£ The USA line-up was quite honestly a C or even
D choice team that travelled over. Fair play to the
guys who stepped up and took the invite, but the
performance didn’t match the high hopes of the
70-plus entourage. Things didn’t look so bad after
qualification on Saturday with Zac Osbourne on fire,
Thomas Covington showing he could ride the 450
(despite fading towards the end of qualifying), Cole
Seely didn’t look comfortable but was just inside the
top 10. Then came the rain, which fell all Saturday
night.
Sunday started with the news Covington had torn
his ACL, which was why he faded so badly. Things
only got worse, with Zac falling at the start of his first
moto and Cole Seely’s shock failing twice because
the mud was too sticky. “Like nothing they had seen
or could be replicate”, apparently.
Their performance and team selection raised
questions about the American camp. In a very short
time they’ve fallen from the most feared and dominant
team. Why do the top riders keep shunning the event?
Money? Timing? And will things change when they
have the event at home next year?
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