Is this the silliest silly season ever? As November looms, we’ve never quite seen this level of talent still sitting on the sidelines waiting for deals—not even during the bad days of the Great Recession. There’s more health and money in the industry now than there was then, but the numbers game just isn’t working out. Yeah, we’ve lost a few teams—like Yoshimura Suzuki and TwoTwo Motorsports—over the last two seasons, but squads like the rejuvenated Team Yamaha and expansion of the Husqvarna and KTM efforts have absorbed a lot of those spots.
The issue, really, is #deepfield. Remember back at Hangtown, when we counted a whopping 21 riders with factory support on the 450 starting gate? That’s a historically large number of rides, and as more riders keep graduating, and few bow out, we’ve seen the breaking point. Unless this sport gets so healthy that 25 or even 30 factory-level rides come online, some great riders are going to get squeezed.
We might be there now.
For The List, we’re showing some of the big names still without a 2017 deal. Know any really rich dudes? Tell them to start a team—they could be on the podium with some of these guys!
Dean Wilson
We know his story—very fast, lots of potential, lots of personality, and unfortunately, lots of injuries.
Why he doesn’t have a ride: Red Bull KTM knew Dean might be a magnet for injuries, and unfortunately, after two ACL tears, the team has decided to move on. (His spot on the team still exists, but it has been taken by Trey Canard, who has missed a lot of races but actually fewer than Dean the last few years.)
Destination: Dean, like the two riders below him, has been linked to RCH Suzuki, but nothing has happened yet.
Justin Bogle
Bogle got banged up during his 450 debut season, but showed legitimate potential and awesome starts. Starts and potential—there is nothing that makes a team salivate more.
Why he doesn’t have a ride: GEICO Honda gave Bogle a year on a 450 to prove himself to other suitors. Unfortunately, in this current numbers game, there aren’t enough suitors.
Destination: Also linked to RCH Suzuki.
Broc Tickle
Tickle has been a RCH Suzuki stalwart since Day 1, and his 2016 season was proof he should stay there, as he scored double podiums outdoors.
Why he doesn’t have a ride: RCH Suzuki and the waiting game.
Destination: Hoping RCH comes through.
Justin Brayton
Brayton still brings elite supercross speed to the table. With the right breaks, he can be on the box in supercross. He was seventh in 2016 450SX points.
Why he doesn’t have a ride: Brayton got good money from BTOSports.com KTM, but his first year was a mess with injuries and that pretty much ended it. In any other year, Brayton gets a good ride, easily.
Destination: We think the Smartop/MotoConcepts option is still out there for someone, and Brayton could be the one to get it.
Wil Hahn
The likeable Hahn is the 2013 250SX Eastern Region Champion (out dueling Marvin Musquin) and showed some speed in his ’14 450SX rookie season. Then the injuries started.
Why he doesn’t have a ride: Wilbur hasn’t just gotten hurt, he’s gotten hurt. His injuries have not been pretty. He’s on the market after two years with Monster Energy Kawasaki and currently in Australia.
Destination: Wil might have something up his sleeve—stay tuned.
Tyler Bowers
We could go on forever with 250-class riders, but Bowers sticks out as a former 250SX race winner, multi-time Amsoil Arenacross Champion, and multi-time 250SX heat race winner as recently as this year. Use this for perspective: 20 months ago, everyone was building up the rivalry between Bowers and … Cooper Webb! Now Bowers is out of work.
Where he doesn’t have a ride: Bowers got the Epstein-Barr virus and jacked his back in 2015, then didn’t have 15 laps of strength in him in 2016.
Destination: If a 250SX team doesn’t take a flyer by sticking an extra bike under Bowers for nine races, they’re all nuts.
Malcolm Stewart
Tim Ferry, 1997. There’s the answer to the trivia question, “When was the last time a regional supercross champion didn’t get a ride in the premiere class?” Ferry won the 125SX Eastern Region Championship that year but didn’t win a single race, and was largely overshadowed by the win-or-crash antics of Ricky Carmichael’s rookie season. Ferry pointed out of the class and had to move up to the 250s for 1998, and Team Suzuki didn’t rehire him. After a few seasons toiling with privateer Yamaha teams, Ferry finally got Yamaha support, then a full Team Yamaha factory ride.
Nearly 20 years later, Malcolm Stewart is the new 250SX Eastern Region Champion, but even better, he won races en route to his title. Mookie is fast, and could be really, really fast on a 450. Like Bowers in the 250 class, Mookster’s ceiling is very high.
Why he doesn’t have a ride: In any other year, Malcolm gets a GEICO Honda CRF450R and it’s on. He’s a victim of unfortunate circumstances. An earthquake in Japan slowed the Honda production line, and now Honda is trying to get new parts bin-stocked online for a high-profile marriage with Ken Roczen (and Cole Seely). If the bike didn’t change, or an earthquake didn’t happen, Mookie on a 450 would be a done deal. As for other teams, well, look at how many other good guys are on the market.
Destination: With each passing day the GEICO chances seem more fleeting. We’ve entered bizzaro world.
James Stewart
Yes, only the second-winningest rider of all-time here on the market—and also the biggest name. No ride for James.
Why he doesn’t have a ride: His old team, Yoshimura Suzuki, is done, but regardless, James’ last two and a half years have not been good. They haven’t even been okay. This one hurts to watch, and probably hurts more to live through.
Destination: It’s amazing James continues to be an enigma after 15 years, but at this point, he could do anything, or nothing, and none of it would be shocking. Over the summer we heard rumors of James shopping for a deal and bringing his own sponsor/backing with it, but a lot of that has cooled. We literally have no idea what’s next.
Jake Weimer
Weimer started the year with Team Tedder before moving to RCH Suzuki in a fill-in role. He was consistent—six top-10 finishes—en route to 10th overall in 450SX. He missed all of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross to have a plate removed from his arm.
Why he doesn’t have a ride: Weimer took a chance with RCH, hoping he would do enough to be able to stay there or transition to a different factory team. But RCH still hasn’t announced a 2017 team, and the numbers game has hurt Jake. RCH has said they would love to have a Phil Nicoletti-like fill-in (Phil in?) tester guy, and Weimer is a logical choice, but now that Dean Wilson is being linked to the team as a possible third guy, that could be tough.
Destination: Maybe back at RCH Suzuki? Maybe back Team Tedder? Maybe a fill-in role again? Lots to be decided in the next month or so.
Kyle Chisholm
Chizz missed all but one round of Monster Energy Supercross last year due to a shoulder injury, but did return for Lucas Oil Pro Motocross and finished 24th in 450MX. Chisholm is a solid veteran and still capable of consistent top-15 finishes.
Why he doesn’t have a ride: Chisholm was part of the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC team run by Bracken Hall’s father, Sean, last year. With Rocky Mountain moving their title sponsorship over to BBMX for 2017 and beyond, the team is still trying to find funding.
Destination: Chisholm told our Steve Matthes after the Monster Energy Cup that he hopes he can return to the team, and they’re still trying to lock down sponsors. “As of now, Sean’s still … he owns the semi and everything that we ran out of. He owns the team, like I said Rocky Mountain was just the title sponsor. So as of right now we’re still going to go racing, we’re trying to find a new title sponsor and put stuff together. We’re waiting to hear from a couple manufacturers.”
