But the season is not over tomorrow. There is still the new SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) playoff and finals to come, so we will have a single weekend off, and then right back on the gas with something brand new. It’s already been quite a great season, both indoors and outdoors. A press conference was held earlier to discuss the upcoming events at Charlotte, Chicago, and the Los Angeles Coliseum, and the buzz for this whole new championship is already building.

One thing that was barely discussed was Team USA, as the AMA is still working out who can go to France in October to defend the Peter Chamberlain Trophy at the ’23 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. The hope was that the AMA’s Mike Pelletier would have the line-up card to turn in, but he and team manager Roger De Coster are still struggling to get matching commitments from riders and teams. With several riders either injured or switching teams, it’s even more complicated than usual. Fingers crossed that we will a very competitive team—Haiden Deegan on the 250 would be a great place to start—and then a couple of 450 riders with MXoN experience like Justin Barcia and Aaron Plessinger, or even Sexton or Cooper Webb with their new teams. Stay tuned, I think we’re going to know early next week.

So tomorrow we end what’s been a prolific series so far, with outstanding numbers of both fans and riders—we have had 61 different international riders alone enter this summer—and some really good luck so far with the weather (though it’s hot here in Indiana). Thanks to all of the riders, teams, fans, sponsors officials, journalists, and promoters who all worked together to make this an incredible summer for American motocross.

Playoff Update (Clinton Fowler)

Our friend Clinton Fowler of @fowlersfacts pulled together this in-depth guide on how exactly the SMX Playoff might shake out with one race left in the regular season:

450 PLAYOFF UPDATE

Here's some intel courtesy of statistician Clinton Fowler, @FowlersFacts

• 16 Racers have mathematically clinched Top 20. Sexton, Plessinger, Webb, Cianciarulo, J Lawrence, Ferrandis, Anderson, Roczen, Tomac, Barcia, Noren, Harlan, Masterpool, Marchbanks, Chisholm, and Ju Hill.
• Racers to Watch
• Jett Lawrence(4th) is 8 points back of Adam Cianciarulo (3rd) – 2 seeding points are at play. If Jett wins both motos, Adam needs to finish 2nd and 3rd to stay in front of him. 
• Dylan Ferrandis (6th) is 16 points (13th place in each moto) behind Cooper Webb (5th). That’d be +1 seeding point.
• Justin Barcia (10th) is 31 points back of Eli Tomac and 32 back of Ken Roczen. Justin needs to finish 4th and 5th to score 34 points and gain 2 seeding points.
• Kyle Chisholm (16th) is 9 points behind Justin Hill (15th). He needs to finish 16th in each moto to score 10 points and gain +1 seeding point.
• Jose Butron is currently 22nd and projected to finish 20th. He’s projected to score another 14 pts (14th in both motos)

6 Anticipated Free Spots (Eli Tomac, Christian Craig, Lorenzo Locurcio, Romain Pape, Benny Bloss, and Joey Savatgy) gives an opportunity for Josh Cartwright, Jerry Robin, Jeremy Hand, Harri Kullas (?), Cade Clason (?), and Luca Marsalisi. If Kullas and Clason are out, Ryan Surratt, Jace Kessler, and Bryce Shelly are right there.

250 PLAYOFF UPDATE

• Projected Cut-off = 152 pts. Chance Hymas is likely to slot into 20th. 
• Automatic Bid (Top 30). H Lawrence, Hampshire, Deegan, Kitchen, Vialle, Shimoda, Cooper, J Lawrence, Anstie, Thrasher.
• 10 racers have mathematically clinched Top 20. H Lawrence, Deegan, Hampshire, Kitchen, Shimoda, Vialle, Vohland, Smith and J Lawrence.
• Racers to Watch
• Max Anstie (13th) is expected to drop 2 positions (DiFrancesco, Mumford) and lose 2 seeding points.
• Seth Hammaker (22nd) is expected to gain 3 positions and finish 19th. It’ll secure a position on the gate in all 3 playoff races and 3 seeding points.
• Stilez Robertson (31st) is expected to gain 2 positions and move into 29th – a guaranteed spot on the LCQ gate. 
• Austin Forkner (34th) will tie Cameron McAdoo (currently 28th) with 101 points which will be for 30th position, assuming he finishes 11th in both motos.

8 Anticipated Free Spots (J Lawrence, Chance Hymas, Enzo Lopes?, J-Mart, Chris Blose, Mitchell Oldenburg, Nate Thrasher, and Cullin Park). The potential fill-ins are tough to nail down between injuries, contracts, and rides. 

Red Flags and Rulebooks and Restarts and More... (DC)

Of course, the conversation for most of the week has been about what happened before, during and after the red flag came out in the first 250 moto last Saturday. At that point Haiden Deegan had opened up an eight-second lead out front on the #238 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing YZ250F. On the seventh of what would be 17 laps Hardy Munoz suffered a heavy crash when got cross-rutted on the approach of an uphill triple, knocking himself unconscious. He was laying off to the side of the obstacle, but it was too dangerous for the Alpinestars Mobile Medics to get close to him, so they called for a red flag. Deegan was disappointed to say the least, but safety comes first, and with the way he was riding he probably would find himself back up front on the restart, right?

While HBI Racing Kawasaki's Munoz was being attended to—one medic said that his Leatt Helmet may have saved his life—the other 39 riders went back to the starting gate. They were told that because the race had gone exactly 14 minutes, 35 seconds, it was just before the time that the 30 minutes-plus-two laps race would be considered complete. So according to the AMA Pro Motocross rulebook, which is different than the AMA rulebook for Monster Energy Supercross, they lined back up on the starting gate to finish the race (time left on the clock plus those two laps). They chose their gates according to the positions they held on the lap before the red flag, rather than lining up in a single-file row for a staggered restart like they would in supercross. That caused some confusion for people watching because they were assuming the restart rules were the same for MX as they are in SX, but they are not.

You know what happened next. On the restart series points leader Hunter Lawrence (fourth at the moment of the red flag) and Tom Vialle (third) got the jump on everyone going into the slightly downhill hairpin first turn. Deegan did not get such a good jump and basically tried to force the issue from the far inside. He slammed into the side of Vialle's Red Bull KTM with a huge "crash!" (Seriously, I was standing right there on the inside and it sounded like two cars slamming into each other.) Deegan went down while Vialle somehow stayed up. And on the far inside of it all, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's Jalek Swoll managed to tiptoe around the inside of it all and got the holeshot, which, in hindsight, is exactly what Deegan should have done. As Swoll motored away with the lead, the previous leader Deegan was still getting up. (And yes, every rider is allowed outside assistance in the case of first-turn crash, as each OEM has one designated person to help in the event of a pile-up off the start.) Deegan never really recovered after that, and his fans came out in droves claiming he somehow got robbed by the AMA. He did not, but he did have the misfortune of being the comfortable leader when the red flag came out and the rules kicked in in a way that did not give him much credit for how fast he was going in the first 14 minutes and 35 seconds of the race.  

Is it time for a rule change? My personal opinion is yes, but not until this championship is over tomorrow. Then we need to revisit the restart rules for AMA Pro Motocross. My suggestion is to send everyone back to the starting gate for a staggered restart, but not in one long single-file line, as lining up and keeping 39 or 40 bikes in a row (twice as many as in supercross) would be cumbersome and a little chaotic, but putting everyone back on the gate in order of positioning—first-place on the far inside, second-place on the second gate, third on the third, all the way to the end. But rather than having another mass-start with a gate-drop, the referee could walk quickly down the line, releasing them one at a time, in the order they were in, from inside to outside. While that doesn't reflect the eight-second lead Deegan had, it would at least have him back in the lead and prevented him from having that big first-turn crash (unless he went down all on his own). I ran this suggestion by a few people, and they liked it better than what is happening now. Whether or not that's exactly what shakes out, or a better idea comes along, remains to be seen, but nothing will change until the off-season. The restarts they use in SX are better than what we now have in MX, but we have more riders to deal with, so that makes a staggered start in one straight line problematic but using the gate—maybe even with a cascading release like dominoes, maybe even sponsored by Domino's Pizza—might just be the thing.

Pro Perspective (Thomas)

As one chapter closes, another begins. We will wrap up the AMA Pro Motocross Championship tomorrow at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana. With one weekend off to recover and regroup, we will waltz into zMax Dragway in Charlotte for the debut of the SMX Playoffs. It's a new world with huge money up for grabs in September. For the riders, it is an interesting wrinkle. Typically, they would be sighing in relief on Saturday night. They would have the month of September to rest and heal, digesting eight full months of racing. Instead, they will have to transition themselves and their equipment to supercross (ish). The layout for the three rounds won't be cookie cutter SX but it will be similar in many ways. The tight confines, harder dirt, and stadium setting all portend supercross. Yes, there will be some faster sections with man-made difficulties, but it will still feel like speedway SX for most. The question is how to best approach these three races when most are dealing with nagging injuries and both mental and physical fatigue. 

This coming week, as hard as it may be, I would be riding SX at least three days. I would want to have my settings dialed in and be confident in exactly how the motorcycle will work on September 9. I would put in a few sprints to remind my body of the intensity required and familiarize myself with the immediate all-out effort. The months of motocross should have everyone in great shape so there won't be a need for herculean training. The importance is on getting comfortable with supercross style technique. This is typically a process that takes weeks or longer, getting back to the form possessed in May. The ask now is to speed that up exponentially. Some have been riding SX already as I saw a video of Haiden Deegan spinning SX laps in recent days. That's a reasonable approach for those out of the championship fight. Getting a leg up on your rivals could pay handsomely in a few weeks.

As for next weekend, I would completely check out on racing. I wouldn't ride or train with any intensity. Maybe a light bicycle ride and stretching is on the menu but otherwise, try to disconnect. Staying fresh mentally is a very underrated aspect of any sport at this level. When arriving to Charlotte or Chicago, or Los Angeles, the feeling should be excitement and opportunity, not burn-out and a desire to be at the beach. That mental edge has to be actively managed and taking a couple of days off can completely change the narrative. In my racing days, I was a bit too aggressive with this. I would refuse to take time off and just hammer myself into oblivion. More isn't always better. There is a time to train and ride. There is also a time to rest and allow for recovery. Neglecting either of those will negatively affect results. That's where I could have been smarter. I should have raised my effort level on the riding and training days and then allowed for more rest when it was time to rest. Instead, I just muddled in the middle, working constantly but not hard enough to make gains. Looking back on the efforts of Ryan Villopoto or others, the "working" hours were brutally taxing. There was no halfway. When it was time to do something, they were all in. That's my advice to those looking at SMX. When it's time to work this week, be all in. When it's time to rest and recharge next Saturday, allow yourself to do that. The results, like the effort, will be much clearer. 

Better TV This Time (Jason Weigandt)

Phew. We made it. I’ll take the risk on jinxing the television program this weekend to say this season was much better than last year. The obvious is that Peacock (in the U.S.) and the SMX Video Pass (outside America) worked seemingly trouble free all year, which was better than last year's streaming package, but there are more improvements than just that. I’ve been part of these broadcasts for 15 seasons now (!) and the behind-the-scenes investment and quality has been a revelation. Making better TV is, unfortunately, often just like making your race team perform better: there’s always a place to spend more money. This year, the collective group of Feld Motor Sports (who has taken over the production role from Lucas Oil Productions), NBC/Peacock and the series itself (MX Sports Pro Racing) have made significant investments to make the product better. Not just better streaming, but many other things: We have the budget to keep everything running longer, which means there’s finally time for a halftime show and a live post-race show, which gives us more coverage than ever. Halftime packs some extra analysis (like when James Stewart pointed out Ty Masterpool’s bike looked better than the factory machines at Thunder Valley) while also giving the mechanics the extra 20 minutes between motos they’ve always wanted. In the post-race show, we get to air extra interviews and finally show the champagne and trophy celebrations, which used to happen after we went off the air.

From a technical perspective, things have stepped up: The results data on the screen has been much more accurate this year than before. We have two great drones now. We have a TV announcer’s booth that allows us to see the track and then quickly come into the booth for analysis or interviews with guests. Heck, even the mics and cameras on our reporters has been more reliable, which allows us to send Jason Thomas and Will Christien into new places, or even get James and RC out into the field. Last week we had a live on-board camera on Phil Nicoletti. The innovations keep coming, with many new ideas in the hopper, some that you’ll see debut in the SMX playoffs in two weeks, and some that will continue to evolve in 2024. I’m in these meetings non-stop, and I can tell you there’s a collective “This was good but how can we get better?” vibe. And it will get better because of the level of commitment I’ve seen this year.

I must say, though, that something good did come out of last year’s package: in 2022, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the series, Davey suggested a rotating group of expert analysts, to hear from more names of the past. If that doesn’t happen, James Stewart never gets a chance in the booth, and Jason Thomas never gets a shot as the on-track analyst, either. Now they’re a regular part of the programming. That’s a gift from 2022.

Anyway, last year was a tough year and many of us were just as frustrated as you. I heard this year would be better, but I’ve been around a long time so I’m smart enough to take the “believe it when I see it” philosophy. I can safely say, with one round to go, that 2023 was a much better year, and this is really just the beginning. See you Saturday and see you for the first-ever SMX playoff round in a few weeks.

Colt 45 (Mitch Kendra)

Colt Nichols was on a Honda HRC supercross-only deal, earning 450SX AMA Rookie of the Year honors in his debut season in the premier class—which came with some highs and lows. The supercross season ended, as did Nichols’ time with the team. Pro Motocross started up, and Jett Lawrence moved onto the HRC CRF450R…and well, we all know how his summer went as a rookie! Then, Nichols showed up to the Washougal National on a Kawasaki KX450 he borrowed from Swap Moto Live en route to finishing 10-10 for tenth overall in the 450 Class. It was Nichols first Pro Motocross race in a few years, but the Oklahoma native’s solid finishes gave him a few points towards the seeding qualifying positions for the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX). He said afterwards we might see him again this summer.

Earlier this month, Beta announced Nichols would be its second 450cc rider alongside Benny Bloss as the Liqui Moly Beta USA Racing Team makes its debut in AMA Supercross and Motocross in 2024. Bloss has stated his 2023 season is over as he looks to build for ’24, but Nichols was able to work out a deal that allows him to race the first ever SMX events this fall before officially making the jump to the Beta team full-time, which, is really awesome. Bubba Pauli’s Madd Parts Kawasaki Race Team announced on Instagram that they have “worked a special collaboration effort “ with Nichols for the AMA Pro Motocross Championship finale, as well as the three SMX races. The Madd Parts Kawasaki Race Team is typically supercross-only, but willing to help where they can—and they have stepped up here for Nichols. Props to Pauli, team manager Ryan Koontz, and the whole Madd Parts squad, as well Beta team manager Carlen Gardner and the entire Beta team for letting Nichols race and finish out this year. Check out the post below.

CHEERIO (Matthes)

Tip top of the morning to you from England where I’m attending the Vet MXDN from the legendary Foxhill MX track. Kris Keefer and I are here along with Mike Brown, Mike LaRocco, Zach Osborne, Tyler Bowers, Doug Dubach, and some guy named Ryan Villopoto. Dave King and Doc Wobbles (who used to wrench for Robbie Reynard—among others—in the USA) run a great event and today was tech inspection and other things. Racing starts tomorrow. We’re doing a live PulpMX Show tonight and tomorrow night from the beer tent with some riders, check my pod feeds for that show. The track looks great, I wish I could race, and I was supposed to but I’m dealing with some sort of elbow thing that’s not letting me. I’ve also had to tell that to about 100 people today that were looking forward to me being on the track. Should be a great time, the bikes here are fantastic- some real works bikes and replicas. Stay tuned on this site for more info next week!

MXoN Memories (Aaron Hansel)

Earlier this week I found myself on a call with Jeff Stanton, who, in addition to being one of the greatest champions in AMA SX and MX history, is also one of the best and most successful competitors America has ever sent to the MXoN, which is was what I'd called Stanton to talk about. All I actually needed was a quick quote, but I didn't mention that on the call because I was secretly hoping he'd get to chatting about his experience racing the famed event. I mean, who doesn't like listening to old racing stories from guys like Stanton?! I know I do, and I figured you might too, so I transcribed a portion of the conversation to toss in this week's Racerhead.

"It’s tough to beat the first race. It was in Gaildorf, Germany, in 1989. It was Jeff Ward, Mike Kiedrowski, and myself, and it was my first race. It was so much different back then. When I raced the Motocross of Nations, it was an 80-man gate drop, unlike today. Forty 250s, 40 500s, one gate drop. That’s intimidating. It was my first one and Wardy had been there like nine times, so it was no big deal to him, but I was shittin’ pellets. I was nervous! It wasn’t a track for me, it didn’t favor me at all. It was asphalt-hard and blue-grooved—I’m from Michigan and I ride in the sand! I was on a 250 and Wardy was on a 500. First moto, it was all good. The gate dropped, and I got a good start because I was in the front row on a 250 starting with 250s and 125s. Good start, gone, no problem. But the second moto, which was the third moto of the day, it was 500s and 250s, and I gave Wardy the front row because he was on a 500. I just timed everything perfect and came through the first turn in like fourth place and I was like, ‘Dude, I might have this!’ I worked my way into the lead and led almost every lap. Hardpacked, blue-grooved, and I went 1-1. None of it ever should have happened. I was the lowest score of the weekend, and we won. It’s pretty tough to beat that. It’s your first one, and all the mentors you looked up to your whole life, as far as the Europeans, were there, and I handed it to them. It was pretty cool.

"The next one was in Sweden, and it was Damon Bradshaw, myself, and Wardy. It was super sandy, and Bradshaw had a bad race. He’d fallen and I can’t even remember what my overall results were. All I can remember from that race was that it was super sandy, and going into the last race I had to beat a couple people. I fell down in the first turn and I was like, ‘Oh god, this sucks,’ But I just kept picking people away, and toward the end of the moto I could see the enthusiasm in my mechanic’s face, and in Bevo’s [Forte] face, and that excited me. I thought, ‘Maybe we have a chance here!’ Two laps to go I see Bevo pointing at me to get two guys ahead. Bevo at that time, was 350 lbs., and with him jumping up and down on the side of the track with his elbow up in the air saying, ‘Move them out of the way!’ I knew I had to be aggressive, and I made some super aggressive passes on the last couple laps, moved some people out of the way, and we ended up winning. That year, and the next year in Holland, were the same way. First-turn pileup, came from last, and worked my way up to the front. 

"All my Motocross of Nations were so cool, but that first one was super special. All the people I looked up to were there, I was young, and probably a little bit young and fragile. Any first-timer would be that way. You always come across as a badass and a tough guy, but you get nervous and a little scared. I think anybody once they really fessed up, would say that. I’m super proud of all the Motocross of Nations I attended. The only one I regret is the one I turned down. My fourth year, I was in the middle of a 500 championship, and I didn’t go. It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. It’s a lot harder in today’s world. Back then it was an honor and a privilege to race for your country. Yeah, you race to win races and titles in America, but you raced also to go to the Motocross of Nations. That was the Olympics. The emphasis is gone on that in today’s world, in my personal opinion. People are more worried about having time off than representing your country and winning for your country. America, we want to be proud that we race and win here, we don’t want to give that up! We won 13 years in a row, and I was part of that. That was a hell of a win streak."

Hey, Watch It!

Jimmy Decotis - One Last Ride Southwick/Unadilla

When Daniel Blair First Noticed Julien Beaumer

Dirt Shark | Hill Brothas 2

Ricky Carmichael with another Triumph tease...

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week

"Kia Sportage stolen 4 times in 1 year, woman says" - WTAE

Random Notes

Chase Sexton on Instagram:

Another great read from Brett Smith and We Went Fast, this time about Ricky Carmichael's perfect seasons of AMA Pro Motocross in 2002 and 2004.

Washougal mainstay Brian Barnes amassed one of the biggest riders’ jerseys collection we’ve ever seen, and now he’s putting that collection to a great cause, Road 2 Recovery. Check out the auction their holding and see if there’s a childhood hero in there who’s jersey you always wanted:

View the auction on MXLocker

Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races.