Supercross "This Week" Predictions -- Las Vegas 2017
5/5/2017
As usual, the updated 2017 Supercross Prediction puts the whole season in perspective, while the "This Week" rankings look at the riders' perceived ability (aka "true talent") as well as taking into account injuries and the riders' history at the upcoming track.
**For those not familiar, a brief explanation of the components that factor into the "This Week" rankings:
True Talent
The standard MotoXGraphs prediction of rider performance, based on the current and prior seasons, weighing recent results more heavily. It differs from the "Full Season" prediction in that it is not worrying about the rider's current point standings (which obviously are a crucial part of the full season prediction), only about their current ability.
Injury Adjustment
Attempts to account for riders competing at less than 100% due to injury. Full research behind the Injury Adjustment can be found in The MX Book (or eBook). While this adjustment is only an estimate (what predictions aren't?), the purpose of the Injury Adjustment is less about trying to make an exact prediction and is more about indicating that a rider is recovering from injury so the viewer can take that into account at whatever scale he or she chooses.
Track Adjustment
Provides an increase or decrease in expected points for the riders based on their historical performance (over the past 4 years, where applicable) in the upcoming city/stadium. Also validated by research in The MX Book ( or eBook). The track/location effect has a slightly muted nature in Supercross compared to outdoors since the tracks are not exactly the same in Supercross sites from year to year (or even within the same year for sites like Angel Stadium or Petco where there are often multiple races in one season).
Here are the predictions for the 450 class this weekend.
As has been the case for so many weeks now, Ryan Dungey and Eli Tomac are essentially in a dead heat for the #1 spot. There are some interesting Track Adjustments, such as for Davi Millsaps, moving him all the way down to 8th, and for Justin Brayton, moving him up to 10th from 14th. Then again, the middle of the pack is so crowded, just as it's been all season, so even though Cooper Webb is predicted 11th (which sounds a bit low), he's only about 1 point behind 8th (which sounds a bit more correct).
Posted by: SagehenMacGyver47 ::: As always – Feedback welcomed
Previous: Supercross 2017 Predictions -- Update After Week 16 | Back to Blog | Next: 2017 Supercross Week 17 -- By-The-Numbers Recap: Las Vegas [Charts Only]