Welcome to Racerhead. Today is Cinco de Mayo, which in Spanish means May 5. It’s a celebration of Mexico and Mexican Americans, but not Mexico’s Independence Day—that’s actually September 16. What is being celebrated today is the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, from the—checks notes from Everything Everywhere Daily podcast I listened to on the way to work—1862 defeat of the occupying French by the Mexican Army near Vera Cruz. Unfortunately, the French came back the following year, but they didn’t stay long. No matter, on the one-year anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, a group of Mexicans working in California got together with their neighbors and held a big celebration. Over the years it became commercialized, much like St. Patrick’s Day, and is now a huge reason to party on that particular day here in the U.S., but not so much in Mexico (again, similarly to St. Patrick’s Day not such a big deal in actual Ireland). If you’ve followed me this far, hoist a Dos Equis or Corona or Tecate to Monterey, Mexico’s own Pedro Gonzalez, the one and only Mexican racer to win a supercross—the 125SX in San Jose, CA, on June 4, 1994, while riding for Mitch Payton’s Split-Fire/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team.
And speaking of Denver and Cinco de Mayo, today is also the day of the Steve Matthes Privateer Challenge, which will go off at approximately 4 p.m. ET, so let me throw it to Steve here real quick to explain what’s going on (and hopefully we get this posted early enough so you can watch)
IT'S TIME (Matthes)
We're in year five (año cinco) of the Yamaha LCQ Challenge contest and the second year the guys at Feld have given us a Friday race. The field is set and we're looking forward to giving away over $100,000.00 to the 22 riders lined up. We also have a ton of money coming in with the prop bets. The winner should be taking home more than $20K and the last-place guy will make at least $1000. Add in the prop bets there as well.
We got a call from John Short this AM, he hurt his wrist in Nashville and won't be able to make the race, so we went with Cade Clason as the first alternate. The race is 10 minutes plus a lap, and it should take place around 2PM MST. Thanks to the guys at FXR and Vurbmoto, we're streaming it! Check out PulpMX or Vurbmoto YouTube channels to see Weege, JT, Blair, Starling, and more call the action!
Thanks to everyone that donated a prize, thanks to Yamaha for getting us a bike to do this, and thank you people that bought a raffle ticket!
Bad Day in Nashville, Bad Night in Houston (DC)
Last Saturday afternoon’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross in Nashville was awesome. Big crowd, great weather, and lots of Nashville fun, as well as a Loretta Lynn’s reunion of sorts for all of the people who have cycled through the Ranch since 1982. But for the actual racers, it was brutal, especially in the 450 class.
First, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Jason Anderson crashed in practice and ended up with two hairline fractures in his neck. Next, Red Bull KTM's Cooper Webb went down in his heat race and got clipped in the head by a closely following Adam Cianciarulo. Finally, in the main event, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull GasGas rider Justin Barcia crashed on the dragon's back and ended up with a busted shoulder and two broken ribs... Add it all up and it really let the air out of what’s been an excellent championship, as now it’s down to just Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac and Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton for the title, and the math is heavily in Eli’s favor. But the question here is this: Has there ever been a demolition derby of a race quite like Nashville?
One race that comes to mind is the 1978 Houston Supercross. While I wasn't there, my dad was, and he talked about it often as a cautionary tale of sorts. It was a weekend doubleheader and Bob "Hurricane" Hannah was just beginning the best roll of his life. After having swept the Florida Winter-AMA Series, he faltered at the first couple of supercross rounds, then went on a 14-race winning streak in both AMA Supercross and 250 Pro Motocross that would see him go undefeated from the first night of the Houston SX on March 17 to the Los Angeles Coliseum race on June 24. The promoter in the Houston Astrodome, C.E. Altman, even posted a $500 bounty of anyone that could beat Hannah. Maybe that's what helped turn the tension up and the subsequent crashes and injuries that marred the second night in Houston. First, Harley-Davidson factory rider Don "Killer" Kudalski crashed in qualifying and injured his spleen. Then Yamaha's veteran Pierre Karsmakers suffered a concussion in his heat race knocking him out for the night. Finally, a massive crash in the first turn took down Team Honda's Marty Smith and Jimmy Ellis, as well as Suzuki's Tony DiStefano. Smith ended up with a dislocated hip, Ellis with a dislocated shoulder, and DiStefano with a twisted knee. Only Tony D got back in the race, finishing 18th. He was out for two months after that.
Here's the thing: Tony DiStefano was a three-time AMA 250 Pro Motocross Champion. Marty Smith was a two-time AMA 125 National Champion as well as the reigning 500 National Champion. Jimmy Ellis was the 1975 AMA Supercross Champion, and Pierre Karsmakers was the ’73 500 National Champion, as well as the ’74 AMA Supercross Champion. But none of them ever won another AMA Supercross race again after Houston, and only Ellis would ever win another outdoor national (High Point 250 National in July ’78). That second night in Houston may have been the all-time bad night for supercross riders.
So, no one collected the $500 bounty on Bob Hannah 45 years ago, and it's no wonder why Eli Tomac ended up cruising in the main event last Saturday night.
Here’s a slightly related column we did yesterday on days when the series seems to reach an unfortunate tipping point.
One other thing: Back in 1978 there was no immediate way for injured riders to update their fans, unless they made a bunch of phone calls. If they had, we may have seen videos from Marty, Pierre, Jimmy, Tony D and “Killer” Kudalski that looked like these…
Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)
Two rounds left! For most, it's been a long series and they're feeling the effects of four straight months of it. As easy as it can be to lose focus and motivation as this series draws to a close, there is opportunity on the horizon. Injuries have struck the 450 class and the door has swung open to better results and more income. This was a time that I always relished. Knowing that others were less than their best while I was locked in is a great, er, mixed feeling while sitting on the starting line.
Now, how did I go about that you may ask? First, I sacrificed outdoor motocross practice in lieu of staying engaged in supercross. Did my early motocross results suffer? Sure. But I knew I could play catch up quickly and the Florida heat was preparing me even while pounding supercross laps. I also put a lot of focus on resting when appropriate. After the relentless travel and grind that Monster Energy Supercross is, allowing yourself to fully recover each week is incredibly important, never more so than late in a series. If you are putting your gear on moaning about being worn down, you are already losing. As a racer, there is a 3-hour window where your fate is decided. Summoning the fortitude to be your best when called upon is all that matters. Not feeling amazing on Monday evening? Who cares. Saturday nights are when it's time to shine. Wrapping your mind around that is very important. I see other riders just burying themselves during the week, putting in heroic performances at the practice track and then struggling with energy and focus when it counts. What's the point of being the best on Tuesday if you wasted your best form for zero points and no one was there to see it? The races are on Saturdays. Focus on what counts. Go to bed early, pay attention to how your body is feeling. Your career will thank you.
Another Title (DC)
Tomorrow night in Denver, Jett Lawrence and family should be celebrating what will be another unique distinction for them. Jett is almost certain to become the first rider to win four consecutive AMA 250 titles, as he’s already got the ’21 and ’22 Pro Motocross titles, as well as the ’22 250SX East Region title. (Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto all won four different 125/250 titles, but not in consecutive series like Jett’s about to pull off.) And we’ve never had two brothers win the two 250SX titles in the same season. Hunter got his part done last week in Nashville, and Jett just needs a 10th or better, even if RJ Hampshire wins. And then this summer could see even more Lawrence brothers’ double successes as Jett moves up to the 450 and Hunter is looking like the 250 Class favorite. And isn’t Jett like undefeated at Fox Raceway? Even with all of the recent and unfortunate injuries, it’s going to be very interesting when outdoors get started!
Hang It Up? (Keefer)
That question comes up a lot when I am around in the SX paddock. "Man, that guy should just give it up, he's old and still trying to make it!" That is the quote I hear a lot. Part of me understands the statement, but the other part wonders why the hell should we care what some privateers do with their lives? Sometimes I get these hairs up my butt to write an article on topics that I am passionate about and this was one of those. If you want to open your mind and take some time to read why some of these privateers may want to keep the ball rolling, read this.
New Issue (DC)
Finally, here’s a quick preview of the brand-new issue of Racer X magazine, which features Ken Roczen on the cover and an excellent article by Jason Weigandt about how exactly he got on the Suzuki and then ended up winning the Indianapolis SX aboard it. There’s also a feature on the revived World Mini Grand Prix, a breakdown of how SX racing has changed since they went from 20-lap main events to longer 20-minutes-plus-one-lap races, and also a story by Alec Gaut about what it’s like to be on the floor crew for Monster Energy AMA Supercross. Check right here to subscribe now:
Racer X Illustrated Motocross Magazine
The July 2023 Issue
GoPro: Training with GNCC's Steward Baylor
Ups, Downs & Surprises from the 250 Class and a look to 2024 | Racer X Roundtable
Tomac's Starts Turnaround, Smith's Nice Save, & More | Nashville Race Examination
2023 Denver SX Track Preview with AEO KTM's Derek Kelley | Racer X Films
Dirt Shark does Nashville:
Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week
“Banana artwork eaten by Seoul museum visitor”—BBC News
"Cockroach upstages A-list celebs at Met Gala"—CNN.com
“KEVIN COSTNER DIDN'T GET 'YELLOWSTONE' SET MEMBER PREGNANT Despite Social Media Rumor”—TMZ.com
Random Notes
Over in Spain we might see Jeffrey Herlings break out of his tie with Stefan Everts for the all-time Grand Prix wins record. Both have 101 wins, Everts’ coming between 1990 and ’06 while Herlings started into the FIM World Championships in 2010. MX Large’s Geoff Meyer wrote a nice feature about Everts’ reign that’s worth a read before Sunday’s Spanish MXGP.
And props to my good friend Jeff Cernic and Pleasure Valley Raceway in Johnstown, Pennsylvania for organizing their annual Dylan Slusser Memorial Race, which is set for May 20-21. A purse of more than $27,000 has been raised from various sponsors, which will make an excellent pay day for east coast privateers.
And some changes were announced on the upcoming AMA Pro Motocross Championship, including metal starting grates:
Lastly, check out the overall trophy for this weekend’s Hoosier GNCC at Ironman Raceway in Indiana, the Hoosier State.
Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races.
