Off-road legend Kurt Caselli was also inducted into the Hall of Fame, six years after his tragic passing in an accident at the Baja 1000. Caselli’s mother and fiancée were on hand, and each gave amazing speeches about what it meant to them, as well as what it would have meant to Kurt. Among the folks who came out to honor Kurt’s legacy were KTM USA president John Hinz, Kurt’s old boss at KTM Jon-Erik Burleson, FMF’s Donnie Emler, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scot Harden, four-time Blackwater 100 winner Mark Hyde, and Motocross Action editor Daryl Ecklund, a longtime friend of Caselli’s who wrote his most recent column in the magazine about Kurt. Make sure you check it out; Kurt was an amazing guy.

The whole AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame presentation, hosted by Perry King and Laurette Nicoll, was a fine show and a fun night of bench racing.

The next night we were back in Morgantown for the GNCC Banquet, which is always a great time. The GNCC guys all really cut up on each other, and it’s even more hilarious when they have their helmets off and drinks in hand. FMF KTM’s Kailub Russell was crowned for champion for the seventh straight year, though his rival Stew Baylor pretty much stole the show at the ceremony when he shotgunned a Coors Light on stage. We still owe Baylor a magazine feature, and I hope I get down to his place in the Carolinas this winter to hang out and work on the story.

The last part of the weekend was the roughest. On Sunday afternoon in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, a memorial service of sorts was held for Davey Yezek, the 44-year-old former pro rider who passed away earlier this month. The room was filled with fast guys and friends from AMA District 5 and PAMX—guys Yezek raced with all his life. Mike Jones, his son-in-law Steve Roman, “Bad” Billy Ursic, the Arlet family, George Sosnick, Freddie Bashor, Buddy and Kim Little, Chad Sanner of Eleven-10 Mods, Sam Williams, Mike Hummel … there were too many there to list here, and that’s just off the top of my head. It was a bittersweet afternoon of talking about Davey and the good old days at tracks like Rocky Ridge, Country Springs, Beaver Valley, Motordrome, Steel City, and more. Davey’s parents, Dave and Mary; his bother, Christopher; as well as his wife, Abby, and their son, Ryder, seemed to really enjoy and appreciate all of the folks who turned out to celebrate his life. Davey Yezek was a really good guy.

California Dreaming (Jason Weigandt)

Man, I know it’s fashionable within this industry to blast on California’s traffic, taxes, and the rest, but when you get it only in measured doses like I do, it’s amazing. Visit Southern California at this time of year and the hills are green and the weather is perfect. Visit Southern California without a specific commuter schedule and the traffic is somewhat acceptable. Seriously, I had the most amazing time in Southern California this week. We shot our annual Monster Energy Racer X season Preview Shows on Wednesday at Pro Circuit. Looking to launch first episodes Monday and Tuesday next week, with five total episodes rolling out before Anaheim 1. Look for JT and Matthes to do some arguing, new kid Kris Keefer to break down the characteristics of the bikes, and myself trying to keep order. Also, thanks to our sponsors, Monster Energy, Maxxis, Fly Racing, Pro Taper and LS2.

After we shot the shows, Mitch Payton took us upstairs to show his crazy collection of old stuff. Ping shot some segments of the preview show up there last year, but Mitch was practically giving us a tour this time, so I grabbed a GoPro and shot it. We hung out for an hour, and I cut it down to a 19-minute video you can watch. Mitch is probably the coolest guy ever, and he really should just host VIP tours up there. I know a lot of guys who would rather look through Mitch’s stuff than watch a race!

To continue my magical California experience, yesterday I met Matthes at Glen Helen … to go riding! I haven’t ridden The Helen since maybe 2003, and I haven’t been on an open practice day on a motocross track in probably a decade. I try to live on a strict “no crutches” policy so I usually stick to off-road riding to avoid jumps (a few too many broken bones from those). But man, I had the best time riding yesterday. We had the perfect situation, with recent rain putting the dirt in primo condition, and we rode early in the day when the track was smooth. I got to run through the Talladega first turn and up and down Mt. St. Helens. Super cool, although yes, Matthes had me covered in our duels. Thanks to Keefer for giving me a bike and gear for the day. 

After Glen Helen, I headed to Kawasaki HQ for a tour of its heritage museum. Look for a video on that next week. Unfortunately, Kawasaki’s race shop operates under a strict no photo/video policy, but I did get to see it with my own eyes thanks to a tour from racing boss Bruce Stjernstrom. I must say that factory race shops and motorcycles are even cooler than you think. Just the parts-building equipment alone is drool worthy, let alone the parts these machines actually create. It’s simply incredible. A few minutes after the tour, the Monster Energy Kawasaki test trailer rolled up with freshly-ridden #3 and #9 KX450s in the back. The boys had been pounding laps. It’s Anaheim time. Catch the fever.

And it was while we were out there riding that word leaked out about what happened with GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig at his hearing in Switzerland before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which you can read all about, as well as our hot takes on the topic.

I wrapped the night at the Fox headquarters in Irvine to host an event for Road 2 Recovery. R2R is launching a superb new video series chronicling five key athletes who have dealt with major injuries. Really had a good time chatting with old friends and seeing everyone rally around a good cause. Road 2 Recovery does much more than just raise funds for riders. The foundation is able to sort through insurance complications, reduce medal costs, get riders to the best hospitals and doctors, find the best therapists, and even provide support to family members impacted by the injury to an athlete. Phil Smage, one of the athletes profiled in the video series, really broke down on stage, explaining that, while he made sure to appear positive on Instagram while showing his recovery, he was a complete mess behind the scenes, and that put even more stress on his wife, Sarah Whitmore-Smage. Road 2 Recovery’s Mike Young called Sarah every day to help her cope with it all. These are not easy calls to make or easy situations to deal with. Road 2 Recovery does the hard stuff behind the scenes, and it’s a worthy cause. Check out Road2Recovery.com to learn more. 

After my Glen Helen/Kawasaki/Fox/Road2Recovery one-day tour, it was off to LAX for a redeye flight home. For two great days, California was absolutely perfect! See you again in January.

CALIFORNIA DREAMING : PART 2 (Matthes)

Good time coming back from Geneva Sunday night: PulpMX Show on Monday, VGK hockey game Tuesday night, and then wake up early to drive to SoCal for the Racer X SX Preview Shows. Knock those out, then out to Glen Helen on Thursday. Today I'm trying to relax a bit, but what I'm actually doing is booking flights for the 2020 SX season. When does it stop?

Riding with Weege was fun, and usually I'm not a fan of the Glen Helen track because it gets so rough, but with the recent rains and the fact we were there right as it opened, it was epic! The hills are so fun to ride, and you have to do it to really experience them. You know, once in a while it's good to get out there and remember why we all got involved in this sport in the first place. Weege was stoked because he got to pass Carson Mumford (Mumford went by him then pulled over, and Weege rode right on by) to set the tone for the day. I had a pretty good crash about halfway through the day that broke my muffler and left me limping with a charley horse (another reminder of what can happen riding dirt bikes), but that didn't stop me from going back out there for one last session before I loaded up.

Pro Circuit Tour (Kris Keefer)

Did you see Weege’s video of Mitch Payton’s upstairs collection at Pro Circuit? What the video didn't show you was the smile on my face the whole time I was up there. If Mitch would create some type of Pro Circuit Hall of Fame, I’m certain he would make a killing on tickets. One thing in particular that caught my eye upstairs was the Danny Hamel photo that had a personal message to Mitch. In the message, Danny thanked Mitch for all his support on one of his many desert racing championships. As a kid who grew up in the desert, Danny was basically my idol. I would try to mimic his lean-over-the-front-end style when I was racing through desert on my KX80. To see how much desert racing memorabilia Mitch had made me immediately go back to my roots and gave me goosebumps. I didn't want to seem like I was on system overload, so I played it cool, but holy crap, man, it was a cool place to be for those 20 minutes or so. It would be insane to be able to share that with everyone, but I know that will not happen. If you’re a moto nerd/fanatic like me and you haven't checked out the video, I suggest you come back to Racerhead at a later time and watch the video now. Thank you, Mitch, for allowing me to be around such wonderful pieces of our sport’s history.

Supercross Power Rankings (DC)

As the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship rapidly approaches (22 days and counting), the folks at Feld Motor Sports unveiled a new SX Power Ranking on the series' home page. They asked a about 75 past champs, industry experts, and others to rank the top ten riders in either class. They are also ranking the OEMs. 

Monster Energy Kawasaki's Eli Tomac was #1 in the first poll, released earlier this week—no real surprise, though I do think his new teammate Adam Cianciarulo's fourth-place ranking is a little lofty. Yes, Michael (real first name) won the Monster Energy Cup and looked very impressive in his 450 debut, but that race didn't have nearly the competition that the class rookie will be facing come January. I would not be surprised to see him on the podium at A1, but it's a long season, that first one in the 450 class, where you're racing every weekend for the first time. The grind has been known to affect younger guys the first time they do the full series, though there have been first-year guys win it (Jeremy McGrath in '93, Ryan Dungey in '10). So I had Cianciarulo a little further back on my ballot.

While I don't want to go too far into my own votes or way of thinking, I will admit that I voted Red Bull KTM's Cooper Webb at #1. He is the defending champion, and until someone lines up and beats him, he deserves to be at the top of the list. (And yes, last year I would have started Jason Anderson out at #1, given that it's the number that was on the front of his bike when 2019 started.) I also had Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha's Dylan Ferrandis and GEICO Honda's Chase Sexton atop my 250 rankings, but the majority of voters picked Austin Forkner because the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider is on top of the 250 SX rankings, despite being out since last April.

You can check out the first Supercross Power Rankings right here.

Feld will be doing another preseason ranking before Anaheim 1, which makes sense due to a couple of unfortunate injuries to Marvin Musquin and Joey Savatgy. Once the season starts they will be releasing the SX Power Rankings every Thursday.

Also, make sure to check out the feature we posted about the all-time 450SX wins list. We highlight the active riders from the list—Reed, Tomac, Roczen, Webb, Anderson, and more—and give you the full list of premier class supercross main event winners. Cooper Webb, who will rep the #1 plate for the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, didn’t have a premier class win until this year when he won the Anaheim 2 Supercross (the first Triple Crown) in January. Then he won the next round in Oakland, finished eighth in Minneapolis, and then went 1-1-2-1-2-3 before finishing off the podium in Seattle (fourth) and eventually claiming the title in Las Vegas several rounds later. How did he come so far, so fast? 

For more on Webb and his 2019 450SX title, read “Flipping the Script” by Jason Weigandt in the February 2020 issue of Racer X Magazine.

Who do you think will up their total this year? Or who will add their name to the list for the first time in 2020? Let us know in the comment section below.

Geneva Records (Andras Hegyi)

The U.S.-French stranglehold on the Geneva Supercross in Switzerland remains unchanged. In the history of what is arguably the second most prestigious European SX event, behind only the Paris-Bercy SX in France, only American and French riders have been able to win here. The 2019 race was the 34th Geneva SX, and 24 of the wins have gone to Americans, the rest to French riders. And once again it was the veteran Justin Brayton who was the winner. Brayton is the most successful rider ever in Geneva, as last weekend he took his sixth win there. And being 35 year old, he also became the oldest winner ever. 

Brayton is a seemingly ageless racer. In 2018 he became the oldest winner ever of an AMA Supercross when he won Daytona. This year, Brayton, born in 1984, turned 35 and promptly scored his fourth straight Australian Supercross Championship, then he flew around the world to Geneva. He won there also in 2010, '11, '12, '15, and '18. 

So far there have been 19 different winners at Geneva, and only eight of them were able to get multiple wins: American riders Ron Lechien, Guy Cooper, Mike Craig, Jimmy Button, and Justin Brayton and French riders David Vuillemin, Benjamin Coisy, and Marvin Musquin. 

Before this race it was Mike Brown, the 2001 AMA 125 Pro Motocross Champion, who was the oldest Geneva winner, at 34 years old in 2006. Besides Brown and Brayton, only Jeremy McGrath was able to win at the Geneva Supercross over the age of 30. The King of Supercross was victorious here in 2003, when he was 32 years old. The youngest Geneva winner is Damon Huffman, the Californian who conquered Geneva in 1995 when he was only 20 years old.

Bernard KERR (DC)

If you follow downhill mountain biking, chances are you know who Bernard Kerr is. The British-born, New Zealand-living Kerr is a team manager and title contender on the Elite World Cup tour. He's also apparently a supercross fanatic, and according to a recent interview with Pinbike.com, he is going to attempt to qualify for the Anaheim SX opener on a bike that his sponsor Maxxis arranged for him through another rider they sponsor: Jeremy McGrath. Kerr, who is sponsored by Fly Racing, has a $5,000 bet with a competing goggle sponsor, the gang at 100%, that he will make the night program! It all started three years ago during a night of drinking Down Under, according to Kerr. 

"The supercross thing was always a childhood dream," he told Pinkbike.com, a mountain-bike website. "We were joking and drinking one day in New Zealand three years ago and I was like, 'Yeah, I'll try it, I bet you five grand by 2020, that I will pull up at Anaheim 1 in America.' Fast forward three years and we're here now." You can read the complete interview with the very colorful Kerr right here. 

Kerr posted a video of him practicing on a Kawasaki on Instagram with this caption:

We've seen athletes from other sports give supercross/motocross a try, and the most successful we can remember is another downhill mountain biker, Shaun Palmer. He actually qualified for the 1998 Los Angeles Coliseum 125cc SX main event, as well as the '01 Glen Helen 250 National. In both cases, Palmer ended up finishing last, but the fact that he even made those main event programs is still very impressive. 

Good luck to Bernard Kerr. This should be interesting.

Leatt Flexlock Boot Intro (Kris Keefer)

Leatt invited the media out to Los Angeles County Raceway to try out their 2020 line of gear/goggles, as well as the release of their new GPX 5.5 boot. I have some history with this boot, as I helped Leatt with some of their initial testing some 13 months ago. I have almost 200 hours in the GPX 5.5 boot (going back to early November 2018), and for the price point of $389.99, I thought it could be a protective/durable boot for the consumer who didn't want to drop $600 on a new pair of boots. The adjustable FlexLock system is said to reduce forces to the ankle by up to 37 percent and the knee by up to 35 percent by locking out the ankle movement when over flexed, giving you that feeling of security. This system can be changed out by the rider, so he or she can customize how much flex they desire while riding. 

The GPX 5.5 boot also has an ingenious SlideLock one way velcro closure cuff system that allows you to tighten the top of your boot by simply sliding the Velcro across to tighten, without having to unbuckle the top buckle, in order to reset the Velcro strap to tighten. Simple things like this make it a lot more comfortable to wear the Leatt GPX 5.5 boot when planning a full day of riding with your buddies. The sole of the GPX5.5 has dual zone hardness and an extended footpeg riding zone for riders who ride on their arches or balls of their feet. (You should ride on the balls of your feet, or Ryno might clothesline you off of your bike.)

This was the first time I was able to be a part of the R&D process for any type of motocross/off-road boot. The amount of time that was spent riding in the boot, logging in the hours, then sending all of those notes/updates to the engineers (that I thought the boot needed) was a long process, but worth it in the end once seeing the final production piece. I am going to continue to put more time on these production boots and will be getting a full review up after the holidays. Until then, you’ll be able to catch a Racer X Films video we did with Leatt Americas GM Todd Repsher that discusses the boot and Leatt’s Velocity goggle line right here soon. 

PRADO DOWN (Andras Hegyi)

Two-time MX2 World Champion Jorge Prado suffered the worst injury of his career yesterday. During a riding session near Rome, he went down hard, breaking his left femur. The Spaniard's recovery time could be very long, likely postponing his debut in MXGP, the premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship. Before this unfortunate accident, Prado had been a lucky man, as he did not have any serious injuries during his MX2 career. Between 2016 and '19 he missed only one round, this year's British race, because of shoulder injury. 

The 18-year-old was doing his usual motocross training program, riding together with his teammate, nine-time world champion Antonio Cairoli, at the De Carli KTM team’s track at Malagrotta. Apparently it was raining and the track became very slippery. Prado was about to launch a jump, only to slip and tumble, snapping his left femur on impact. Prado was immediately transported by helicopter to a medical center in Rome, where he underwent emergency surgery. Prado’s femur was reported to have moved some 15 centimeters—nearly 6”. He needed to have a titanium rod inserted into the thighbone for stability and fixation. The surgery took three hours, and his condition is satisfactory, but there is no final diagnosis yet, as his left leg is still inflamed; the surgeons do not know yet if Prado also suffered muscle or ligament damage. Prado’s recuperation time is unknown, as a broken femur might take between three and six months to heal. 

Breaking a femur is not a rarity for the world championship contenders. Four-time world champion Jeffrey Herlings suffered a broken left femur in July of 2014, while the '15 MXGP World Champion Romain Febvre broke his left femur at the GP of Sweden this past August. Also, Clement Desalle crashed at the Russian round last summer and broke his tibia and fibula. 

Jorge also had an elbow injury on December 23, 2017, in another preseason training accident. That injury also required surgery, but he was able to start the 2018 without missing any rounds.

Here's wishing a safe, complete and speedy recovery for Jorge Prado.

The February 2020 ISSUE OF RACER X MAGAZINE IS NOW AVAILABLE

The February 2020 issue of Racer X magazine is coming to newsstands and mailboxes soon. Sign up now for the print and/or award-winning digital edition. And if you're already a digital subscriber head to digital.racerxonline.com to login and read now.

Inside the February issue of Racer X magazine

• Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb is the 2019 Racer X Rider of the Year.
• The legendary Paris Supercross may have lacked some star power, but that may not have been a bad thing.
• Racer X’s Trent Lopez hit the gym, pounded out laps, and entered the brutal Ironman GNCC, just to see if he could do it. (He could.)
• Steve Matthes and Kris Keefer entered the Dubya USA World Vet Motocross Championships at Glen Helen, then sat down for a chat about their weekend.

All these features and much more inside the February issue.

Hey, Watch It!

Eric Johnson unearthed this old gem: The Great Victory Day races in Prague, Czechoslovakia, from 1958... Sure looks like the sport Mike Goodwin "invented" 14 years later at the Los Angeles Coliseum!

Here are some highlights from last week's A Day in the Dirt at Glen Helen Raceway:

Jack Berg, who filmed the Ricky Carmichael 2019 Real Moto video made this video with HH for her personal youtube page.

LISTEN TO THIS 

The Fly Racing Racer X Podcast comes in with Jason Weigandt and I discussing the various off-season races we went to around the world. Topics include Marty, Weege’s spending, the riders being relaxed, CR22, Anderson, Brayton, what we can take away from these races, and more. Really, it's a lot of talk about Weigandt's cheapness.

Jason Weigandt chats with Adam Bailey and Ryan Sanderson of AME Management—producers of the Monster Energy AUS-X Open Supercross—to get a candid tale of all the obstacles, costs, headaches, and rewards of running a big-time race. It's not easy and not cheap, but when the fans show up and the lights come on, it's all worth it. From fears of trucks falling through the Marvel Stadium floor, to the price tag to bring American riders to Australia, to the feelings of seeing their dream finally become reality, Adam and Sando break it all down here.

This week on Episode #144 of the Main Event Moto Podcast, This week Daniel Blair, Chris Cooksey, and Producer Joe talk Cooksey's new article about 10 years worth of rookies. Hang out with them as Daniel focuses on the headlines in the sport. Oh yeah, sometimes it goes off the rails.

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week

“Walmart apologizes for Christmas sweater with apparent drug reference”—CNN 

“Meet the man who ran a marathon in all 196 countries in the world”—CNN

“Social media influencer gets 14 years in prison for plot to 'hijack' website at gunpoint”—NBC News 

“MLB, union agree to opioid testing; marijuana removed as 'drug of abuse'”—ESPN

“Wheelchair thief in reindeer slippers stopped in his tracks...”—Drudgereport.com

“GONE WITH THE WIND Man whose deadly farts ‘can kill mosquitoes hired to create Mosquito Repellent made from his intestinal gas’”—The Sun (UK)

“Dead man found in alligator's mouth actually died of meth overdose, autopsy reveals...”—TheSmokingGun.com

“Cops: Drunken men pummeled each other during argument over sitcom 'HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER'...”—Drudgereport.com

Random Notes

Check out the revamped site our friend from New Zealand, Sharon Cox, has turned into a niche market for Women in Motorsport.

Kyle Yarnell Memorial Team Race is happening this weekend at Glen Helen Raceway.

2020 Eastern and Western Extreme Off-Road Championships

The AMA announced two complete Eastern and Western Extreme Off-Road Championship Series for 2020. Each will consist of four events with an East vs. West round in Texas. According to the AMA’s Erek Kudla, Not only will you earn a title at the end of the season, each event will also qualify top riders to the AMA Extreme Off-Road Grand Championship, the Kenda Tennessee Knockout August 16-18 2020. All information, schedules, websites and supplemental regulations will be posted at this link as the become available here. 

2020 AMA East Extreme Championship

March 28-29: RevLimiter Extreme Enduro, Decatur, Texas
May 16-17: Mad Moose, Marquette, Mich.
July 4-5: Tough Like RORR, Tamaqua, Pa.
July 18-19: Fallen Timbers, Little Hocking, Ohio
Aug. 1-2: Battle of the Goats, Taylorsville, N.C.

2020 AMA West Extreme Championship

Feb. 8: King of the Motos, Lucerne Valley, Calif.
March 28-29: RevLimiter Extreme Enduro, Decatur, Texas
May 2-3: EnduroFest, Reno, Nev.
June 6-7: Last Dog Standing, Devore, Calif.
June 20-21: Stix and Stones, Kellogg, Idaho 

For the latest from Canada, check out DMX Frid’EH Update #50.

Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races!