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The 10th round of the 2018 SX series saw the riders tackle the infield of the famed Daytona Motor Speedway. Known as the toughest and longest track of the season, the riders had their work cut out for them.
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Daytona marked the 4th round of the east coast 250 series. Coming off of two wins in a row, Fox Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider, Austin Forkner was coming into Daytona just 2 points out of the series lead.
Austin started strong, posting the fastest time in both timed qualifying sessions during the day.
Heat race 2 saw Fox Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders, Martin Davalos and Austin Forker lined up on the gate. Both riders were off to good starts and finished the heat in second and third.
As the main event started, both riders got good starts coming out of the first turn near the front of the pack. Martin rode a solid race ending the night in 5th. Austin had the speed to stay at the front of the pack finishing 3rd for the night. The strong finish from Austin has him tied for the series points lead as they head to St. Louis next weekend.
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Chad Reed is still searching for the right bike setup and riding into shape after a preseason injury. He was able to qualify directly to the main from the heat race. Chad put in another consistent ride in the main event with a 12th place finish.
Photos: Octopi Media: Ryne Swanberg/Garth Milan
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Arlington, TX - Supercross Race Recap
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Dallas was the first round of the much anticipated east coast 250 series.
The day started great with Fox Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Martin Davalos setting the faster qualifying time and Austin Forkner setting the 8th fastest time.
Qualifying set the tone going in the night event with Austin Forkner taking the win in the first heat race and Davalos taking the win in heat 2. Both riders put in dominating performances.
As the main event started, Davalos had a great jump and looked to be in line for the holeshot heading into the first turn. As the riders started to brake for left hander, Martin was hit from behind causing a chaotic first turn crash. Davalos was thrown across the track taking several riders with him along the way. Luckily, he was not seriously hurt and will be ready to race at Tampa.
Austin Forkner was able to miss the first turn carnage and start the main near the front of the pack. A mid race collision with Zack Osbourne put Austin on the ground. Austin remounted and charged through the pack, and eventually finishing 7th.
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Unfortunately, the Dallas Supercorss marked the first round that Ken Roczen had to sit out with a hand injury he sustained at the San Diego round last week. Ken had surgery to repair his hand on Friday. Surgery went well with Ken already starting therapy this week. No timeline on his return just yet.
Dallas also marked Chad Reed’s 227th main event start. A number that tied him for all time SX starts with Mike LaRocco. Chad looks to take the all-time starts lead with his 228th start in Tampa this coming weekend.
Every year we have to shoot photos and video of our top riders for our upcoming season. Due to their heavy schedules, we usually end up shooting each rider by themselves. This year we assembled all of our available riders in one location at one time. Having this many bad dudes in one spot usually only happens on race day. This time: no opening ceremonies, no racing, no motos, no training; it was time to have fun riding dirt bikes. Shooting photos for an entire catalog and a full video in one day is a tremendous task; but in between all of the chaos, the crew would stop and reflect on the how special it was to have this roster in such an amazing spot. It was a surreal day for everyone involved. It’s only fitting the place is called Dreamland.
