Last week I mentioned that there were two undefeated seasons brewing going into the MXGP round at Sardinia, off the coast of Italy, Jorge Prado in the MXGP class and Kay de Wolf in the MX2 (250) class. Well, they are both still undefeated, as they both won their respective classes last week in what was a pretty rough-looking sand race. This weekend they are still in Italy, only now they are on the mainland, on a track that could not be any different than the Riola circuit of last weekend. Arco Trentino is the Washougal of Europe, tucked away at the base of a mountain in the Dolomites. It’s a tricky, hard-packed track that is also difficult to pass on (unless you’re Antonio Cairoli, more on that below in “Watch It”). Prado can expect a big challenge from Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser, as this event is one of the closest to his home in Slovenia and it brings out legions of his fans. And Jeffrey Herlings looked like he was picking up speed last weekend before a crash in the second moto while chasing after Prado. In the MX2 class the Husqvarna rider De Wolf did not look as fast as the 17-year-old Belgian phenom Lucas Coenen, his teammate, but Coenen blew his chances at stopping the Dutchman when he also crashed in the second moto. You can watch the MXGP from Arco Trentino all weekend long on MXGP-TV.com, with qualifying tomorrow and the actual motos on Sunday.

We just got a box of the new magazines and we’re all pretty stoked on the cover we picked for the feature “Changing of the Guard,” shot by Mike Emery of Align Media at Daytona and featuring the four most prominent riders right now, headlines wise. There’s #3 Eli Tomac, who won for the first time this year at the St. Louis round, then #18 Jett Lawrence, still the points leader despite that drama-filled night at St. Louis. Next is #9 Adam Cianciarulo, who announced his retirement last week. Finally, #2 Cooper Webb, who has been staying consistent and smart to keep Jett honest and close. Inside there’s a feature that Adam Wheeler penned on the coming Ducati Corse MX program, Weege’s look at the near future of Monster Energy Supercross, a report by Shan Moore on Stew Baylor’s new Kawasaki GNCC team, and a road trip to Argentina for some beach racing and MXGP with our Dutch friend Lars van Berkel. Look for it in your mailboxes of on newsstands soon, or you can subscribe. You might win yourself an Intense Tazer MX Alloy Pro E-Mountain Bike from our friends at Parts Unlimited!

Finally, before we get into all of the industry news and developments of the week, the family and friends of former professional SX/MX rider Timothy Pustelak will bid farewell to him tomorrow when he’s buried near his home in Girard, Pennsylvania. As we mentioned the last week Pustelak was found on the floor of his apartment in St. Pettersburg, Florida, with what was described as “upper body trauma.” Turns out that Pustelak, 49, was stabbed to death, and police arrested a suspect and charged him with second-degree murder. Jovante Darling apparently knew Pustelak, and police picked him up on Tuesday, one week after Pustelak was found. Here’s more on the story from a local news station:

Here’s hoping that this arrest helps bring some peace and closure to the entire Pustelak family.

Brand Loyalty (Jason Weigandt)

As we all digested Adam Cianciarulo’s retirement announcement last week, I started thinking about his long tenure with Kawasaki, the brand that groomed him from his KX65 amateur days through the end of his 450 campaign. Adam didn’t win all the 450 races he could have if he had stayed healthy, but the potential was there, and Kawasaki would have reaped those rewards. He also won a 250 Pro Motocross Championship, scored race wins and podiums and generally became one of the most well-liked riders in the sport. Kawasaki benefitted from that relationship, as did Adam.

This week I looked into today’s top 450 riders and which teams they rode for when they were young, and who they’re riding for now. 

Brands battle to sign top-ranked amateurs with a Cianciarulo-type loyalty in mind. When you look more closely, though, you realize this is actually rare. Often, a brand spends a million dollars developing a rider through the years (in salary alone) only to have that rider win for someone else on a 450. It happens a lot. Kawasaki, itself, is a perfect example. The Team Green program is the most successful amateur unit of all-time. Other teams and brands have hot streaks in the amateur ranks, but Team Green has produced winners, consistently, for more than 40 years.  

Yet even with all that success from Team Green, Kawasaki ended up having one of its best runs with a rider raised on another brand, Eli Tomac! Eli was a Suzuki prospect, but later a product of the old Factory Connection/GEICO Honda team. This squad was easily the strongest amateur outfit-to-250-pro combo for about a decade. That program is still paying dividends because it got the Lawrence brothers and Chase Sexton on Hondas, and that’s what allowed Honda to sweep all the AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross Championships last season. But Honda could have broken its 450 title streak much earlier if Tomac had not left for Kawasaki, or if Trey Canard and Justin Barcia won the championships they had the talent to go get. (Eli simply liked the Kawasaki chassis better at that time, and based a lot of that on watching Ryan Villopoto’s success before him.) When Tomac finally left Kawasaki at the end of the 2021 season, the brand proudly boasted that Eli won more races in his 2016-2021 run on KX450s than any other rider, and it wasn’t even close. It was the reverse of the way Kawasaki normally does it, taking a rider groomed by someone else and getting him just as he entered his prime. Then Yamaha swooped in and got more wins and titles out of Eli. Kawasaki replaced Tomac with Jason Anderson, raised with other brands, and got wins out of him. Now we hear Kawasaki will bring Jorge Prado into the fold next year, another rider without heritage with the brand.=.

The 450 class is tough and riders are always looking for an extra edge. Really, very few bike switches result in a dramatic improvement, because today’s bikes are all pretty darned close. But the riders will always keep searching, which means some of the greatest moments for an athlete come riding for a brand that had zero involvement with them when they were young—like Ricky Carmichael on a Honda (2002-2004), where he won all five titles he competed for (SX ’02, ’03, and MX ’02-’04) and also captured a 33 out of the 35 outdoor nationals (!) he entered on Hondas. Then he switched to Suzuki in ‘05, won another SX title, and then promptly won 12 more 450 Nationals in a row! At least Kawasaki did get his first five MX titles (1997-’01) and his first of five SX titles (’01).

I have heard the Lawrences would like to change the paradigm and ride this entire thing out on Hondas from beginning to end. I'm sure there will be many other opportunities and offers, but right now it seems like a perfect pairing and a happy family. We’ll see if that’s still the case three or five or ten years from now. Hey, even now, Villopoto isn’t shy about saying he should have just switched teams instead of retiring. It was the fresh start he would have needed to keep his career going. So, even the best success story could have had more success… for someone else!

Adam Cianciarulo 2004 (DC)

We're seeing a lot of salutes and tributes to Cianciarulo in the wake of his retirement announcement. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider has been on the national radar ever since he was on 50s. As Weege mentioned above, in 2004 Kawasaki Team Green signed him to an amateur support deal and he's been with Kawasaki ever since (though he was also still riding a Cobra in the 51cc classes at all of the big amateur races that first year). Our friend and contributor in Texas Shand Garcia looked into his own photo archives and found a snap of AC92 from that very first year and posted this one Facebook:

This photo was taken at the GNC International Motocross Final. This year’s 48th Annual GNC Final will be Oct 10-13 at Oak Hill Raceway

WORLD MINI GP (Matthes)

Last weekend may have been an off-weekend for SX, but I was back out at a race track in Mesquite, NV, for the Vurbmoto World Mini GP. The World Mini GP was the first big youth/amateur motocross event, and it used to run at places like Indian Dunes and Saddleback Park before moving to Nevada, first near the speedway in Las Vegas and later on to Mesquite. Then it went into hibernation for a while before the Vurbmoto guys got together with event founder Ron Henricksen last year to bring it back. (Ron passed on New Year’s Eve, so this is the first time the race has run since his passing.) This year saw good attendance of both riders and vendors and I got suckered into riding as well. I jumped out with the +30 class and then also the 250C class, which was probably a bad idea even though I let everyone go off the start. Cross-jumping was the name of the game out there with those guys. Felt like I was battling with Chicken and Damon Bradshaw out there. Still, I had fun and Wes Williams even made me bring back the “Bottom Line” show! Although my lawyers will be in touch as they didn’t exactly make me shine on the bike! 

YAMAHA LCQ CHALLENGE (Matthes)

Just three races to go before we set the lineup for the Yamaha LCQ field. 17 riders make it through points standings collected all year through the LCQ and then five wild cards of my choosing, $30 for a ticket gives you a chance to win a 2024 YZ450 or some other cool prizes. All the money goes to the riders and speaking of the guys at Vurb, they’ll be streaming it as well on our YouTube. 

https://pulpmx.com/2024/01/09/2024-pulpmx-pcs-raffle/

New Venue—GNCC (Mitch Kendra)

The Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Racing series is back in action this weekend for the fifth round of the season, this time at an all-new event and venue. The Old Gray in Monterey, Tennessee, will host everyone tomorrow (ATVs) and Sunday (bikes). The series has been great so far, and a new venue could add even more excitement into the mix. Tune into RacerTV.com to watch all the action from the pro races for free.

Jorge the Great (Starter) (DC)

Need to check this but I believe I heard Paul Malin and JT talking about the fact that Jorge Prado has won the Fox Holeshot championship in MXGP every year he's been competing, going back to 2017 in the MX2 class. In other words, he has picked up more holeshots than anyone else in each of the last seven seasons, which gives the Spaniard a strong argument that he is the best starter in the history of the FIM World Championships. That also makes his inability to get very good starts during his month-long stay in America back in January as he tested the waters in Monster Energy Supercross.

Our man Mitch Kendra put this stat together:

Jorge Prado after first three rounds of 2023 vs 2024. Almost fair to say his "SX" season was a solid warmup to get him up to race speed...

Welcome Back to 1997 (DC)

While cleaning up some photo files here at the Racer X offices I found a batch of old color prints in an envelope, and they were instantly recognizable. It was my behind-the-scenes photos of the infamous Las Vegas hot tub shoot at the MGM Grand that Shift MX and Fox Racing organized and had the great Chris Hultner shoot. The rooftop hot tub scene was built around newly-crowned 1997 AMA Supercross Champion Jeff Emig celebrating his title with a bunch of beautiful moto girls, Monica Dufour Ramsey, Michelle Stephenson Chaney, Launi DiMaggio, Jennifer Hughes, and the other Michelle. It happened on the Sunday night after the series banquet, where a young Ricky Carmichael was named AMA Supercross Rookie of the Year. It all ended up as a Shift MX poster, as well as a scene in the cult classic Fresno Smooth (which was released as Frezno Smooth). I posted some of the photos on social media this week and they brought some fond memories to a great group of friends that were living their best lives in 1997, though not necessarily the most productive or healthy times of their lives! 

Win Ads (DC)

With Monster Energy Supercross sitting idle last weekend there were no win ads in Cycle News to share here for the series, but a couple of GNCC winners showed up despite that series also being off last weekend. Josh Toth topped the Cajun Classic National Enduro in Louisiana and earned not only the cover of Cycle News but also a really cool "Swamp Buster" trophy that would definitely be a contender if Racer X did a trophy contest for off-road races like we do for AMA Pro Motocross! Another GNCC winner, FMF KTM Factory Racing rider Dante Oliveira, won his fourth straight AMA National Grand Prix race, the Wild West GP out at 29 Palms, CA.

And check out the cool salute that Maxima posted in honor of the retirement announcement of their longtime rider Adam Cianciarulo, who first got with the brand when he was still on 50s! I imagine we will be seeing a few more of these as Adam's exit following the Salt Lake City SX finale next month...

Random Stats (DC)

At the last round of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship in St. Louis, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Eli Tomac won a 450 round for the 10th year in a row, tying James Stewart (2005-'14) for the most consecutive years having won at least one supercross race. Tomac also holds the all-time standard for the most years with at least one victory across all series and classes--he's won at least one race in every year of his professional career, beginning with his debut race, the 2010 Hangtown 250 National, which he won.

And here's a stat question: Before Eli's 1-1-1 and Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Levi Kitchen's 1-1-1 in the 250 SX division, has there ever been a Triple Crown round where riders swept all three races in both classes? 

Finally, and this is as random as it gets, but did you know that back in 2016, Cooper Webb and Jorge Prado each ended up tied for 32nd place in the final MX2 World Championship standings with 47 points apiece? Webb went 2-1 at the U.S. Grand Prix at Charlotte, while Prado, who had turned 15 that year and was thus old enough to race MXGP, rode the last three rounds of the series at Assen, Holland, Charlotte and Glen Helen, with a best-mojo finish of second at Assen.

Flagger Finder (DC)

Our friend Kevin Newell made his annual post on Vital MX looking for fellow enthusiasts who might want to help with caution flattering at AMA Pro Motocross races this summer:

"Calling all volunteers! The 2024 SuperMotocross season is underway and Flagger Finder is once again rallying volunteers to join our cause. Last year, thanks to your incredible support, we made significant strides in supplying volunteer flaggers to the majority of the 11 outdoor races in the series. Your feedback was invaluable, and we're committed to enhancing the experience this year!

"We've discovered that while some tracks have established partnerships with local clubs to fulfill volunteer needs, there's still a demand for additional flaggers to ensure seamless operations. With ample volunteers, we can effectively segment the track, optimizing response times and maintaining rider safety. It's imperative to uphold the professionalism of our sport; no rider should ever have to wield a flag due to a shortage of trained personnel. Our foremost concern is rider safety, so while numbers matter, ensuring our volunteers understand flagging protocols is paramount. Join us in safeguarding the thrill of motocross while embracing the responsibility of keeping riders safe. Let's make this season unforgettable for all the right reasons!"

https://www.flaggerfinder.com/

New Track In Southern California (Keefer)

With a lot of tracks closing down in Southern California the last few years, it's nice to see one open up. Sunfair 42 is a track located in Joshua Tree, California and is a hidden gem up in the high dez. There isn't a lot of deep dirt conditions in Southern California and Sunfair seems to rip their track super deep in order to get some long ruts. The track is evolving and is not open to the public yet, but they should be opening up to the public shortly. They have a main track, vet, beginner, mini, two SX tracks, an AX track and more in the works. Neil (the owner) said he would love to have races start sometime soon and the cool thing about the Sunfair track is that it is in the HIGH DEZ! We haven't had a MX track in quite sometime so it's nice to have a place to ride somewhat close to home that isn't rock hard. We So Cal riders need to support our local tracks as much as we can or else we won't have any tracks to ride here soon! Go follow @Sunfair42 on Instagram and see when they have some private ride days as well as a practice hopefully soon. Here is an on board Go-Pro that I took near the end of the day a couple weeks back. 

TRAILBLAZERS HONOR MOTO STARS AT 79TH ANNUAL BANQUET

Photos by Jim Gianatsis

Roger De Coster, Broc Glover and Mercedes Gonzalez-Natvig were among eight motorcycle racing notables honored at the Trailblazers 79th Annual Hall of Fame banquet in Carson, CA on April 6. All three legends of motocross and supercross were inducted into the Trailblazers Hall of Fame, joining more than 250 others from all segments of the motorcycle sport and industry who have been previously recognized.

The Trailblazers Motorcycle Club Inc. is a Southern California-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has been holding banquets since 1940 to bring long-time motorcyclists together to see old friends, and to honor people, companies, clubs and others for their motorcycling achievements. For more info: www.trailblazersmc.org

The Racer X Brand Spring 2024 release is here! Take a look at the latest line that features two T-shirts: the Navy distressed shield and the dirt cycle tee.

The navy distressed shield T-shirt is a simple design with our classic Racer X shield. The dirt cycle T-shirt features a vintage program cover from 1973 with an old-school feel to it. 

Hey, Watch It 

Paturel radiator explodes! MXGP Race 2 | MXGP of Sardegna 2024

Adam Cianciarulo Makes His Pro Motocross Debut - Generation Next

Matthes found himself on the starting gate at the big amateur race last weekend, the Vurb Moto World Mini GP in Mesquite, Nevada:

PNW Matchup! Carson Brown vs Ryan Villopoto 1993 YZ125 ERA’s Episode 4

Here's some more old school—real old school! It's the 1984 FIM Motocross des Nations in Finland where Team USA riders Rick Johnson, Johnny O'Mara, David Bailey and Jeff Ward—starting clearing a natural tabletop that the European riders couldn't quite get down... Though it should be noted that in the actual motos the individual winners were Sweden's Hakan Carlqvist and Belgium's Andre Malherbe.

Here's a cool snippet of Jase from Gypsy Tales with Marvin Musquin on his early days on the Grand Prix circuit, a contract squabble with a French Honda team, and how he ultimately joined Red Bull KTM and went on to win two FIM world titles before moving to the U.S.:

Whiskey Throttle Media's David Pingree sat down between friends-turned-rivals Ricky Carmichael and Ezra Lusk (which could not have been easy!) for a new series they're launching called "Rivalries":

As a preview for this weekend's MXGP at Arco Trentino in Northern Italy, our European colleague "MX Geoff" Meyer posted highlights from the 2017 race there where Antonio Cairoli had one of his nest days ever, pulling off a series of stunning passes in the second moto to take the win. (Bonus: It was also the first-ever Grand Prix win for a young Jorge Prado in the MX2 division.)

DIRT SHARK | WHAT IT DOO - Cameron McAdoo

The Dirt Shark crew meets up with Cameron McAdoo at the K4 Factory Kawasaki test track in Corona, CA - railing the track and breaking it down before rolling into Round 6 of the Monster Energy 250 East Supercross Series in Foxborough, MA.

(With the RED PLATE, BTW).

Vanilla Ice rode at a local motocross in Florida track recently: