It's becoming increasingly clear that the off-season is really just a little season on its own. These one-off races aren't constrained to the strict format of the traditional AMA-style supercross events, and both of the major non-major races of 2006 sported some impressive innovations designed to put some spice in the SX mix. Here are our favorites:
Two-Man Elimination-Style Racing: The first annual (we hope it's annual) Jeremy McGrath Invitational (JMI) brought two-man elimination racing to American supercross. Influenced by European events, the two-lap races, arranged in a bracket-type elimination tournament separate from a main event, were often exciting, and with the rider in second desperately fighting to pass for the win, second place really was the first loser. Sure, some of the heads-up battles were a little boring, but they lasted less than two minutes, so there was little dull time for spectators to notice uncomfortable seats and nacho-induced indigestion.
David Vuillemin's Goon Riding: The U.S. Open also attempted to pump up its event with a Superpole time trial before the regular racing began. The top 10 riders kicked off each night by getting one solo, timed lap, with the fastest rider pocketing $10,000. However, even with the big cash on the line, the Superpole TT didnt deliver like the head-to-head eliminations at the JMI. Two riders on the track is a race, one is a parade lap. But David Vuillemin's goon-riding alter ego did make an appearance on the second nights Superpole by completing a lap in perfect goonish form. He lost his shot at 10 grand, but earned some of the loudest applause of the night.
Friggin' Freestyle Ramps in the Friggin' Track!: Jeremy McGrath took a different look at supercross by peering through some old-school glasses. "I don't know if anyone remembers the movie RAD, but it was a BMX movie and on it they had this track called Helltrack. That's what I wanted to build," McGrath said at the prerace press conference. And build it he did. There's nothing like a freestyle ramp (albeit five times as wide) in the middle of a supercross track to get the fans pumped up. The result was intense hang-time, with some of the sickest whips to ever grace the air above a racetrack. And if watching MC throw down Nac Nacs was ever getting old (which it wasnt), then it officially became new again as he hung them out longer than ever over the lofty ramp-to-dirt hits. It was like a supercross track on too much Red Bull.
Cash and Lots of It: A rider could win more purse money in one weekend than in an entire successful regular season of racing. The riders go to the gate at these races with a lot of motivation.
Hidden Start with Cool Strobe Lights: The JMI featured a hidden start that would launch riders with a background of rock-and-roll and pulsing strobe lights. Starts are exciting enough, but this added some much-welcomed freshness to the old gate-dropping routine.
James Stewart Winning [the U.S. Open]: James has a lot of wins in his future, though not so many more with RC pushing him the whole time. Stewart gave RC the send-off he didn't want at the 2006 U.S. Open - two second places. Bubba was perfect on the weekend with a 1-1 in the two-night double-header. Snake eyes never paid so well in Vegas.
Kevin Windham's Whips: It's really a beautiful thing when you throw K-Dub 30 feet in the air and let him hang out for a while. Look at the photos from the JMI, then look at them again -that's all we have to say about that.
RC's Race Car: It's official - thanks to Ricky Carmichael, the number four will always be fast. If RC ever gets to dance in the big show of NASCAR, we might actually watch it. OK, were lying. We'll be riding on Sunday still. But we'll definitely buy an RC flag for our motor home, RC stickers for our trucks and RC beer cozies...whenever they start selling them.
Freestyle Shows: Yes, we totally enjoyed watching a freestyle show again at the JMI. Did you know Travis Pastrana lands on his front tire almost every time he does a Superman seat grab backflip? Yeah, it scares us just thinking about it, too. Everyone threw down huge tricks, and it made the downtime between the JMI race events entertaining.
Rain at the U.S. Open: With a downpour on Friday night, the outside portion of the U.S. Open course became infused with the wet stuff, adding yet another variable to the challenging event. Hmm, 25 laps, 25 tear offs...easy enough, right?
Toyota Trifecta: James Stewart almost does the impossible. Not by nearly sweeping all of the events, but by almost going home with all of Vegas' money.
The Movie RAD: We sort of said this already, but since McGrath gave props to the coolest BMX movie ever made as his inspiration to build his Invitational's track, we thought it was worth mentioning again. I wonder if I still have the soundtrack on cassette. Man, I love that "Send Me An Angel" song.
Some of the changes at these unique events worked and some didn't. But, for sure, it's the races outside the big championship series that have the freedom and motivation to bring new ideas to the sport. Will we see anything like this at a standard supercross anytime soon? Who knows, but it'd be cool to watch!
For more race coverage on unique events and current reports on the Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross and World Supercross GP events, check back here at www.dirtrider.com.