The racing in 2022 was incredible throughout the entire AMA Supercross and Motocross Championships. We saw some great battles at the amateur level both during the qualifying and the premier event, the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, as well as in other forms of racing as well. There were lots of storylines to follow throughout the year between the great back-and-forth battles on the track, first-time winners, riders writing their names in the history books, and some unexpected—and sad—news as well.
We will run through our most popular stories on this website this year. By the way, we’ve excluded posts with clerical information like race and television schedules, results, and points. That stuff is very popular but doesn’t tell the whole story of a season. Below are the stories clicked on most by you, our readers. Thank you for your continued support. See you in 2023!
Ken Roczen Has Decided to Take a Break From 2022 AMA Supercross
Published date: March 8, 2022
Read this original post
This breaking news post came on March 8 when Honda HRC announced Roczen had “decided to take a break from the 2022 AMA Supercross series.” KR94 won the Anaheim 1 Supercross for the fourth time in his 450SX career but then only finished inside the top five in one of the following eight rounds, finishing 1-13-7-13-5-11-8-13-7 in the first nine rounds of the season. Roczen stepped away from racing in order to fully recover from ongoing health issues. Roczen, one of the top competitors on the AMA Supercross and Motocross circuits, attracts a lot of attention from the industry and fans alike, so to see this story as the top post of the year is no surprise. He returned to the gates for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship on May 28, finishing 2-2 for second overall behind his teammate Chase Sexton in what was a 1-2 day for Honda HRC in both the 450cc and 250cc (Lawrence brothers) divisions.
Insight: The Claim Claim
Published date: August 17, 2022
Read this original post
Similar to Roczen, Haiden Deegan attracts a lot of attention, although in a much different place in his career than his elder. Haiden, the son of Metal Mulisha creator and former racer himself Brian Deegan, attracted lots of eyes at Loretta Lynn’s in August. Deegan was a title favorite in his two classes—250 B and Schoolboy 2 (12-17)B/C—but most of the talk turned from his on track performance to an off track situation. Brennan Schofield—a competitor in the 250 B class with Deegan—decided to take advantage of the amateur claiming rule and purchase Deegan’s highly-sought after Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing YZ250F. While Schofield had claimed his competitor’s bike, the claim did not eventually go through, and a lot of rumors started about what happened in the situation. In this post, Jason Weigandt covered several FAQs about the situation. Like Roczen stepping away from racing in supercross was a big deal, this Deegan-Schofield situation was highly talked about online between media publications and social media, so again, not surprising to see this one second on the list.
The Moment: Bam Bamed Again
Published date: May 8, 2022
Read this original post
It is no secret Justin Barcia is an aggressive rider. He always has been, and he always will be. He was given the nickname “Bam Bam” and it’s safe to say he has lived up to that nickname. This post—title “Bam Bamed Again” because of a similar post about two months prior simply titled “Bam Bamed”—explained what happened at the supercross finale in Utah when Barcia had yet another run in with a competitor. At the finale, Malcolm Stewart’s name was added to the list that also included Jason Anderson (Anaheim 1), Justin Bogle (San Diego), and Ken Roczen (Anaheim 2) as Barcia took out the #27 to take over third place in the final 450SX main event of the championship. After the race, the #51 was penalized and fined for his move, dropping from third in the championship standings to fifth.
Updates on Jalek Swoll, Carson Brown, and Colt Nichols After Anaheim 1
Published date: January 9, 2022
Read this original post
A tough write up, this injury post provided updates on several riders following crashes at the 2022 season opener. Colt Nichols, the 2021 250SX East Region Champion, had a gnarly crash in the whoops only a few laps into his heat race. The #45 was pinned up his running bike and suffered two broken arms and significant burns to his backside in the crash.
Moments after Nichols raced, Jalek Swoll suffered a hard, head-first slam to the ground that saw the second 250SX heat race red flagged as the Husqvarna rider was tended to. The Alpinestars medical crew carted Swoll off the track on a stretcher on the back of the medical mule, and the first two gate drops of the night saw brutal crashes.
Carson Brown suffered a crash of his own and had a tooth knocked out—although somehow a track crew worker found and returned the tooth to the #910. Although not an easy or fun piece to write by any means, fans both at the stadium and at home were able to read updates on the trio.
Bogle DQed, Barcia Penalized in San Diego
Published date: January 23, 2022
Read this original post
We mentioned Justin Barcia had a few run ins earlier, this moment at the San Diego Supercross being the second. Barcia rammed into Justin Bogle early in the 450SX main event and Bogle repaid the favor a few minutes later while getting lapped, sending the #51 to the ground as Bogle casually rode away. Bogle, who finished 21st in the provisional results, was disqualified following the race and awarded 0 points on the night. Barcia did get a penalty, although not for his move on Bogle. After remounting, Barcia remounted off the track, grabbed a handful of throttle, and sped alongside the whoops section before returning to the track and the AMA officials deemed his speed while off the track was too fast.
Ken Roczen Chooses 2023 Race Machine
Published date: December 7, 2022
Read this original post
Team switches are always covered in large capacity, especially for the likes of a top 450cc rider. After what seemed to be a mutual split between Honda HRC and Roczen, the German native became a “free agent” and tested a multitude of 450cc motorcycles before making his decision. The HEP Motorsports Suzuki team’s RM-Z450 ended up being the team/bike of choice for Roczen. The official announcement came exactly one month away from the 2023 season opener. Posts about riders switching teams are usually popular by nature, but Roczen, being the huge name he is, paired with the uncertainty of where he would land for next season made this one extra popular as fans and industry insiders alike were fleshing social media waiting for an answer. Usually, the industry knows where riders will land before they become public and official, but this Roczen situation was far from a done deal until it was finally announced.
450 Words: 2023 AMA SX, MX, SMX Schedules
Published date: October 4, 2022
Read this original post
A press event took place at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, on the first Tuesday in October that brought to light some more information on the all-new SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX). The all-new SMX series was announced in August during Loretta Lynn’s as a three-round “playoff style” series that combined the AMA Supercross and Motocross points to form the SuperMotocross World Championship standings and championship finale. At the press event, the 2023 AMA Supercross, Motocross, and three SMX rounds were all announced—although two of the SMX races are still TBD on location and venues. The event also provided insight on the broadcast schedule for the near future, as NBC Sports network signed a five-year agreement to broadcast all 31 SMX (17 SX, 11 MX, and 3 SMX) races starting in 2023.
Ryan Dungey Comes Out of Retirement to Race 2022 Pro Motocross Championship
Published date: April 29, 2022
Read this original post
If you say you had “Ryan Dungey comes out of retirement and races again in 2022” on your bingo card at any point prior to the calendar year 2022, you are straight up lying. Or you are from the future, which is cheating. Somehow, this was a true, accurate headline we posted at the end of April Fool’s month. Dungey in fact came back and raced, finishing fourth in seven out of the 24 motos before finishing sixth in the 450 Class standings. AFTER SIX YEARS OF BEING RETIRED!
Racer X Illustrated Motocross Magazine
The September 2022 Issue
Ryan Dungey’s shock return to Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. A revolution in youth and amateur development. A surprise factory GNCC ride for a day. A hidden gem of off-road motorcycle history, now lost but not forgotten. These features and much more in the September issue of Racer X magazine.
The Moment: Chaos Ensues
Published date: March 13, 2022
Read this original post
In this post, we recapped a wild 450SX main event at the Detroit Supercross that saw Cooper Webb and Chase Sexton collide, Jason Anderson crashing own his own twice only moments apart, Dean Wilson crashing hard, and Dylan Ferrandis’ supercross season coming to an end after he came up short on a jump and jammed his wrist. After Bogle, Barcia, and Anderson each led at one point, Eli Tomac took the checkered flag for his third consecutive main event win in a row. Tomac eventually clicked off five straight wins in a massive points haul on second-place Anderson.
Insight: Honda’s All-New CRF E2 Electric Dirt Bike
Published date: March 8, 2022
Read this original post
Honda teamed with Greenger Powersports to enter the kids electric bike category with the release of the all-new CRF-E2, a lithium-ion battery powered 50cc-sized machine. The KTM Group (KTM, Husqvarna, and GasGas) have kid 50cc-sized electric bikes out to the public now, but this CRF-E2 became Honda’s first kid sized electric bike.
Suzuki Launches 2023 Off-Road Sport DualSport, and Supermoto Motorcycles
Published date: June 2, 2022
Read this original post
A lot of people were wondering if there would be any significant changes to the Suzuki off-road motorcycle models—mostly the RM-Z250 and RM-Z450. The 450cc machine last saw updates in 2018 and has since had the bold new graphic (BNG) updates since. New bikes generate a lot of attention in general, but lots of questions have arisen lately when—or if—Suzuki will update its off-road models. Despite no significant changes to the machine for 2023, Roczen still decided he liked the bike well enough while testing that he decided to sign with the HEP Motorsports Suzuki team for next season. Yes, they still have a kick starter, so please hold those jokes in the comments section.
Honda Releases Statement on its Offer to Ken Roczen
Published date: September 16, 2022
Read this original post
Again, with anything related to Roczen, it is not a shock to see this one on the list. Just one day following Roczen’s comments about his relationship with Honda HRC on James Stewart’s Bubba’s World Podcast, the team shared a press release on their mutual disagreement to reach a contract for 2023. Each story has two sides.
Feld Entertainment Releases Track Layouts for 16 Rounds of 2022 SX
Published date: September 16, 2021
Read this original post
While technically this post went live on our site back in September 2021, it got a lot more traction early in the 2022 supercross season as fans were constantly checking to see the tracks for the upcoming race the following week.
250 Words: Deegan Set to Debut
Published date: August 23, 2022
Read this original post
Another Deegan post, this time focusing on the good as the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider competed in pro-am races at both the Unadilla and Budds Creek Nationals in order to get enough A class points to earn his pro license. Then, Deegan and Star Yamaha announced he would make his pro debut at the Ironman National. There were a lot of eyes on Deegan’s pro debut as some wanted to see him win right away and others wanted to see him fail miserably (shame on you if you are the latter!). He qualified 16th overall in the 250 Class and was inside the top 15 late in moto one when he tried a difficult line in the back section after the Duck’s Truss bridge and slammed to the ground hard. He got up and went to remount his bike but was eventually taken off on the Alpinestars medical cart as a safety precaution. He went down with another rider in the third turn and charged back to finish 24th officially in the second moto, going 34-24 for 31st overall.
3 on 3: Updates for Pro Motocross
Published date: May 5, 2022
Read this original post
This post features several updates on different riders ahead of the 2022 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb struggled significantly in his title defense as he failed to win a single 450SX main event after claiming 19 in 2019, 2020, and 2021 combined (he won the title in ’19 and ’21). Webb decided to sit out Pro Motocross as a break mentally and physically.
It was also announced that Roczen, who sat out the second half of supercross in order to recover physically, would be competing in Pro Motocross. The post also covered the situations for several others: Dylan Ferrandis (injured in supercross); Joey Savatgy (torn ACL in his knee early in supercross), Adam Cianciarulo (shoulder injury and torn ACL in his knee during supercross); Shane McElrath (joining the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team as a fill-in after the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS team folded up late in supercross); and Max Anstie (who was also stuck without a ride following the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC team’s collapse).
Between the Motos: John Tomac
Published date: May 17, 2022
Read this original post
Steve Matthes managed to get John Tomac (Eli’s father) onto the PulpMX Show during the break between supercross and motocross, and John gave great insight onto Eli’s switch from Kawasaki to Yamaha. Lots of people were shocked upon learning Tomac made the switch to BluCru, but it paid off with a 450SX #1 plate. Props to Matthes for getting a hold of John Tomac and getting some questions answered on the switch. Mr. Tomac also shares a great story about when a Japanese engineer came to the test track and put a throttle sensor on his machine for data and insight on his riding. John Tomac told Matthes:
“He’s like, ‘Okay, let’s go do some moto laps.’ The guy comes back to the shop, downloads the data, and he’s like, ‘Oh, my god.’ I’m like, ‘What’s up?’ He’s like, ‘90 percent wide open the whole lap! Never seen this before!’”
American Dream Not Over Yet for Jeffrey Herlings
Published date: May 2, 2022
Read this original post
Another story we ran prior to the start of Pro Motocross, as 2021 FIM Motocross World Champion Jeffrey Herlings was possibly seeking an opportunity to come to the U.S. and compete in the U.S.-based Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Herlings has suffered a serious foot injury in the preseason during the team photo shoot and was out of the MXGP championship after missing the start of the season. With Antonio Cairoli checking off a “bucket list” item as he was set to compete in a handful of Pro Motocross races, fans were hoping to see Herlings come and race in the U.S. as well alongside his former teammate. Herlings went 1-1-1 for the 450 overall win in his sole Pro Motocross race in August 2017. Unfortunately, Herlings was not able to come race in the U.S. in the long run.
The List: 2022 250SX Team Guide
Published date: January 8, 2022
Read this original post
This post was a complete, in-depth look at the rosters for each team in the 250SX divisions of Monster Energy AMA Supercross. Usually everyone knows what is happening in the premier class and with the top riders and teams, but this post covered some of the 250SX changes that might have slipped under the radar during the off-season.
450 Words: Ken Roczen “I am a Free Agent”
Published date: May 8, 2022
Read this original post
The pre-curser to the article several paragraphs prior titled “Honda Releases Statement on its Offer to Ken Roczen,” this was a writeup Kellen Brauer did when Stewart’s Bubba’s World Podcast episode with Roczen dropped and the news became official of the split between he and Honda HRC.
The List: 2023 Top 100 AMA Numbers
Published date: May 8, 2022
Read this original post
Each year, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) tallies total points earned by each rider in both classes in AMA Supercross and Motocross to combine a list of total points on the year. This total points list helps determine the national numbers (top 99) for the following season. Riders that won titles have the option to pick career numbers as everyone inside the top 100 shuffles into their number that matches where they finished in the overall points standings from that completed season. This post covered the official 2023 national numbers list—provided directly from the AMA—as well as some insight on the defending champions (who will run #1 and who will not), new career numbers for 2023 and other career number situations, riders who went from triple digits into the double-digit national numbers list for the first time, and any riders who earned the same national number they ran in 2022 again for 2023 despite it not being a career number. Study and refer back to this list when the Anaheim 1 Supercross comes around in order to stay up to speed when the riders take to the track for the first time in 2023. These national numbers can also be a fun quiz to test your family and friends’ knowledge on the current field.
The Moment: Decoding the Drama
Published date: January 11, 2022
Read this original post
Jason Weigandt goes into depth following a run in between Malcolm Stewart and Marvin Musquin in the Anaheim 1 Supercross 450SX main event. The two shared words about the incident following the completion of the race. While at first it seemed like Stewart was just going off, Weigandt explains his rant to Musquin shows how much the Florida native cares about racing and wanting to get better results.
Christian Craig Confirms Departure from Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
Published date: September 16, 2022
Read this original post
On March 31, Steve Matthes tweeted some breaking news about Christian Craig while CC was in the middle of his 250SX West Region Championship run: “I believe we’ll see [Christian] Craig to Rockstar Husky for 2023.” Not an April Fool’s day joke, we ran a breaking news post about this significant team switch. Craig went on to win the #1W title, then race the 450 Class of Pro Motocross before confirming he would be leaving Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing midway through September. On October 4, it was officially announced Craig had joined Husqvarna in a two-year deal.
Big Changes to Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Team
Published date: April 7, 2022
Read this original post
As mentioned previously, the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS team shut down in the latter half of supercross. The day before the St. Louis Supercross, we learned the team had officially lost its long-time title sponsor Rocky Mountain. Forrest Butler of Butler Brothers MX (BBMX) owned the team but without title sponsor Rocky Mountain, the team did not any of the remaining SX races this year. The BBMX team did eventually return for Pro Motocross, although with several changes to its program.
Open Mic: Roczen Situation
Published date: December 1, 2022
Read this original post
One of the most recent posts on this list, Jason Weigandt got a hold of Ken Roczen’s agent Steve Astephen to clear up the rumors about the German native and drug tests it was rumored he declined to take.
Introducing the Newest Electric Motorcycle: The Flux Primo
Published date: April 20, 2022
Read this original post
Following the Stark Varg electric motorcycle and the all-new Honda x Greenger Powersports CRF-E2 electric kid bike, the Flux Primo was announced in late April. Again, new bikes—electric or not—typically pull in a lot of attention.
The List: 2022 Motocross of Nations Team Rosters
Published date: September 8, 2022
Read this original post
This List provided the team rosters for the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations set for RedBud MX. Country rosters and rider numbers helped get fans ready for the first MXoN event on home turf since 2018.
450 Words: Yamaha Announces All-New YZ450F Model
Published date: August 10, 2022
Read this original post
Yamaha announced a new generation of the YZ450F that has significant changes. New bikes are usually popular amongst the industry and fans alike, especially this Japanese machine that saw significant changes for the first time in a few years.
![2023 Yamaha YZ450F]()
2023 Yamaha YZ450F Yamaha ![2023 Yamaha YZ450F]()
2023 Yamaha YZ450F Yamaha ![2023 Yamaha YZ450F]()
2023 Yamaha YZ450F Yamaha
Monster Energy Kawasaki Confirms Riders for 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship
Published date: August 4, 2022
Read this original post
Just two days after the announcement of the all-new SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX), Kawasaki put out a press release announcing its roster for the new season. With Jason Anderson and Adam Cianciarulo both returning to the team again for 2023 and the only change to the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team for ’23 would be Ryder DiFrancesco moving into the pro ranks, Team Green wasted no time confirming its returning roster for the new season and all-new SMX championship. Despite minimal changes, usually teams wait until after October 1 date in order to announce their upcoming team changes—small or large—so this announcement came much earlier than normal.
MX Sports Pro Racing Releases Statement on Passing of Coy Gibbs
Published date: November 7, 2022
Read this original post
Coy Gibbs, the son of Joe Gibbs and Vice Chairman and Chief Operation Officer (COO) of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and the former owner of JGRMX, passed away on the weekend his son Ty claimed the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. Everyone in the industry from rivaling competitors to JGRMX, to former JGRMX team riders, insiders, and more shared their thoughts on one of the most genuine people inside the pits.
