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We Went Fast
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The 2026 Fast Power Index, In Season RD02.

By Fowlers Facts

Welcome to the We Went Fast Fast Power Index (FPI), a performance-based rating built from race results, context, and trend analysis. It’s not a prediction model (we see you RC!) or a championship standings replacement. It’s a power ranking designed to measure current competitive strength.

This In-Season FPI will ultimately measure a riders competitive strength over the last 4 rounds (the first three will be thin on data). Built for fans to bench race and for team managers to evaluate talent, the FPI reduces everything to a single number–backed by detailed on-track performance data. No practice track rumors. No social buzz. Just facts.

Special thanks to my co-conspirator Arich Knaub. In addition to being a good friend and great father, he’s a data scientist and engineer and helped with a chunk of the behind-the-scenes work.

450 FPI Rankings

Be sure to read What Really Happened? for a great breakdown of why speed was the winning formula in San Diego this past weekend.

Important Footnotes:
- In-season FPI will ultimately be based on the last 4 rounds of performances. 
- "Starts" include individual Triple Crown Races. There are 23 gate drops per 17-rd. season.
Top 25 (Thru 2 Rounds)

*slide table left to reveal more info.

Keys to the Race – Starts & Speed

With the development of the Fast Power Index, we codified what we’ve known for years. If you want to win races and titles, you have to get great starts and have superior speed. Not just one time speed, speed throughout qualifying, heat races, and the main event. And not just the start straight. The entire first lap from the gate drop to the white line to crossing the finish line the first time.

Eli Tomac is leading all key FPI statistical categories!
Good Starts & Speed
  • Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen have been nearly perfect through two rounds, neither have been worse than 3rd in either the start or speed categories. Hunter Lawrence is nearly the same though his speed was only 8th best at A1.
Bad Starts & Good Speed
  • Looking at Chase Sexton and Justin Cooper, you see their starts have been miserable and therefore where they sit in the standings. Sexton is averaging 10th and Cooper’s 14th on the first lap. Alas, their speed has been strong at 4th and 7.5 through two rounds.
Good Starts & Bad Speed
  • The opposite holds for Jorge Prado and Christian Craig who’ve had relatively good starts but not the speed. It’ll be critical to keep the starts or they need to find a few tenths to continue to performing at the same level.

250 FPI Rankings

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Important Footnotes:
- In-season FPI will ultimately be based on the last 4 rounds of performances. 
- "Starts" include individual Triple Crown Races. There are 23 gate drops per 17-rd. season.
Top 26
  • Haiden Deegan holds the red plate but his A1 start holds him back in the Fast Power Index (FPI).
Haiden Deegan has made one mis-step all season – the start at A1.
Good Starts & Speed
  • 3 of the top 4 in the 250’s have consistently good starts and speed and Cameron McAdoo may be 10th in the series but that’s one mistake from being very different.
Bad Starts & Good Speed
  • Haiden Deegan was 14th on the 1st lap at A1 and that’s skewing his 6th ranked start average. He rounded lap 1 in 3rd in San Diego.
  • Levi Kitchen is the the rider that ‘should’ be in the top 3 of the standings given his speed but averaging 18th on the first lap after two rounds is NOT GOOD.
Good Starts & Bad Speed
  • Two riders to keep an eye on if they can gain some speed. Both Avery Long and Anthony Bourdon have put themselves in good position on the start but need a bit more speed.

Glossary of Terms

Here’s a quick cheat sheet on definitions.

Speed Metrics
  • Main Fast Avg. – This is the average fastest lap rank in a main event.
  • Heat Fast Avg. – This is the average fastest lap rank in heat races.
  • Qualifying Avg. – This is the average qualifying rank.
Start Metrics
  • 1st Lap Pos. – This is the average position when crossing the finish line for the first time.
Results
  • Podiums – The count of top 3 finishes.
  • Starts – The number of times they started a race, either a main event or a triple crown race.
  • Race Minus – This is a race where a rider loses positions between the 1st lap and the finish. Typically represents when a rider has made a mistake. That said, it can also highlight riders where they are great starters but don’t have the speed to maintain position. In either case, it’s not optimal.

About the Fast Power Index (FPI)

Welcome to the We Went Fast Fast Power Index (FPI), a performance-based rating built from race results, context, and trend analysis. It’s not a prediction model (we see you RC!) or a championship standings replacement. It’s a power ranking designed to measure current competitive strength.

The FPI is a ranking of the best riders, based on performance, not hype, reputation or last year’s points.

This In-Season FPI will ultimately measure the a riders competitive strength over the last 4 rounds (the first three will be thin on data). Built for fans to bench race and for team managers to evaluate talent, the FPI reduces everything to a single number–backed by detailed on-track performance data. No practice track rumors. No social buzz. Just facts.

The In-season FPI (same as the Pre-season FPI) considers:

  • Recent race results
  • Win and podium frequency
  • Finish quality: where results came from, not just raw position
  • Race craft: includes qualifying, mains, individual Triple Crown races and East/West Showdowns

FPI does not assume improvement, decline, or “new bike magic.” Those things may happen, but they have to be proven on the track before the numbers move.

Special thanks to my co-conspirator Arich Knaub. In addition to being a good friend and great father, he’s a data scientist and engineer and helped with a chunk of the behind-the-scenes work.