Welcome to Racerhead, and welcome to December—home of the “December Surprise” in Monster Energy AMA Supercross. That means it’s time to brace ourselves against the unfortunate news that “______ got injured at the team test track” or “______ went down playing around on a pit bike and will miss X-amount of races” or “______ just shockingly switched teams!” The December Surprise is almost always bad news related to an injury of a contender, so here’s hoping that we don’t get one here as we begin to close out 2023. With the FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) now complete, and the big off-season races in the books as well, everyone is hunkering down and preparing for Anaheim 1 ’24 and beyond.
We’ve already had a couple of general surprises, like Dylan Ferrandis moving to Phoenix Honda and rebuilding his career with a fresh start. In a conversation with Jason Weigandt for Racer X Online, Ferrandis explained his whole new set-up, which includes a move from Tallahassee to Clermont, Florida, and also some new riding/practice partners in the Lawrence brothers while riding at their place—this after being more or less denied a spot in the lineup at the Moto Sandbox facility. Ferrandis knew and worked Hunter Lawrence a half-dozen years ago back in Europe. According to Dylan, this new set-up was a bit of a payback from the Lawrence family, as well as a chance for them all to learn from one another: "I didn't want to create this vibe where I’m maybe there try to pick up anything from them. So that's why I didn’t ask them first. After one training [day] with the Lawrences I really understand. I think they are grateful for the help I gave them back in the day. They are very happy to give me back this help today. It’s very nice."
We also know that FIM Motocross World MXGP Champion Jorge Prado is for sure coming to race at the first three rounds of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, so that’s not really a December Surprise either. (And congrats to our guy Spencer Owen on producing this cool teaser with Jorge Prado in front of Angeles Stadium).
No, the December Surprise is something something bigger and more unexpected, and almost never good news… Let’s all keep our fingers cross—just 36 more days until Anaheim.
Our buddy Josh Gagnon (@alwaysbelieve331) has been continuing his cool Countdown to Anaheim project, which is now at 36 days. Here are all of this week's jerseys:
HEP Motorsports Suzuki’s Ken Roczen is once again your WSX Champion, having managed to not get himself Friese’d in Melbourne, Australia, last weekend. Joey Savatgy, the points leader going into the third and final round, was not so lucky. Fortunately, he was not hurt when Vince came across on his front wheel right off the start and that was that as far as the title chase went. Also, congrats to Max Anstie on taking the SX2 class title down under. As for the series itself, the Melbourne race was a huge step up from what we saw in Abu Dhabi, which was much more like an arenacross than anything.
And speaking of that, the first championship of the new season begins this weekend 2023-2024 AMA Arenacross season kicks off this weekend in Boise, Idaho. Kyle Peters will be going after his fifth AMA Arenacross Championship beginning tonight, and MAV-TV will be airing the races live beginning tonight and tomorrow evening as well. Tune it at 9:30 p.m. Eastern/6:30 p.m. Pacific. The full season will be broadcasted live on MAVTV. (And if you’re wondering, no, Jason Lawrence will not be racing this weekend after parting ways with Phoenix Honda. It’s a rather long and complicated story, but not really a shocker either—check out Johnny Hopper’s YouTube channel for more on that whole situation.)
Okay, time for a Matthes rant, sorta…
Savatgy in Limbo (Matthes)
Joey Savatgy's been out there in social media-land talking about his desire to be able to move back down to 250SX for next year. It's something we talked about when he was in-studio on the PulpMX Show a few months back when he first dropped that he was going to be going to Triumph for 2024. Of course, this was after his WSX series where he rode well for Rick Ware Racing in the 450 class. As we know, Triumph is not going to have a 450 for '24 so Savatgy is only riding the 250 class in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship and then 450SX in 2025. So, he's been lobbying to get reinstated into the 250SX class in 2024, rather than sit out supercross.
The 125SX/250SX class has had a myriad of rule changes over the years to push riders out of the class and in some cases—Mike Jones, Jeremy Buehl, and Tim Ferry all come to mind—it's a little too soon. But it's never been easier to stay down in the class than it is nowadays, so we have plenty of 30-year-old “career” 250SX riders in a class that started out in 1985 to be a development class in order for young riders to learn SX. Well, that's mostly gone way out the window. The powers-that-be have adjusted the points threshold numerous times, we've had riders taking dives to not point-out, we've had OEM's sign riders to 250SX deals and then not realize they could point-out, etc., etc.
The class is a mess in my opinion and it's time to make it 17 rounds and just let people come and go in it as they please. No more "learning" SX in the 250SX side, you want to do that go to AMA Arenacross and then jump into 250SX. I know, like DC says, going one series will hurt rider jobs and I agree it will but what we have now is a class that's trying to be everything to everyone. Which to me means it's actually not being anything.
Okay, back to Savatgy. There were two ways to get pushed out of 250SX class—win two titles or score a specific number of points three years in a row. That number of points changed a few times with the addition or deletion of races and also got bumped up a few times. Either way, Joey and Shane McElrath both hit the points threshold three years in a row (a few years before this Joey and Martin Davalos were on track to hit the points when-SURPRISE—the OEM's got the AMA to bump up the points threshold) and they were kicked out.
Now however, the rule was changed year again around this time last year (maybe for the 542nd time since 1985?) and really the only way to get out of the class is to win two titles. So, there is no points cut-off and since the rule changed, Joey wants to head back to 250SX class. And he thinks McElrath should be allowed to race 250SX again also.
However, the AMA and the OEM reps have denied this claim, which I'm in favor of. The rules at the time made him move out and he's had a bit of a rocky time finding a home in the 450 class so I get it, but should Justin Bogle and Malcolm Stewart get to jump back down? I'm just not sure you want to open that pandora's box of letting riders go back down, although I feel for Joey and especially McElrath who's never got that full factory shot in the 450SX Class like Joey and has ridden for, I don't know, five or six teams now in his 450 career.
Like I said above right now in the sport, unlike say a lesser class in IndyCar or NASCAR, our "support" class is treated just like the premier class. Same TV time, same hoopla, salaries are close if you pro-rate them for 17 races, bonuses aren't far off, etc. We're SO far from the idea of why the class was started that let's just make it wide open and guys like Savatgy and Bogle can jump down and veterans like RJ Hampshire and Jeremy Mart can just stay in there forever. OR make it super restrictive and you're out after three years, rides or no rides in the 450 class be dammed.
That's how I see it. Joey Savatgy definitely disagrees.
(DC’s Take: I disagree with how Steve sees this class as well. Supercross is much harder to learn that it looks, as we see every January, February, March on the Injury Reports, and “just ride arenacross” is not the answer either—it’s nowhere near as difficult as supercross, nor is there the same support. Making the 250 class one long series would mean half as many rides, half as many mechanics’ jobs, and probably twice as many riders on the injured list. The prize money is much different—especially now that we have the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) too—and so are the salaries and prestige. I mean, there’s a huge difference between, say, 2023 Supercross Champion Chase Sexton’s 450 title and the one he won on a 250, or was it two? And do you really think either of the Lawrence brothers’ 250SX championship bonuses from Honda were the same as Sexton’s for the premier class?
I definitely understand the confusion and frustration over why a guy with no 125/250 SX title like Joey Savatgy—and back in the day Jones and Buehl—gets moved up but others get to stay down, but I don’t just making it a second premier class, only on different-sized bikes, is the answer either…)
A Fix? (Matthes)
Someone on Twitter reminded me of an idea I once proposed on the show on how to fix the 250SX class. I don't think this was my idea but maybe. Either way, I'll take credit for it! We all know that a 30-year-old 250SX rider on a factory bike has a huge advantage over a 20-year-old privateer kid trying to figure out if he can make a living racing dirt bikes or not. So, the idea is to make one coast (and you can rotate them each year) a, say, fourth-year-and-up class and the other coast a three-years-or-less experience. Love it! This way the "kids" can learn SX and then the "vets" can have their own championship on the other coast. Maybe if you're some phenom like Jett Lawrence, you're kicked out of the "kids" class after two titles, I don't know, we can hash that fact out later but it's a good idea, right?
(DC’s Note: Wow, on first reading it, that’s a very interesting idea… And you could switch whichever coast it is from one year to the next, between 250 vets and 250 kids … Someone should run this up the flagpole and with whoever those powers-that-be—team managers, sanctioning body, series promoter—and see what they think…)
A Small Change (DC)
One of the things that's quietly changed during the off-season is the points structure for both AMA SX and MX. A few years AMA Supercross went away from the traditional points structure of paying down spots first through 20th the way it was being done: 25 for first, 22 for second, 20 for third, 18 for fourth, 16 for fifth, then one points down from there: 15, 14, 13 on down... Instead, they tried a system that paid all the way down to 22nd, since that's how many riders qualified for a main event. The new system called for 26 for first, 23 for second, 21 for third, 19 for fourth, and then down one point per position from there to 22nd.
The system going into effect for 2024 is back to a more tradition 25 for first, 22 for second, 20 for third, 18 for fourth, and then one point down from there, per position, until 21st place gets a single point, and 22nd (last) gets zero.
The AMA Pro Motocross Championship is also moving to this system, which means one more rider—21st place—will get a point, as only 1-to-20 has received championship points through this year. The hope is that the alignment will make things easier for everyone to remember the season unfolds.
James vs. Jett (Cont’d) (DC)
Last Friday I mentioned the virtual debate that fellow bench-racing expert Denny Stephenson and I had on my magazine article (and @RacerXOnline’s Instagram caption) about Jett Lawrence being named the 2023 Racer X Rider of the Year with the statement “It’s now safe to say that Jett Lawrence was the fastest teenager our sport has ever seen.” Denny and many others took umbrage with that, and in hindsight, as I said last week, “most successful teenager ever” probably would have been a more accurate statement. No matter, it’s good off-season bench-racing fodder, and also a chance to look back at the teenaged days of James—the fastest 125 rider ever, period—as well as Ricky Carmichael, Damon Bradshaw, Ron Lechien, Marty Smith, and even Marty Tripes, still the youngest rider ever to win a major AMA race. (And we should also mention Ken Roczen, the youngest rider ever to win a Grand Prix, when he was just a couple months past his 15th birthday—you can enter MXGP at the age of 15.)
Now joining the fray with an excellent article on James’ early years versus Jett’s is our colleague and contributor Brett Smith of We Went Fast. He went to the data to make a strong argument about Stewart’s astonishing 125cc career, especially in 2004 when he was still only 18 years old. One such stat is the fact that following getting beaten straight up by Yamaha YZ250F-mounted Chad Reed in the first moto of the ’02 Spring Creek National, Stew never lost another moto he finished through his 125 Pro Motocross career; he only DNF’d a moto at RedBud after a huge first-turn crash in 2004. And James did it all on a 125, against more and more 250F riders.
Give Brett’s article “Facts: James Stewart vs. Jett Lawrence” a read this weekend.
Like I already admitted, “most successful teenager ever” would have been more fitting and much less controversial. James won four 125 titles before he turned 20; Jett won four as well, plus his first-ever moto on a 450 at the ’22 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations at RedBud and then the first eight rounds/16 motos in the premier 450 class in AMA Pro Motocross (and then after turning 20 finished out the perfect season, added the first SuperMotocross World Championship, won another moto at the ’23 MXON and finally the “King of Paris” title at the Paris Supercross).
Night Race (Matthes)
The latest Leatt Re-Raceables Podcast we did with Seth Rarick and Weege hit the other day. We took a look at the 2009 Thunder Valley National which was, for the second and final time, run under the lights. This race had a bit of everything, including a titanic second moto race in 250 class, a gate bounce, Josh Grant making sure Mike Alessi's knee was NOT going to hold up, Ivan Tedesco going 1-1 and leading every lap of the 450MX class on a bike he says to this day he hated the most, Jake Weimer's first national win, and more. Lots to talk about and we even get Weimer and Thunder Valley promoter David Clabaugh on the phone to talk about it. Listen to it below.
Mini O’S (DC)
The 52nd Annual THOR Mini O’s wrapped up last weekend at Gatorback MX Park in Gainesville, Florida, where they hosted an eye-popping 5,777 entries between SX and MX and all of the classes. The big winners throughout the week include Oregon 85cc rider Tristan Prueitt, who earned the Pro Circuit Platinum Pipe Award, and California’s Jaydin Smart, the 65cc pilot who earned and the THOR Bronze Boot Award. Tennessee’s Pro Sport prospect Drew Adams earned the Dunlop Silver Tire Award, and fast young Californian Landen Gordon took home the Scott Golden Goggle prize. The Engine Ice Award also went to Adams, who rides for Kawasaki Team Green, and Texas’ very fast junior minicyclist Beckham Smith earned the Nihilo Award. And finally, the Diamond Award was handed to Will Canaguier from Pennsylvania.
Here are the full Supercross results
And here you will find all of the MX results.
And here’s an honorable mention and get-well-soon for Avery Long. The 2022 AMA Amateur Rider of the Year, Long is one of the top A riders in the field now, and he took the 250 and 450 Pro Sport wins in SX and then was second in the 250 A finals. But not long into the MX portion of the Mini O’s Long suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his knee. He was going to be among the favorites for the SX Futures program in 2024, but not could be out for the next several months. Avery posted the following on Instagram (@avery.long263):
“Man what a week at the Mini O’s! I am so happy to see all the hard work paying off! Unfortunately I ended up tearing my ACL and meniscus during the last 250 pro moto on Friday. Raced on it Saturday and was able to come home with a title in 250 A, but it just wouldn’t hold up enough to get me through my last Open Pro Sport moto. I am extremely bummed but trying to take the positives away from the week and move forward. I ended up getting in for surgery this morning and it went great! I have the best doctors in the business helping me right now so with a lot of hard work and dedication I should be back to doing what I love to do in no time! With that being said I WILL BE BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER. I PROMISE!
The Mini O's Bike Bandit (DC)
As mentioned above the 52nd Annual THOR Mini O's were a huge success pretty much all the way around. The crew at Unlimited Sports MX managed to run scores of practices, heats and motos, from Saturday, November 18, through Saturday, November 25, with nearly 6,000 total entries between SX and MX. They also helped a bunch of families celebrate Thanksgiving at Gatorback MX Park and basically kept a lid of control of what can sometimes be a whole bunch of people concentrated in one spot, for one very long week of fun and moto. But by the end of the week it had become obvious that something was amiss in the campground in that several expensive E-bikes and pit bikes had gone missing. Fortunately, one of the bikes had an electronic tag on it that allowed the owners to track it down while it was still on the property.
Here's how the Alachua County Sheriff described what happened next on their social media:
"The week of Thanksgiving brings thousands of race fans, both amateur and professional competitors, to Alachua County. On Saturday, November 25, 2023, ACSO deputies responded to Gatorback Cycle Park, located at 20525 NW 46th Ave, regarding the report of a theft. A victim reported that their E-bike valued at approximately $4,000 was stolen, however it was equipped with a tracking device and the victim needed assistance in recovering it. Deputies discovered that the E-bike was contained inside of a motorhome with an attached enclosed trailer. Detectives responded to the scene to assist in the investigation. They located an additional stolen E-bike that was dissembled and several mini bikes with altered serial numbers. All were believed to have been stolen during the event. The stolen property that could be identified was returned. Drew S. Johnson, 3-5-86, was arrested for two counts of grand theft and two counts of possession of a vehicle with an altered serial number. Johnson was issued a $40,000 bond."
We reached promoter Wyn Kern for an update on the whole deal, but he only knew that the man was arrested and taken away, and also given the bond mentioned above. Here's hoping the AMA will bar this man from future racing events like the Mini O's. (And congrats to Wyn, his wife Kim and their whole Unlimited Sports MX crew on being named 2023 AMA Organizer of the Year and being presented the award at the Mini O's by the AMA's Mike Burkeen).
AZ Open (Keefer)
I have been MIA for a bit. I missed Thanksgiving with the family as I was in Europe helping out with some testing and then landed back home on Monday, only to drive to Arizona for the AZ Open at Arizona Cycle Park. WHEW! These amateur parents are out here grinding to help better their kids’ moto careers. For example, we are parked next to a family that is currently working through this week while both of their kids are racing. The dad goes to work while mom watches over the kids, then he gets off from his shift as an airport traffic controller and mom goes to work as dad comes back to the track to attend to the little racers. It really is mind-blowing how families seamlessly work together to make things happen to go racing. Of course, this family is local to the Phoenix area, but I have seen this type of thing countless times at other facilities/races as one parent stays back to watch over the kids as one is back at home working. I even a few families that came straight from Florida (Mini Olympics) to come race this last big AMA event of the year. WOW! So, sitting here telling my sob story about testing all week in Spain and having to come to Arizona means NADA! My son Aden is sitting good in the Schoolboy 2 and 250 B classes so we are hoping by the time you read this we will have wrapped up a couple titles here in the dez. This whole amateur motocross scene is still fairly new to our family but slowly but surely, we are getting it down. Look for a full recap of the event next week over on the RMATVMC Keefer Tested Podcast!
RACER X BRAND ITEMS OF THE WEEK: HATS & BEANIES
Need a new hat to stay warm in the winter? How about a great stocking stuff item for Christmas? Check out our Racer X collection of hats, perfect for different occasions. Our collection includes a camo leather patch hat, with a trucker style build; our shield leather patch beanie, perfect for winter; and our black shield hat, AKA a simple—yet stylish—"dad" hat.
Our Racer X hats are available now, check them out below.
View the items on sale below or visit the Racer X Brand store (racerxbrand.com) to view all of our T-shirts, hats, accessories, stickers, and more.
Hey, Watch It!
The Most Pivotal Motocross bike Every Built, the Honda Elsinore CR250M
The Japanese Motorcycle That KILLED The European Continent
Here's another very cool and interesting video, this one by Alex Martin, where a top professional-quality rider (Alex) rides a national track (his family's track at Spring Creek, though smoother than it would be for the national) so he can make a real comparison, in this case to a basically stock GasGas 350 four-stroke. Remember, this was his first go on the Stark VARG...
Max Vohland is now preparing for his first season with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team, and he found himself on the team's supercross test track at Glen Helen for the first time on the latest episode of MVTV:
Jo Shimoda: Prince of Paris 2023 4K
HBI Racing - Team Owner Matt Bell Talks 2024 Goals, History, and More!
Head-Scratching Headline/s Of The Week
"Pop-Tarts Bowl to Include First-Ever Edible Mascot For Winning Team"—The Messenger
"Disneyland streaker arrested after wandering around ‘It’s a Small World’ ride"—Fox News
"Elephant herd tramples car after it struck a baby in their group"—CNN.com
"Sports Illustrated Published Articles by Fake, AI-Generated Writers" -Futurism
“Suspect Claims Someone Put Meth In His Underwear While He Slept"—The Smoking Gun.com
"Police search for thief who stole van loaded with 10,000 Krispy Kreme donuts"—NY Post
[Editor’s note: Insert Jettson Donuts joke here…]
Random Notes
Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races!