One big change for the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas team for 2024, as Michael Mosiman is out and Ryder DiFrancesco is in. That’s big news because DiFrancesco was a long, long time Kawasaki rider from his Team Green Amateur days on KX65s all the way through some pro races with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki in 2022 and 2023. But Kawasaki wasn’t interested in keeping him, and GasGas quickly swept him up. Ryder D, by the way, has yet to race professional Monster Energy AMA Supercross yet. He’s been an SX Futures rider the last few years, but did log a full season in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship last year.
His teammate Pierce Brown has been with the TLD squad for awhile. Everyone is awaiting his breakout ride and breakout season. Could that come in 2024? We caught up to both 250 riders at the team intro last week.
Pierce Brown
Racer X: Up and down 2023 year for you with the injury in between, how would you rate it?
Pierce Brown: Yeah, up and down year for sure this past season. I'm definitely not too happy with it. I felt like I left a lot out there, I wouldn't say on the track but, I was just sidelined too much. I dealt with too many injuries. It was just snowballing like one after the other. I had a crash at A1 and then got over that and then I tore my meniscus in my knee and then I spent the rest of the season nursing that. Then I broke my hand, got those both fixed, and then throughout the whole outdoor season, I was struggling with the hand. But I mean, no excuses. I just wasn't where I needed to be. But even though we did have a tough year, I'm really confident for this next season. We have a good base and we worked out a lot of kinks with the bike and the motor, the chassis, everything like that. So everything is looking really good for this ‘24 season and I'm healthy and I'm excited.
A little bit shorter offseason now with SMX, does it feel like things are happening quick with 2024 just two months away?
Yeah, everything's kind of been a little hectic the last week for me because I took a good three weeks off after LA, the last SMX round. That leaves me with 10 weeks on the bike until A1, which after a few years of base, is plenty of time but it's still a short enough period to kind of keep you on your toes you. At least I thought I was getting on the bike a little late, but everybody is in the same boat as I am. Everybody's getting back to it later than normal. But that's just because we had like an extended year this past season. And I mean, it's a long year. It's a lot on your body and you need that time off just to let your body rest. Like what I did, I had to heal up from everything. So, I could finally say that I'm 100% now and I'm excited for this offseason through the boot camp and then to A1.
Do you have a preference in which coast of 250SX you want to race this year?
I could finally say I'm fine with doing either because last season was my first year doing west and I was a little nervous for west just for the sake of not having ridden like any of the tracks or being to any of the stadiums. I did East Coast my first two seasons. So, the West Coast was fun. I mean, I train out here in California, so I'm used to the drier dirt and the more hard pack whoop sections, corners, everything like that. I'm pushing for west. That's what I'm prepping for. I don't want to prep for East Coast and then do west. So I'll be ready by the time West Coast comes around and then the team will make the call when the time comes. But I'm just ready for whatever.
How have you felt about the chassis on this bike now that you have basically a full year on it?
Yeah, I got on it and was instantly like stoked on it this past offseason. But once we were racing, that's when a few things or a few complaints came up. So that's what we kind of had to work through. I thought we were in a lot better spot than we were. That was a tough pill to swallow too. We were a little bit behind the eight ball for what we needed to be. But to have a full season on it, a full season of improving the platform and improving the base, I'm excited for this next season. I've been on the bike for three days so far and already I feel great. The bike's just as good as it was when we left off. So we learned a lot with the bike, the chassis, suspension, everything this past season. Obviously, you have to go through that with a new platform, but the second year on it is always proven to be better, more successful just for the sake of having the knowledge of what you can and can't do with it. So, I think we have a really good direction on where we need to be with it.
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Spencer Owens ![DiFrancesco and Brown]()
DiFrancesco and Brown Spencer Owens ![]()
Spencer Owens
Ryder DiFrancesco
Racer X: First time in a very long time you’re not seeing a green fender in front of you. Are you used to it yet?
Ryder DiFrancesco: No, not really. Every single time I sit on the bike, like just before I test or something, it's something I take in and just enjoy. Honestly, I didn't get over the green front fender but having a red front fender in front of you is something cool and it's been coming for a long time.
What have you thought about the steel frame after only being on an aluminum one for so long?
I noticed a big difference at first. It was just more predictable. I already have a lot more trust in it than I did previously on the other frame. So I enjoy it and it takes me back more into my minicycle days where I was super comfortable. I kind of got that feeling back to where I could really put trust in the bike and have some fun.
Talking about the team, tell us about the atmosphere here and what you're enjoying about it so far?
I think I already feel like family, and it's only been a three or four weeks. So, that's the biggest part and you can have a lot of fun with this team and when I'm having fun, I do really well on the track. So, to have all that combined is something that you need when you're having tough days at the track.
What expectations are you putting on yourself as a rookie in 250 Supercross?
I think if I go west, I've grown up watching the TLD boys win Anaheim 1 with Jessy Nelson, like those guys that I've grown up with in the past because Jessy's from close to my house. So, just watching them growing up and win those opening rounds is a goal I’ve set.
