On Monday morning Ward Robinson, the founder of Unadilla MX, passed away after a long illness. Robinson was a true pioneer in American motocross, as was his late wife and partner Peggy. Together they turned a farm in upstate New York into one of the most famous motocross tracks in the world. The Robinsons got involved in pro motocross at the ground floor, hosting a round of the first Trans-AMA Series in 1970, predating the first AMA Pro Motocross Championship (which they were also part of) by two years. Unadilla also hosted the 250cc U.S. Grand Prix for many years, as well as rounds of the old Inter-Am Series. And in 1987 Unadilla became the first U.S. track to host the Motocross of Nations, which was won by Team USA’s Jeff Ward, Ricky Johnson, and Bob “Hurricane” Hannah. Unadilla continues to be one of the biggest rounds in Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross, though the event has been run by the brother/sister team of Jill and Greg Robinson for several years now. While tomorrow’s race might make for a tough day after losing their dad earlier this week, they will no doubt make it a great one as they continue to carry on the legacy of their mom and dad, who are no doubt back together again up above.

And then this morning we found out that Jimmy “Red” Lovett, the longtime flagman and ranch hand at Loretta Lynn’s, passed away after suffering a stroke, just days after we celebrated his birthday there at the ranch. Red was the man who flagged at the end of the Ten Commandments, and he was always happy and quick to protect and help anyone who raced past him. We had painted his flag stand red in his honor, and he was always smiling, glad to be there with what he considered his motocross family. We’ll keep his flag stand red in the years to come, and he will also be sorely missed.  Godspeed, Red. And Godspeed, Ward. And here’s another prayer for Sarah Faulkner.

Wait, there's more. Our longtime friend Ron Meredith, tuner and partner-in-crime with Travis Pastrana, suffered a terrible crash in Michigan this week. He bailed off a triple and ended up with both femurs broken, ribs, elbow, collarbone and more. Please keep Ron in your thoughts and prayers as well.

DEEGS CLAIMED THEN NOT CLAIMED (Matthes)

I don't know all the facts behind the claiming of Haiden Deegan's bike at the ranch, but I have been texting with the person who claimed the bike (he's Canadian BTW) and then withdrew the claim. Lots of crazy uninformed statements out there about the process and hopefully I can get to the bottom of it with the people involved but either way, I'd just like to put it out there that to me, this is a good rule. Yes, the kids who don't go to school, have OEM support and riding facilities have an edge on the kids who don't, and out of the 40 riders on the line, probably half of them have these advantages. But one thing the sport can do is make sure you don't spend endless amounts of money on the bikes and especially in these four-stroke days, that matters. So, whatever the deal is I fully side with the people who put this rule in, and I hope it gets used more, actually. Or at least the threat of it hangs over the teams to not go hog wild on the bikes which I know Mitch Payton doesn't do (at least he told me that a couple of years ago).

DEEGS CLAIMED THEN NOT CLAIMED II (DC)

There’s an incredibly misleading video out there that paints MX Sports’ Tim Cotter in a bad light for simply being in a middle of that whole Deegan/Brennan Schofield claim. He is the event director at Loretta Lynn’s and has zero interest in who wins or loses, both on and off the track. He keeps the peace, as anyone who has ever actually met him knows. He’s also the man behind Racers4Waverly, spearheading the whole fundraiser for the community of Waverly and Humphreys County after last year’s deadly flood, and he also helped manage the Safe-2-Race task force that got us all through COVID. The implication seems to be that Tim brought the claimant (Brennan Schofield) into the office trailer alone with Brian Deegan, and Deegan asked Schofield why he was making the claim (which Brennan had every right to make as a participant in the race who followed the AMA rules, which states that any bike in a race can be claimed by another rider in the race for double the MSRP). In an interview on YouTube, Schofield said that they were alone in the office trailer—Cotter, Deegan and himself—but the AMA’s Mike Burkeen was also in the room, as it serves as Tim’s office, my office and the AMA’s office). No one was threatened or bullied by Tim Cotter, nor the AMA, and the meeting was about five minutes long, not a half hour. At first Brennan didn’t seem to know that Cotter was not an AMA official, though he is the MX Sports official who is the go-between with the AMA on pretty much every issue that comes up at the ranch. When all of this happened and Schofield came to the MX Sports office trailer, without his dad but rather his engine-builder, Cotter had to get his head wrapped around the situation, like figuring out where to put the bike so it was in the right chain of custody, as Haiden Deegan still needed it for the last moto of another class, which would run the next day. He told the engine builder to stay outside because he was neither the participant nor the parent. (Deegan was in there as the father of the kid whose bike was claimed--he had a right to be.) It was the end of the day Friday, and all of the race officials came into the trailer to drop off radios and flags and all, and it was loud, so Tim asked Brennan and Brian to go into the smaller office that we use for every meeting along with the AMA’s Mike Burkeen.

After Tim asked Brennan again if he was sure that he wanted to file the claim, and he said he was, Cotter sent the head of security, John Knox, with the AMA officials to go get the bike at the Deegan pits and put it in his camper, which was parked next door. Brennan left and that should have been it, but it apparently wasn’t, as others started entering the conversation with their opinions on what to do. It sounds like some different opinions and maybe even pressure about the whole notion of claiming the bike were being put to Schofield, which is unfortunate, but it was not coming from Tim Cotter, MX Sports or the AMA—they did not care if a bike got claimed, any bike, only that it was handled properly if it was.

Whatever happened to change his mind, a couple hours later Brennan came back to the MX Sports trailer (this time with his dad) and said they wanted to rescind the claim, and Tim Cotter asked him if he was sure. Brennan said he was, and he was given back the money he had posted.

Any rider in any class at Loretta Lynn’s has the right to claim another rider in the same race’s bike for double the MSRP (about $17K in the case of a ’22 YZ250F). Brennan Schofield knew the rules, saved up his own money and claimed another bike in the race, Haiden Deegan’s. The Deegans were upset because it’s apparently Haiden’s last amateur bike; Star Yamaha Racing were upset about it because a lot more than $17K goes into one of their bikes, as it’s no longer just the trick parts that make up a race package these days, but all of the ECU and data information and R&D and whatnot that a team like Star Yamaha Racing has invested in their program. In my personal opinion Haiden Deegan did not need a bike that was on par with what the pro riders will be using here at Unadilla tomorrow to win an amateur race, so it was risky for the team to send him out on a bike that they didn’t want to risk handing over to someone who claimed it, even if for double the price. I believe there needs to be a claiming rule for amateurs to help keep the playing field even, at least in regards to equipment, and I know Tim Cotter and Mike Burkeen feel the same way. And I can promise you neither cared whether the bike got claimed or not, they just wanted to make sure it was the rider’s decision, both to claim it and then later to un-claim it, and that it was all handled properly. That said, anything else that happened with this deal away from them and the MX Sports’ office trailer is a different story…

Back So Soon (Jason Weigandt)

I just got back from a ten-day trip that started with covering a MotoAmerica road race in Minnesota and ended with a week at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. Somehow, just a few days later, I was back in Tennessee, and standing in one of the most surreal environments in racing. Last night, on Broadway street in downtown Nashville, Red Bull ran a “Straight Rhythm” Endurocross. Yes, right in the center of the city, surrounded by bars and live music joints, Red Bull shut the street down and lined it with boulders, logs, and tractor tires, part of a straight Endurocross track that let Nashville see what dirt bikes are all about. Myself and longtime announcing partner Kevin Kelly got to host the action. Most of the crowd was just curious onlookers shooting some cell phone vids. Yes, a lot of bachelorette parties, which Nashville is now as synonymous for as country music. A lot of people watching from rooftop bars. It was wild to see the track on one block, and then look down the road and see downtown Nashville traffic, both cars and human, on the other block. It was pretty wild.

Again, I didn’t expect to be back on the road so soon after Loretta’s, but after the doldrums of 2020, racing is back on the calendar, hard and fast. This Endurocross Straight Rhythm event is just a preview for this weekend’s Tennessee Knock Out hard enduro race. But the original and real Red Bull Straight Rhythm (with supercross obstacles) is also returning this year, on October 15th, and it will now take place in Huntington Beach, in California. I’ll be announcing that one for Red Bull TV with Daniel Blair. It’s still a two-strokes only affair, and I’ve heard some cool ideas on the bikes and riders we might see at the event. We haven’t seen Red Bull Straight Rhythm since 2019. We also have Motocross of Nations back in the U.S. this year at RedBud for the first time since 2018. Then news is breaking almost weekly on the professional motocross and supercross front, with both the FIM World Supercross Championship and the new SuperMotocross World Championship. That means a lot more racing next year, as well. We already know some new manufacturers are getting in the game, with Triumph’s new motocross bike just around the corner, and now our MXGP insider Adam Wheeler says Ducati is preparing a 450 motocross effort. Things are popping off everywhere, new bikes, teams, races, and series'. It appears this industry has some real momentum behind it. That means a lot more traveling for me, but I’ll take it compared to the dark days of 2020, when we didn’t even know if we would have any racing anywhere anymore. Now we’re off to Unadilla and the start of four-straight Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross rounds. It never stops!

Back For More (Weigandt)

We also have a new twist here with so many riders returning from injury this weekend. I can’t remember a motocross season quite like this, as Dylan Ferrandis, Malcolm Stewart and Dean Wilson will all return to the 450 class. Stewart and Wilson bumped fill-in rider Shane McElrath off of the Rockstar Husky team, but Shane quickly joined Muc-Off/FXR ClubMX Yamaha, so he’s still racing. Plus Cameron McAdoo is back in the 250s and Ryder DiFrancesco will move back into the pro ranks as well. The field is actually getting deeper as we hit the final stretch. Plus, knowing how Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing operates, I don’t think they brought Ferrandis back just to show off the number-one plate. They would love for Dylan to get in there and steal some points from Chase Sexton. Can he get back up to that pace within four races? It’s going to make this season that much more intriguing.

Hear from Cameron McAdoo and Malcolm Stewart in our First Look video: 

PRO PERSPECTIVE (Jason thomas)

We’re back! After two weekends off, the series now begins its four week stretch to the finish. The break was much needed and surely appreciated, but the riders will fall back into their routine from here. The time off and lack of travel is nice but it also can dictate more work throughout the week to make up for missing the weekend’s racing. It’s a double edged sword but I don’t think anyone could complain too much after eight months of racing under their belts.

Now is the time to get focused and really put in one’s best effort. The finish line is in sight and there will be plenty of time in September and October to regroup. Many riders make the mistake of “going through the motions” in these final few races. Some don’t realize they are even doing it but their intensity has dropped off, their focus is elsewhere, and their results suffer. As we inch ever closer to the final moto in Pala, there will be opportunities to get a best result as many will become distracted. For some, the fight begins to fade due to fatigue and complacency. For others, they will see this as a chance to push their name higher in the results column. Let’s see who chooses which as these final few weekends play out.

First Rodeo (Mitch Kendra)

Well, my first visit to the Loretta Lynn’s Ranch is in the books! I was eyeballing the 2023 event as my first go at the Ranch, but after a few nudges from the Racer XOnline gang, I made a last-minute decision to head to this year’s event. When I say last minute, I mean it: I bought my plane tickets on Friday at 1 a.m. Eastern and then left on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. Eastern. It does not get any more last-minute than that! In the midst of a long, taxing year already, I volunteered for a full week of long days in the Tennessee heat. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, which was both exciting and worrisome at the same time. I knew I would be going to watch motocross racing, so needless to say I was looking forward to it! I knew the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship was a big event, but then I saw it in person. Holy moly! Pit bikes and golf carts are flying by full speed at all times of the day and night, and there are so many RVs, trucks, and camping setups that I was truly blown away. Oh and then there is lot four and five you have to drive to in order to see the rest of the camping?! It was unreal!

Like the riders seeing their race bibs for the first time, I too was in awe when I got my media bib (And no, it was not because of the number—which I was given, I did NOT ask for haha). Getting this bib reminded me that I have come a long way in this industry since first starting with Racer X less than a handful of years ago. But just like the competitors on the track, I still have more to prove and work toward. I went out and watched the action on and off the course, took photos, talked to riders, and met with industry members, shared some stories, drinks, and laughs, and tried to soak it all in. As you have probably heard, everyone at The Ranch all week has highs and lows. Things do not always go your way, but I tried to control what I could each day and take mental notes. “The next time I will do X better,” and “Y really worked well.” Everything is about learning and adapting for the future. Overall, a week there was an insightful experience in many ways. I am glad I bought that ticket. …but maybe not as late as I did.

The old sayings are that life is not just about the things you experience, but the people you experience them with. I cannot say thank you enough to everyone who helped me throughout the long week, whether it was an enthusiastic high five in the middle of a hot day from a fellow video/photo/media member, or words of encouragement, or making sure I had food and water to drink, or a ride getting around the facility. So many genuine people helped me—some I was even meeting for the first time. All in all, I am thankful for the people who made my first week at the Ranch such a memorable experience. I capped off my week by jumping into the creek! Man was that refreshing!

While in reality this event is just really another motocross race, the Loretta Lynn’s experience is so different for every single person there. I was reminded of this first-hand each day. Each person racing at the Ranch is different from the others on the gate in some way. Most racers in the Pro Sport Classes rankings now spent their summers growing up at the Ranch since the first time they rode a minibike. Other riders are making their one and only visit to the Ranch—and at varying ages. Everyone’s story is still so different and that is what makes sports (and life in general, really) so interesting. Everyone is pushing their limits to be the best they can no matter what stage in life they are in, what class they are racing, or whether they have been to the Ranch 10 times or went for the very first time this year. Or if they are simply a media guy at the Ranch for the first time, taking it all in. But hey, we all gathered together for the greatest motocross vacation possible, and we made the best of it.

Check out this great read by EPSN’s Alyssa Roenigk on the 41st annual Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch that headlined the top of their site:

I took so many photos through the week I am still going through them almost a week later. But here are some of my favorites from the Ranch (click on the photos to make them full screen).

The Number – Six (Aaron Hansel)

With the 2022 Monster Energy Amateur Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s in the rearview, another state, Hawaii, has gained entrance to the championship club. The efforts of Hawaii’s own Ryder Bell paid off with championships in the 250 C Limited and 250 C JR. (12-17) Classes, the first ever for a rider from the Aloha State. That leaves just six states that haven’t produced champions at The Ranch yet, going back to 1982: Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont. Hey, maybe next year!

2023 Yamaha YZ450F (Keefer)

The long awaited new YZ450F was released Wednesday, and we put up a ton of content about the new bLU cRU machine. With an all-new engine, chassis, rider triangle, and even a new Yamaha Power Tuner App, this machine is going to take a while to break down once we get our hands on it. However, it looks like this may be a minute or so as Yamaha tells us that we may not be able to ride the new YZ450F until late September so everyone just chill down. It is interesting to hear such comments as, "Eli said it was almost as fast as his Star Racing Yamaha in stock form," and, "if this bike wasn't that great the chances of Eli signing another year deal was not great." These comments are just some of the things I heard from some key Yamaha people the past week or so. Also, just note this 2023 Yamaha YZ450F was a little late and should have been introduced in 2022, but the pandemic kind of put a hold on that. So for you buyers who are nervous on "first new model year" machines, this bike is kind of like a second year machine because they had some extra time on it. Just food for thought here. Anyway, the burnout level is high right now, but seeing the new 2023 bikes start to arrive in the garage for me to test actually has me re-motivated again after a long, hot week in Tennessee. Look for all your 2023 Yamaha news right here on Racer X or over on Keeferinctesting.com soon! 

ET ON 2023 (Matthes)

Further to what Keefer wrote about the 2023 Yamaha YZ450F, I texted back and forth with Eli Tomac about this and yes, he confirmed he was not going to re-sign with Yamaha for another year until he rode the new bike. Keefer could probably talk about this process a bit more, but he might get yelled at. 

So anyway, Yamaha drove the bike to his Flying T Ranch, had a stock bike there for photos, and then had another bike there with some small mods for SX. They had Kyle Chisholm shake it down for them (Kyle also did the photos for them there for PR) to make sure it was good for Eli. The next day Tomac rode the bike and was very stoked with the new model and decided to re-up for 2023 (SX-only). Eli also told me how stoked he was that they kept the cable clutch on the bike which to me, might explain why Yamaha is making a separate hydraulic unit for sale through GYTR. Perhaps the R&D department wanted the hydraulic on there, the company knew Eli greatly preferred the cable one (like, GREATLY) and so this was the compromise? I wonder. Either way, good news for fans of Yamaha and Eli Tomac, right?

Listen to Kyle Chisholm, one of the few riders in the world to have time on the new bike (in MX and SX) talk about his thoughts on the bike, setting it up for ET, and more here in the Renthal Reaction podcast.