Supercross & the Manual

One of my favorite aspects of Supercross is how readily it continues to evolve. Take for example the scrub. Arguably James (Bubba) Stewart invented the "Bubba Scrub" about a decade ago. Today scrubbing is a part of every Supercross racer's repetiteur.

Saturday I notice something I'd never seen before. A manual in a Supercross race. If you've watched an expert/professional BMX race anytime in the last couple of decades you've have seen a manual whether you are familiar with the term or not. BMX racers do it stay as close as possible to the ground and to "slingshot" the bike forward via momentum created the rider's weight transfer. It's very similar in concept to the way might pump your legs and lean back and forth on a playground swing to get moving.


The first time I recall seeing an manual in a Supercross setting was Josh Hill manualing an entire whoop section during the opening ceremony at the Seattle Supercross last year. I remember being pretty blown a way.

I was even more blown away when I saw Eli Tomac manualing whole whoop sections mid race at Daytona. Tomac has been an absolute beast this year.