Welcome to Racerhead, coming to you on the first Friday of the off-season, and of course I’m hitting the road—and air. I am literally trying to hustle out the door to catch a flight across the Atlantic to the 2023 FIM Motocross of Nations. I’m going early to spend a little time in London, then it’s off to France to cheer on Team USA, as well as the AMA-based riders who will be there representing their own home countries—like Hunter and Jett Lawrence (yes, Hunter is good to go after a week of therapy on the back injury that cost him a shot at half-a-million last Saturday night), Ken Roczen (so stoked he’s back to ride for Germany after a fantastic SMX run), Tom Vialle (who had a rough last moto in SMX that cost him some serious $$$), and also the Americans riding for Guam (Grant Harlan, Josh Varize and Sean Lipanovich) and Puerto Rico (Jack Chambers). And also a couple of friends from their U.S. visits, Estonia’s Harri Kulas and Canadians Dylan Wright and Jess Petis.
Now I know that Team USA had to really dig deep to find three fast riders that were neither switching teams nor injured, but I think it’s great that Aaron Plessinger, RJ Hampshire and Christian Craig all stepped up to ride for Uncle Sam and defend the win that Team USA’s Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton and Justin Cooper earned at RedBud. They will have their work cut out for them in Ernee, but I believe they are already good soldiers for raising their hands and volunteering to go when so many others had to pass/chose to pass. (Hey, we’re not alone, as Japan is apparently sitting this one out altogether.)
I will have much more on Team USA next week, but I want to touch on the Monster Energy SuperMotocross World Championships for a moment here before I leave. The three-race tournament that ran through Charlotte, Chicagoland and the Los Angeles Coliseum was an absolute blast from start to finish—and by start, I mean more than two years ago. As I joked earlier this week with David Prater from Feld Motor Sports, I feel like we’ve been on a Zoom call for two-and-a-half years! But all of the planning, all of the risks, all of the meetings, all of the early mornings and late nights, all of the plane rides and road trips… It was all worth it, at least for me (and I know for my big sister Carrie, who probably put in even more meeting hours) and I know David and his team too. The fans seemed to love it, the riders put on an amazing show—and were paid incredibly well—and we are off to the start of something that already seems much bigger at this stage than I ever imagined. There were doubters and haters, but that comes with the territory when you do anything new, right?
There were so many highlights to the SMX Finals that I couldn’t possibly list them here, though that list would definitely start with that stunning pass that Jett made on Kenny by quadding, and just-like-that all seemed to be forgiven on the Chicagoland wave-around. And that list might end with all of the fans and industry fans who seemed to genuinely enjoy being back at the Los Angeles Coliseum after all these years. Back to the place where it all started on July 8, 1972… And speaking of that, I even got a congratulatory call from Michael Goodwin himself, the man who made the LA Coliseum the cradle of what we now know as supercross—and supermotocross.
But that will have to wait for another time. The season has ended, and it’s already started right back up. London’s calling, and Mrs. Sabrina Shaffer-Coombs is standing in the doorway looking at her watch. Bon voyage, and thanks for giving SMX a chance. See you at the races.
The Grandest (Jason Weigandt)
New races don’t ever feel like the traditional races. SuperMotocross (SMX) is billed as a real AMA championship, but still could have functioned like any other new addition to the annual racing calendar; Supercross and Pro Motocross “count” for titles, and anything else is just a hodgepodge of effort and attendance. Especially in Year One, when most of the industry just sits on the fence, watching and waiting. Monster Energy Cup and Red Bull Straight Rhythm ran like that, and 2023 served up another example of how hard it is to get the best American-based racers to attend the annual Motocross of Nations. Even when top talent does attend other events, the effort level is sometimes questionable. The Paris Supercross is great, but it’s not all-out like a regular Monster Energy Supercross round. But SMX, in its very first year, already avoided that fate. The teams and riders showed up, and they tried. Obviously, the money was the biggest draw, but the key difference was that the teams and their OEM bosses were pumped on this from the moment it was announced. Actually, before that. Last July, a few weeks before SMX was ready to be announced, I was hosting the annual KTM Dealer Summit and the bosses there begged me to at least leak the idea that something big, new and significant was coming soon. The KTM people could not wait for this to happen! Roger De Coster told me it was the biggest news in the history of the sport. Roger De Coster! Once it came out, I interviewed Bruce Stjernstrom, the racing boss at Kawasaki, and others. They were all very, very pumped. It’s not even comparable to other additions to the calendar. Those are seen as a nuisance. This is opportunity.
What’s the difference? SMX, at its core, represents real cooperation between all the U.S. racing powers. The promoters and sanctioning bodies (there are actually two completely different AMAs that had to work hand-in-hand to make this happen) are on the same page, with more cooperation than ever before. The TV program, because of the cooperation between SX and MX, is better. The rulebook and enforcement will be better. Signups and licensing will be better. Teams feel like they have a seat at the table now, because there’s just one table, instead of bunch of different tables in a bunch of different rooms. That’s why the teams were pumped on this.
For the riders, it was all about the money, and that led to what SMX was designed to do: create those Game 7 winner-take-all moments. Have we ever seen Jo Shimoda block pass someone before? Underrated in this whole thing was a first-moto battle with Chase Sexton and Jett Lawrence. Sexton, the current Monster Energy Supercross Champion, has said lately how happy he is having supercross suspension back on his bike. Lawrence, comparatively, had very little 450SX time. Sexton started ahead of Jett in moto one and was even ahead of him when the race got a staggered restart a few laps in. But Jett made a pass and pulled away. That was the moment right there. Jett delivered in the moment where it was needed. That one pass set him up to make a lot of money—even if Sexton won the second moto, he wouldn’t have won the overall or the title.
I’ve probably said and written more words this year than anyone regarding this SMX post-season series, but even though I knew the rules, points, pay and everything for a whole year—before most people were paying close attention—I still couldn’t predict how these races would go. We had to see how hard these guys would try once the races began. They tried hard, and that sealed the deal. For a first-year addition to the calendar, you couldn’t ask for much more.
2024 (Steve Matthes)
That's a wrap on the longest SX/MX season in a long time. Thirty-one races in 38 weekends (and one of those weekends off came after Oakland SX was postponed). We didn't have any riders that scored points at every race but Chase Sexton, Adam Cianciarulo and Aaron Plessinger missed three races all year, and “Fast” Freddie Noren went to every race but didn't make ever 450SX main, while Grant Harlan missed one race due to WSX and didn't make every 450SX main event. So, yeah, it was a bit of a meat grinder season for sure.
It also rained red on everyone as Honda captured every single title but one (Haiden Deegan's 250 SMX title) in a remarkable season for Lars Lindstrom’s team. Also, Phil Nicoletti joined Jett Lawrence, RC and James Stewart in sweeping a season (450 SXM LCQ champion), so there's that too. Also, Phil became the first ride in history to have lights on his bike that lit up when he led a race. Quite a year for the #69.
We had Director of SX from Feld Motor Sports Mike Muye on Monday's PulpMX Show and he talked about the ins and outs of the 2024 SX schedule, like not going to Atlanta for the first time in 30 some years (although I have a feeling Atlanta Motor Speedway might make the 2024 SMX schedule), going back to Vegas, adding in Alabama and Philadelphia and more.
Roczen's Ride (Keefer)
A lot of us (meaning media) had the chance to ride Ken Roczen's Progressive Ecstar HEP Suzuki straight from how it finished at the LA Coliseum, out at Fox Raceway on Monday. We each got 30 minutes of seat time but that was plenty enough to break down what I thought was a very unique machine! Kenny loves his fork soft/quick (we tested with his Chicagoland suspension as it was a true hybrid setting), his rear brake pedal high, his subframe cut 10mm, a long linear power, and one of the most free feeling four-stroke engines I have ever tested. WOW! It felt as free as a two-stroke! It was an awesome experience and you can watch Kenny's Fox gear guy, Kenny Day, and I talk about it right here.
KX 50th Anniversary (Keefer)
That's right! Kawasaki was also celebrating 50 years of the KX motorcycle and they managed to get a slew of past Kawasaki factory and Team Green racers into one place, the 1923 on top of the press box. They also did a complete presentation of the new 2024 KX450. Kawasaki even had an old Team Green box van roll out onto the Coliseum start straight that was driven by Derek Natvig, with Jeff "Chicken" Matiasevich riding shotgun. Jeff proceeded to unload a 50-Year Anniversary Edition KX450! Chicken rode the bike around the stadium and hung out to BS about his ‘90s-era KX. Other legendary riders like “Bad” Brad Lackey, Jimmy Weinert, Jeff Ward, Mike LaRocco, Ryan Hughes, Damon Huffman, Jeff Emig, Brock Tickle, Mike Craig, and longtime Kawasaki Team Manager Roy Turner were all there to share old stories and bench race with us media. It was a pleasure to have the boss man of trivia Davey Coombs be the MC in order to relive some of these stories with the old riders, because I honestly don't think any other person in the world knows as much about the history of our sport than DC. It was a night that was pretty cool for me as these guys were the riders that I looked up to when I was younger. This was my era of motocross! Oh, and if you're wondering when we get to ride the new 2024 KX450, it won’t be until the middle of November, but we can’t wait!
Quick note: One Kawasaki legend missing from the weekend was Ron Lechien, as the Dogger was getting ready for the big 9/27 celebration that Maxima does every year in honor of our collective two-stroke origins. [He joked with Matthes that if Kawi wanted to hire an Uber all the way from San Diego to LA he would have considered...] Ronnie did send a cool photo of himself from the LA Coliseum back in the day. And funny thing: During the Kawasaki alumni discussions, several mentioned Dogger’s contributions to Team USA were every time he was chosen. He may have always been late to team meetings, dinners and even practices, but he was always there when it counted!
Danny Paladino. Godspeed. (DC)
While out in Los Angeles over the weekend we learned of Danny Paladino’s tragic, unexpected passing. Paladino, a former professional racer himself, was the Team Manager for MDK Motorsports during their entire duration in AMA Supercross, from Nick Wey to David Vuillemin, Justin Brayton to Will Hahn, plus Tommy Searle, Travis Preston, Casey Johnson, Rusty Holland, Steve Lamson and more.
According to his longtime friend Jamey Grosser, “Everyone in the pits that knew him, they all knew him as one the most positive guys in the paddock. Always warm and welcoming. He was a solid pro in the early ‘90s and moved to Tennessee post-racing to help myself and MDK with one of our companies. He got heavily involved in the local moto community here in Tennessee while never losing his roots in the Northern California moto scene. He even made back to Loretta Lynn’s a few years back to compete.
“This is a tragic loss for the moto community,” added Grosser. “As a his friend that spend 15 years at supercross with him, he was a big part of it for many and I hope those who knew him will remember him for his contributions to our sport.”
Alpinestars 60th Anniversary Party (Keefer)
Alpinestars was celebrating their 60th anniversary in Los Angeles at the Bike Shed Moto Co the Thursday evening before the last round of the SMX Series and it was a star-studded celebration from two wheels to four. Tons of celebrities and racing icons showed up to pay respect to one of the most iconic brands in all of motorsports today. From having an F1 Aston Martin Racing Team car to Wayne Rainey's Grand Prix road race machine, it was the place to be on Thursday night. Not to mention the Bike Shed Moto Co establishment was pretty damn cool! You could walk around and enjoy all of the two-wheel nostalgia, get a tattoo, a haircut and then wash it all down with a cold draft beer and a burger! Who wouldn't like this place! Thanks Alpinestars for having us and allowing us to be a part of such a historic evening!
2024 YZ250F (Keefer)
Yamaha invited us out to Perris Raceway to test ride their new 2024 YZ250F and you can check out the first impression right here on RacerXonline.com. Though the chassis is all new, the engine is not. The 24′ YZ250F engine is updated with an increased volume air cleaner, new cam chain, and updated ECU system. These changes are mostly for durability and simplicity with the wiring harness. The chassis on this 2024 blue machine is all new with a new frame, subframe, as well as updated suspension specs. The chassis has increased rigidity on the downtube, swingarm pivot and foot peg crossmembers. The subframe rails have decreased from 1.8mm to 1.5mm and is lighter. The suspension is beefed up for less pitching as well as a whole new body layout for a smoother rider triangle. The total weight of the YZ250F is down 2.5 pounds from the 2023 and most of that comes from the wiring harness, chain guide, foot peg brackets, subframe, battery tray, rear axle, air box, fuel pump and throttle cables. If you want to listen to my thoughts as well as my son Aden and Kenny Day, check it out right here!
GoPro: Motocross In a Cornfield Is AMAZING!!
Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week
"Kelce: Win Went 'All Too Well' with Taylor in the Crowd."—ESPN
"Drive-through worker draws gun on 'missing fries' customer"BBC News
“Toymaker Lego will stick to its quest to find sustainable materials despite failed recycle attempt”—AP News
"Iowa Pork Producers sign NIL deal with Cyclones players Purchase, Moore, Hamann, Bacon" – KCCI
This may be an all-timer...
"Phillies deny emotional support alligator from entering ballpark."
APNews.com
“Gray-Z: The 66-Year-Old Retired Teacher Taking Britain’s Battle-Rap Scene by Storm”—Wall Street Journal
Random Notes
Geoff Meyer of MX Large posted a nice preview of the MXON and what it all means through the eyes of legends like Torsten Hallman, David Bailey, David Thorpe, Jeff Ward, Johnny O'Mara and more. Check it out.
The ClubMX Open House event is coming up soon: Friday, October 20 - Sunday, October 22, 2023
It is ClubMX’s single largest event of the season on the property and will bring in up to 1,000 riders and guests. The facility has grown the facility a great deal in the last year and people are looking forward to seeing what is happening there. Several tracks will be open and plenty of prizes and give-a-ways throughout the weekend—ATV's & More is sending a TTR110 pit bike to give away!
For more information visit clubmx.com
Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races.