We’re a little over three weeks (!!!!!!) away from the start of the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season. While we typically have to wait until the first practice of the season to figure out which 250 riders will race which coast, Steve Matthes did some digging and came up with a list that he says is “pretty accurate.” Obviously things could change, so don’t mortgage your house on the list. We’ve piggybacked off it, and added a bit more information about the rosters expected to fill out the 250 teams for the 2017 season.
Most teams have already announced their official rider list, so this guide should serve you well. There are a few I’s to dot and t’s to cross, but we’ll release another list closer to the season.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki
| Rider | East/West |
| #17 Joey Savatgy | East Region |
| #24 Austin Forkner | West Region |
| #36 Adam Cianciarulo | East Region |
| #46 Justin Hill | West Region |
Notes: Joey Savatgy returns for a third year with the team. He is expected to race the East Region, which he also raced in 2015.
After missing the last two years of Monster Energy Supercross due to shoulder injuries, Adam Cianciarulo returns in 2017 and is expected to race the East Region.
After two years with KTM, Justin Hill is back under the Pro Circuit tent. He rode for the team in 2013 and 2014.
Austin Forkner is expected to make his pro supercross debut at Anaheim 1. He won the AMA 250 Motocross Rookie of the Year award in 2016.
GEICO Honda
| Rider | East/West |
| #6 Jeremy Martin | West Region |
| #31 RJ Hampshire | East Region |
| #48 Christian Craig | East Region |
| #57 Jimmy Decotis | West Region |
| #486 Chase Sexton | East Region |
Notes: After four years with Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha, Jeremy Martin signed with GEICO Honda this off-season. It’s a two-year deal with an option to move to the 450 Class in 2018. If Martin races the West Region, as expected, it would be the first time in his career he’s raced on the West Coast.
RJ Hampshire signed an extension with the team this off-season. It will be the fourth year the former AMA Horizon Award winner has spent with the team.
Christian Craig is back for another year with GEICO Honda. Craig has never raced the East Region so we'll if the team sticks to that plan.
Jimmy Decotis returns to the team for the second-straight year. It’s an SX-only deal for the 2015 Australian SX2 Champion.
Chase Sexton was expected to turn pro after Loretta’s, but a knee injury pushed the 2016 AMA Horizon Award winner’s debut to supercross. He’s expected to race the East Region.
SmarTop/MotoConcepts Racing
| Rider | East/West |
| #11 Kyle Chisholm | West Region |
| #812 Cameron McAdoo | East Region |
Notes: Kyle Chisholm will move back to the 250 Class for 2017 after signing a late deal with MotoConcepts. He last raced the class in 2008.
Iowa’s Cameron McAdoo, winner of the 2016 Amateur All-Stars race at the Monster Energy Cup, will make his debut at the East Region opener.
Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS
| Rider | East/West |
| #34 Benny Bloss | East Region |
Note: The 450 AMA Motocross Rookie of the Year returns to Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS to ride a 250 in supercross. He’ll transition back to the 450 Class for Lucas Oil Pro Motocross.
Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM
| Rider | East/West |
| #26 Alex Martin | East Region |
| #28 Mitchell Oldenburg | West Region |
| #38 Shane McElrath | West Region |
| #44 Jordon Smith | East Region |
Notes: Alex Martin moves over to TLD/Red Bull KTM after a year with Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha. Martin has previously never ridden a KTM in his professional career.
Mitchell Oldenburg and Shane McElrath both return to team. Next year will be McElrath’s fourth with the team.
GEICO Honda and Jordon Smith were expected to agree to an extension, but talks broke down late. Smith moves over to TLD KTM for his third professional season.
Smith was expected to line up in the West, but it appears he will move to the East, swapping coasts with Oldenburg.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna
| Rider | East/West |
| #16 Zach Osborne | East Region |
| #30 Martin Davalos | West Region |
Notes: Nothing changes for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna. Veterans Zach Osborne and Martin Davalos return for another season. Davalos is expected to ride the West Region, with Osborne in the East.
AutoTrader.com/Monster Energy/Toyota/JGR Suzuki
| Rider | East/West |
| #37 Phil Nicoletti | East Region |
| #43 Matt Bisceglia | West Region |
Notes: For the first time in the team’s history, JGR will house a 250 team, with Yoshimura assisting with a lot of the work. Like Kyle Chisholm, Phil Nicoletti will drop down to the 250 Class. He last raced the class in 2012. He’ll return to the 450 for Lucas Oil Pro Motocross.
After parting ways with MAD Racing Suzuki last year after supercross, Matt Bisceglia raced 450 outdoors with Yoshimura Suzuki. The former AMA Horizon Award winner previously rode for GEICO Honda.
Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha
| Rider | East/West |
| #23 Aaron Plessinger | West Region |
| #39 Colt Nichols | East Region |
| #45 Mitchell Harrison | East Region |
| #108 Dylan Ferrandis | East Region |
| #122 Dan Reardon | West Region |
Notes: Lots of changes for Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha. Gone are Cooper Webb and both Alex and Jeremy Martin; in are Colt Nichols, Dylan Ferrandis, and Dan Reardon.
Aaron Plessinger, the 2015 AMA SX and MX Rookie of the Year, returns for a third year with the team. He’s expected to race the West Region.
Star was hoping Nichols could step into the hole left by the Martins and Webb, but he sustained a broken femur while testing in November. There is hope he can return for the East Region.
Mitchell Harrison returns for a second season with the team. He rode the West Region during his rookie campaign in 2016.
This was reported all the way back in May, but former FIM World Motocross Championship MX2 rider Dylan Ferrandis signed a two-year deal with the team and will make his supercross debut in 2017.
Reardon, the former GEICO Honda and MotoConcepts rider, raced in the U.S. from 2008-2011. The former Australian supercross and motocross champion is signed to an SX-only deal and is expected to race the West Region.
Barn Pros/Home Depot Yamaha
| Rider | East/West |
| #58 Chris Alldredge | West Region |
| #76 Scott Champion | West Region |
Notes: Chris Alldredge joins the team after spending the last two years with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
Scott Champion returns for a second year with the team.
CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha
| Rider | East/West |
| #74 Bradley Taft | West Region |
| #183 Lorenzo Locurcio | East Region |
Notes: A pair of rookies will lead CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha. Bradley Taft made his pro debut at Unadilla following the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National. Lorenzo Locurcio will make his pro debut in Monster Energy Supercross.
Traders Racing Yamaha
| Rider | East/West |
| #50 Luke Renzland | East Region |
| #78 Nick Gaines | East Region |
Notes: Big changes from Traders Racing, as they switch from Kawasakis to Yamahas in 2017. They also added Luke Renzland (formerly of CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha) to pair with the returning Nick Gaines.
51FIFTY Energy Drink Yamaha
| Rider | East/West |
| #52 Tyler Bowers | West Region |
| #64 Hayden Mellross | West Region |
Notes: Nothing official has been announced with the team, but it’s expected to name Tyler Bowers to the squad to pair with Hayden Mellross.
Bowers, a four-time Amsoil Arenacross Champion, spent the last two years with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
Mellross, who barely lost out on the Australian SX2 Championship, returns for his second season in Monster Energy Supercross. He spent last year with 51FIFTY.
[Update: Yamaha has officially announced that Bowers and Mellross will ride for the team.]
BLUE Buffalo/Slater Skins Yamaha
| Rider | East/West |
| #95 AJ Catanzaro | West Region |
Notes: The team is expected to announce a 250SX East Region member in the coming weeks. Next year will be Catanzaro’s first with the team.
Rockwell Watches
| Rider | East/West |
| #86 Trevor Reis | West Region |
| #203 Zac Commans | West Region |
Notes: Rockwell Watches partnered with PHNX Racing Co. and will field a two-rider team to contest the Monster Energy Supercross 250SX West Region.
Trevor Reis joins the team after doing a full-on privateer effort in 2016. Zac Commans, the former Team Green rider, spent his rookie season with Slaton Racing in 2016.
Kissimmee Motorsports/Legends and Heroes
| Rider | East/West |
| #54 Gannon Audette | East Region |
Notes: After filling in at Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki in supercross in 2016, and riding for Traders Racing in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, Audette returns to his same setup with the Legends and Heroes squad with help from Kissimmee Motorsports.
Bud Racing/Monster Energy Kawasaki
| Rider | East/West |
| #60 Tristan Charboneau | West Region |
| TBD Marshal Weltin | No Supercross |
Notes: The French-based squad will contest the 250SX West Region before returning to Europe to race the EMX250 Class.
Tristan Charboneau, who rode Lucas Oil Pro Motocross with GEICO Honda, will make his supercross debut at Anaheim 1.
After parting ways with Ryan Surratt just a few weeks after announcing his signing, the team brought on Michigan native Marshal Weltin. But he will not be racing supercross in 2017, instead focusing on the EMX250 Championship.
