with his Pro Circuit fill-in ride.

Carson Mumford has been paired with Tony Archer, who's regular rider Austin Forkner is out with an injury. Mumford and Archer are familiar with each other after their time at the now-defunct Chaparral/FXR Honda team.

A lot of riders rolled out with foam on their visors for the slightly soft/swampy conditions in the opening practice sessions.

Alpinestars always dial in their top guys with custom warm-up jackets.

A sight we're all hoping well end soon.

It sounds like things have really settled over in the Roczen camp as he's been on the same settings for around three rounds now.

The #160 may have been a head-scratcher to some passing through the pits, as Cole Seely could run neither the traditional #14 nor even the #200 that he's been known to use in the past. MCR hasn't run a 450 all season, choosing to instead focus on their 250 West program. With the departure of Justin Brayton from the MCR program, Seely will be racing their CRF450R come the 2023 World Supercross Championship which starts in just a couple of months. We'll see him lineup at a few more select rounds this season just to get gate drops and find some race intensity ahead of that series.