Monday Kickstart – Seattle SX

Go Pro upped their ante in the video game this week (literally). Mounted to a radio-controlled helicopter, the mini HD camera added another unique angle to the practice sessions.

Although American Honda Racing is without a rider, the team still made the trip to Seattle and put their sidelined riders’ bikes on display. Even though they don’t have their team riders on the track, they still provide support to the other satellite teams, including Two Two Motorsports, Geico Honda, and Troy Lee Designs Honda. On the bright side, Honda as a manufacturer grasped 4 of the 6 podium positions on the night.

Question marks have surrounded Josh Hansen during the West Coast Lites hiatus, not because of off-track antics, but because of the status of his broken hand. Could he ride the pace? Could he finish a race? Would he even race? He was visibly in good spirits early in the day, and started practice off fine. A big crash, though, reinjured his hand, dislocating a finger, as well as hurting his collarbone.

The track conditions and layout puzzled all of the riders on the track, that is, everyone except James Stewart. If you caught the broadcast on Speed, then you know well what we are talking about, but it was even more apparent trackside. Many riders rode well, but most everyone was visibly cautious and calculating. Not James. He rode like he’d been spinning laps on the track for the past week.