MOTORSPORTS

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Switzerland native Mat Rebeaud will look to go big at the MXWC.

X MARKS THE CHAMP
Moto X breaks out its own inaugural championship event.
By Clint Bowyer

Ex-Motocross prodigy and current NASCAR star Clint Bowyer previews the six events of the Moto X World Championships, taking place April 12-13 in San Diego.

BEST TRICK

• WHAT Two jumps off a big ramp.
• KEY Big first trick, huge second trick. The rider with the biggest balls—and who disproves the laws of physics without killing himself—wins.
• CLINT'S FAVORITE Switzerland's Mat Rebeaud is the X factor. He practices in secret so nobody knows what trick he's planning, but it'll be a banger.
• MAG'S PICK We like Rebeaud if Scott Murray biffs his double backflip. No trick'll trump his double.

FREESTYLE

• WHAT Sixty seconds to out-trick the next guy.
• KEY This event has gotten crazy as hell—every trick is a big backflip combo with equally big consequences—but I'll take flawless over reckless.
• CLINT'S FAVORITE Nate Adams is a badass. Dude doesn't invent tricks, he makes them nastier. That's how he got four X Games freestyle medals.
• MAG'S PICK Our guy is 2007 X Games champ Adam Jones. He's like Pac-Man … only more bananas.

MOTO X RACING

• WHAT Dusty laps on a bumpy track.
• KEY Getting the hole shot. The rider who hits the first turn first has a huge edge, as long as he stays on the gas.
• CLINT'S FAVORITE Broc Hepler. He's unknown, untested and has a bum thumb. But I've seen him race, and he's fast. I like him.
• MAG'S PICK After a rough 2007, Kevin Windham has won twice this year, at Houston and Daytona.

STEP UP

• WHAT Reverse limbo … how high can you go?
• KEY Get as much speed as possible in the short takeoff, then time the preload to throw you up and out to clear the bar. And watch that step down—35 feet is the record.
• CLINT'S FAVORITE Ricky Carmichael will step back from his stock car to stomp his first step-up comp.
• MAG'S PICK R.C., former motocross gunner, can do anything, except beat X champ Ronnie Renner.

SPEED AND STYLE

• WHAT Moto X + tricks.
• KEY To finish ahead on the track and on the judges' cards, riders must land tricks and immediately rip through the turns.
• CLINT'S FAVORITE Travis Pastrana has the whole package—and the edge. He's fast, and he's completely nuts on the tricks.
• MAG'S PICK We're with you on this one, Clint.

SUPERMOTO

• WHAT 35 laps on a dirt/asphalt track.
• KEY Versatility counts. Riders must master transitions from dirt to pavement, with solid jumps and cornering.
• CLINT'S FAVORITE Like me, Jeff Ward transitioned to four wheels (in IRL). At age 46, he may not win, but he was my first hero, so he's my pick.
• MAG'S PICK Jeremy McGrath—after all, the King is only 36!

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

The COT brings out the good, the bad and the ugly in racing.

HARD TO HANDLE
NASCAR'S new car is simultaneously loved and loathed for its safety improvements, and the way it pushes drivers and crew chiefs to their limits.
by Eric Morse

Immediately following his win in NASCAR's inaugural Car of Tomorrow race last year, Kyle Busch declared that the new chassis "sucked." Now the Cup points leader, he's singing the same tune: "Every time you climb out, it feels like you were just in a boxing match with Mike Tyson."

NASCAR unveiled the winged beast in 2007 to mixed reviews. Safety advances were applauded, but teams lamented its stiff handling and lack of downforce. Busch says he'd outlaw the car, but No. 48 crew chief Chad Knaus knows it's here to stay: "We can't regress, but freedom to work on the cars would mean better racing."

Another apparent unwelcome consequence: cost. Believing that fewer cars would be needed, NASCAR said the switch would save money. But Knaus says that teams still switch cars according to the track, and every change or repair requires strict recertification. He has found starting from scratch is easier than fixing a damaged car.

Still, the new ride has allies, thanks to exciting racing. Says ESPN analyst Rusty Wallace, "I think they are starting to have fun with a car that's hard to drive."

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