Works suspension is a costly expense to the top teams and they like to protect their investments when the conditions can get a bit rough. Yoshimura and RCH Showa equipped riders had these carbon guards that are molded to cover the upper fork tubes and the lower triple clamps.

We noticed that James Stewart had swapped front forks again, going from the twin-chamber spring forks he ran at Hangtown, to the newest version of Showa's SFF TAC forks. These newest version that have been labeled as a "hybrid" are called as such because they also feature a standard fork spring with the three air chambers normally found in this fork. The internal term we've heard for this setup is called a "spring assist" fork.

Another view at Stewart's forks, the valving side.

Blake Baggett's RM-Z450 retained Showa's twin-chamber spring fork.

Blake's bike still has the most unique seat in the pits, which was built specially for him by the crew at GUTS. The extended ridges allow him something extra to grip his legs and the top of his boots under for better control of the bike.

All kinds of goodies can be found in team's pit carts: such as spare wheels, specialty tools, track shoes/mini boots, mud prepping materials, extra fluids, and sometimes even a spare engine.

A little assistance is needed when setting up a fresh holeshot device.