After four rounds of West Coast racing, it’s time to swing east, as Tampa will host round five of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX). A great round that doesn’t always find its way onto the schedule, Tampa is a popular one for riders because most live in Florida these days. They can be home on Saturday night after the race and add a day of recovery on both sides of the event. If rain doesn’t pop up on the forecast, it’s hard to beat February Florida weather, too. Saturday looks like it should be sunny and near perfect conditions for the proverbial circus to arrive.
The start in Tampa is a right hander and that always lifts eyebrows. The inability for many riders to use their rear brake as they extend their right leg in the corner raises the likelihood of first turn contact. It’s not a guarantee that we will see pileups, it’s just more likely.
A small rhythm meets the exit of the first corner, and I expect riders to go 2-2 here (possibly 1-2-1 if the corner is super tight). Six jumps line the Raymond James Stadium sideline and look for a 3-2-1 line (or 2-3-1 for 250’s) to be the fastest way. It could be argued that 3-3 is doable but with a flat-ish left hander at the landing of the final jump, riders won’t want to run deep into that corner from the second triple. Rolling the final jump to the inside and staying inside in the corner is faster and more protective.
The next chute is either a step-on step-off or will be a step over and then step-on step-off into the corner. Both will be similar in timing; it will likely come down to how the first tabletop is built and if riders can easily step off of it or not.
A 180 right leads to a standard supercross triple and immediately into a netted bowl berm 180 back to the left. The next straight spans the width of the backside of the stadium. The ideal line will be to go 3-3-1. There will be no faster option than that. Who can do this and who can’t will be decided Saturday but rest assured, that’s the line.
The next 90 left brings riders alongside the length of the stadium and will likely be a 2-3 leading into the whoops. Tripling is theoretically possible, but no one will want to go outside in the prior corner without serious upside. The whoops could prove tricky here and were the bugaboo in Chase Sexton’s 450 main event two years ago. If the dirt is as black as it was then, watch for riders to struggle to see the edges and subtleties of sections like this.
A 180 left brings riders back the opposite way and into the prototypical Tampa sand section. This looks remarkably similar to 2017 and the sand proved pivotal that night. Finding a repeatable rhythm is important here. Watch for riders try to make passes alongside whoever they’re up against as there will be a lot of inconsistency in how each run is executed.
A seat bounce triple meets the exit of the next 180 (or 2-1 variation for 250’s) and sends riders into the finish line jump.
A sandy left hander brings riders back onto the starting line and watch for the inside line to be reign. I can’t find any reason to go anywhere but the inside unless it gets blown out and becomes one arc that flows outside at the exit. The important part is that I believe this will be one-lined.
Ripping back down the starting line leads back into the first corner and starts lap two.
- Supercross
Tampa
Saturday, February 8- Race Day Live (Qualifying)LiveFebruary 8 - 1:30 PM
- Race Day Live (Qualifying)LiveFebruary 8 - 1:30 PM
- Night ShowLiveFebruary 8 - 7:00 PM
- Night ShowLiveFebruary 8 - 7:00 PM
Who’s Hot
Chase Sexton won the overall in Glendale and took the red plate with him. His 3-3-2 scores didn’t reflect domination, but those triple crown races often reward consistency (think Webb’s 5-5-2 last year).
Eli Tomac won the final race and proved that if he gets a start, he is a serious problem for, well, anyone. This is peak Eli at 32 years old.
Cooper Webb outperformed the stats narrative (7th avg) with a runner up finish in the dez. If you can mitigate your tough rounds and excel at your more conducive ones.
Ken Roczen may have lost the red plate but he’s still riding incredibly well. Hard to not cheer for that guy.
Tom Vialle has had a quiet off-season and comes in as the reigning champ. For any off-season, quiet equals good. That doesn’t mean he will repeat or win any races at all, it just means that work was put in and the boxes were likely checked.
Max Anstie also falls into this “quiet” category. The less I hear about someone leading up to the race, the more I like it. Seems counter intuitive but with so many question marks for the 250SX East Region, less is more.
Who’s Not
Jett Lawrence suffered an ACL tear in race three at Glendale. Breaking news, I know. He will be out until Fox Raceway at the earliest.
Jason Anderson came into Glendale with two podiums in three rounds. Glendale just wasn’t the same for him. Not sure what to make of that.
Aaron Plessinger can’t seem to find any 2025 momentum as of yet. Maybe the move east will jump start something.
Justin Barcia had a tough Glendale, qualifying 18th and putting in 12-12-6 finishes. His race 3 was a glimmer of hope but overall, tough weekend for the 51.
Cameron McAdoo suffered a setback and will be less than 100 percent for the opener.
Chance Hymas has been battling his way back to health and while optimistic, he’s still not where he wants to be.
Bold Predictions
The Tampa round is brought to you by Biofreeze as half of the 250 class is dealing with some sort of injury.
McAdoo, Hymas, Hampshire, and Levi Kitchen all combine forces to create one healthy human.
Jackson Mahomes comes to Tampa to cheer on huge Chiefs fan, Benny Bloss, before heading back to New Orleans to watch the Super Bowl. After all, no one is more beta than Jackson Mahomes.
