2019 Southwick Motocross | GoPro Onboard & Analysis

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2019 SOUTHWICK MOTOCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

Time to watch the GoPro onboard footage from the 2019 Southwick Motocross. The sixth round of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship was the start of the East Coast swing and the day’s motos on the picturesque Pennsylvania track provided plenty to look for and talk about. Thanks to recent developments, GoPro is back as a supporter of the series and has the popular HERO7 camera on the lids of Adam Cianciarulo, Shane McElrath, Ben Lamay, and Jordon Smith. The footage was just uploaded online, but before we posted, we watched all of the videos and made notes about what we saw. Let us know if you like our analysis, it validates what we’re doing…

ADAM CIANCIARULO | 250 MOTO ONE

Cianciarulo made excellent use of a tight line through the first turn, which allowed him to sneak back by Justin Cooper, a rider that had a much better run on the uphill start thanks in part to his powerful Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha. Cooper stayed close to Cianciarulo through the opening moments of the moto and rode the edges of the track to find smooth lines, but Cianciarulo’s forceful pass in a deep berm sealed the deal.

Once in front Cianciarulo kept control of the lead through the use of inside lines, a big difference to his usual “rail the outside” riding style. It’s worth noting that Cianciarulo never once took a long look back at the competitors behind him, as he instead focused on everything that laid ahead. Despite Cianciarulo’s best efforts to stay smooth and steady, the bike still bounced across the chop and through the ruts, but he kept it in control otherwise.

ADAM CIANCIARULO | 250 MOTO TWO

Another good start by Cianciarulo put him in the front early. This time he pinched off the inside line on other riders to the right, let Ferrandis and McAdoo tussle for their place in the running order, and went by with the lead. Cianciarulo had excellent throttle control on his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki; he seemed to stay light and over the top of the track, but not buried in the deep berms or soft spots. Another thing to note is that he let the bike coast downhill and over the bumps, instead of heavy braking. 

The Southwick sand was much drier on the top in Moto Two, but underneath there was still plenty of moisture which made for a sticky sand spray. At the halfway point, Dylan Ferrandis took over the top spot with all-out speed on the outside lines, something that Cianciarulo seemed to counter for a moment but could not keep pace with. Either way, AC’s 1-2 finishes on the day were enough to clinch the overall.

DEREK DRAKE | 250 MOTO ONE

Derek Drake’s perspective shows another look at the Cianciarulo-Cooper opening lap battle for the lead. When Cooper made a few mistakes, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Drake managed to move in and put more pressure on one of the top riders in the 250 class. No true attempt at a pass was made, due in part to some of the heavy roost, and before long the clip stops because the camera lens was covered in sand. Regardless, that was an excellent start to a moto for a rookie.

CAMERON MCADOO | 250 MOTO ONE

While the two other videos from Moto One show scenes from the front of the pack, Cameron McAdoo’s clip shows just how chaotic things were a little further back. The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM rider was pushed all the way to the inside gate, which isn’t an ideal place for a start straightaway that has a taper to it, and from the moment the gate drops everything went haywire. It seemed like half of the field was caught up in the commotion of a first turn crash, McAdoo included, and once he remounted the bike he picked his way through the mess and advanced through the running order.

LORENZO LOCURCIO | 450 MOTO TWO

Lorenzo Locurcio’s video shows the Southwick track at its very worst, as hours of riding had turned to the sand track into endless rollers, chop, ruts, and braking bumps. A less than stellar start and some madness in the first turn put the privateer further back in the field than he would have hoped and he spent the entire opening lap dodging other riders that had issues of their own on the challenging track. Even though the camera lens is completely covered by sand, it’s worth watching Locurcio’s footage all the way through, just to note how many riders he gets around on the opening lap in his charge up the running order.