Before the '22 season started, there was a lot of talk about the fact that as many as five different riders could win their first 450 main event this season. Dylan Ferrandis was just coming off a triumphant outdoor season, as well as a pair of 250SX titles; Adam Cianciarulo and Chase Sexton seemed poised to contend; Aaron Plessinger seemed very happy and comfortable on his new Red Bull KTM. Malcolm Stewart seemed fitter and more confident than ever. I would not have been surprised if all five of them had won a 450SX main in '22. What is surprising is the fact that after 12 rounds only one of them—Honda's Sexton—has actually won a race. Cianciarulo and Plessinger each ended up getting hurt again, and Ferrandis doesn't look nearly as good as he did last summer, when he won the Lucas Oil 450 Pro Motocross title. Stewart has been getting closer and closer, and I still think he’ll get a win before the series ends, but for the most part these five have not had the seasons many expected. 

Cooper Webb, the defending series champion, has also had a rough go of it. He's yet to win a main event this year, and now he's going to miss the St. Louis round due to a crash while practicing that left him "pretty banged up" and on the sidelines for the weekend. Hopefully #1 will be back in action for Atlanta next week. As for the other preseason favorite who hasn't had the year we expected, Team Honda HRC's Ken Roczen, there’s still no word on when we might see him again after he went on a personal hiatus a few weeks back. 

St. Louis fans will get to see Jett Lawrence again, as the 250SX East Region leader returns to the town where he rode only his second supercross two years ago. In 2020, St. Louis took place in January and was part of the West Region. Lawrence finished fifth behind Austin Forkner, Justin Cooper, Brandon Hartranft, and Alex Martin—after running third until the later stages and had to make a pitstop due to a bent brake pedal. Now Jett is on a three-race winning streak, and the Lawrence family is on a four-race streak if you count older brother Hunter's win at Seattle two weeks ago.

Hey, here's a weird trivia question for you: Is there another last name in AMA Supercross history other than Lawrence that has had three different winners (brothers Jett and Hunter and of course J-Law) attached to it? I know there's been two Stewarts, two Vohlands, two Hansens, two Wards, two Johnsons, two Craigs, two Hills.... Anyone? Let me know in the comments below!

There is also more MXGP this weekend, as the FIM Motocross World Championships return to Arco Trentino, Italy, and what might just be the most beautiful setting for a motocross track on the planet. They have also just changed and completely revamped the track, turning it in the opposite direction. MXLarge.com posted some photos of the buildout that you can check out. The MXGP of Italy will go off on Sunday and you can watch it on www.mxgp-tv.com.

Before we get into other news from the week, the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship is celebrating 50 years in 2022, and the first race will be exactly 50 days away as of tomorrow, so look for our MAVTV+ 50 Day Countdown to begin tomorrow as we go through the history of the series, one year at a time, beginning with 1972. And no, we have no real information to report on whether we're going to see Jeffrey Herlings turn up here this summer. Our fingers are firmly crossed that it really does happen! And finally, check out this new commercial celebrating some of the past heroes and champions of the series...

The Dome At American’s Center (Jason Weigandt)

St. Louis doesn’t ring out like Anaheim or Daytona in supercross lore, but ask those on the inside and they will all tell you this is a great round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross. The dirt is legendary, probably the best on the circuit, and even now that the stadium has some newer dirt, it still has the same old feel that riders have loved for decades. So the dirt is good, and so is the atmosphere inside the pits. We have indoor pits here and they get absolutely packed. When you come to races in regions like this, you can tell the fans are often building their whole year around the one time racing comes to town. So it’s a cool event.

This week’s big story is the drama surrounding the previously-named Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM team. We have heard Rocky Mountain was out as a sponsor (one report from Roto Moto surfaced saying the team has broken a term of their agreement) but the squad would still be here, and Max Anstie and Shane McElrath would both be back racing. Well, both riders were here today, as was the team and bikes. So it looked okay, but then I walked over to the semi and didn’t see any staff members, then at the end of the day I heard parts had been taken away, staff members were not here, and Anstie and McElrath wouldn’t be racing. I reached out to Anstie but I wasn’t able to get a response. Surely there’s a lot going on here, but obviously we’ll know when practice starts tomorrow if these guys are in or out.

Cameron McAdoo went down during his press day laps. That sucks. I saw him walking away with what looked like a separated shoulder, or possibly a broken collarbone. Mac’s face said it all, he was furious. Just like that, the title picture looks much different in 250SX East if he’s out for the weekend.

I saw Max Vohland and chatted with him briefly, he’s back after suffering some small fractures to his collarbone at the first round of this series back in Minneapolis. He also had some nerve damage to deal with, but he’s been riding for a few weeks now and basically is considering this his round one.

I’ll keep this brief because it’s late. Eli Tomac was ripping in press day today. Yup, that’s not a surprise. We’ll see how the racing turns out tomorrow.

High Desert Moto Compound (Keefer)

Carson Mumford's Adelanto, California, motocross compound is for sale! You looking to own some land, have a three-bedroom, two-bath place to stay and have you own motocross tracks? Yes, plural! Tracks! Looks like Scott (Carson's dad) is selling the property in the High Dez so if you don't buy it, I just might! Below is the listing...

Carson Mumford’s Motocross Track Listing

SO MUCH HAPPENING (Matthes)

As we near the end of the supercross series the three points leaders seem pretty secure in their lead as we head to the city that Anton built. So, there's not much drama in that but there is seemingly a lot going on off the track. Contracts for 2023 and beyond are getting either done or deep in talks and we have some team changes as well.

Off the track there is plenty or rumors, gossip and sometimes, lies going around. Here's some of what we've been hearing.

-Christian Craig's deal for next year and beyond is done, he'll be heading over to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna to be teammates with Malcolm Stewart. That's a real coup for Husky and good job to Craig and his people for making that happen. We'll have to ask DC but is Craig the oldest first-time factory OEM rider ever? Thirty-two years of age is not something you see every day for a guy getting on an OEM team.

-Dylan Ferrandis has re-signed with the Yamaha squad I believe.

-I believe Cooper Webb will be back with KTM next year as well. 

-The Jeffrey Herlings coming to America or not thing is hanging around. I've had some contacts in Europe tell me that it's going to happen for sure while others over here aren't sure. Here's the thing, I don't believe any decision has been made one way or another because he hasn't started riding yet. That injury he suffered to his foot is a serious one and before any decision can be made one way or another, he's got to ride and make sure he's ready to go. So, we should know soon but I don't believe a decision has been made one way or another. 

-Same thing with Antonio Cairoli. I know in personally talking to AC222 over the years he's always wanted to do some races in the USA, and it's all set up for him to do just that. I'm hearing there's pushback from the USA side but in my opinion, if Antonio really wants to come and race a few races, after all he's done for the brand, someone at the highest level of KTM will let him race some, if not all, the USA nationals. How cool will that be?

-And if you missed it, there are some changes to the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS team for this weekend that Weege covered yesterday.

Enjoy the Triple Crown this weekend everyone! 

The Russian Question (DC)

The ongoing saga of Evgeny Bobryshev not being allowed to race in any international competitions continues. Bobryshev, a 34-year-old Russia-born rider who is an MXGP veteran, had been living in the Netherlands before heading to Florida this winter to prepare for the British Nationals that he was originally planning on racing. But after Russia invaded Ukraine, the FIM, as well as the FIA for auto racing, initiated a ban on the participation of any Russia-licensed riders or passport-holding citizens, from participating in international competition. So Bobryshev decided to explore the possibility of doing some of the upcoming Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, which is sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Bobryshev was hoping that AMA Pro Racing, which is not the FMNR in the U.S. for the FIM—the AMA is—would allow him to race anyway. But the AMA, and AMA Pro Racing (as well as FIM North America), must follow the FIM's restrictions on Bobryshev, just as they did when the FIM suspended riders like James Stewart, Cade Clason, Broc Tickle and Christian Craig….

If such precedence doesn't makes sense to you, or you still feel Bobryshev should be allowed to race anyway, regardless of what the FIM says, you might want to wrap your head around this unintended consequence: if Evgeny Bobryshev races in any AMA Pro Racing event, or a British National, or a Canadian National, or MXGP race, it will almost certainly mean a lifetime suspension from FIM-affiliated events for Bobryshev. It may also mean that licensed riders from the country in which he's allowed to compete may in turn also be suspended from international competition, which would risk having a Team USA at the 2022 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

It is a terrible and unfortunate position that Bobryshev, who has nothing to do with this war, finds himself in, as do several other top Russian professionals in motorsports like World Speedway and Formula 1. We are all hopeful everything changes soon, and for the much, much better. But there's a whole different side to this—another group of motocross brothers who do have something to do with this war. They are the Ukrainian racers whose country has been invaded. Ukraine is also a member nation in the FIM. They had a vibrant motocross scene happening before this thing started, as you can see by the picture of the track called STC Sona, which was set to host the FIM Junior World Championships in 2023. Here’s a video of what the track looked like last summer:

The town that STC Sona Motocross is near has been in the news a lot this week: Bucha. Bucha is a suburb of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It is also where hundreds of civilians were found slaughtered this week. And according to their Facebook page, the Sona track was completely destroyed by Russian artillery and aircraft. It now seems impossible that the motocross riders and fans in Bucha will get to see fast kids from all over the world come to their town next year and race in the FIM Junior World Motocross Championship, but that's the last thing on anyone's mind there right now. People hate to see politics and war mix with motocross, but as you can see, politics and war have greatly affected motocross in Ukraine. It's unavoidable when it's happening in your hometown, at your home track.

Reason for Being (DC)

In my Reason for Being column from the brand-new June 2022 issue of Racer X magazine, I wrote about Russia, Ukraine, and motocross, which is also relevant to all that’s going on right now. Here’s part of the column:

Like a lot of motocross kids who grew up back in the day, I was always fascinating with the Russian motocross masters who raced under the flag of the old Soviet Union. They were mysterious, quiet and stunningly fast men. Some said they were even KGB agents in disguise, though no master spy could fake riding motocross that well. Gennady Moiseev and Vladimir Kavinov were in the Soviet Army, just like every comrade was back then. They were also at the front of the 250 Grand Prix class through much of the seventies, especially after their communist country allowed them to park the Czech-made CZs in a favor of a new motocross brand called KTM in the summer of 1972. Two years later, Moiseev would be the FIM 250cc World Champion.

Soon the Soviet Union started losing what was called the cold war to the west because they were running out of money. Their time as a motocross powerhouse pretty much ended in 1979, one year after Moiseev won his third world title and the Soviets won the ’78 Motocross of Nations. They were forced off their KTMs and back on the out dated CZs, or even worse bikes. Moiseev faded out of contention, though his comrade Kavinov somehow won the 1980 Grand Prix of Russia on a CZ, topping Belgian superstar Georges Jobe, who was riding a works, state-of-the-art Suzuki! 

After the cold war ended and the communications age started the world became a much smaller place. I actually become friends with Kavinov on Facebook, as he remained active in the motocross community. (Moiseev as well, but his health began to fail him and he passed away in 2017 at the age of 69.) I even sent Vladimir some old photos I unearthed from the ‘78 Unadilla 250cc USGP, which he posted on his page. 

I never got to actually see those old Russian masters race in person, as by the time the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, they were long retired… You may be wondering if I am still friends on Facebook with Vladimir Kavinov, since Facebook is pretty blocked from Russians now. I am. Turns out Kavinov wasn’t Russian after all. He is actually from Kyiv, Ukraine, which was part of the old Soviet Union. Unfortunately, he hasn’t posted anything since Russia started bombing his hometown on February 24. 

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

Riders return to St. Louis this weekend after a weekend off and surely lots of outdoor testing. We skipped this venue in 2020, but it is indeed good to be back in the "Gateway to the West." This dome finds itself in no man's land these days, as the reigning Super Bowl champion Rams departed for Los Angeles a few years ago. That vacancy makes Monster Energy Supercross one of the coveted visits on the calendar. Much like the uncertainty this venue faces, riders are in a bit of limbo right now too, trying to find a delicate balance between Lucas Oil Pro Motocross prep and remaining sharp for the final few SX rounds. There's no perfect recipe, and many riders will tilt their focus according to financial considerations, championship points positioning, opportunity, and contract situations. This is also the time when riders with nagging injuries likely disappear until late May (think Dylan Ferrandis). For those who are still in the thick of this series, though, the opportunities could be plentiful. All three series have been bitten by the injury bug (250E/W and 450), allowing great results for all those healthy. 

Myself, I always left the focus on SX up until the very end. That definitely created issues when the motocross gate dropped, but the financial potential of top-ten finishes was too great to ignore. I was often entangled in privateer bonus battles as well as rapidly climbing up the championship points leader board. With hefty series bonuses (both AMA and World SX for a time) in play, I chose to keep my head down and really push into the Vegas finale. This year, riders will have a longer break than in many years prior. Having nearly three full weeks would only further my resolve to give SX a final heave-ho. I think riding outdoors one day a week is a reasonable compromise, but I never went all-in on motocross practice until the series was completely finished. Many are doing just that, though. I would almost guarantee that several riders have stopped their SX practice, full stop. For those who haven't, that shift is coming. Riders in this camp could be Chase Sexton, Max Anstie, RJ Hampshire, Jalek Swoll, Jo Shimoda, etc.—those who are essentially ruled out of a high championship finish but could gain a head start for summer. That interest divergence will only increase as we inch toward May. Jett Lawrence, Cameron McAdoo, Christian Craig, Hunter Lawrence, Eli Tomac, Jason Anderson, and Malcolm Stewart are likely still thinking SX, but for everyone else, the great outdoors are calling.

OScottie, R.I.P. (DC)

The motocross industry lost a friend this week when Scottie Stewart died. Scottie was a racer as a young man but suffered a life-changing injury. For the last 37 years he lived in almost continuous pain as a result of his injuries. Stewart worked for a time with Vital MX, where he was known as “OCScottie” in the forum. Unfortunately, the pain became too much for that as well. On Tuesday evening, Stewart ended his own life, on his own terms, as he explained in a note he gave to a close friend and fellow Vital MX Forum member who goes by Slipdog, instructing him to post it on Tuesday night, after midnight:

Vital MX posted this farewell to OCScottie

Hey, Watch It!

This is Why We Ride Motocross | Coalescence Ep1

Justin Barcia enjoyed his off-weekend, as you can see in this episode of BAMTV

Here is Jason Weigandt’s excellent interview with Adam Cianciarulo:

And here’s a great weekend read from Brett Smith of We Went Fast, called “Jeremy McGrath and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Night in St. Louis.”

Read the longform, or listen to it as Smith reads it out loud.

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week

“RAPPER GOONEW: FAMILY DEFENDS CORPSE AT NIGHTCLUB ...'It's What He Would've Wanted'”—TMZ.com

“Will Smith not permitted to attend Oscars for 10 years.”–Fox News

“Japan’s Monkey Queen Made It Through Mating Season With Her Reign Intact”—DNYUZ.com

"I threw a bit of a wild one!" Riders switch bikes for baseball in Texas

Aleix Espargaro, Martin, Gardner and the paddock's home heroes head for Round Rock”—MotoGP press release

Random Notes

We got this note from our longtime friends at Maxima: Dick Lechien had a storied career and touched a lot of lives in his eight decades on this planet. Dick passed away on March 10 while sleeping in his AZ home. Please join us is celebrating his life. We will be holding a celebration of life at Maxima on April 29. Please RSVP by April 12th to maximaracingoils@maximausa.com with the number of guests in your party.