Glendale will also be another 250SX West Region round, which means the younger Lawrence brother will be on the red bike with the red plate. Which leads me to this cool little gem that @Fowlersfacts Clinton Fowler pointed out: Jett Lawrence, RJ Hampshire, and Cameron McAdoo have finished 1-2-3 in four of the five 250SX West rounds this season: Anaheim 1, San Diego, Oakland, and Seattle. The race where this same podium did not happen was the Triple Crown event at Anaheim 2, where Levi Kitchen won, Jett was second, and Stilez Robertson third.

If that sounds familiar, it might be because we've seen something similar, and even more of a pattern, twenty years ago. In the 2003 AMA Supercross Championship, each of the last six rounds—St. Louis, Houston, Pontiac, Irving, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas—ended the exact same way: 1.) Chad Reed; 2.) Ricky Carmichael; 3.) Ernesto Fonseca. Riding for Team Honda, Carmichael was the defending champion and had a 25-point lead after winning Daytona. He was then confronted with a very motivated Reed, who had won two of the first ten rounds leading up to the St. Louis race and the beginning of the stretch run. Riding for Team Yamaha, Reed went on a tear over the last six rounds. Carmichael seemed unable to stem the tide, but he didn't need to—that 25-point lead meant he could finish second throughout the rest of the 16-race series and still have a seven-point lead at the end. And that's exactly what he did—stack up seconds to Reed's wins and keep his title. It would turn out to be the longest losing streak of his SX career, or at least once he started winning in 2001.

Coincidentally, Carmichael would go on to dominate the 250 Pro Motocross Championship on his RC250, though he did drop a couple of close ones to the Factory Connection Honda CRF450 of Kevin Windham. But then he got hurt before the start of the 2004 AMA Supercross Championship, ending his title run at three in a row. The man who replaced him? Chad Reed. The same man who had his number in the '03 stretch run. 

Of course with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's McAdoo out for this weekend due to a training crash, we will have a different 250 podium. But if Jett Lawrence keeps going, and his brother Hunter keeps doing likewise in the East, Honda may be in for their best season ever in this class, certainly for Team Honda. However, the brand itself has had the best year ever for the team. That's because in 1991, when everyone was still on 125s, Team Honda basically farmed out 125cc racing to Mitch Payton's Pro Circuit shop, and he in turn found a big sponsor in PEAK Anti-Freeze. Riding blue-and-white CR125s, Mitch's riders—Jeremy McGrath, Steve Lamson, Jeromy Buehl, and the late Brian Swink—won 13 main events in what was an 18-round series. Michigan's Swink and California's McGrath won five apiece, as well as the 125 East and West Region titles, respectively, and Ohio's Buehl won three and was runner-up in the East. As for Lamson, he did not win a race that season, finishing third in the West behind Jeremy and Yamaha's Jeff Emig. However, Lammy would go on to become one of the best 125cc motocrossers of all time (and he and McGrath and Emig would make up the Team USA that dominated the '96 Motocross of Nations in Spain).

As of right now the Lawrence brothers have a combined nine wins in 11 rounds to date, in a series of only 17 total rounds, with six yet to be run, to match or better the '91 PEAK/Pro Circuit Honda team's success. 

Jason Weigandt is out there in Glendale, where he will be co-hosting Race Day Live and also doing some live floor-announcing throughout the afternoon and evening, so let's start with him...

And Happy Easter everyone!

Dream (Tag) Team (Weigandt)

Thanks, Davey. Well, my entire life has led to this. A dozen years ago I adopted a promising rookie 450 supercross racer named Justin Brayton as “my guy.” This was mostly because he was on JGR and lived in North Carolina, so we were on flights together weekly. He was underrated by most, but I knew he had that something special and was going places in life. Those “places” ended up being the exact places I was going, culminating with both of us announcing this weekend’s race from Glendale from the floor together. Yes, we’ll both be on the Race Day Live show on Peacock Saturday, and then during the night show we’ll be talking along with Dan Hubbard. This is just the way life works, people.

As a bonus, this means I get to be in a ton of meetings and conference calls this week with JB, as well as a few other guys who have raced here and there, like Ricky Carmichael or Jason Thomas or Daniel Blair. Blah, blah, blah, how many Paris Supercrosses have those guys won? Australian Supercross Championships? Yeah, exactly.

The bench-racing is epic right now because the season is amazing. You’ve got a tie between two battle-proven riders in Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb. Webb has always been clutch and is someone who thrives with mind games and pressure. Tomac simply went out and went 1-1 in a winner-take-all finale last summer, so he’s proven himself under fire, for sure. Yet somehow, some way, we still have a ton of other riders still in this and believing they can win races. Could Chase Sexton, Justin Barcia, Ken Roczen, Aaron Plessinger, and Jason Anderson win on Saturday? Absolutely. This is nuts. Heck, Brayton even feels like we’re being a little quick to assume Sexton is out of contention. One good night for him—and we all know Sexton can win at any time—and a few of those other spoilers getting in between could make Sexton a title player again. Especially if he gets on a win streak, which, again, we all know is possible.

Other thoughts this week? Well, we’ve got Triple Crown madness this weekend followed by open stadiums for the rest of the year. Could we get weirdo weather and results at some point? Definitely. It’s gonna be a wild stretch run, and I think we haven’t even seen all the scenarios unfold yet.

Glendale is just the start. I know Brayton and I are gonna have a good time. You should come check it out!

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

After a much-needed weekend off, we are back! Glendale is one of the more appreciated rounds of the series. Great weather, consistent dirt, a huge State Farm Stadium floor, and Triple Crowns. What a time to be alive! There isn't much to dislike about this round and I, for one, am excited to get back to it.

For the riders, they have likely been doing a ton of prep for the looming AMA Pro Motocross Championship. They have spent countless hours testing over the last 10 days and will be adding a day or two of motocross riding from here until the series opener. It's a transition period for everyone and I feel for the mechanics more than anyone. Maintaining two separate motorcycles (SX and outdoor), going through the testing process, and trying to find the energy to go racing is more than I care to experience myself.

I am often asked how riders balance the training side of this transition. The specific fitness needed for motocross is simply different than supercross. The basics are similar but the muscle fatigue, ability to manage excessive heat, and the duration of exertion are all markedly different. Supercross is more about technique and the high end of cardiovascular limits. Motocross is more about overall strength and a "how much pain can you take" mentality. The torture test that muscles endure during a Pro Motocross event takes time to prepare for. That work is being done now, leaning on the base fitness that riders already possess. They will be lengthening their bicycle rides, putting in more weight workouts, and exposing themselves to hotter temperatures (think riding at the hottest times of the day versus first thing in the morning). Whatever can be done to create the toughest, most versatile version of yourself is the goal. Pro Motocross is a summer long test of body and will. The only way to hope to succeed is through diligent preparation. That work started last week even though round one is still far on the horizon. Saddle up, motocross is coming!

Nashville SX Note

Feld Motor Sports and MX Sports have partnered to hold a celebration of The Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship and its late country music namesake Loretta Lynn at the upcoming Nashville Supercross on April 29. The event will be held at Nissan Stadium, which is close to Loretta Lynn's home in Hurricane Mills. An exclusive promotion has invited every athlete who has ever raced at Loretta Lynn's over the past four decades to be part of the special afternoon of racing and commemorate the Lynn family's contributions to the sport.

Read more information

Silly Season (Matthes)

I put some of this on the Twitter the other day but thought I'd share here as well. The talks for 2024 have been going on for a long time now, sometimes before 2023 even started! Lots of riders have their deals up for next year and the people I talk to seem to think that Eli Tomac is holding a lot of things up. If Tomac wants to race in 2024, that'll affect Cooper Webb's decision and so on and so forth. Here's what we kind of know and/or is rumored so far:

Eli Tomac: will retire or race for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing in 2024

Justin Barcia: new two-year deal for Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas

Cooper Webb: stay at KTM or ride for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing. Word is Kawasaki has reached out as well

Adam Cianciarulo: contracted with Kawasaki for 2024

Jo Shimoda: Honda HRC in 250 class

Levi Kitchen: Red Bull KTM for 250 class

Chase Sexton: Red Bull KTM for 2024

RJ Hampshire: re-signing with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna

WSX (Matthes)

The guys at the FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) have released some of the names for the upcoming 2023 series and it includes Joey Savatgy and Shane McElrath (250) for the Rick Ware team, Dilan Schwartz (250) & Kyle Chisholm for Pipes Motorsport (aka HEP Motorsports Suzuki), Justin Hill for BUD Racing, and Dean Wilson. Expect Justin Brayton to ride for the Firepower Honda team, Cole Seely, Vince Friese, Mitchell Oldenburg for MCR to be announced soon as well. Doesn't look like there will be the star power of an Eli Tomac or Ken Roczen this year for the WSX series and so we'll see if that translates into fan interest for the guys. I'll be honest, it's a tough look for the series to not have higher profile names out there but maybe there will be someone else, who we can't think of, announced and maybe the actual racing will be better. But the additional interest for the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) (not to mention the increased money) by the USA promoters has seemed to work for 2023 and not as many riders that I talk to are as interested to commit. I'll still be watching and following it, more racing is always better, but clearly the WSX team have an uphill battle for the stars of the sport.

New Mag Drop (DC)

The new Racer X magazine dropped this week and it's got that notorious cover that Matthes and Weege mentioned—the one of Hunter Lawrence tangling with Nate Thrasher at the Daytona SX, shot by Adam Merrow from Align Media. (Congrats on your first cover, Adam!). This is the shot I showed Hunter in the tunnel below Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and he rolled his eyes and gave me one of those "Really?" looks, but hey, a cover is a cover, and this one illustrates what's been an incredibly exciting season, as well as a very good one so far for the Lawrence brothers. 

And if it looks a little familiar that's because three years ago we had a similar shot of a moment of contact involving then 250 class riders Christian Craig and Dylan Ferrandis. And if you go even further back there was the classic Tony D. and the Jammer cover photo, from a 1974 500 National in Ohio, shot by Charlie Morey of Cycle News fame, that must be considered one of the best motocross photos of all time. 

As far as the rest of the magazine goes, there's the inside story of Travis Pastrana's Daytona 500 adventure, Steve Matthes' "Privateer Math" feature on how guys like Justin Starling, Josh Cartwright, Alex Nagy, and more fund their racing, and "The Fast and the Damned," which is about the rivalry between MXGP heroes Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser and how they have an unfortunate tendency for one or the other to be injured, like Herlings all of last season, and Gajser this season, both due to off-season injuries. It coincides with Herlings' having just reached his 100th Grand Prix win, one less than the all-time record of 101 held by Stefan Everts. (Andrew Fredrickson and I recorded a Racer X Readout, presented by Renthal, of this feature which you can listen to with your subscription.) 

Look for the latest issue in your mailbox or on the newsstands soon or get yourself a digital subscription and read the new issue of Racer X magazine right now.

Mad Skills Kits (David Langran)

If you’re a fan of the popular moto game Mad Skills Motocross 3, check out their new Weekly Gear Drop feature, where they will be releasing new gear sets every week designed by our own art director David “Langers” Langran. Gear Drop #1 is now available for all Pro Pass Elite subscribers, or they can be picked up in the in-game shop. If you don't have the Monthly Pro Pass Elite subscription already, snag it in-game to receive every gear set in every color as soon as they are released (each gear drop will have two or three color options). There may even be a Racer X gear set in the works!

RIP THE SHERIFF (Matthes)

Sad news with the word that Josh Demuth has passed away after a riding accident. Demuth had a great career in winning Arenacross titles and being a top ten rider in supercross and motocross for many years. Plus he was a lap or two away from winning the U.S. Open one year as well, which would've been a huge upset. I've known Josh for a while and as he got more and more tattoos, some people might have thought he looked scary or wasn't a nice guy, but that couldn't be further from the truth. He was always a nice dude, very polite and a ton of talent on a dirt bike. There's also a lot of stories of hanging out with Demuth late at night after races. Josh lived hard on and off the track. We did a podcast a few years ago where I felt like he was trying to not get into that too much, he loved his kids and loved being a dad. My memory of the Sheriff will always be of a really nice guy and a very talented dirt bike racer. RIP to Josh.

Andre Malherbe: Namur Forever (DC)

The early capitol of the motocross world must be the Citadel in Namur, Belgium. It's the sand of a grand castle fortress, first built in the medieval times. As in the 900s, which means some 1100 years ago. The Citadel hovers above two rivers that meet in the city of Namur and is considered sacred ground to the Belgians. And especially Belgian motocrossers. From 1947 through 2007, the Circuit de le Citadel at Namur was host to some of the biggest motocross races in Europe. Grand Prix races and Motocross and Trophee des Nations events were run upon what is basically a national park, as if we here in America were holding a race around Yorktown, the Alamo, or Gettysburg. The massive track went up, down, around and sometimes even over the ramparts, roads ,and cliffs that line the whole fortress. They even race down the cobblestone streets (later paved) in front of the legendary Chalet du Monument (or Cafe), which is where Hakan Carlqvist famously stopped on the last lap and chugged a beer with the crowd while winning the last Grand Prix of his career. Our friend Rob Andrews raced there in the 1980s while on the 500cc Grand Prix circuit and wrote about his experiences for his book The Inside Line. He allowed us to excerpt it in Racer X magazine, complete with what a lap around this amazing track was like.

The race around the Circuit de le Citadel was unlike any other in motocross, but it was also a very costly endeavor. As the years went by so did the demands of local authorities in making sure minimal damage was done to the grounds. There was also a space issue and television challenges that made it a difficult stop for the series organizer Youthstream (now Infront Moto Racing). And so in 2007 Namur hosted what seems in all likelihood like it's last motocross event. Its demise seemed to shadow that of Belgian motocross itself, as the small European nation that produced more FIM Motocross World Champions than any other country in the world found itself struggling to keep motocross tracks open, as sound issues and environmentalists both worked against the sport. While there's been a recent resurgence with current MX2 points leader Jago Geerts, Red Bull KTM rider Liam Everts, and the Coenen brothers, Lucas and Sasha, it's nothing like the previous generations' heroes. Among the very first Belgian motocross kings (who go back to the post-World War II years) were Marcel Meunier, Rene Baeten, Auguste Mingels, and Victor Leloup. In the 1960s, as the sport grew, so did the list of great Belgians: Joel Robert, Roger De Coster, Sylvain Geboers, Gaston Rahier, Harry Everts, Georges Jobe, Andre Malherbe, Eric Geboers, Joel Smets, and of course Stefan Everts. All were raised in the shadows of the Citadelle. 

Last weekend, one of those legends went back to Namur and the Citadel for the last time, and he will be a part of it forever. Friends of the late Andre "DeDe" Malherbe, who died last fall at the age of 66, spread the three-time FIM 500cc World Motocross Champion's ashes around the old circuit. Malherbe, who spent the last three and a half decades in a wheelchair after a tragic crash in the Paris-Dakar Rally, had a special affinity for Namur—it was the site of his first 500cc Grand Prix win way back in 1979. Rest in Peace, DeDe.

Buck Murphy's XL250 "Elsinore" Revisited (DC) 

In last week's Racerhead we ran a photo of Buck Murphy on a four-stroke Honda 250 in the 1973 Trans-AMA Series event at Puyallup in Washington. Murphy was racing the 250 Support class on the "mash-up" of a CR250M Elsinore and a XL 250 trail bike. He finished seventh and showed what Cycle News called "gallant perseverance." Well, turns out there's much more to the story, and longtime Honda man Ray Conway dropped me a note explaining much more Murphy's bike. 

One on Buck's old rivals, Bryan Holcomb, now the CEO of Factory Effex, responded to Ray's note:

And Steve Walker added a photo himself riding one of those early four-strokes, an SL 350 motor built up to 412cc by Bill Bell in a CJ monoshock frame (only two frames like that ever built)  for the 4-Stroke National at Carlsbad in 1976 or '77.

Racer X Brand Trivia (DC)

Last month we were having fun with our MXGP-TV Weekly Trivia Question, in which we gave out a year's subscription to the first reader to correctly answer a question related to MXGP, and they were kind of difficult. Unfortunately, we gave out all of the complimentary subscriptions that we had, and a few readers asked that we revive the Trivia Question and just give out a different prize. So with that in mind, we're going to start "Moto Trivial Pursuit" up again right here. The first person to answer correctly in the comments below will get a new Racer X Brand T-shirt.

Here is the question: In 1952, the first year of the FIM Motocross World Championship, Bud Ekins became the first American to score points in a Grand Prix, when he finished fifth in the British 500 Grand Prix aboard a Matchless. The question is, who was the second American, after Ekins, to score an FIM Grand Prix point? First correct answer in the comments below wins. 

Herlings at 100 (DC)

When the FIM Motocross World Championship resumes this weekend in Switzerland, Red Bull KTM's Jeffrey Herlings will take his first shot at tying Stefan Everts' all-time record for Grand Prix wins. The standard right now is 101 wins, which Everts accumulated between his rookie 125cc season of 1989 and his retirement in 2006. Herlings reached 100 wins two weeks ago when he topped the MXGP of Sardinia. His career has stretched from his first win in 2010 (at age 15!) through the current '23 season. Everts' record was long thought to be unbreakable, much like Jeremy McGrath's 72 AMA Supercross wins, or Ricky Carmichael's 150 total wins, but after Antonio Cairoli stopped after 94 wins, Herlings has kept on going. 

And if he gets the win in Switzerland, it will be on Monday. With this being Easter weekend, the MXGP of Switzerland will see qualifying tomorrow, and then everyone takes Sunday off, with the actual Grand Prix being held on Monday. You can watch Herlings' bid to equal Everts historic mark on www.mxgp-tv.com.

And in case you're wondering what the rest of the top ten of all-time Grand Prix winners looks like, here's a list we spotted on MXLarge.com:

1. Stefan Everts (101)
2. Jeffrey Herlings (100)
3. Antonio Cairoli (94)
4. Joel Smets (57)
5. Joel Robert (50)
6. Tim Gajser (43)
7. Eric Geboers (39)
8. Mickael Pichon (38)
9. Torsten Hallman (37)
10. Roger De Coster (36)
11. Jorge Prado (36) tie 

And with late-breaking news that Jack Chambers is off to Europe for a tryout in MX2 with Steve Dixon’s team in Switzerland, we wanted to share a link to MX Large’s Geoff Meyer’s new online feature about the history of Americans racing in the FIM Motocross World Championship, which goes way, way back to the early 1970s…

The Young Lions (DC)

New regular feature here in Racerhead: Pictures of fast guys/girls when they were kids. We'll start this week with a shot from the Cycle News Archives of Nick Wey at the '88 Pontiac Silverdome Amateur Supercross.

And here's a bonus, from an ESPN.com article on Travis Pastrana and NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson racing the Daytona 500 together in February.

Wiseco Two-Stroke World Championship (Keefer)

This weekend, April 8, at Glen Helen Raceway is the Wiseco Two-Stroke World Championship, which brings out a huge crowd and a lot of pros to race for a fairly big pro purse. Not only is there an open pro class but also 30 and 50 pro classes which has a sizable chunk of change up for grabs. Riders like Trevor Stewart, Carson Brown, Justin Hoeft, Matt Burkeen, Sean Collier, Mike Brown, and Doug Dubach are just a few that are dusting off their smokers to come tackle the hills of GH. I have raced this a few times (although not this year) and it's crazy to me how different the track gets when only two strokes ride it! You couldn't believe how different the bumps are, as well as the corners. I had the chance to ride a 2023 TC 250 Tuesday at Glen Helen for an upcoming Racer X Garage Build and it was crazy to see how many two-strokes were out on the track. I haven't heard that many bees running around a track since I was a teenager, and I didn't know that I missed it until that day. Something about a crisp running 125 shredding up a hill sounds heavenly. Even though two-strokes are not my favorite to ride, they are fun and very cool to hear take off from the gate, especially when there is damn near 40 of them.  

Brandy Richards (Keefer)

We got this note from Meg Argubright (NHHA Chairman) about Factory KTM off-road rider Brandy Richards:

Ads We Could Not Get Away With Today (DC)

Hey, Watch It!

Here's an excellent Dirt Shark video of Team Honda's Chase Sexton:

Congratulations to Kyle Peters on winning his fourth straight AMA Arenacross Championship. Here's a video with some of Kyle's backstory and how he overcame a career-threatening injury:

Here's a look at the Mesquite, Nevada track that is hosting the 44th World Mini Grand Prix right now, from Vurbmoto and the camera of McCoy Brough.

JettErational. Jett's Best Outdoor Moments!

The GNCC Series visited South Carolina again for round four, the Tiger Run GNCC, and there was a fourth different winner as this time AmPro Yamaha's Ricky Russell. Here are the extended highlights:

GoPro: Which Keefer is Fastest?