Good, Bad and Ugly | 2023 Charlotte 4

Reverting to a format that includes a gaggle of random musings, enjoy as a spotlight is dropped onto a selection of topics that revolve around the current landscape of the sport. It is a fascinating time to be a fan with growth and innovation in every direction. In fact, such positivity makes it tough to write a column that requires something "ugly" to be unearthed each week. 'Incredible, Great and Good' could become a more appropriate feature.

GOOD

"A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man." It was this quote from an American scribe, John Neal, that sprung to mind as Chase Sexton completed his sweep of the first SuperMotocross round. Sexton is the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross champion, and he claimed that crown with an abundance of flair. One would be forgiven for forgetting that – the backlash, for lack of a better term, that he received across the summer was certainly not aligned with his accomplishment just weeks earlier.

Such opposition away from the motorcycle has provided an element of motivation and silencing the many naysayers was seemingly sweet in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is a dangerous element of the sport that we all adore. With three credible championships available in each class every season, recency bias is even more prevalent and so accomplishments are pushed to one side quicker than they should be. Sexton took gold in this sport's biggest series less than four months ago – he would still be basking in that glory in any other walk of life. The dynamic here is so unique.

BAD

Should a talent as brilliant as Austin Forkner be tackling a last-chance qualifier each week? Before delving into this topic, take a second to consider that Sexton and Forkner once existed on the same timeline. It's mind boggling to comprehend. Anyway, there are so many arguments that unravel from the original point. It is arguably beneficial for the promoters to have Forkner in the LCQ – it puts an emphasis on the cut off for the playoffs and separates the concept from the typical race series that are run across the globe.

There is no doubt that SuperMotocross' rebuttal to this would be that "being in the top twenty should be a priority for everyone." There is a side to this scribe that wants to double down on such a concept. If it's so important to secure a guaranteed place in the playoffs, why have that back door entrance at all? Ensure that everyone is on the same page by introducing a system that is do or die for all with no LCQ. Excitement would be removed from the SuperMotocross stops – a top talent's missing – and yet the qualification process would become that much more nail biting.

UGLY

The Team USA debacle cast a shadow over the zMAX Dragway, but one could argue that the situation is not as ugly as it seems. There is almost a perfect storm of inconvenience with riders switching squads, having personal events or injuries. A single athlete is missing from the roster and so this drama could have been avoided if Eli Tomac had never got injured or Sexton was staying 'red' for the foreseeable. It's very unlikely that a similar situation will occur in 2024 (with the event rumored to be held at Matterley Basin).

Bearing that in mind, it is this scribe's opinion that it's crucial that Team USA power through and construct some form of team for this term's edition of the event. The worst thing that could happen is that this sets a precedent for stepping aside. Cancelling a plan for the first time is always the most difficult – no matter how fickle – but it becomes easier from that point. Team USA sending a team of any kind's positive. Every athlete, team or nation has a bad year. This shall be filed under that but redemption could be oh so sweet in twelve months.