Main image by Jeremy Holbert/RacerTV.com
Welcome to Racerhead on this very busy holiday weekend—busy for moto, anyway! First, a belated Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and here’s hoping you had a nice holiday with family and friends—I know they had the single biggest motocross Thanksgiving dinner down in Florida yesterday, and it’s continuing right now. The 52nd Annual THOR Mini O’s are reeling off their motocross finals today and tomorrow afternoon, after what’s been a solid week of racing, full starting gates in pretty much every class, and lots and lots of fast young men and women down there at Gatorback (not to mention a few older ones as well). If it’s daylight on the East Coast when you’re reading this, click right here and you can watch the motos streaming live and free on Racer TV (And props to whole Unlimited Sports MX crew, the Racer TV production crew, the announcers and everyone that’s been down there going wide open since last weekend. The track looks rough and amazing, and the racing has been excellent. And there’s an “after show” tonight that will be fun to watch!)
Check out some photos from Mini O's, first by Jeremy Holbert then second by our man on the ground, Matt Rice.
A And then on the far side of the world tomorrow the final round of the 2023 FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) will be going off from Melbourne, Australia. here's our full How to Watch on that, or just know it will air on FS1 on Sunday, at 9:30 am East.) After two of the three rounds Rick Ware Racing’s Joey Savatgy has a five-point lead on defending WSX Champion Ken Roczen after the recent Abu Dhabi round and some unfortunate mistakes for the HEP Suzuki rider. Dean Wilson is another 11 points back, and then comes the man in the black hat himself, Vince Friese, three more points behind. Of course, Friese was the big point of discussion after some aggressive riding in Abu Dhabi that really should not have surprised. That’s always been Vince’s MO, and on a small track like they were racing on he can be a formidable opponent to pass or follow. Fortunately for the others, the venue for finale—Marvel Stadium in Melbourne—there will be much more room to maneuver. (And it looks like Friday night’s Australian Supercross Championship—their domestic series, not the WSX—saw Dean Wilson clinch the SX1 Championship.)
As for the 250 class, or SX2, Max Anstie is comfortably out front by 32 points on Shane McElrath (140 to 108). No matter, both will want to end their seasons with a win in Melbourne. (And like Dean Wilson, Max clinched the Australian SX2 title last night in the Australian series finale race.) You can watch the conclusion to the WSX title chase in both classes right here (tomorrow morning our time): https://wsxchampionship.com/watch/
To tune into the Australian GP on Saturday (November 25), visit www.wsx.tv to sign up to watch it live on Saturday at 3:30 a.m. Eastern/12:30 a.m. Pacific, or tune into the following times below on Fox Sports and FS1:
Fox Sports
3:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturday
Re-air at 10 a.m. Eastern Saturday
Re-air at 10 a.m. Eastern Sunday
Re-air at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Sunday
FS1
9:30 a.m. Eastern Sunday
9:30 p.m. Eastern Sunday
After this weekend, everyone’s attention will turn to January 6, 2024, and the Anaheim opener for Monster Energy AMA Supercross, as the series begins the celebration of its 50th year. And that’s where I want to go into something we should all be thankful for as supercross fans. The 2024 season—the 50th year of Monster Energy Supercross—is shaping up like another “perfect storm.” Just like in 2005, the original Perfect Storm of Supercross, as dubbed by then SX media/marketing man Denny Hartwig, we have a whole bunch of storylines and talent coming together at once. In ’05 it was Ricky Carmichael coming back a knee injury, James Stewart moving up to the 250, Chad Reed dug in and ready to defend, the King of Supercross—Jeremy McGrath—returning on a Honda CR250 for cameo appearances, Travis Pastrana still trying to compete, despite already being beat-up from a wide variety of crashes and stunts, and then just downright good guys making up the podium chase, like the veterans Kevin Windham and Mike LaRocco, David Vuillemin, Nick Wey, Ernesto Fonseca, Sebastien Tortelli, and more. Of course, the rain ended up turning the Anaheim opener into a slog, but it was quite exciting just to have so much to look forward to through the fall months of November and December leading up to January 2005. (There was also a World Supercross GP substory going on, but those races took place in Canada, and of the main players, only Carmichael chose to compete in those in order to get some more seat time in on his new Suzuki.)
Fast-forward to right now and what we have to be collectively thankful for going into January 6, 2024. Eli Tomac is returning from injury. Jett Lawrence is moving up to the premier class, as is his brother Hunter—both 250SX Champions this year. Defending 450SX Champion Chase Sexton is now on a Red Bull KTM and ready for battle. Three-time FIM Motocross World Champion (MXGP) Jorge Prado is planning on a few cameo appearances. Former two-time SX Champion is Cooper Webb is also on a new (old) team and ready to go. Ken Roczen is coming off a resurgent season on the Suzuki. Another former champion in Jason Anderson is quietly doing the work to get that #1 plate back. Dylan Ferrandis is making a comeback, only now on a Phoenix Honda that he says he loves. Justin Barcia, Adam Cianciarulo, Aaron Plessinger, Malcolm Stewart, Christian Craig, Dean Wilson, Colt Nichols, Shane McElrath… And that’s just the 450 class! The 250SX West Region will almost certainly be Jo Shimoda-vs.-Haiden Deegan-vs.-Austin Forkner, or Cameron McAdoo or however it shakes out, and then mix in Vince Friese for the spice!
The 2023 season as a whole was excellent, with a compelling and very well-attended SX and MX series, plus the addition of the new SuperMotocross World Championship, and it gave us fans a lot to be thankful for. Hard to believe that 2024 will be even bigger and better, but it sure is tracking that way, and for that we should all be thankful.
Black Friday Things (DC)
Today is a big shopping holiday, but it also means big crowds. So, to help make shopping for moto- and rider-related things a little easier, here are some quick links, some with sales happening right now:
https://elitomac.com
https://chasesexton.co
https://kenroczen.com
https://cooperwebb.com
https://bam-bam.co
https://elhombre21.com
https://www.jettson.co
https://acianciarulo.com
https://shopdeegan38.com/collections/danger-boy
https://austinforkner.com
https://promotocross.com/schedule
https://www.supercrosslive.com/tickets
https://www.mxgp-tv.com/home
https://www.supercrosssuperstore.com
https://shop.redbudmx.com
https://racerxbrand.com
https://mototees.com
https://shop.wewentfast.com
https://mxlocker.com
https://road2recovery.com
https://theinsidelinebook.com
https://davethorpe.co.uk
2023 Reader Survey
A lot of passionate, creative people work to make Racer X the best it can be, but our biggest source of inspiration is, quite simply, you! All of us at Racer X would really appreciate it if you can take a few minutes to complete our Readers' Choice survey. The better we know our readers and audience, the better we can make everything we do. For completing the survey, you'll receive a free 3 month digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated! Oh, and you'll also be entered to win a Rawrr 60V Mantis bike, Matrix Concepts prize pack, 3 Leatt prize packs, an OGIO Trucker gearbag, a DeCal Works Semi-Custom Graphic Kit, a DeCal Works Ready Made Graphic Kit, and a DeCal Works Number Plate Graphic Kit! Winners will be announced January 3.
Thanks for your help. We’ll see you at the races.
Thanks Not for Granted (Jason Weigandt)
This is a really cool time in the racing calendar, with races in France and Australia back-to-back. That’s something we take for granted as normal around here, but it’s pretty unique in the realm of most sports. We’re lucky that dirt bikes are universal enough where riders and equipment that work in America can just be transported to Europe or Australia and race without too much issue. Yes, racing series like Formula 1, MotoGP do race all over the world, but this sport is different in how all the racing everywhere is very similar. It’s not like you can just export NASCAR or IndyCar cars and drivers to a race in Paris and throw a few F1 guys in the mix and have it make any sense at all. Here, Ken Roczen can race SMX in Los Angeles, WSX in Abu Dhabi and Australia, and Supercross in Paris and it’s basically all the same. Oh yeah, same for Motocross of Nations. Bikes are a little different, but not much.
It was fun to watch the Paris race on MXGPTV. Jett Lawrence was scary good at times, but in the end the two-day format and jet lag sapped him and everyone else. The boys were tired on Sunday and that led to some mixed-up results, partially because Jett blew all three Sunday starts and had to try to come through the pack. Ken Roczen left the race saying he wasn’t good all weekend, but he was probably good enough to have won two of the three races on Sunday had he not crashed. So, still pretty good!
One rider I watched closely was Cooper Webb. Look, he wasn’t as fast as Roczen or the Lawrence brothers. But what’s weird is, last year Webb raced in Paris and was even worse, and then by the time we rolled to Anaheim he was better than anyone not named Eli Tomac. He leap-frogged people who beat him in Paris. Because Webb doesn’t draw attention with his speed, because he’s usually below par in off-season races, and because his SMX runs on Yamaha were good but not great, he gets forgotten a lot in the pre-season. Remember, Webb was ahead of Chase Sexton in points when he crashed in Nashville. He’s darned good at not making mistakes and staying in the fight, which is exactly what he did to podium in Paris. We’ll probably see an even better Webb when we get to Anaheim.
In other news, we’ve been waiting for official word on Dylan Ferrandis and Honda (which finally came today), but I did talk to Dylan this week and he was very truthful in his interview, as usual. He says he’s never felt like he could push in 450 supercross and it’s been a frustrating three years trying to figure out the motorcycle for stadiums. He has felt, for several years, that he needs to try a Honda. Of course, you have Sexton trying to get off of Honda and wanting to get on KTM, Webb wanting to get off of a KTM and go to a Yamaha, and Ferrandis trying to get off of a Yamaha to get on a Honda. This is just the normal ebb and flow for the sport, and it gives us something to think about during the pre-season. Does any of it really matter? Well, if the rider believes it, maybe it does.
Read the full press release on Ferrandis joining Phoenix Honda.
Oh, and speaking of Phoenix Honda, an update from Jason Lawrence...
Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)
Happy Thanksgiving! The holidays are a special time in the racing world because most riders are at home for a spell. In a climate of nonstop airplanes, hotels, and rental cars, consistent time with loved ones is a needed recharge. There is a lot of work to be done during this period but waking up each morning at home is often enough. This is the time for balance. Preparation for 2024 is top of mind as we close November, but also taking a moment to enjoy the things around us has to fit in somewhere, too. That's what I would recommend most if I could turn back the hands of time in my own career. Put the work in and relentlessly so. But, when it's time to not work, be present and appreciate the life around you. Be fully engaged in all things when the timing is appropriate. One day, things like daily motos, that bicycle ride that can't be missed, and having a slow day on the stopwatch will seem trivial. What won't seem trivial is the time spent or not spent with those that care about you. So, this Thanksgiving, take a second and consider what will truly matter in a decade and what won't. Focus on what will matter. There will be a time and place for hard work. This Thursday isn't it.
2024 Loretta Lynn’s Qualifying Schedule
Yesterday, MX Sports announced the qualifying schedule for the 2024 Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship area qualifier and regional championship dates. View the full release and schedule below.
2024 Loretta Lynn’s Area Qualifier and Regional Championship Dates Announced
BEST YEARS? (DC)
With the AMA season, the MXoN, and Paris Supercross all finally over and done with, now might be a good time to take a look at Jett Lawrence's 2023 season in general and how it might stack up to other uniquely successful seasons. This is not about just dominating those two series, but a year’s worth of different races as a whole.
First, Lawrence added a second straight 250SX title, this time in the West Region. He capped his 250 career by winning the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown at the final round in Salt Lake City. Then he moved up to the 450 class full-time for the AMA Pro Motocross Championship and reeled off a remarkable 22-0 season by taking every moto. Then Lawrence lined up for the first-ever SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) and won two out of the three races and the championship, along with a $1 million bonus. Next came the 2023 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations where he teamed up with his older brother Hunter to help Australia finish a best-ever second overall to France—and he won the final moto for all 450 riders in MXGP/Open. (And he won his class at MXoN ’22 moto at RedBud in his CRF450R debut.) Finally, last weekend he won the 40th Paris Supercross, which is considered the single biggest and most important off-season supercross of all.
The easiest comparison to make for Lawrence’s broad success in 2023 is against another interloper on a Honda who found his way to America and to the top of SX/MX in his second full year (1991), the Frenchman Jean-Michel Bayle. After winning two FIM Motocross World Championships, JMB left for America in the fall of '89 and within two years he would be the AMA Supercross Champion, as well as win both 250 and 500 Pro Motocross titles, an unprecedented sweep. Bayle also won the five-round FIM Masters of Motocross Series in Europe, which was a cool idea but did not last long. He also was the King of Bercy at the ’91 Paris SX, and he even won the ’91 U.S. 500cc Grand Prix at Glen Helen in what may have been the single most remarkable season ever, in terms of winning across the globe (though Bayle did pass of racing for France in that year’s MXoN). It was also the beginning of the end because within a year JMB would be done with the dirt, having decided to turn his attentions to road racing in Europe.
And going even further back, there was Bob “Hurricane” Hannah’s 1978 season in which he was AMA Supercross, 250 Pro Motocross, the Trans-AMA Series (becoming the first American to win that once proud series), and even another hybrid-style event called the Subaru International Motorcycle Olympiad at Carlsbad Raceway that pitted top riders from several different disciplines. He also won something called the Quaker State Oil Shotgun Showdown at the season-ending Anaheim SX, and with it a $3,000 winner-take-all bonus. The only thing the Yamaha-mounted Hannah did not win in ‘78 was the FIM Motocross of Nations (500s), nor the old Trophee des Nations (250s).
And a nod should go out to Ryan Villopoto in 2011, when he topped both AMA Supercross and 450 Pro Motocross, led Team USA to the win at the FIM Motocross of Nations in France, and then won the $1 million bonus by sweeping all three main events in the first Monster Energy Cup of Supercross at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.
And one more: Ricky Carmichael had so many dominant years it’s difficult to point as one for being exceptional, but for me the most diverse was 2005. He switched to Suzuki and then won the two December ’04 World Supercross GP rounds in Canada, and then won the 2005 AMA Supercross title on a Suzuki RM250. He switched to the RM-Z450 for outdoors and won all 12 overalls, though not every moto. Then he went to France and dominated the FIM Motocross of Nations for Team USA, then ended that remarkable season with a win at the U.S. Open of Supercross in Las Vegas, this time aboard the RM-Z450.
Beyond that, other riders like Jeremy McGrath in 1995 and Ryan Dungey in 2010 and had broad success across the board though they didn't quite as many different wins as Hannah in ’78, JMB in ’91, RC in ’05, RV in ’11, and now Jett. McGrath did win SX and 250 MX and the Paris SX in ’95 but he did not participate in the MXoN. And while Dungey won both SX and MX as well as the MXoN at Thunder Valley, there was no Monster Cup or U.S. Open of SX.
Along these same lines, we drew some fire from our friend Denny Stephenson of MotoXDream360.com on X (formerly named Twitter) for tweeting a preview of the Racer X 2023 Rider of the Year feature I wrote on Jett that began with, "It's now safe to say that Jett Lawrence was the fastest teenager our sport has ever seen" based on all of his accomplishments to this point (he turned 20 in August): Three AMA Pro Motocross Champions (including a perfect series in the premier class), two 250SX Regional titles, two MXoN moto wins, and after turning 20 in August, the SMX title, and now the King of Paris. Looking back, instead of “fastest teenager,” which is impossible to measure, maybe I should have written “most successful and accomplished teenager our sport has ever seen,” which would have been less controversial.
Denny's tweet was on-brand for the funny and forever-enthusiastic bench racer who always has a strong opinion, and he knows the sport too: "Seriously. Who's the 12 year old clown who wrote this? James is & was the fastest teenager the sport has ever seen. And it's not even close."
There is no doubt that James Stewart was truly phenomenal in his pure speed as a teenager (and for sure when he was older), he’s the fastest 125 rider ever, but he threw some wins and titles away with some unfortunately huge crashes, and he didn't actually win consistently in the premier class until he was past his 20th birthday. It's obviously hard to compare two guys twenty years apart—different times, different bikes, different competition, different tracks, etc.—but that's what makes bench-racing fun. And no matter where he ranks on your personal list of fast kids, Jett Lawrence has won every title he's competed for since he turned 17 and his rookie premier-class series went pretty well too. That at least puts him in the debate with James, and don't forget about a young Ricky Carmichael, and the young Sebastien Tortelli too, Damon Bradshaw, Ron Lechien, Marty Smith, etc.
For many, James Stewart will always be thought of as the FMOTP (fastest man on the planet) unless you’re based in Europe and don’t count supercross into the equation. And Jeremy McGrath will always be the King of Supercross, Ricky Carmichael the GOAT of it all. Those three—all on the Mt. Rushmore of our sport—had very different careers. Jett Lawrence is arguably the FMOTP right now, and his career is trending more towards those of Ricky and Jeremy, with longevity and consistent greatness, rather than James, with his mind-blowing speed offset by some huge crashes and misfortune that cost him several titles. No matter where you come down on the ranking of Jett as a teenager, you can’t deny that he's the most successful one ever in the record books.
Of course, Matthes has a related hot take, and a hell of a stat to check out…
COW (Matthes)
Remember when people were calling James Stewart the "COW" as in, crash or win? That did seem to be James’ modus operandi for a long time. Simply put, if Stew didn't crash, he won. But was that true? Thanks to our guy Nick Taylor at PulpMX in his Super Stats column, it kind of was. Nick went through Stew's entire career, scoured Cycle News race reports, watched what he could on YouTube, read the PRs, and tried to break it all down. You can read the column here.
It's super interesting stuff but what really caught my eye was in his 125SX career, Stew won every race he didn't crash in but one: 2003 Anaheim 1. In his 450SX career, it took four years and 55 races before Stew lost a race where he didn't crash. Fifty-five! Seattle 2009 he finished second after a bad start.
Great off-season read by Nick, and I think it really captures the legend that was James Stewart. If you weren't there, you just didn't get it.
This Weekend Only! Subscribe To Magazine & Get 2024 Calendar Plus 3 Bonus Gifts
Check out this can’t-miss deal for this weekend: subscribe to Racer X Magazine for just $25 and get three free gifts: our 2024 Racer X Calendar, a complete 2023 event sticker pack, a $25 Rocky Mountain e-gift card, and a free one-year digital subscription for a friend.
This deal starts Friday, November 24, and runs through midnight Eastern on Monday, November 28.
Racer X Brand Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale
Doing some online shopping this weekend for Black Friday/Cyber Monday? Make sure to visit the Racer X Brand store to see all of our products, which are 25% off November 24 through November 27!
Use the code BFCM25" at checkout for 25% off all products except magazine subscriptions.
View the items on sale by visiting the Racer X Brand store (racerxbrand.com), where you can view all of our T-shirts, hats, accessories, stickers, and more.
Hey, Watch It!
GoPro: 2023 Mini O's Supercross Battle in 450B with Jadon Cooper
FULL MOTO. Ricky Carmichael Duels James Stewart for Milestone Victory | 2007 Budds Creek 450 Moto 2
The flourishing off-season bromance of teammates and riding buddies Eli Tomac and Haiden Deegan continues, courtesy of Dirt Shark:
And here’s a very cool Thanksgiving messages from some industry friends:
Anthony Brutto:
RC:
Head-Scratching Headline/s Of The Week
"Matt Canada’s firing marked Pittsburgh Steelers’ first in-season coaching change since 1941"—On 3 Pro Talk
"Daryl Hall Gets Restraining Order Against John Oates"—Variety.com
Avril Lavigne pumping gas in her car while wearing....motocross pants:
“Avril Lavigne shows off a hint of her toned midsection in a cropped leather jacket while stopping at a gas station in Malibu"—Autulu News
“Man Busted For Oreo Attack On Wife, 75
Cops: Quarrel over coffee maker triggered alleged cookie battery”—TheSmokingGun.com
“Man Charged After Allegedly Trying to Kill Someone for ‘Eating All the Tacos.’”—12 WBOY.com
Random Notes
Here's an excellent read by our colleague Brett Smith of We Went Fast from his early days in the sport and working with Art Eckman and David Bailey:
Essay: My Favorite Art Eckman Memory
Looking for something cool for Christmas? Dave Zielinski is selling his 1977 Honda XR75, here's a preview (though it's all apart being powder-coated right now):
Finally, check out these two advertisements, 45 years apart, from dominant Yamaha and dominant Alpinestars:
Thanks for reading Racerhead. Happy Thanksgiving again and see you at the races!