So you consider yourself a big fan of Motocross (MX) and Supercross (SX) and follow them pretty religiously. You read all the weekly articles and updates and look forward to each weekend’s racing action. You would be the perfect person to get involved in an ever-growing online betting scene.
To bet online for Motocross and Supercross, which are continuing to grow in popularity, there are some key things to consider. Just like many stick and ball sports, the more information that you can find, the better decisions you can make before placing a bet.
Like stick and ball sports, there are numerous things to take into account, but unlike those sports, MX and SX do not have the statistical analysis that is as readily available. But let us look at some areas that could be vitally important to helping you make good betting decisions.
Injuries
If you know anything about Motocross and Supercross, you know that injuries play a pivotal part in the sport. A rider being out or not riding that weekend is easy to find out. They usually are not involved or had limited involvement during qualifying. These are easy.
But what could be vastly important is knowing whether a guy is possibly riding hurt and how serious it might be. For this, there need to be several things taken into account.
Coming into a fresh season, consider what injuries, surgeries, or rehab did riders undergo to get healthy and prepared for the new season. Are these recurring injuries? Are they minor or major issues? Are they fully healed? Are issues still lingering?
All these things seem small on the surface, but the physical and mental demands of MX and SX are made even harder with issues as small as aches and pains. These can all impact how a rider performs and ultimately is great information before your place a bet.
Throughout the season, pay attention week to week on the physical condition of all the riders. Some riders may be dealing with lingering injuries from a crash the previous or might be trying to push themselves to stay on the bike, despite their injuries. This could present itself in their qualifying times. If they are off the pace from where they usually are, they might be riding hurt and trying to gut it out.
Try to pay as close attention to injuries and potential injuries as you can. Injury reports are not as common or widespread as stick and ball sports, so the level of attention on the bettor is much more important when betting on MX and SX.
The Tracks
Now I know every rider is presented with the same track, but there are a lot of extra details that go into the rideability of the track and how it may affect a rider. Each rider has strengths and weaknesses in certain sections of tracks. If you have a careful eye, you know which kind of style a rider might have.
For instance, Marvin Musquin is known for being a technical rider and very good at putting down variations that are fast but don’t have a ton of risk. On the opposite side of that, a rider like Justin Barcia is not as technical, takes a few more risks, and is more known for pushing his way past people.
Now those are just two examples, but each rider has his own riding style that can either pair well or not so well with a certain track and its layout.
The location of the race can also play a role in how riders perform. Depending on where a rider grew up or where they spend most of their time practicing, plays a huge role in the type of track that they need to perform on. This is becoming less prevalent as training regimens improve and track options for practice increase.
But an example of this, that is most often time hit on by commentators about younger, more inexperienced riders, is the difference in hard-packed tracks of the west coast and loamier, more rutty tracks of the east coast. Each has its own characteristics that, again, a rider might or might not be comfortable with.
Riders also tend to have streaks where they perform well in certain cities and locals, whether it be considered their hometown race or they are just more comfortable with that location and what we have discussed previously. This is where you need to dig for information. How have they performed at previous races at this event in past years?
Team Changes
This is something to consider from the onset of the season and also to continue watching throughout the season. Team changes can both help and hinder riders as they move to a new setup or even a new brand of bike. There is pressure to make changes that can affect a rider’s outcome.
Up and coming riders or even well-established riders who just signed a huge contract in the offseason and move to a new team will have added pressure to perform right away. This can make them push harder and get outside of their limits, leading to mistakes and possible injuries.
Moving a new brand of bike with a team change can also take time to get used to. Some riders, such as Adam Cianciarulo, have been on Kawasaki his entire life. If he were to make a change in brands, it might take him longer than just an offseason to get comfortable with a new ride.
With that being said, established riders who are coming off of a championship ride in the last year or two tend to be outside of their comfort zone when moving to a new brand. Unless your name is Ricky Charmichael, it is probably going to take you a little while to get comfortable with a new bike, which does not bode well for contending for championships. The track record of previous champions winning another championship on a new bike in their first year is not strong.
Use It All
Now, these are just three parameters to look at when considering betting on MX and SX races, but they can be super important. But don’t just stop there. Get as much information as you can to increase your odds of making the right picks.
