It has been a decade or so since Jeremy McGrath shocked motocross
traditionalists by announcing he would race only supercross, and ignore the outdoor nationals. Since then, other top supercross riders have followed in his footsteps. Chad Reed is the most prominent to do so. [We had heard that James Stewart intended to race supercross only in 2008, but one industry insider wrote us after we first published this article to state Stewart will race outdoors in 2008 — we will see.]
If you are one of the top supercross riders in the world, and the bulk of your income is based on the exposure you provide to your sponsors through supercross racing, should you endure the grueling outdoor motocross races, forego the family contact and vacations that normal human beings have available to them, and risk injury that could hamper your supercross preparation or participation? All for relatively little additional income and exposure for your sponsors? Probably not. McGrath and Reed have had good reasons for their decisions to abandon the outdoor series. We predict that other top riders will eventually do the same.
