With the final national race event of the 2013 upon us, MotoOnline.com.au tears open the Australian Supercross can of worms and looks at what could happen at Toowoomba this weekend, and why this race is arguably the most important on the calendar for a tonne of racers.

Gavin Faith is on track to clinch a second SX-Lites title in a row. Image: Grant Reynolds/FiftySix Clix.

Who are the favourites to win? Anyone in the top three.

A short, intense six-round supercross championship means there are a bunch of racers across both the SX Open and SX Lites classes who could potentially take home the gold bullion at the end of Saturday night. In the big fellas’ class, American Josh Hill, 2013 MX champ Matt Moss and his twin brother Jake Moss are all in with a shot of the title, depending on how the cards fall.

In the Lites, defending champion Gavin Faith is a tentative favourite, but both Luke Styke and Ryan Marmont are both well within striking distance. In the Under 19s, the safe bet is for GYTR Yamaha’s Jay Wilson to continue his dominance and claim his first senior national title.

What can we expect from the track? It’ll be good!

If last year’s Toowoomba creation is anything to go by, we could be in for one of the best tracks of the season on Saturday. The Toowoomba showground is a big area with large grassy banks surrounding where the track will be placed. A lot of the riders are hoping to rock up and find a track as good, or better than, what we saw at Round 3 at Mt Gambier.

Will the racing be screened live? Yes.

Australian Supercross promoters IEG have continued their promise to deliver free live coverage of the 2013 championship by again offering live streaming of the event online. Link International will host the live streaming service on their website, with coverage beginning at 6:30pm (AEST). You can check it out at www.linkint.com.au.

Who won at Toowoomba last year? Reedy and Doggy.

In 2012 the Toowoomba round was dominated by Australia’s MX GOAT Chad Reed and Wollongong’s Ryan Marmont. Doggy, who has been a picture of consistency this season, will definitely be keen to get keep that streak alive this weekend as he eyes an outside chance at claiming the 2013 championship.’

Injuries have taken their toll on the CDR Yamaha team. Image: Grant Reynolds/FiftySix Clix.

Why won’t CDR Yamaha be there? Injuries and budget.

Australia’s factory Yamaha team won’t be in the pits this weekend, with the team’s 2013 supercross campaign destroyed by injuries to Kade Mosig (broken wrist) and Lawson Bopping (knee). Boppo might still make the journey up to Toowoomba, but is under no obligation from team boss Craig Dack to do so. If he does, he’ll pit out of the GYTR Yamaha truck alongside Jay Wilson.

Dacka told us earlier today that the series has been an expensive one for them, and combined with some mediocre results, they’ve opted to not send the truck up to TeeBar.

Why is this race so crucial for riders? It’s their last chance to impress.

Basically, this is everyone’s last real chance to impress the bean-counters and team bosses and prove they’re worth signing up for a ride next year. The silly season is in full swing, with a tonne of negotiations going down behind the scenes.

As more riders sign on dotted lines for 2014, less seats become available, and the stakes for all those fellas without deals escalates. After this weekend, there are no more opportunities to prove themselves on the track.

Will it rain? Possibly.

South East Queensland has been copping regular afternoon storms all week, and some of them around Toowoomba have been quite severe. The mountain-top town has a bit of a wet-weather curse when it comes to hosting motorcycle racing, and last year’s supercross was the only mudder of the whole series.

The good news is, if it does rain (and there’s a 60 percent chance that it will) it’s likely to be a quick passing thunderstorm in the late afternoon, which should clear before the majority of the night’s racing. If you’re thinking about coming out to watch the action, please don’t let the weather keep you away… but bring a brolly just in case.