Jason Weigandt compared today to Christmas, writing on Twitter: “October 1 AKA Christmas Day of the motocross silly season. Enjoy all the new presents!” As did former factory Yamaha rider David Vuillemin: “Oct 1st is Xmas day for MX/SX riders. They all show their new toys. It's also the day they are all two seconds faster than with their old toys.”
Today is a great day to be a motocross fan. After months of speculation and innuendo, riders can finally let loose on social media and show off their new rides. Everyone can finally exhale. In the words of Ice Cube, “Today was a good day.”
To help you keep track of all the old and new deals, we put together a tracker that we will update throughout the day on the latest happenings.
450 Class
GEICO Honda | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Eli Tomac | Official | Honda | Honda |
Notes: Tomac, who has spent his entire pro career with Honda, will return to GEICO Honda in 2015.
American Honda | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Trey Canard | Official | Honda | Honda |
Cole Seely | Official | Honda | Honda |
Notes: Canard re-signed for two more years in July. “The enthusiasm around Honda right now is a really good thing that I’m excited to be a part of, and I think 2015 is going to be a great year for us,” Canard said in a press release in July. Joining Canard will be Cole Seely, who spent last year with Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs Honda in the 250 Class. “We’ve worked together in the past, and we have great chemistry together. It’s my dream team, and it’s nice to officially be a part of it now,” Seely said of his multi-year deal that was announced in August.
Yoshimura Suzuki | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
James Stewart | Official | Suzuki | Suzuki |
Blake Baggett | Official | Kawasaki | Suzuki |
Notes: Suzuki has announced that they have signed Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett to pair with the returning James Stewart. Baggett will move up to the 450 Class for 2015. Of course, Stewart’s racing status is still up in the air with pending WADA dealings. Baggett will debut at the Monster Energy Cup. "My teammate is going to be James [Stewart], so that’ll be awesome to work together. We rode all of 2013 outdoors together down at his house, and we’re good buddies. Just work together and try to put the two yellow bikes up front," Baggett told Racer X.
RCH/Soaring Eagle Suzuki | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Ken Roczen | Official | KTM | Suzuki |
Notes: Roczen joins RCH/Soaring Eagle Suzuki following four years (in America) with KTM. Roczen began his career in the FIM World Motocross Championship with Suzuki. Check out a first look of Roczen back with yellow. There could be a teammate for Roczen (and we’d expect Broc Tickle to be the first option) but they’re still buttoning up sponsorship deals before making that official.
Red Bull KTM | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Ryan Dungey | Official | KTM | KTM |
Dean Wilson | Official | Kawasaki | KTM |
Notes: After five years with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki, Dean Wilson is headed to Red Bull KTM to join Ryan Dungey. KTM announced they have signed Wilson for two years. “Dean is a very talented rider who has shown a lot of potential on a 450,” commented Red Bull KTM Factory Team Manager Roger DeCoster. Wilson added: "This is an amazing opportunity for me to learn from Roger and Ian and the rest of the crew."
BTOSports.com KTM | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Andrew Short | Official | KTM | KTM |
Justin Brayton | Official | Yamaha | KTM |
Notes: Justin Brayton will move over from Toyota/JGR Yamaha to join the returning Andrew Short, the team announced today. Brayton will make his debut with the team at Red Bull Straight Rhythm.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Jason Anderson | Official | KTM | Husqvarna |
Notes: Jason Anderson re-signed with the team earlier this year. But they’re switching from KTMs to Huskys (and KTM owns Husky, so that’s not as crazy as it sounds).
Toyota/JGR Yamaha | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Justin Barcia | Official | Honda | Yamaha |
Weston Peick | Official | Suzuki | Yamaha |
Notes: After spending his entire pro career with Honda (GEICO and American), Barcia has signed with JGR. “There was a ton of options for me. I had a lot of meetings and met a lot of great people, so that was pretty cool. But I leaned towards JGR. It just went really good when I had some talks with Jeremy Albrecht and Coy and also Joe Gibbs, the coach,” Barcia told Racer X. Peick, who spent years as a privateer, will have his first full season under a factory rig. He spent the summer with RCH/Soaring Eagle Suzuki.
Monster Energy Kawasaki | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Davi Millsaps | Official | KTM | Kawasaki |
Wil Hahn | Official | Honda | Kawasaki |
Notes: Kawasaki announced today that they have signed Davi Millsaps and Wil Hahn to replace Ryan Villopoto (who is going to the GPs) and Jake Weimer. “We have big shoes to fill after winning four straight supercross titles, but I could not be more excited to have both Davi and Wil on the team,” Dan Fahie, Monster Energy Kawasaki team manager, said in a press release. Millsaps will debut at the Monster Energy Cup.
TwoTwo Motorsports | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Chad Reed | Official | Kawasaki | Kawasaki |
Josh Grant | Official | Yamaha | Kawasaki |
Notes: Along with revealing the Millsaps and Hahn signings, Kawasaki also announced they will continue their partnership with Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports. Josh Grant has signed with the team, giving Chad Reed a teammate for the first time since becoming an owner in 2011. “Having TwoTwo Motorsports choose Kawasaki is important to us as well. Chad is a proven champion and knows he needs good equipment in order to be competitive and win,” Reid Nordin, Senior Manager of Racing, said in a press release.
SmarTop/MotoConcepts | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Mike Alessi | Official | MCR450 | MCR450 |
Vince Friese | Official | Honda | MCR250 |
Notes: Mike Alessi will be back with SmarTop/MotoConcepts in 2015 and will race "AMA Supercross season, AMA Pro Motocross, Canadian Motocross, and a very strong interest for a World GP partnership," according to a recent press release. The team has also come to terms with Vince Friese. He will race the 450 on the West Coast and a 250 on the East Coast.
Mafia Moto | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Nick Wey | Official | Kawasaki | Kawasaki |
Team 3BR |
Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Tevin Tapia | Official | Suzuki | Suzuki |
Nick Schmidt | Official | Honda | |
Jake Scarbrough | Official |
250 Class
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Adam Cianciarulo | Official | Kawasaki | Kawasaki |
Arnaud Tonus | Official | Kawasaki (GPs) | Kawasaki |
Chris Alldredge | Official | Kawasaki (Amateurs) | Kawasaki |
Tyler Bowers | Official | Kawasaki (Arenacross) | Kawasaki |
Joey Savatgy | Official | KTM | Kawasaki |
Notes: Kawasaki was busy today, as they also announced the 2015 Monster Energy/Pro Circuit squad. The team will feature four new additions. Adam Cianciarulo is the only returning member. “We have a fresh crop of riders for the new season, all of which have a lot of potential,” Mitch Payton, Pro Circuit owner, said in a press release.
GEICO Honda | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Justin Bogle | Official | Honda | Honda |
RJ Hampshire | Official | Honda (Amateurs) | Honda |
Matt Bisceglia | Official | Honda | Honda |
Jordon Smith | Official | Honda (Amateurs) | Honda |
Notes: Justin Bogle and Matt Bisceglia return to the team to join recent amateur grads RJ Hampshire and Jordon Smith.
Rockstar Energy Racing Husqvarna | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Martin Davalos | Official | Kawasaki | Husqvarna |
Zach Osborne | Official | Honda | Husqvarna |
Zach Bell | Official | Honda | Husqvarna |
Notes: The 250 squad for Rockstar Energy Racing is all-new in 2015. Martin Davalos returns to the team (he rode for Bobby Hewitt’s squad in 2012) and will be joined by the 2014 GEICO Honda duo of Zach Osborne and Zach Bell.
Red Bull KTM | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Marvin Musquin | Official | KTM | KTM |
Justin Hill | Official | Kawasaki | KTM |
Notes: KTM announced the addition of Justin Hill in September. “Obviously Justin’s improvement in the past year caught our eye,” Red Bull KTM Factory Team Manager Roger DeCoster said in a press release. “We saw him take two wins in the supercross series and saw a lot of potential in his outdoor results as well.” Hill, who comes over from Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki, added: “I’ve always been a big fan of Roger and what he has accomplished throughout his career. I’m looking at this as a fresh start with an exciting brand and an opportunity to join a race-focused company which is a perfect fit for me.”
Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs KTM | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Shane McElrath | Official | Honda | KTM |
Jessy Nelson | Official | Honda | KTM |
Darryn Durham | Official | Kawasaki | KTM |
Notes: TLD Honda is now TLD KTM and will return Shane McElrath and Jessy Nelson. The team has also signed Darryn Durham, who spent last year with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki. "The whole vibe on the team is really good, and it's what I was looking for," Durham said in a recent press release.
Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Jeremy Martin | Official | Yamaha | Yamaha |
Cooper Webb | Official | Yamaha | Yamaha |
Aaron Plessinger | Official | Yamaha (Amateurs) | Yamaha |
Anthony Rodriguez | Official | Yamaha | Yamaha |
Notes: Jeremy Martin and Cooper Webb signed extensions with the team during the season. Anthony Rodriguez returns for his second year with the team and will be joined by Aaron Plessinger, who moves up from amateurs.
CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Alex Martin | Unofficial | Yamaha | Yamaha |
Notes: Nothing official from CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha, but most expect Martin to return.
AG Motorsports/Gurrnaid Racing | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Kyle Cunningham | Official | MCR250 | Honda |
Kyle Peters | Unofficial | Honda |
Notes: We expect Kyle Peters to return and the team added Kyle Cunningham, who spent last year with SmarTop/MotoConcepts, to the mix.
MotoSport.com/Team 100 | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Josh Hansen | Official | Kawasaki |
Notes: Josh Hansen returns to racing with help from MotoSport.com and Kawasaki. He will race the 250SX Class.
RSR (Rick Schugel Racing) | Status | 2014 Brand | 2015 Brand |
Zack Williams | Official | Honda | Honda |
Jesse Wentland | Official | Honda | Honda |
Blake Dungey | Official | Honda |
Notes: Williams and Wentland will compete in the 250SX East Region, while Blake Dungey (Ryan's brother) will contest the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship on a 450. Williams is also confirmed for the Nationals on a 250.