After a more temperate, albeit sometime wet, first six rounds of Supercross on the west coast, the SX circus headed east to frigid Indianapolis, and naturally we chased it down. After two horrifying flights, a hateful cab driver, and a lost Blackberry, we settled into downtown Indianapolis; just in time to sample some wings at the local Hooters and still be in bed early.
We were definitely glad we got well rested, because the opening round of the East Coast Lites Championship didn’t disappoint… although it wasn’t necessarily the 250s that kept the crowd on their feet during the main events. Christophe Pourcel did his best to keep the Lites main event from being too exciting, by basically running away with the win with his now-signature nonchalant demeanor. There were highlights, though, including Justin Barcia nabbing a podium spot in his first-ever Supercross, as well as Austin Stroupe putting the 2010 EFI RM-Z250 on the box in its first race. The premier class successfully revitalized the crowd’s enthusiasm after a somewhat uneventful Lites main, however, thanks to Kevin Windham, Davi Millsaps, Ryan Villopoto, and Ryan Dungey. With plenty of lead changes and tight racing, the 60,000-plus fans roared for 20 solid laps. We had a hard time staying focused on shooting photos; more than once we caught ourselves gawking at the racing with our cameras at our sides.
Since it is bitter cold in Indianapolis, teams have the option to build up a small pitting area inside the paddock of the stadium. Many of those teams also had video set-ups to go over practice sessions with the riders without having to go all of the way out to the semis parked outside.
All in all, it was a great way to inaugurate racing on the east side of the country, although we were happy to board the plane bound for warmer destinations. On a side note: a big shout-out to Nate Hawley of DC Shoes for helping us carry camera equipment onto the plane headed back to California. The always-polite staff of Delta Airlines was determined to throw our not-so-cheap equipment under the plane because there wasn’t enough room amongst the briefcases and purses in the cabin. Thanks Nate!
TAGS: East Coast Lites, indianapolis, jason lawrence, josh hill, Justin Brayton, kevin windham, kickstart, les smith, Lucas Oil Stadium, Photos, ryan dungey, ryan villopoto
