2007 will be the second year that there is no Friday practice, so the day was more low key with teams just setting up and getting ready without track time. This will also be the first year of the new format which did away with semis and just has 2 heats and an LCQ for both classes.
To make the new format acceptable to teams, the AMA added a chance for top guys that have bad luck in a heat/LCQ to use up to two "mulligans" - a pass to race the main without qualifying, if you are top ten in points. There is a possibility Reed will need this option tomorrow since his shoulder is really hurting. So far the L&M Racing team still says it will be a game time decision. Reed will still need to ride practice enough to get a lap time, and at least try to ride his heat and LCQ.
Reed's injury is a compression fracture in his shoulder blade. What happened was he had a fall over a jump and landed OK, but unfortunately the bike came down on him hard.
Some good news: Tedesco is in! He hurt his wrist in Toronto in the crash that got Stewart fined, and he has been riding a little already.
Bad news, Honda confirmed today that Tommy Hahn is out after bruising a lung this week. That means the factory Honda pits have all three riders out, but at least the No Fear/Samsung team is parked right by them and they have three strong riders to support this weekend.
Some top riders were still out practicing today, RC and the crew were out at a track instead of setting up here. Langston rode today too.
There are always new teams and new ideas to check out at Anaheim. The biggest new team is MDK/Lucas Oils/Yamaha aka Wonder Warthog. WW is out of the business of paying signups, and instead has a semi (that is a work of art inside) with both MDK/Lucas Oils/Yamaha team riders, and a "Hog Haven," which looks like an assembly line of supercross guys.
Another interesting new team is Pro30.com/Ware Enterprises Racing. The have Tyson Hadsell and Jeff Dement (and Shae Bentley in the east), and the #30 NASCAR cup car on display. The car is one of the new Toyota bodies. Ware Enterprises sees some good benefits to having a presence in supercross, such as you can hold your hospitality right beside your team, and the whole event is over in one day, which is good if you don't like to wear your VIP visitors (sponsors) out. I asked the owner what he thought about RC driving and he said one thing to remember is driving takes seat time, and seat time in those cars is expensive. He doesn't doubt RC can do it, but learning is money in NASCAR.
Thor has a huge new stage to check out.
The Toyota Zone will be a driving/racing simulator set up for a moto at Glen Helen!
A couple of riders will be on the track with a Leatt brace this weekend.
KTM and Pro30.com are using trick carbon fiber hubs this weekend. KTM used them in Europe last year.
