Welcome to Racerhead. It’s the first day of December and time to turn the calendar one page closer to Anaheim 1. Monster Energy AMA Supercross is getting closer and closer, which means the teams are all working overtime to get the bikes and riders ready to race on January 6. A few guys are still racing here and there in Europe. The Geneva SX is taking place in Switzerland and features the red-hot Red Bull KTM rider Marvin Musquin and Rockstar Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson, as well as Alta-mounted Josh Hill in the SX2 class, which should be really interesting—more on that below.
At this point, most are dialing in their programs here at home. Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen is still at Castillo Ranch, though his training partner Adam Cianciarulo of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki seems to be headed to Southern California to work out with the rest of the team. Jason Weigandt wrote this bit on Roczen’s mindset.
Jeremy Martin has been putting in the laps, having missed night one of Paris SX after a practice crash in France (he raced the second night), so that’s good news for the GEICO Honda team. Yamaha’s Cooper Webb and Honda’s Cole Seely and pretty much everyone else have been posting photos and footage on social media.
The one person who has gone pretty much dark (at least on Instagram) is the preseason favorite, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac. He’s not really showing his hand—at least not since November 2. Knowing Tomac, he’s working just as hard as everyone else, only he’s doing it off the grid in Colorado.
One of the more unique promotions we’ve seen is coming from Chad Reed’s rebooted CR22 team. The two-time AMA Supercross Champion is back on his own team, and he’s offering fans who want to support his effort a VIP Experience at every round. Fans who want to spend an entire day and evening embedded with the team get to go on the morning track walk, watch practice and qualifying from the press box, all-day/all-night pit passes, access to the team’s hospitality area, a tour of the team rig, premium seats for the actual race, and a chance to be under the tent and see how it all happens. Each VIP will go home with an autographed Reed jersey and a bonus swag package from the team and their sponsors. The VIP Experience opportunity with Team CR22 is a rare chance to spend a full day and night at the races as if you were a part of the veteran’s crew. For prices and more info, email CR22VIP@gmail.com.
And speaking of veteran racers, last Friday I riffed on Ryan Dungey’s seamless retirement from professional racing. Red Bull did it much better by letting Ryan tell his own story in the excellent short film Homegrown, shot and directed by our longtime friend “Wild” Wes Williams (with help from Will Posey, Ashton Hammill, Jason Macalpine, Jason Crane, Brian Betchel, Billy Browder and Dylan Jackson).
It’s a nod to Ryan’s Midwest roots, shot on a supercross track built by Jason Baker and his Dream Traxx crew in the middle of a cornfield, though your guess is as good as ours as to where exactly in the Midwest. Check it out and see if you can figure out where (and how) they built it:
Dungey posted this on his Instagram: “When @redbull and I came up with the idea, it was going to be a perfect end to my professional career… However I got a jumpstart on life after racing. :) I hope you guys enjoy this project as much as I enjoyed racing for all those years. It’s fitting that it comes to an end where it all began—in the fields of the Midwest.”
Reading between the lines, it appears that Ryan’s sudden retirement in May really was sudden—that he had planned to race at least through the summer but then had a change of heart at the end of that dramatic Monster Energy AMA Supercross title fight with Eli Tomac. I know I didn’t learn about it until I called Red Bull KTM team manager Roger DeCoster the week after the Vegas SX finale to see if the team needed anything as they got ready for Hangtown. But while we didn’t get to see him last summer, Ryan went out the right way: on top as a champion.
Pennsylvania motocross racer David Grimes passed away yesterday after a heart attack. Grimes, who hailed from Vestaburg, had deep roots in the local racing scene. Way back in 1975, he finished 15th at the 125 National at Appalachia Lake MX Park in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. He was always fast, always nice, and always at the races. Grimes will be missed when the local motocross races start up again next spring. He was 61 years old. Godspeed.
Coming Up from Down Under (Andras Hegyi)
Many Australian motocrossers grow up determined to race in the United States, and America has been very welcoming to the Aussie racers. There are many Australians who made names for themselves racing on the AMA circuit, beginning with pioneer Jeff Leisk in the mid-eighties and going right through multi-time AMA Supercross/Motocross Champion Chad Reed, the most successful Aussie ever to race on American soil. Along with Reed, Brett Metcalfe, and Michael Byrne gained fame racing in the U.S. as well. We’ve also watched Kim Ashkenazi, Matt Moss, Jake Moss, Dan Reardon, the late Andrew McFarlane, and more try to their luck in America. Now, in 2018, another Aussie would like to seek success in American motocross. Twenty-seven-year-old Todd Waters is coming to America next spring to race the Lucas Oil 450 Pro Motocross Championship.
Waters has a solid reputation both in his homeland and on the international scene. In the premier 450 class of the Australian Nationals, he was runner-up both in 2012 and ’13; in ’16 he finished third, while this past season he was fourth in the overall standings aboard a Honda. He also raced in the Aussie supercross championship, finishing eighth. Between 2014 and ’15, Waters competed in the premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship with the Husqvarna factory team. He was injured in 2014 so he did not have many results, but in ’15 he grabbed one podium result and ended up ninth overall in the final standings. Waters appeared also at the Motocross of Nations, representing Team Australia a total of four times: ’12, ’13, ’15, and ’16.
In 2018, Waters is going to leave his country again, and for the first time ever, he wants to put himself to the test in the AMA 450 Nationals. Although there are still some specifics of his American arrangements to clear up, we know he will race on his own Honda team as a privateer. He will arrive in the U.S. in April. He won’t be racing supercross because he’s set for surgery to fix a knee injury and a tweak with his tibia. After his recovery, he plans to take part in some races in New Zealand to be ready for America. In January, he intends to race the most famous motocross event in New Zealand, the 47th Woodville GP; in February, he means to compete in the season opener in the New Zealand's motocross championship. If everything goes okay, Todd Waters will debut in the 450 Nationals at the opening round on May 19, 2018, at the Hangtown Classic.
And on the horizon from Down Under are the Lawrence brothers, Hunter and Jett. Hunter, the eldest, is already signed to GEICO Honda for 2019, with the hopes of winning the MX2 World Championship in Europe next season. Little brother Jett will race the EMX series aboard a Suzuki and will then move to Factory Connection Honda for a development deal in hopes of joining his brother on GEICO Honda’s pro team.
Pro Perspective (Ping and Jason Thomas)
Ping: Ken Roczen and Adam Cianciarulo are having their own little boot camp up in Los Alamos, California. That one-exit town north of Santa Barbara is home to Castillo Ranch and some of the most incredible countryside in the state. Prepping for the supercross series at the ranch isn't a new concept; Jeremy McGrath did it, Travis Pastrana did it, Chad Reed did it, and Roczen used it as his home base last year. It's refreshing to get out of the madhouse that is Southern California, and when all there is to do is ride, bicycle, and go to the gym, it makes it more enjoyable. With zero distractions and all the amenities you need to prep, this could be the perfect preseason camp.
Eli Tomac has his own little spot in Colorado that is even more secluded. With plenty of acreage to ride on and very few neighbors, it makes it very easy for Tomac to focus on the task at hand.
And then there is the famous Baker's Factory, where Marvin Musquin is prepping for the 2018 season. I don't think I need to explain the tradition and track record of Aldon and his regimen. Marvin will be ready to win in January, without question. Marv has the one advantage of being able to gauge his speed off of fellow supercross winner Jason Anderson. The two riders will push each other day after day on the track, on bicycles and in the gym. That could prove to be an edge when the gate drops in Angel Stadium; time will tell. For now, it’s laps, laps, and more laps. In 36 days, the rubber meets the road—or the dirt, in this case—and we'll see who has their mental game best prepared.
Jason Thomas: The Santa Barbara SX prep is not new, as Ping said, but it's definitely the road less traveled. For most, every day is a lap-time war among teammates at their test track. For Kenny and AC, they are tucked away putting in the work without the hustle and bustle of the motocross mecca. I think it also gives Kenny time to build speed without worrying about Cole Seely's lap time or what this guy or that guy is doing. They have a program with Peter Park and his Platinum Fitness company that they believe in (Chad Reed was a former client), and they are "trusting the process," as is so trendy these days. With those two able to push each other every day, I think they will come in ready to roll. Kenny knows what level he needs to be at if he wants to win. He's been there before, and he also knows the work it takes to achieve it. Having seen the Platinum Fitness program firsthand, I have no doubt there is more work than play taking place in sleepy Santa Barbara as we speak. I expect the 94 to come out swinging in a month.
More From Geneva (DC)
If the time is right, you can to watch live timing and the live stream of the race here later. And here you can find the results once they’re posted.
Over on the Vital MX Forum, we spotted this post on the race from our longtime friend Xavier Auduoard of MX Magazine and Moto Verte on the Geneva SX:
Geneva should be very interesting overall with important side shows such as Josh Hill on the Alta (who has posted 10th time in qualifying practice in the 250 SX2 class) and Ricky Carmichael, who will probably be involved in some sort of side-by-side one-lap deals. Wouldn't it actually be cool to see them face each other in this sort of match, two guys from the past but one of them is on an electric bike? (And not named Ronnie Mac!) Track is quite smaller than it was in Paris and seems to deteriorate more into ruts which makes it more technical and tricky, Musquin said (with a big smile as he likes these conditions).
He got the pole in the 34's (10 seconds less than in Paris) while two weeks ago, Seely and Wilson were the fastest on the US-style track. Brayton and Anderson do not seem to be as dangerous for Marvin as Cole and Deano were but this is only practice.
First start of an electric bike against 250F's (and a couple of Junior 2-strokes) will be an historical moment. That race, as Paris, is part of the French Championship and we got approval from the French Federation to allow for this bike to gate along with the 250Fs (the FFM is very open to electric bikes, and an electrical bike has been gotten a French Trials National Championship against regular bikes).
But the bike Alta wanted to race in Paris could not be put on a plane and the plan went south. The bike Josh is riding comes from a French customer who actually rode some enduro with it last summer and let Josh race it for this occasion. It's been refreshed and brought by Bud Racing to Geneva, I'm sure Josh brought his suspension and a couple of parts but this is really the Alta that's on the market, not a one-off of any sort and it has hours on it. So it is really a meaningful test for that product. The guys Josh is racing are the guys (Tyler) Bowers raced two weeks ago and he could not beat them right away so it wouldn’t be realistic to expect Josh to beat them (he is 3 full seconds back from the pole). But we will see how it goes off the start, etc. It will be a big first!
Old Boys, Still Fast (Andras Hegyi)
Earlier this month, the 39th TransBorgaro Vet race was held at Borgaro Torinese, a municipality near Turin in the northeast of Italy. This vintage motocross race has become more and more famous, with several American motocross stars traveling there to compete every year. Also on hand were former motocross and enduro world champions, and other off-road big names took part in. This year TransBorgaro was held in a brand-new venue, but its scenario and schedule were the same: races in three different categories and a then family cup.
In the '70s Class, the biggest name was the “Golden Boy” himself, six-time AMA National Motocross Champion Broc Glover. The Californian, 57 and still in race trim, was a pre-race favorite, and he did not disappoint. The field had 39 racers from the seventies, and Glover, who works for Dunlop as an off-road senior manager, won both motos. The first time out, Glover won by 10 seconds; in the second moto, he got 21 seconds ahead of everyone else. Glover debuted at the TransBorgaro in 2014 and since then he has been undefeated, taking four consecutive victories.
Another American star, 61-year-old Chuck Sun, counts as an old-timer at the TransBorgaro. The 1980 AMA 500cc National Champion finished fourth overall, with 3-5 moto finishes.
The '80s Class had 34 racers, and the winner was Italy’s Paolo Caramello, who hails from Turin. Caramello, who raced in the 250cc Grand Prix circuit in the 1980s, took 2-1 moto finishes. The most famous member of the field was Micky Dymond, but the two-time AMA 125cc National Champion was only able to go 3-3 for third. The 52-year-old was racing with cracked ribs from just before the TransBorgaro.
The strongest field was the '90s Class, which had 39 riders, among them Americans John Dowd, Robbie Reynard, and Doug Dubach plus two Italian World Champions, Alex Puzar and David Philippaerts. The winner was the “Junk Yard Dog,” the 52-year-old Dowd, the 1998 AMA 125cc East Supercross Champion. The ageless Dowd got 1-2 moto finishes, while the 40-year-old Robbie Reynard was fourth overall, collecting 6-4 moto finishes. Dubach, Puzar, and Philippaerts had no good luck. The 54-year-old Dubach finished third in the first moto but was forced to pull off in the second because of a technical issue. The 2008 MX1 World Champion, Philippaerts had the same schedule. In the first moto, he was fourth; in the second, mechanical troubles forced him to retire. Together with his brother Deny Philippaerts, a former motocrosser who at present is an enduro rider, they won the Family Cup competition.
Two-time FIM World Champion Puzar had a disappointing day. His 49th birthday was the day of the TransBorgaro, and “Crazy Horse” wanted to win. He managed to do it in the first moto, but in the second one he fell and finished only 15th, good for sixth overall.
Danish rider Brian Jorgensen also rode and made the podium, as well as this film.
FOUR-STROKE FUTURAMA (DC)
While researching a feature for the magazine this past week, I went to one of my absolute favorite online destinations, the Cycle News Archives. (If you're looking for a very moderately prized Christmas present for a friend or yourself, this is it–especially the '70s and '80s!)
I was in the 1982 issues and found Team Yamaha's young superstar Ricky Johnson on the cover—from an event I did not recognize. Johnson was not riding the production-based YZ250 he would campaign the 250 Nationals and AMA Supercross on, but rather a Pro-Tec four-stroke. The event was something called the CMC Four-Stroke Championship at Carlsbad Raceway. RJ took the win over the veteran Jimmy Ellis (aboard a White Brothers-built Honda) and Team Suzuki's Warren Reid (riding a White Brothers-built Can-Am). Rounding out the top five were Yamaha Support riders Ron Lechien (then just 15 years old) and Eric McKenna. It was a fun race on an off-weekend on the heavy and not-very-competitive thumpers, and none of those guys probably ever thought that 35 years later, everyone in SX/MX would be aboard four-strokes.
#TBT 2004 (Brett Smith)
Our own Andrew Fredrickson was sourcing old photos for a project and came across this photo of our contributor Brett Smith, who used to work on the TV crew for SX/MX. We sent it to Brett and he sent back this email.
Wow. The photo is from 2004 but that headset is from 1974.
2004 was a weird year for MX TV. It was the last year of the ESPN deal and Jamie Little was the official pit reporter. But, and I can’t remember why, she couldn’t attend half the races and DC filled in several times.
2004 was my first year as the producer of the shows. At the first round in Hangtown, ESPN sent a woman who had never covered, been to, or even heard of, motocross. Plus she was very pregnant, which, of course, isn’t a big deal except for the fact that it was 100 degrees and she didn’t feel well. She was so nice but had to bail out before the end of the first moto and DC jumped in. I remember having a laugh with him about all of it at some point in the day.
Another good memory: I took the red eye back to Atlanta that night. So hot and sweaty and when I landed at 6 a.m. I had to drive back to the office with a gear bag full of Beta SP tapes. I remember sitting alone in the office surrounded by about 100 tapes that I was responsible for making into two one-hour-long shows. I may or may not have sat there with my head in my hands for a bit.
Good times. Thanks for the memory lane trip.
Racer X Amateur Film Festival (Chase Stallo)
After months of filming, editing, judging and voting, the 2017 Racer X Amateur Film Festival presented by MotoSport, WASPcam, and Yamalube, champion has finally been decided. Congratulations to Katie Homewood of Australia for taking the top spot on the podium of the fan vote. Her winning entry secured enough votes in the finals to get the grand prize:
- A $500 Shopyamaha.com shopping spree
- A $400 MotoSport.com shopping spree
- WASPcam 9905 Wi-Fi Camera
- Two Racer X Brand T-shirts
- A Racer X Brand hat
- A one-year digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated
Final Fan Voting Results
Katie Homewood - 37.6%
Damon Smith - 23.6%
Bryan Allie - 21%
Griffin Destenben - 17.7%
The runners-up finished in the following order, and will also receive prize packs from MotoSport, WASPcam, Yamalube, and Racer X.
Damon Smith
- A $500 Shopyamaha.com shopping spree
- A $300 MotoSport.com shopping spree
- WASPcam 9905 Wi-Fi Camera
- Two Racer X Brand T-shirts
- A Racer X Brand hat
- A one-year digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated
Bryan Allie
- A $500 Shopyamaha.com shopping spree
- A $200 MotoSport.com shopping spree
- WASPcam 9905 Wi-Fi Camera
- Two Racer X Brand T-shirts
- A Racer X Brand hat
- A one-year digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated
Griffin Denbesten
- Two Racer X Brand T-shirts
- A Racer X Brand hat
- A one-year digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated
Panel Judging
New to the Racer X Amateur Film Festival this year was panel judging. The panel featured well-known producers of high-quality motocross videos, and they judged each of the eight semifinalists entries on originality/uniqueness, pacing of edit, quality of shots, color grading, sound effect/audio mix, creative concept/storytelling.
The winner was Adam Vidovics of Hungary. He won the following prizes from MotoSport, WASPCam, Yamalube, and Racer X:
- A $500 Shopyamaha.com shopping spree
- A $400 MotoSport.com shopping spree
- WASPcam 9905 Wi-Fi Camera
- Two Racer X Brand T-shirts
- A Racer X Brand hat
- A one-year digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated
- An opportunity to shoot a Racer X Films Remastered at any round of the 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Note: We will not pay for travel or accommodations, so please choose a round that is near you.
Congratulations to all finalists!
Hey, Watch It!
Penrite Honda and Justin Brayton clinched a second straight Australian Supercross Championship in a muddy finale that Brayton called “the gnarliest track I’ve ever ridden in my life.” Here’s some video evidence:
The first 2018 FIM World Motocross Championship teaser is out; MXGP starts March 4 in Argentina, and Antonio Cairoli will be trying to reach Stefan Everts’ record 10 world titles:
Kris Keefer donned some 1987 JT Bad Bones gear (with Ron Lechien's actual jersey from that year), and Rick Taylor broke out his 1989 Hi-Point gear to get down and dirty testing some some project bikes from '88 and '89. Watch what happens here:
Random Notes
Check out this cool piece from Ricky Carmichael that ran on The Players Tribune.
You know you've made it big when you get a poster in Cross Magazin! Ronnie Mac is featured as full pull-out poster in the German mag.
Subscribe now for as low as $9.98 and receive a FREE 2018 "Through the Decades" Calendar, plus access to our digital edition.
For the latest from Canada, check out DMX Frid-Eh Update #49.
Finally, a sad sendoff to the print version of Dirt Rider magazine, which, according to many former staff members, will soon only be available in digital form, following the path of Cycle News. Since its launch in the early eighties, Dirt Rider was a good middle-of-the-track read, with some big-hitters on the beat: Tom Webb, Ken Faught, Donn Maeda, Jimmy Lewis, Fran Kuhn, Chris Denison, Karel Kramer, Charley Morey, Mark Karyia, and more. They covered a broad swath of racing—from supercross to trials, motocross to GNCC, minicycles to electric bikes—and they were always a pleasure to work alongside with at the races. That was a job well done.
Just 36 more days to Anaheim. Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races.