Welcome to Racerhead, and welcome to what's been the most significant week in any off-season that I can remember. And even more specifically, a single day of news unlike any I can recall: Tuesday, October 4, 2022. That was when we got a double dose of big news, both good and bad, and sad.
The first message I received early Tuesday morning came from a friend at NBC asking for some kind of quote about Loretta Lynn. I wasn't really sure what he was looking for—and then I got another text, and another. It didn't take any more to realize that the “Coal Miner's Daughter” herself, the Queen of Country Music and the hostess of the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship since 1982, had passed away. Loretta Lynn was 90 years old, and she had one epic journey through life, going from a dirt-poor existence in Butcher Hollow in Kentucky to the very pinnacle of success in music. Her story was the basis for the biographical, Oscar-winning film Coal Miner's Daughter, which catapulted her even further into the stratosphere of fame when it was released in 1980. To that point in her life, Loretta had absolutely nothing to do with motocross racing.
That would change in August of 1981 when Loretta and her husband, Mooney, met my dad, Big Dave. We were on the way home from the Ponca City NMA Grand Nationals in Oklahoma. Dad had the gears in his head churning with the idea of a new AMA Youth/Amateur National that would replace the old nomadic ones that moved around the country from year to year, never really gaining the traction of big events like Ponca City, the World Mini Grand Prix at Saddleback, and the Mini Olympics in Florida. His idea was for a centrally located venue that would only host one race a year in order to remain a neutral, even playing field. He also envisioned it at some kind of campground or amusement park–type setting so it wouldn't have to rely on holding other racing events throughout the year. Dad's future partner in the event, Paul Shlegel, suggested that he stop at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. He did, liked what he saw, and then went up and knocked on the door at the front office and asked to speak with Loretta. That did not happen—this was the height of Loretta's fame, as the movie was still in theaters—but Dad got lucky. Mooney Lynn happened to come by the office. They immediately hit it off, and before we got back on the road home to West Virginia, they had an agreement to give the big race a try.
Forty-one years later, the Loretta Lynn's AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship remains the single biggest amateur motocross program in the world, with 64 rounds of nationwide Area and Regional qualifying and close to 27,000 entries this year alone (and the race week is still the only time in the year that a motorcycle gets out on the ranch track). As a result, Loretta Lynn's name became synonymous with amateur motocross, and she remained a frequent visitor to the event right until this past summer. She even performed a few times after riders' meeting, with my dad playing bass guitar behind her with her usual band. And last year, she joined my dad once again, this time in her induction into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame for her contributions to our sport over four decades. Needless to say, she was already in pretty much every music hall of fame that exists.
When Big Dave passed away in 1998 on the day that year's race started, many thought that would be the end of Loretta Lynn's as far as motocross goes. Fortunately, they were wrong, and the race went on that year and every year since. Now there are comments that with Loretta herself passing, this might spell the end as well. It won't. Her grandson Anthony Brutto has been managing the ranch for years now, and he's not only a huge fan of motocross, he's a rider himself. The Loretta Lynn's AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, her namesake event, will continue for many years to come, honoring her memory and legacy in the sport of motocross. She was a fine lady, a gracious host, and an amazing talent. Godspeed, Loretta, and thank you.
Now fast-forward the clock a few hours and move west from Hurricane Mills (where Loretta is being buried today) to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the planned announcement of the new collaboration between AMA Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross, as well as Feld Motorsports and MX Sports Pro Racing, the 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship. As I mentioned last Friday, I knew I was going to miss it because I had a previous engagement—marrying Sabrina and heading off on our honeymoon in Maine—but I was able to watch cohosts Jason Weigandt and Daniel Blair team up for the first time to roll out the big news. Lots of current and former stars were on hand at the place where motocross and supercross first came together, way back in 1972 with the birth of what was called the Superbowl of Motocross. (And yes, Superbowl as one word, not Super Bowl, because that's how the race's creator Michael Goodwin was able to get around the NFL's trademark on the name.) Here's Weege's recap of the introduction, as well as some feedback from some of the riders...
Included in the news is the fact that both SX and MX will be together on both the NBC family of networks and back on Peacock, which was my favorite part of the whole announcement, because after this past summer's unfortunate streaming debacle(s), we're back on a solid, proven, and inexpensive platform. And unlike previous years with Peacock, there will be international streaming options available. The total of $10 million in prize money across the board was very good news too. The '23 SX and Pro Motocross events were also announced, with the most significant part of that probably being the fact that there will be only 11 rounds, as we worked with Feld and the teams to only increase the calendar by a single event, and we had one to spare with the second Pala race at Fox Raceway, which we had hoped might move in '22 but it ended up not happening. The '23 MX series will end at Ironman in Indiana, just as it used to.
AMA Pro Motocross Championship Schedule
2023 Motocross Schedule
- MotocrossFox Raceway Saturday, May 27
- MotocrossHangtown Motocross Classic Saturday, June 3
- MotocrossThunder Valley Saturday, June 10
- MotocrossHigh Point Saturday, June 17
- MotocrossRedBud Saturday, July 1
- MotocrossSouthwick Saturday, July 8
- MotocrossSpring Creek Saturday, July 15
- MotocrossWashougal Saturday, July 22
- MotocrossUnadilla Saturday, August 12
- MotocrossBudds Creek Saturday, August 19
- MotocrossIronman Saturday, August 26
Beyond that, the week had the usual "silly season" moves, including Christian Craig landing a full-time 450 ride with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna as well as a new Fox Racing clothing deal, Stilez Robertson joining Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, and Colt Nichols possibly joining Team Honda as the replacement for Ken Roczen, who parted with the team last week. The leaves the last big question of the silly season the biggest one of all: Where will Roczen land? Well, he has personal deals (or "unicorn" deals) with both Red Bull and Fox Racing that will pay him very well regardless of where he goes, but they can also be problematic when it comes to teams that already energy drink or clothing deals in place. As I wrote here before, I thought Roczen and Honda still might be able to work it out, but when Mitch Payton told us at the MXoN that he was building a Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke for Kenny to ride at Red Bull Straight Rhythm next weekend, my hunch disappeared. Now, with the news that Larry Brooks will be the new team manager for Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki, is it possible that Roczen returns to yellow in 2023? That's just speculation on my part, but Brooks has proven over the years that he is very good at getting the most out of veteran riders, so stay tuned.
As for Colt Nichols, he was supposed to be on a Yamaha this weekend in Cardiff, Wales, for the start of the other big development happening in this one-week flurry of off-season news: the start of the new World Supercross Championship. Nichols had a deal to ride a blue bike for Rick Ware's team in the two-race series, but after not getting himself dialed enough after missing almost all but three or four laps of the 2022 season, he decided to stay home. He also apparently got a call from Team Honda about possibly taking over the second 450 slot on the team after Roczen's departure. From what I understand, he has not tested the bike or signed a contract, but he did meet with the team at their test track in California.
Over in Cardiff, Roczen is riding a Honda, and he will be joined on the line for this new endeavor by 2022 AMA Supercross and 450 Pro Motocross Champion Eli Tomac, who is doing this first round as a wild card. The veteran Chad Reed is also over there to compete, as is Justin Brayton. The race will be shown on Fox Sports 1 on Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern, then the event will be available on demand to stream on WSX.TV 24 hours after its airing on FS1. It's a new format and a new twist on a world supercross championship, which goes back to the mid-eighties with the Rodil Cup, the late nineties with the World Championship (remember the Rose Bowl race?), and then the early '00s (and for 20 years) alongside Monster Energy AMA Supercross. Good luck to all.
Now back to the honeymoon, see you at the races!
And check out some shots of the early LA Coliseum races:
What a Week (Jason Weigandt)
Aren’t we supposed to be catching our breath once the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations ends? Instead, we’re catching another darned gear in this industry, with so much news and excitement rolling in at once. This centers on FIM World Supercross launching this weekend in Wales (we’ve got Steve Matthes and Tom Journet there to get the vibes) as well as the press conference and details on the SuperMotocross World Championship, which held a press conference at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Tuesday. Yesterday, I wrote about how we got here with these two new championships, which might clear things up if you’re confused.
I got to host the Tuesday press event in Los Angeles alongside Daniel Blair, who I’ve known forever but never formally worked with outside of podcasts and PulpMX appearances together. Big thanks to the Feld Motorsports group for asking us to cohost this press conference. I haven’t been to the Los Angeles Coliseum since X Games a dozen years ago, and it looks a lot better than it did back then. The stadium underwent a $300 million restoration in 2019, and not only does it boast modern amenities like giant screens and a really nice press box, but the surrounding area is looking a lot better than it used to. We made a lot of jokes about Jeff Stanton going for a jog around the stadium during the L.A. riots in 1992, but downtown L.A. has evolved quite a bit since then—so much so that I decided to do my own “Stanton 92” run through downtown on Tuesday morning. I jogged four miles through Los Angeles, and I’m still here to type about it.
Another cool note is that today’s Los Angeles Coliseum general manager, Joe Furin, was actually in attendance at the first Superbowl of Motocross back in 1972! He was just a local kid and the idea of dirt bikes in a stadium seemed crazy, so he and his family checked it out. Fifty years later he’s running the place!
After the presser, Blair and I continued our bromance and headed to Huntington Beach to check out the construction of the Red Bull Straight Rhythm track. If you’re anywhere near there next weekend, come watch the race—it should be really good. Also, it airs on ESPN+ live. See you there.
Weege and Blair x Blox MotoX
One point I’ve been making since the announcement of this SuperMotocross deal is that the teams and industry people are extremely excited. Back in July I hosted KTM’s dealer summit, and the North American president of the KTM group, John Hines, was begging me to leak the news because he was so excited about it. Roger De Coster, at Washougal, told me it was the biggest news in the history of the sport. Bruce Stjernstrom of Kawasaki, who has always advocated for fewer races and a shorter schedule, is 100 percent on board with the SMX. (Listen to this podcast with De Coster and Stjernstrom).
Why are they so pumped? I believe the cooperation between Feld Motorsports and MX Sports adds so much stability and organization to the industry that they’re willing to race for another month. It’s a simple compromise. Also, the cooperation between supercross and motocross will be a boon to the amateur side, bolstering SX Futures and the MX Scouting Combines while keeping Loretta Lynn’s intact. Supercross is amazing, but manufacturers want to sell bikes, and they need to support motocross events (pro and amateur) to do that. Also, it’s a lot easier to communicate with one group instead of two disconnected groups. The team people are very, very excited.
But what about the riders who will have to race another month? For that, they will battle for $5.5 million in the three SMX races. The 450 champion of those three races will make $1 million, and the 250 Champion will make $500,000, which is the general equivalent to a team’s factory title bonus at the regular SX and MX races. Deeper, though, the payouts go well down the list. A bubble main-event privateer can make 25 grand if he ends up 20th in 450 points. Each round will pay down to 30th place in the 450 class (22 riders make the gate but everyone in the LCQ will make purse money).
For one more month of racing, the riders basically stand to make an entire season’s worth of money, which is the reward of racing through October 4. That’s not a bad compromise. Plus, an additional $1.1 million is added to the purse at the regular rounds of Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross, and those races pay all the way down to 40th place.
With SuperMotocross, everyone is working together, from Feld and MX Sports to Peacock to the teams and then the riders. I’ve never seen this type of unification before, and I think this means the best is yet to come. Get all these brains in a room together and who knows what they might come up with next?
More Straight Rhythm Commercials
Roczen and Barcia
Roczen and Barcia part 2
CARDIFF (Matthes)
I'm here on the ground in Wales to cover the first round of the new reimagined WSX series. This is the first stop of two, and today we had two timed practice sessions for the guys. The track is pretty basic—nothing too hard for these dudes—and lap times were in the 48-second range. It's quite an eclectic group of riders, with 40-year-old Chad Reed and Ken Roczen on a privateer-based bike, Tomac's here on his full SX race bike, and riders like Justin Bogle and Shane McElrath are back down on 250s, while Cole Seely is just back. Oh, and Josh Grant is here and racing! See? Quite a potpourri of riders and teams. Catch the fever!
—I asked Roczen in the press conference if he could see himself racing this series full-time in 2023 (rumors are eight rounds starting in July), as he seems to have split from Honda, and he said that he could, but other people tell me he'll put together his own effort and be at Anaheim 1. Roczen's racing under the Honda Genuine Honda Racing team, the old Muc-Off Honda team, and he has his factory mechanic Jordan Troxell with him, but he's got zero factory parts on his bike. Yeah, it's weird, I know.
—Cole Seely took Ryan Breece's #200, so I'm guessing Breece struck back at Seely and he's now running the #14. Pretty funny to me.
—It's gonna take me some time to figure who is what number. It's all over the place, folks. Different numbers, different colors. It's anarchy over here.
Related: 2022 FIM World Supercross Championship Teams & Rider Rosters
—Colt Nichols has pulled out at the last second of the Rick Ware Racing team. Nichols was set to race a Yamaha YZ250F but was not physically ready. He is currently in talks for what will probably be a factory Honda SX-only ride (to replace Roczen), and Ware Racing called Henry Miller, who had about 24-hour notice to pack his bag. When Miller hit the track today, it was the first time he had ridden that bike!
—I was bugging Justin Brayton about racing AMA SX again in 2023, but he says he's done for sure, but he will do the eight-round WSX before hanging it up for good.
—The WSX guys were running around mounting cameras on front fenders, rear fenders—they have one on Vince Friese's bike that points straight up to his helmet. Should be some interesting views on the TV broadcast.
—The Tuff Blox are cardboard! Check out Roczen's IG for a funny way he found out.
—Tomorrow I'll be tweeting stuff from Racer X or PulpMX, so stay tuned for that.
BTW, before I go, here's a photo of the castle that's across the street from me. It's pretty cool. I walked around it yesterday. DC probably knows way more about it than me.
Pros’ Off-season, Test Riders’ Busy Season (Keefer)
When most professional riders are getting their bodies in order for the upcoming 2023 season, we test idiots are ramping up for the busy season. This is the time when I’m deep into the 2023 bike testing season as well as some other Keefer Inc. non-media testing duties I’ve been doing lately. I made it a goal to ride 300 hours this year, and after logging in my time at Glen Helen Raceway today I’m at 224. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but honestly it goes by quick. I am 45 years old now, so recovering is the tough part for me at this point. People always ask me how long I want to do this part of my job, and I always tell them, "As long as my body allows me to!" I’m usually at Glen Helen a couple times a week, plus my backyard of the high desert 2-3 times, so it can be a lot for this old guy, but I love breaking down bikes!
Next weekend we are off to the GOAT Farm for the 2023 Yamaha YZ450F intro, so I will be all jacked up getting to ride some East Coast dirt! Oh, and I guess riding the new Yamaha will be pretty cool too! We will have a video breaking down the new YZ450F as well as a fun tour of the GOAT farm. Let's hope I get some transfer of power sent my way from the GOAT himself (even though he won't be there)! Let me know what kind of tests you guys would want to see more of here. Pretend it's the old days and we’re on the radio and you want to make a song request, except it's in the form of a testing video of some sort. See you all at the track!
Hey, Watch It!
The Monster Army made this longer-form salute to Loretta Lynn after last year's race. It's worth another look in honoring Loretta's memory and her contributions to the motocross world:
Jared Bolton stopped by the WDTV news studio to talk about the final rounds of the GNCC season.
When we posted the news about the Los Angeles Coliseum on Facebook, '91 AMA Supercross Champion Jean-Michel Bayle posted this video of the LASX race he won during that championship season:
Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week
“On Sanibel Island homes are ‘unlivable’ on islands cut off from the mainland, with ‘alligators running around’”—CNN.com
“NEXT: SCOOBY-DOO GOES GAY...Velma Is Officially a Lesbian in New ‘Scooby-Doo’ Film, Years After James Gunn and More Tried to Make Her Explicitly Gay”—Variety.com
"TikTok witches say Tom Brady’s career is over after spells cast by Gisele will end"—SB Nation
"The Chess Cheating Scandal Has Reached The Point Of Butt Scanning"—SB Nation
“22-Year-Old Woman Taped Up and Slashed Nude Tinder Date and Then Ordered Food, Cops Say”—Yahoo News
“Texas high school golf team cancels practice after encountering adult entertainment club's tournament”—Fox News
“American tourist smashes two sculptures in the Vatican”—CNN.com
“KNIGHT MARE Chess ‘cheat’ goes through full body scan at US Championships – including his BUM”—The U.S. Sun
'Cheating' chess champ has rear end body-scanned after sex toy claims...”—CNN
Random Notes
From Scott Cavalari:
howdy. belated congrats on your wedding, and some Loretta info you might find interesting. singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn who passed away today at the age of 90. A great supporter of the military, Lynn performed on several U.S. Navy ships while touring with the USO including USS John F. Kennedy, USS Carl Vinson, and USS Iwo Jima. In 1983, her concert aboard USS Independence off the coast of Lebanon was interrupted when missile fire was spotted over Beirut.
We also saw this post from Dennis Jonon:
I luckily am less than a quarter mile from Straight Rhythm so I was able to break the news with the first photos of it... What a journalist!!! LOL
Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races!