Riders from everywhere in the Rocky Mountains and even out in the Central Plains claim Thunder Valley as their home round, and a stout turnout of regional pros are among the 155 names are on the entry list for the weekend. The AMA’s provisional sheets show 83 competitors have signed up for the 450 Class and 72 for the 250 Class.
Every lap will again be streamed on Peacock and through the SMX Video Pass, and the first Motos of both Classes will be shown live on NBC. An afternoon slot on the national network prompted a few race day schedule changes, including 450 Moto One happening before 250 Moto One and the removal of the half-time intermission.
But all of that could depend on the severity of the weather front that’s forecasted to roll through mid-day, and issues like hail or lightening could cause a potential delay. We saw how quickly things can change on the Dinosaur Ridge Friday afternoon when clouds and gusty winds popped up suddenly during the amateur racing, then calmed down and cleared up within an hour.
Weather has been a factor all week, and the warm, windy, and dry days put more importance on watering, including Friday evening’s final soak by the maintenance crew.
Saturday is supposed to be cooler, with a high of 82 degrees and ever-changing chances of rain from noon to four.