Slaw Dog
If you’ve been on the Internet since Saturday, you know there is a LOT going on after a controversial ending to the 250SX East Region main event in Detroit.
With around seven seconds plus 2 laps remaining in the race, Max Anstie had a massive lead. He was well on his way to a second win in as many rounds and was going to increase his points lead.
And then… the red flag was thrown due to Cameron McAdoo’s crash. And there was confusion.
The New Re-Start Rule
Ahead of the 2024 season, the long-standing “90% rule” was replaced. Under the old rule, if 90% of the race was completed when a red flag was thrown, the race would be considered complete. The new rule states that if the leader has completed at least three laps and any time remains on the race clock, riders will line up in a staggered formation on the start straight. A green flag will then signal the restart, and the race will continue for a minimum of three laps.
Adding to the confusion, the TV broadcast in Tampa displayed the outdated 90% rule, causing widespread uncertainty about the situation and the updated regulations.
We all know Levi Kitchen went on to win, but after the race he explained that, yeah, it didn’t really feel like a win.
“I was totally settled into second,” he said. “He gapped me a lot in the first seven or eight minutes. After that I felt fairly good, but I’ve been in his shoes, he was just clicking them off. I think all three of us were just expecting to finish where we were. That was a wild turn of events. I’m hungry for more because I really don’t feel like I won tonight.
“I knew that me, Max, and RJ [Hampshire] were probably going to be bumping bars. I tried to pick out a spot and I knew that three in the back was really hard and you had to go really wide, so I ended up getting close enough to try and make a pass there and made it stick and tried to get away,” he added. “It was chaos. It was also tough because we just raced for 14 minutes, and then your heart-rate comes down, and you’re kind of a little winded. Overall, I’ll take it. It’s not really how I would like to win, but last weekend I was kind of on the other side of it too, wasn’t a great one either.”
Weird situation all around and after a ninth place at the opener, Kitchen trails Anstie by 9 heading into the week break. The East Region resumes March 1 in Daytona.
Images: @octopi.media
