Welcome to Racerhead, coming to you from both the Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as the AIMExpo Motorcycle Show in Orlando, Florida. The Monster Cup is a preview of what 2017 might look like, though it will not feature some of the most recent changes on display. While we will see the debut of Ken Roczen on his new Honda CRF450R, and the return of reigning AMA Supercross Champion Ryan Dungey on American soil—he raced in that SMX Cup last weekend in Germany and won the individual overall in his first race back since injuring his neck at Thunder Valley on the first Saturday of June. Eli Tomac will be there on his Monster Energy Kawasaki as well, hopefully carrying the confidence and momentum from winning those two USGP races at Charlotte and Glen Helen. But Cooper Webb, the 2016 250SX West Region and Lucas Oil 250 Pro Motocross Champion, will not be lining up on his new Factory Yamaha 450, nor will we see Trey Canard on his Red Bull KTM, or Justin Barcia on the JGR Suzuki. Those debuts will wait until either the Bercy-Lille Supercross or maybe even Anaheim 1. But it’s still going to be a cool race, and maybe someone is going to go home with a million dollars. And there will probably be 10 times the spectators that showed up at the SMX Cup in Germany last weekend, even though they had some pretty big hitters there—the KTM team alone boasted Dungey, former multi-time MX2 World Champion Marvin Musquin, all-time MX2 Grand Prix record-holder Jeffrey Herlings, and future superstar Jorge Prado of Spain. (Yes, KTM won the SMX Manufacturers Cup.)
Meanwhile, down here in Orlando, the AIMExpo has been dealers-only for the first-two days, and it’s honestly not been as crowded as I had hoped it would be, but the folks who are here are enjoying all of the new bikes, products, celebrations, and get-togethers. It’s a great chance to look ahead to what the industry has in store for us, and also reconnect with old friends.
And that’s why Racerhead is admittedly late and a little short on my end. After getting up early and working the tradeshow floor, meeting with advertisers and industry friends, and also doing some epic bench-racing, I ran into Doug Henry. Doug is here as part of Yamaha’s “Wall of Champions” celebration, where they introduce some of their numerous champions from all forms of motorcycle racing. Doug doesn’t need much of an introduction here, but he has been out of the spotlight for some time, and wants to remain there. We started doing an interview yesterday for online, only to have my phone die at the 51-second mark. So we agreed to get back together today and try to do a “Five Minutes With…” or “Between the Motos.” When we got together today, about two hours ago, we started talking about moto, life, luck, bad luck, fate, and destiny. And just life’s rich pageant.
I’m lucky enough to have known some pretty impressive people, beginning with my mom and dad, and going through a whole litany of amazing people, but Doug Henry—the first guy I ever interviewed as a pit reporter in 1993 and the first big feature in Inside Motocross—has never ceased to amaze me. The bench-racing/life’s-big-questions/smile that he had for me this afternoon was the most inspiring thing I’ve seen and heard in awhile.
And just like that, Greg White the MC is throwing us out of the trade show. The Doug Henry interview will be in the next issue of Racer X Illustrated. They are turning off the lights and the wifi! Sorry, here’s Racerhead, and thanks Doug, I really appreciated the great big bench race.
Monster October (Aaron Hansel)
If you’ve been on Racer X Online this week you know the annual Monster Energy Cup is taking place tomorrow, but you probably didn’t know about the press conference that took place earlier this afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium in what is currently a very hot and windy Las Vegas. The presser was limited to just four riders—Chad Reed, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, and Cole Seely—but that was enough to produce some unique insight and a few laughs.
One of the first topics was the gigantic downhill start. The gate is literally located at the very top of the stadium, and when it drops riders will race down a steep, 33-degree grade for 165 feet before hitting the stadium floor. They’ll then continue for another 270 feet before entering the first turn, which adds up to a crazy 435-foot start stretch. The unofficial word is that riders were hitting speeds approaching 70 miles an hour, although Reed, who was wearing some Jeff Emig replica Shift gear from roughly 20 years ago, joked that with him now being a supercross only rider he never gets out of second and is going to have to learn how to shift. All joking aside, the start here is one of the most unique in the sport’s history and it’s likely to produce some wild moments and/or big thrills tomorrow night.
Another interesting thing to watch tomorrow will be how Roczen handles his new Honda in competition. He’s only ridden it nine times, but said he believes the best practice comes from racing and is looking forward to defending the number-one plate he won here last year. Seely added that things have gotten competitive at the test track since Roczen showed up.
Other topics of conversation included the Joker Lane and the pressure of winning $1 million. The general consensus on the Joker Lane was that riders usually like to take it on the last or second-to-last lap. Any earlier than that and you unnecessarily risk putting yourself in traffic. The idea of making the Joker Lane faster, rather than slower, was also brought up and Reed voiced enthusiasm, citing a race in Australia where he was able to use it to pass multiple riders. As far as the potential for winning $1 million, all four riders downplayed any pressure, saying they just try to focus on racing, although Tomac said, “If you win the first two, you’re thinking about it, for sure!” When asked by host Jeff Emig if they would race harder against someone who had won the first race to spoil their chances at the million, Reed replied, “Depends who it is,” which drew a round of laughs from the audience.
If you’re lucky enough to be in Las Vegas for the race, you’re in for a good time. If not, don’t worry, you can still check it out on live TV. It’s not going to be as jammed with talent as the gate at A1, but there are still plenty of exciting names here. And best of all, it’s a chance to watch the best of the best in action in an otherwise dull time of year.
Honda HRC and Moto 8 (Kyle Scott)
This week, Simon and I went out to the Team Honda HRC test track in Corona, California, to shoot Ken Roczen and Cole Seely aboard their all new 2017 CRF450Rs. They’re both looking great, and Ken seems to be adjusting to the new bike just fine. Dunlop had a tire technician on site, and they were testing some different variations. After Ken and Cole warmed up, they did about six laps and two starts per tire, swapped tires, and repeated. It was interesting to hear the conversations between the riders, mechanics, and tire technician as they went through their routine and took their notes.
They installed the (supposed) exact type of metal grate that is on the gate at Monster Energy Cup this weekend—talk about practicing like you play. I’ve been to private tracks before, but there was just something about the vibe that felt strictly business. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of joking and laughs throughout the day, but there was a definite purpose to everything that was going on. Honda doesn’t seem to be messing around with Ken in their corner.
I don’t recommend getting any ideas about showing up to one of these test tracks uninvited. A van full of people executed that idea, and it didn’t last very long. They drove up hill the adjacent to the track and started taking pictures. Big no-no. Team manager Dan Bentley shut them down real quick. A few minutes later, another unexpected vehicle pulled up, except this time it came directly through the gate surrounding the track and up to the rig. All the mechanics were looking at one another wondering who it was and what they were doing there. Who was it? None other than Ernesto Fonseca, stopping by to say hello and watch the guys spin some laps. Everyone was all smiles at that point and happy to see the former factory Honda rider.
One person, though was smiling the entire time: Andrew Short. Like Ken, Shorty is new to Team Honda HRC, and he now carries the title of brand ambassador. When I asked Cole how things were going with Short, he said, “I’m stoked to have Andrew. I’ve raced against him for years now and wasn’t super close with him, but man, he has been such a good help. Whether it’s cheering me on during my motos or helping with track prep here and there, pointers…. I do have Wardy [Jeff Ward] with me, but it’s always good to have another set of eyes on the track focusing on your mistakes and helping you get past them. He’s been so awesome. It’s been such a good thing for the team to have him, I think—as a brand ambassador, as a test rider, and everything that he’s doing. He doesn’t just sit around while he’s here at the test track with us. He’s busting his butt and helping, as well as everyone on the team, but he’s almost looking for more work. Like ‘What can I do? What can I help you with? Do you want me to clean this? Do you want me to go fix that on the track?’ It’s really cool to have him on the team.”
After the Monster Energy Cup this weekend, Cole will be headed to Japan to visit Honda headquarters and is slated to race the final round of the All Japan MX National Championship at Sportsland Sugo in Miyagi on October 22-23. When I asked if Cole has any other plans for when he’s in Japan, he said, “I’m super into import cars and drifting, so I wanted to go to a couple drift tracks while I’m there and possibly drive, but a lot of the tracks are near the whole nuclear power plant explosion, so it’s not exactly safe to go over to those areas. So I might just stick to the motocross thing. I don’t know, though. Maybe while I’m over there that’s no so dangerous, but I’d love to check out some of the car culture over there.”
After the test track, I headed to the premiere of Moto 8 (directed by Taylor Congdon) at the Yost in Santa Ana. Being that it was held in SoCal, many industry folks and riders were in the house. Riders on hand included Dean Wilson (who is on the cover), Grant Langston, Axell Hodges, and even Jessy Nelson, who has a great part in the film. Everyone was happy to see Nelson there, and we all went wild when his part came on—and even more so when it ended.
I spoke to Wilson briefly about his part in the film. “The experience was really good,” he said. “I had a really good time with the boys filming. It was kind of long days, but I think it turned out pretty sweet, and I’m really stoked to have been part of the movie.”
Dean’s part takes place at Florida Track and Trails and was my personal favorite. He won’t be in Vegas this weekend and is still searching for a home for 2017, but one thing is for sure: this dude can ride. Go see Moto 8.
While you’re waiting for Moto 8 to come to a city near you, you can see the Team Honda HRC video we made below.
This Week in News (Chase Stallo)
Let’s take a look back at the week that was.
– The biggest news of the week was JGRMX officially announcing its move to Suzuki after nine years with Yamaha. The team roster will remain unchanged, as the team announced the re-signing of Weston Peick. He’ll join Justin Barcia and Phil Nicoletti (fill-in for supercross, full-time in motocross). In a surprising development, JGR will also field a two-rider 250 team. Steve Matthes (who broke the story a few weeks back), Jason Thomas, and Jason Weigandt have more details.
– Both Cooper Webb and Tim Gajser announced this week that they’ll miss the Monster Energy Cup this weekend due to injury. Gajser aggravated a shoulder injury at the SMX Cup last weekend, while Yamaha and Webb decided to let Cooper’s injuries sustained in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross heal. Here’s a full list of who is and isn’t racing this weekend.
– Cole Seely is the latest American to race the final round of the All Japan MX National Championship at Sportsland Sugo. Trey Canard, Jeremy Martin, Cooper Webb, Romain Febvre, and Tim Gajser have all raced the event in recent years. The race takes place October 22-23.
– Americans Justin Brayton and Wil Hahn finished 1-2 at the second round of the Australian Supercross Championship on Friday. The win was Brayton’s second straight to open the season.
– The FIM World Motocross Championship will expand to 20 rounds in 2017, the most ever in a Grand Prix calendar year. Check out the entire 2017 schedule.
The Tradeshow (Jason Weigandt)
Everyone knows the general racing calendar includes about 30 races or so, but for years there was another must-do event for those inside the industry. The old Indianapolis Dealernews trade show in February was a massive deal, where seemingly every company (and company person) in the powersports business showed stuff off to dealers. These days, the AIMExpo, now in its third year, has become the big industry show, and it keeps growing, with Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, and KTM setting up big OEM displays and tons of aftermarket companies playing along too. The cool thing is this show opens to the public over the weekend, so if you’re anywhere near Orlando, Florida, it’s worth checking out on Saturday or Sunday. Honda, for example, has a pre-production 2017 CRF450R here to check out in person, and the bike is not expected to hit dealers until November. This is your first chance to see it. But the best part of the show is the outdoor demo area, where you can ride new street bikes, ATVs, and side-by-sides. How cool is that?
If you’re not in the Orlando area, you might get to enjoy the show next year or the year after. In 2017, the AIMExpo will move to Columbus, Ohio, from September 21-24; in 2018 it moves to Las Vegas from October 11-14. So after three years in Florida, this is set to become a traveling show.
Yesterday, Yamaha held a cool Walk of Champions event, honoring 10 former Yamaha championship riders. On the moto side, New England legends John Dowd and Doug Henry were inducted, and Dowd wore his actual Team Yamaha pit shirt from when he was on the team 20 years ago. You folks know how Dowd is. He says he still has all of his old Yamaha stuff, including a watercraft and an ATV, which he still uses even though they’re nearly 20 years old!
One of the coolest parts of this show for me was when Dowd and Henry cruised up to our Racer X booth. The backdrop of our display has an old-and-new theme, including a giant picture of the starting line from the 1998 Southwick National. That happened to be the greatest day ever for Henry and Dowd, as the Southwick legends swept the 250 and 125 classes . Of course, the bench racing began, and Henry explained his gate picks that day, saying he’s not seen in the photo because he always chose to start near the box, farther outside than most.
“Yeah, Doug, you were always willing to hang it out a little more and just make that outside work!” said Dowd.
Henry, by the way, estimates he’s ridden Yamahas for about 35 of the 40 years he’s been riding. Combine Henry’s Yamaha Walk of Fame with his AMA Hall of Fame induction, and it’s been a great weekend for a very deserving man.
Anyway, I’m off to the outdoor demo section to rip some donuts in a Yamaha YXZ1000 side-by-side. Come on down to the show this weekend, check out AIMexpousa.com for info.
Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)
After several months away from the supercross world, the Monster Energy Cup returns as a huge teaser for the 2017 supercross season. The MEC is a debut weekend for many new teams and riders. Ken Roczen is the big story on that front, making his highly publicized move to Honda HRC after two years with RCH Suzuki.
This weekend, many riders will have new sponsors, new equipment to try, and many times a completely revamped motorcycle to put through its paces. It's a huge learning process that will ideally pay dividends in January. Testing through racing is typically a no-no, but at this event it's commonplace. It's tough to replicate race conditions during testing, so many will use this event as a real-life test. They will learn about the bike's strengths and weaknesses and also about their own vulnerabilities when it comes to speed and fitness. A great result here can bring momentum and positivity to the next two months of hard training, while a rough weekend can be a wake-up call too. In any case, many will leave Vegas on Sunday knowing much more than they do today.
In just over two months, the supercross world will fire back up. This weekend is the first step toward 2017.
Hey, Watch It!
In his work for Red Bull, videographer Ryan Walters has been filming Jessy Nelson since 2008. In an effort to help reach his Road 2 Recovery goal, Walters put together this edit of Nelson. You can still donate at R2R here.
Red Bull released an awesome teaser video for the upcoming Straight Rhythm event this week. It's an ode to the 1980s Monster Truck “Sunday, Sunday, Sunday” commercial!
The Start at the Monster Energy Cup.
Random Notes
The first two highlight episodes from the 2016 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, presented by AMSOIL will premiere this Saturday, Oct. 15 6:00pm ET and Sunday, Oct. 16 5:30pm ET on NBCSN. We apologize for the time change from our original announcements, but due to Hurricane Matthew adjusting NASCAR TV times from Charlotte last weekend, the first episode got moved to this new Saturday time slot. The first episode will also re-air Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 4:30pm will more potential re-airs in coming weeks.
While this year marks the twelfth year of the AMA Amateur National being featured on cable television, the show will honor the 35th annual event. An interview with Bradley Taft will ultimately result in the crowning of his 250 A National Championship. Seven-time Loretta Lynn class champion, Tim Ferry makes his way back to the Ranch as he discusses the new generation of racing, and more specifically how his son Evan is following in his racing footsteps.
Former AMA Supercross and Motocross Champion Donnie Hansen has relocated to Southern California for the 2017 supercross season. He will be working with riders from amateur to pro and is available for coaching at local tracks and/or test tracks as well at each event. Additional packages include private training, bike rental, and food and lodging if needed. Foreign students are also welcome.
Check out www.dhma.com for information on his credentials and programs. Contact him for more information: Donnie @DHMA.com, 719-495-2624, or toll-free at 877-883-7260.
For the latest from Canada, check out DMX Frid'Eh Update #42.
Check out the son of two-time AMA East Region Supercross Champion (1995 and ’96) and two-time FIM Motocross World Champion (2001 and ’02) Mickael Pichon on the cover of MX Magazine. Zach will race the EMX250 Championship in 2017 with Suzuki.
That’s all we’ve got for this week. Thanks for reading. See you at the races.