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Monster Energy Supercross has made quite a few changes to the format for the 2018 season: the Triple Crown Series, the restructuring of the points system, and the addition of amateur racing at select rounds. Angel Stadium of Anaheim has served as the season opener for AMA Supercross for count- less years and is synonymous at this point with the start of the season, so it’s only fitting that it hosts the first amateur day as well. Not only is it convenient for the majority of the industry to make the drive through Southern California to Angel Stadium, it’s also been
a destination city for those wanting to attend Disney- Land for more than fifty years! There’s a lot going on in Anaheim.
Angel Stadium of Anaheim has hosted more super- cross races than any stadium in history, boasting a whopping seventy-three separate events. Although
it’s always positioned so early in the season, it’s one
of those races where the best riders always find their way to the top. Jeremy McGrath, James Stewart, Chad Reed, and Ricky Carmichael all share eight individual victories at Angel Stadium. It’s a possibility that the first rider to achieve nine made their first stroll alongside the outfield waterfall, anticipating the gate drop in the famed stadium for the very first time.
Most kids only have the opportunity to share the same track as their professional idols through the television screen or with the help of a video game console, but not for those lucky racers that lined up on the very same starting line as the pros at Angels Stadium on Sunday, January 21st. Although the track isn’t identical and much of the settings are tamed down for safety reasons; the finish line, starting gate, managers tower, tuff blocks, and excessive flair around the track re- mains which helps maintain the supercross vibe. The schedule largely takes place throughout the morning and afternoon, but a majority of the main events end up running under the stadium lights, just like the pros.
The fourth round in Glendale as well as Tampa Bay and Atlanta are also set as amateur rounds and there are rumblings of expanding them even further in the coming years. It’s a very unique opportunity for the fu- ture of the sport to soak up the supercross experience, get their feet wet on an indoor-style track, and live out their dreams in a way that most aspiring athletes could only dream of. The future of supercross is bright and the future of supercross is now.
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