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There was a split lane, followed directly by a sand section. The preferred line, inside or out, seemed to change back and forth as the day wore on. What factors dictated which line riders took?
It was a couple of things. First, deterioration was a factor. The outside line was the preferable line early in the day but as the berm began to lose effectiveness, riders shifted to the inside. A good line is only a good line until it gets rough and the berm is blown out. A theoretical slower line can become the optimal choice if it’s still smooth and the first choice has gotten abused.

Second, the cardinal rule of “don’t follow” comes into play. There is zero chance of passing if you follow the lead rider so even if the other line is not as good, at least you give yourself a chance to make a pass if you don’t follow.

Cole Davies didn’t have the night he, or many others, expected he would, with things ultimately going south in the second moto when he went down hard all by himself and ended up pulling out of the race. What caused him to crash?
This was just a racing thing. That berm was getting beat up and he caught a bump wrong and high sided over that fast single. There were many close calls and a few crashes here over the weekend. When you have a fast, easy track, the crashes are often more violent because riders are not as respectful of the track and are pushing the absolute limit.