Vital MX Pit Bits: Arlington 1

Let's dive into the happening from lucky round seven at AT&T Stadium.

GuyB

2/16/2019 5:26pm

On Friday afternoon before the Arlington Supercross, members of the Rocky Mountain ATVMC - WPS - KTM had the opportunity to check out one of their sponsor's products in production. Engine Ice's popular Helmet Renew and Plastic Shine are both produced at an aerosol specific facility in Grand Prarie, Texas.

Since they were right around the corner, Blake Baggett, Justin Bogle, Michael Byrne, and Forrest Butler were given a tour of the facility and saw the Engine Ice Plastic Shine being made by Ian Englefield and Rene Jiminez of ABC Compounding.

The bullhorns on the front of the TPJ rig looked right at home in front of AT&T Stadium.

The TPJ rig has come a long way since A1, where it was still looking pretty bare.

There was all kind of warming going on with Ken Roczen's bike, from the suspension heaters to the space heater on the other side.

After Friday's press sessions, Dave Feeney was tasked with trying to slim up the sideplates on Zach Osborne's bike. Judicious use of a torch, plus a Hammer to push it in was his method.

Zach's one of the guys who like having the tach-style lights on the front fender.

The Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha guys use a Cycra cover on top of their airbox, but give it a bit of an extra air port. The Yamaha likes all the air it can get.

Mitchell Oldenburg is one of just a handful of guys we've spotted using the Neken SFS clamps.

The Star guys relocate their temperature sensor onto the hose (rather than the side of the cylinder), which they say helps out with durability.

Since they already run black plastic for the sideplates, they also cut out the numbers for easier application. Besides that, it saves some weight.

This young lady drew up this picture of Ken Roczen, which she presented to him during the autograph session. We're not sure which one of them was more pumped.

The track surface was different this year, and the riders liked the sandy clay mix.

Yikes. Yeah, you still see some of the lime damage from San Diego on bikes in the pits. This set of clamps was on Justin Brayton's bike.

Mmm...sweet parts.

During the early practice sessions, the roof was cracked open, so there was a little light rain coming into the stadium.

Next door to the AT&T Stadium, they're working on a replacement for the Texas Rangers stadium.

You know the Fast and Loud TV show? Look for an episode featuring the Gas Monkey-sponsored AJE team. Dylan Merriam and Chris Blose are riding the 450 class here since this is where Gas Monkey is headquartered.

The Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing guys were running tire warmers here, plus a little protection for their suspension sensors.

There's no hiding these covers.

On Friday before the race, it was nearly 80 degrees. On Saturday? It was barely cracking 40. Most teams had plenty of these heaters going, most directed at the bikes.

Austin Forkner continues to run through a list of characters for his butt patches.

While he's still on the mend from his injuries suffered in Paris, it's good to see Weston Peick at select races.

This week featured a bit of street stunt riding.

Cooper Webb was the top qualifier in 450 action.

Justin Hill was second in 450 qualifying, after missing Minneapolis.

Marvin Musquin grabbed third...

Cole Seely was fourth...

and finishing out the top five among the 450s was Zach Osborne. It's great to see him back in action after missing the start of the season with a broken collarbone.

Austin Forkner was the fastest 250 qualifier.

Justin Cooper was second, followed by...

Martin Davalos...

Chase Sexton was fourth...

...and Jordon Smith was fifth.

Yep, Cooper Webb and Carlos Rivera are proving to be a formidable team.

Thomas Covington will use this season for learning. Unfortunately, he got a little education on press day, when he had a crash. Learning Supercross is one thing. Figuring out the ruts on an East coast track is something else.

We like Anthony Rodriguez's advertising message on the swingarm. He said he decided only a few days before the event whether he was racing or not.

When it's cold outside, and you want to keep warm while cooking the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team lunch. Jimmy Jam in action.

Our Grant Dawson was getting up close and personal with the bikes here. Guess that number 17 vest gave him special access to Savatgy's bike.

Cooper Webb almost caught a net after tripling into this corner during practice.

The track rutted up quickly here. This was after the first session on the track, and the Dirt Wurx crew were there early, keeping an eye on it.

Yep, the track crew guys use the high-vis colored gloves to help guide riders around trouble on the track.

There was a bit of turmoil in the 450 qualifying times...but then again, the top 14 were all within a second. Ken Roczen was eighth.

Eli Tomac doesn't always put a premium on qualifying, but it's still weird to see him outside the top five on the time sheets here. He was seventh. Let's see how it translates by the end of the night. (Oh, apparently he did have a bit of a bike issue last week.)