Photos by: Ryne Swanberg / Garth Milan

“Cooksey’s Hard Truth” presented by Scott Sports is a weekly editorial written by Chris Cooksey. Chris will be diving in and out of controversial subjects and bringing you his hard truth about the racing and the riders from around the world of Supercross and Motocross.

Click to watch Scott “Vision Episode 1” with Justin Hill

The second edition of the “Triple Crown” took place last Saturday in Atlanta, and after two events I am not confident it is sustainable for an entire season. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy watching the three main event format as it has riders pushing their limits against the best riders in the world. Riders are competing at a pace twice as long as a normal main event. On a regular night of Supercross, the entire field of main event qualifying riders participate in one start, whereas in the “Triple Crown,” they line up for three. A regular Supercross main event is 20 minutes; the “Triple Crown” has riders racing for 37 minutes.

Justin Brayton won moto one and said on the PulpMX Show last night that he is not even sure if he is getting a heat race win bonus for it. Photo by: Chase Yocom

This format presents a predicament for riders; they are doing double the work for equal or lower pay. I say lower because many riders earn heat race bonuses. Racing the entire qualifying field is more difficult than winning a heat race with half of the fastest guys. I am told winning one “Triple Crown” main event (not the overall) pays the equivalent of a heat race victory bonus. I don’t know about you, but if someone told me my workload was about to double but my pay would remain the same–or worse, less–I would not be too thrilled. As a fan, I love watching six main events between the 250 and 450 classes, but if Feld and the AMA are going to make the qualifying riders perform twice as long, the riders need to be compensated. I highly doubt this will sit well with the “suits” responsible for cutting checks.

The three main event format also diminishes exposure for riders outside the top 22. Qualifying into the top 40 at a regular Supercross translates to significant exposure under the lights of the night show. Other than a few factory-backed teams, others rely on the publicity their riders receive during the night show. If these teams are essentially pushed out of the sport or reduced, jobs are at risk of disappearing too. As much as I selfishly enjoy watching six main events, it could be unhealthy for the long term aspects of the sport.

Chris did not mention this, but we are also hearing from a lot of casual fans that knowing who won can be a mystery wrapped in a riddle. Photos like this one don’t help, because Zach Osborne finished 2nd. Photo by: Simon Cudby

In addition to the above issues presented, three more starts mean more danger and more injuries to the top racers. We are having one of the most injury riddled seasons in the sport’s history. Adding two starts and 17 minutes does not appear to help the issue. Some might say heat races have a start too, but they do not have the 22 fastest Supercross riders in the world going for broke. Heat races are low pressure for the stars of Supercross. The stars qualify without much effort and use the heats as preparation for the main event.

While as a fan I absolutely love watching six main events, it could have dire consequences for the health of the sport. As it sits right now, many riders struggle to make a living, and this format will only damage their chances by adding danger without an increase in pay. I think making the entire series or more than a couple events “Triple Crown” is irresponsible and has potential to do irreversible damage to the sport.

Click to watch Scott “Vision Episode 1” with Justin Hill
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