So that cost Pelletier another number. But he wasn't done making calls. The #33 Josh Grant hasn't race an AMA SX/MX since the 2019 East Rutherford SX in New Jersey, back on April 27, 2019. Usually Pelletier there is a one-year grace period, and Grant had gone a year and a half without racing. So #33 was put back in play and it ended up in the hands of Derek Drake for 2021, which is kind of cool because that was Drake's longtime amateur number (as you can see in the main image for this post above as he celebrated at Loretta Lynn’s). And one behind Justin Cooper, who wanted #14 last year but stuck with #32 this time.

And what to do about #22? Chad Reed has always been a hard one to read, but after his "One Last Ride" tour AMA Supercross tour was effectively obliterated by the pandemic, it seems likely that we will see him out there again for the more fitting farewell he deserves. So #22 was saved for the man who's had that digit the longest on this list, going all the way back to 2004!

In the end, the last man to get a top 100 number was Hunter Sayles, who scored 30 total points and was assigned #99 for 2021. The odd-man out? The rippa himself, Jimmy Decotis, who scored 28 points. He is effectively #100, though the AMA does not usually assign numbers 100 to 125, saving them for variously unique situations, like #103 this past year for incoming Max Anstie (Max will be #34 in 2021). But Decotis stepped away from racing earlier this year as he has continued to fight an ongoing struggle with Lyme Disease—his future on the starting gates of AMA races is TBD. Also just missing out on numbers after the decisions of Osborne, Ferrandis, and Lawrence were Matthew Hubert (25 points) and Jeremy Smith (23). Sorry guys, honorable mention here will have to do. But what motivation for next year, right?!

Some other little oddities: Among brothers, the Martins are still the lowest total with 32 (Jeremy's #6 and Alex's #26). Next come the Lawrence brothers (Jett's #18 and Hunter's #41 add up to 59) and then the Masterpool brothers (Jake is now #53, Ty #75, which adds up to 128). And don't forget about the Hills as Justin holds on to his career-digit #46 and Josh (who rode a few 250SX East races) earned #84, giving them a total of 130.

Here are the all of the 2021 AMA Supercross and Motocross numbers for you to crunch, Andy Bowyer style!

And in a year that is already weird, the weirdness continues as Axell Hodges has announced he will race the 2020 Ironman GNCC this Sunday, October 25, at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The event is known for its difficult track but fun, Halloween-inspired festivities—Hodges will surely bring his A game both on the course and in the pits.

The former amateur racer turned freestyle competitor will compete in the industry class aboard his Monster Energy Kawasaki.

Watch the Ironman GNCC live on RacerTV.com.

Here's a few random things from this week...

A back and forth with Bertrand Sanlaville...

From the Hawaiian Islands and our old friend The Rock comes this observation: Hampus Kahrle's profile on the MXGP website, an MXGP racer.

Scott Burnowrth posted this on Facebook:

YDX-MORO production model (and spokesmodel Bob Starr!) 

Cool Old Win Ads (DC)

Found these on my computer... Classics!

Must Listen: @wewentfast's Little Giant (DC)

Our regular contributor Brett Smith of We Went Fast fame has produced another masterpiece of a moto podcast, Little Giant, his ode to the remarkable Yamaha PW 50, one of the most popular and influential minicycles of all time. 

This is the podcast version of the feature article “Little Giant: The PW50 Story” read by Brett Smith. Also, the We Went Fast shop has three new additions, all PW50-related, of course. Visit wewentfast.com/shop to see the whole lineup or click on the product below.

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

Ah, the off-season. After a long, unpredictable 2020 season, riders are able to take a deep breath and regroup. For most, it's a much needed break, too. This season has been the longest in recent memory, spanning over nine months. There were COVID-19 induced breaks but many riders kept riding and training due to the uncertainty of a return. That seemingly endless cycle of riding, cycling, running, and lifting takes a toll. Injuries pile up and overall, muscles just fatigue over time. Maybe even more important, the mental strain of having to stay focused for so long compounds as the months roll on. Instead of resting and recovering in September, riders were pounding laps and boarding airplanes. It changed the calendar status quo on every level. 

With the season ending in October, there is less time to recharge the batteries. We are only a week away from November and with it, the start of boot camp season. The saving grace is that the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship looks to be starting a week or two later than it normally would, giving riders more time to test and train before we go racing (we expect the official supercross schedule to be released on October 27). That extra time could prove critical as the normal November 1 beginning of boot camp will now be pushed back to mid-late November. As we sit here on October 23, that means a few more weeks of recovery are in store. 

The one caveat to this timeframe is for riders joining new teams. They may be able to stave off the rigors of boot camp but they will need to test as quickly as possible so that parts can be ordered, built, and delivered in time for 2021. Still, testing is a walk in the park compared to the endless days of riding and training that boot camp brings. Pre-season testing can still include long days but 2-3 laps at a time followed by lengthy breaks are not exactly a trip to the gulag. Watch for riders like Dylan Ferrandis to be testing immediately while riders like Zach Osborne or Eli Tomac to have a more relaxed approach with a static 2021 platform.

Overall, things are quiet in the moto world right now. Riders are spending time away from the track. This relief will be short-lived, though. Before long, riders will be looking around, wondering if they are losing ground to their competitors. November will arrive and the gradual return to normalcy will begin. For now, though, enjoy the rest, boys.

AMA GEICO Endurocross Series (Keefer)

The AMA Endurocross Series kicks off today at Glen Helen Raceway. The promoters of Endurocross decided to go the Monster Energy AMA Supercross route and combine multiple rounds at two venues for the six round series. The first four rounds will be held in San Bernardino, California at Glen Helen Raceway October 23 and 24, 29 and 30, and the last two rounds will be held in Nampa, Idaho, at the Ford Idaho Center on November 6 and 7. Fans will be allowed to attend, so if you need to get out of the house and see some great racing, check out how these top off-road riders handle the extreme enduro/supercross style course. Annnnnnnnnnd if you feel like giving it a try for yourself, you can also enter in one of the amateur classes they have scheduled during the main portion of the program. I have raced a few of these in the past and let me tell you it will give a motocross rider a whole new perspective on what these "Endurocross Specialists" can do on a motorcycle. You can check the schedule out over at Endurocross.com. 

LOMMEL III (DC)

Meanwhile, over in the "beautiful ugly" sand pit that is Lommel, the MXGP and MX2 world title chases continue with the third and final stop there on the notoriously rough track. The first one on Sunday was called the MXGP of Flanders, the second on Wednesday was the MXGP of Limburg, and finally third Sunday will be the MXGP of Lommel. The track itself is undergoing a revamp for this Sunday's “Lommel III,” which is probably a welcome respite for the riders, as many base their whole programs around Lommel, living in the area and training on the track often. Ironically, the winners on Wednesday—Jorge Prado and Tom Vialle—hail from Spain and France, respectively, which are not exactly known for producing good sand riders! Prado is dueling with his KTM teammate and mentor Antonio Cairoli for runner-up status in the MXGP standings as they have watched Slovenian Honda rider Tim Gajser steadily inch away from them both. With Jeffrey Herlings out for the season this would have been a prime time for the ageless veteran Cairoli to make a run at both of Stefan Everts' once thought to be unbreakable records: most world titles (10) and most GP wins (101). Cairoli has nine world titles and now 91 races, but he's not getting the wins and points that many expected when Herlings first crashed out. As for Prado, don't forget that he started the season with a broken femur! He was hurt during training last December and limped through the first two rounds, then got a reprieve of sorts with when the pandemic shut everything down back in March. The handful of points he lost to Gajser in those first two rounds might have made a different right now, as Gajser totals 533 point to Cairoli's 478 and Prado's 476. There are four rounds left: the final Lommel, and then another triple header ender at the beautiful Trentino circuit in Italy. Hats off to everyone at Infront Moto Racing and all of the MXGP paddock for pulling off a spectacular run through autumn, despite all of the limitations and restrictions due to COVID-19 (and it appears to be getting worse in Europe as they head into winter). Tune in to MXGP-TV.com on Sunday to see what the new Lommel set-up looks like, though no matter what they do, it's going to another long, rough and great day of GP motocross!

250 for France (Andras Hegyi)

After Dylan Ferrandis became the maiden French champion in 125/250 AMA Pro Motocross, the French have kept having with success, only in the MX2 World Championship. In the last three MX2 rounds—one in Spain and two in Lommel, Belgium—KTM’s Tom Vialle has taken three consecutive wins. Besides Marvin Musquin, Vialle became only the second Frenchman to get at least three consecutive GP wins in the MX2 class. Back in 2010 Musquin took five GP wins in a row on his way to a second straight world title.

After winning the GP of Spain on October 11, Vialle added wins this past Sunday and Wednesday at Lommel, Belgium. Vialle also became only the second French racer to win in the notorious sands of Lommel, as  Musquin holds that honor as well, having conquered Lommel in 2009. Winning on Wednesday was Vialle’s seventh victory and also the 250th GP-victory for France in the history of the motocross world championship, in existence since 1957. (This list does not include the French GP wins in the women’s motocross world championship.) Only Belgian motocrossers have collected more GP wins than the French. The Belgians have had 542 GP wins so far. The Belgians were dominate in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, and then again in the late '90s and early 2000s with Stefan Everts and Joel Smets. The French, on the other hand, only really got going with Jacky Vimond in the '80s, then Jean-Michel Bayle, and have been steadily fast since in MXGP, despite the fact that many of their best riders (Mickael Pichon, Stephane Roncada, David Vuillemin, Christophe Pourcel, Marvin Musquin, Dylan Ferrandis) spent large swaths of their careers on the AMA circuit. 

The maiden French GP winner in the world championship was Daniel Pean as he won the 250cc Grand Prix of Yugoslavia in 1977. Between 1977 and 2020 there were 34 French crossers to get to the 250 total GP wins. As class structure and formatting has evolved, the French were able to take GP wins in eight different categories: 125cc, 250cc, 500cc, MotocrossGP, MX3, MX2, MX1, and MXGP. The most GP wins for France came from Mickael Pichon, as "The Rocket" won 38 GP races in all. He also spent 1995 through '99 in the U.S., winning two 125 West Region SX championships—Mickael was the first Frenchman to win a 125SX main event (San Diego '93) and the first to win a title ('95).

Also, you will notice on this list that Frederic Vialle has three wins. He is the father of Tom Vialle!

Grand Prix wins for France

Mickael Pichon (38)
Yves Demaria (37)
Sebastien Tortelli (20)
Jean-Michel Bayle (15)
Marvin Musquin (14)
Romain Febvre (14)
Frederic Bolley (13)
Jacky Vimond (13)
Gautier Paulin (12)

Eight wins each:
Mickael Maschio, Tom Vialle

Six wins each: 
David Vuillemin, Christophe Pourcel

Five wins each: 
Sebastien Pourcel, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, Julien Vanni 

Three wins each:
Jean-Jacques Bruno, Steven Frossard, Luigi Seguy, Frederic Vialle

Two wins each: 
Thomas Allier, Dylan Ferrandis, Christophe Martin, Milko Potisek, Jordi Tixier

One win each:
Maxime Renaux,  Nicolas Aubin, Thierry Bethys, Xavier Boog, Benjamin Coisy, Benoit Paturel, Daniel Pean, Florent Richier, Cedric Soubeyras 

And 50 for Spain (Andras Hegyi)

Despite being only 19 years old, the Spanish KTM rider Jorge Prado is already a historic figure in both the Spanish motocross and the FIM Motocross World Championships. Prado is the most successful Spanish motocrosser ever, regarding world titles, GP wins, podium results and moto wins. He is Spain's only two-time world champion, as well as the youngest ever two-time world champion in the history of Grand Prix motocross. By winning for the third time in the premier MXGP class at Lommel, Belgium, on Wednesday, he reached his 34th career win, his 48th podium, and the 57th moto win of his career. When Prado debuted in the FIM World Championship in 2016, Spain had only 16 GP wins ever, but on Wednesday, thanks to Prado, Spain got its 50th GP win. Spain became the 10th nation that owns at least 50 GP wins in the motocross world championship, in existence since 1957. 

The 50 GP wins for Spain

Jorge Prado (34 wins)
Jonathan Barragan (7)
Carlos Campano (7)
Javier Garcia Vico (1)
Alvaro Lozano (1)

The december 2020 ISSUE OF RACER X MAGAZINE IS NOW AVAILABLE

Hey, Watch It!

Gavin Towers' feature from KDKA Pittsburgh that aired earlier this week:

The bike "pyramid" at the first Lommel race was a rare occurrence. Credit to Pete Fox for spotting that and posting!

Matt Goerke - Retirement Interview.

Christian Craig's first day on the Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha YZ250F.