The past month of Supercross racing has shown how the layout and makeup of a track can influence the action, and all for different reasons.

Daytona
Known for its extra length and brutal deterioration, the circuit inside the Daytona International Speedway was no disappointment. Considering that it was designed by motocross’ all-time hero, Ricky Carmichael, it’s no wonder the 2009 version was up to par with the legendary reputation. RC has a bit of a reputation himself of being one tough SOB. The rougher and nastier, the better Ricky would perform. Fortunately the weather was with us this year, but how much is required from the riders physically? Just look at Jason Lawrence. He made the jump to the 450 class which meant an additional five laps for the main event. He shocked everyone by looking unstoppable, but once he crossed the 15-lap threshold it seemed like he might puke in his helmet. It was still an awesome ride for Lawrence, but Chad Reed subsequently got the victory.

St. Louis
Dirt bike racing inside the Edward Jones Dome has never been so wild. Another former champ designed this one (Travis Pastrana), and again it was a representation of their personality. I was pretty turned off of racer-designed courses after 2008 where it seemed like riders just picked an old track that they did well at and tried to use that to their advantage. It was boring and unfair. So far this season I’ve had to amend my opinion, especially after the Pastrana course in St. Louis. With riders and fans moaning about how every track is the same (I did it too) TP’s vision was the first I’ve seen aside from the retro A2 course last year that really gave SX a fresh feel. Huge jumps, walled berms, double dragon backs and vertical step-ups were awesome for everyone involved. It was one of these new features that caught James Stewart while he was leading the main event and handed the crucial win to Reed.

Toronto
The event might be inside a covered stadium, but the dirt has to come from somewhere and racers were commenting on the challenging nature of using frozen dirt. The soil composition not only changed throughout the night, but it was pretty rocky as well. Also, Josh Hill (third place) was stoked on the amount of passing opportunities which he claimed were plentiful. Hill was unable to challenge Reed and Stewart, but he was a new face in the top-3 and even the top-5.

We’ve got quite a bit to go for this wacky 2009 season. Jacksonville is a new venue, Seattle is sometimes wet, who will get salty in SLC and what happens in Vegas stays there. Here’s hoping the Dirt Wurx crew can keep building fun, safe and exciting racetracks. As an outdoor motocross lover I’m usually pretty burnt on SX by this point, but for now I don’t see any reason to move on yet.