Consistency.
Consistency won the race for the tortoise.
Consistency also won the weekend for Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner.
Consistency also is one of the mantras for JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki’s Chad Reed, with it, Reed has amassed 132 podium finishes in Monster Energy Supercross.
Beginning with Reed. 132 podiums. Between practice before race weekend and the number of laps run on a race weekend, Reed has well past 100,000 miles on his dirt bike.
“I am really proud of the number of podiums I have been on in my career,” said Reed. “I continue to do this because I believe I can be here. I don’t work my ass off during the week to get the positions I have been getting throughout the beginning of the season. It’s been extremely frustrating the last couple of years, so to have a night where you go out and you’re fighting for those top positions, it’s fun. It’s something I’m used to. The more forward you go towards the front the more fun it is. The racing is different in the front of the pack.”
Reed who is 37 this year made mention that this might be his final season during his podium interview in front of the packed house at Ford Field in Detroit still has one more thing he would like to accomplish before he is done, that would be to be the oldest racer to win the main event, a title currently held by Justin Brayton who achieved that during the 2018 season.
Reed still jokes about how it is fun to pass the younger riders and still show the next generation of stars that he can still get in the ring as toss the punches, “I got passed by Eli (Tomac), but I got him right back and made the pass right away. It is still fun to pass the kids.”
For Tomac though, the consistency hasn’t been there through the entire season, but when it comes to the Triple Crown format, a different format than a standard race weekend, a light for Tomac clicks and you can be sure that he will be racing for the title. Something about the format that just seems to work for Tomac to his advantage, as Tomac is no stranger to the three-race format. Just ask his bank account after he swept the three-race format in the Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas in October 2018 to become $1 Million dollars richer in addition to winning the inaugural Triple Crown during the regular season in 2018.
“It is more than just me,” said Tomac. “It takes a team of people to be successful in every weekend of racing, but more so in a weekend where there are three main event races. But for me, it works. The format and the quick pace of the race work to my advantage and if you ride a consistent race and you’re not having to make desperate moves, you’ll be in a good position to win the overall event, even if you don’t win every race of the night.”
Tomac is one of the top riders in Supercross currently, but it was Reed who Tomac watched and idolized growing up as a kid and racing as an amateur.
“I remember my first time racing again Chad (Reed) and James (Stewart),” said Tomac. “We were racing side by side down the whoops and it was intimidating. To still have that opportunity to race Chad and see how he conducts his business on and off the track creates lessons for every rider in how to have a long and successful career.”
For Kawasaki racing, this is the second time that Team Green has swept the podium in a triple crown race.
Austin Forkner (24); Main Event 3; Monster Energy Supercross; 2019 Season; Detroit; Triple Crown 2; Ford Field; February 23, 2019; Photo: Tyler Tate/T Squared Sports Media
But the sweep didn’t just stop there. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner went three for three wins on the night and is a perfect five for five to start the season in the 250SX Class in the east region and holds the top spot in the east while his teammate Adam Cianciarulo holds the top spot in the west region.
“It is a combination of things that has gotten me to this great start,” said Forkner. “From my training, my fitness, the bike, everything, it is all just clicking for me. It helps when I continue to get great starts off the gate. The farthest I have been back from the front on a start is second, so that helps my starts are dialed and I can get to the front right from the start.”
Next up in Atlanta is the East/West Showdown. With both red plates on the Kawasaki machines, it is anyone’s guess to who will come out on top.
Our guess on who will win….? The consistent one.
Full Race Results from round 8 in Detroit.
450SX Class Results
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM
- Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Suzuki
- Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM
- Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
- Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., Yamaha
- Joey Savatgy, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki
- Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., Honda
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results
- Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki
- Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM
- Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda
- Justin Cooper, Huntington, N.Y., Yamaha
- Martin Davalos, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki
- Alex Martin, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki
- Mitchell Oldenburg, Godley, Tex., Yamaha
- Kyle Peters, Greensboro, N.C., Suzuki
- Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Tex., Honda
- Blake Wharton, Denton, Tex., Honda