First some good news: This year the AMA has too many good options for Team USA at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. That’s a positive change from 2023, as there were few takers last year for the event in France and the squad struggled. The real issue was Chase Sexton switching from Honda to Red Bull KTM and being unable to suit up. That led other riders and teams to choose not to go because without Sexton the chances of Team USA winning were reduced…
(Rant time: I will always find it odd that simply not having Sexton available messed up the whole team last year. When Eli Tomac was racing for Monster Energy Kawasaki and winning three-straight 450MX Championships, Kawasaki said they would not support it in two of those three seasons. Kawi only sent Eli for RedBud in 2018. Not having Eli in 2017 and 2019 didn’t stop other American riders and teams from stepping up. Although, Kawasaki did not send Adam Cianciarulo in 2019 either after he was the best 250 AMA Motocross rider and had just won the title. Yet many riders and teams begged off of Team USA last year once Sexton was out. Before the mystery that was 2023 gets completely forgotten, I would like to just remind everyone how weird that was.)
| Rider | Points | Race | Class | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 14 | |||
| Romain Febvre | 1 | Race 1 (MXGP + MX2) | MXGP | Kawasaki | |
| Maxime Renaux | 1 | Race 2 (MX2 + Open) | Open | Yamaha | |
| Tom Vialle | 2 | Race 2 (MX2 + Open) | MX2 | KTM | |
| Maxime Renaux | 3 | Race 3 (MXGP + Open) | Open | Yamaha | |
So how about 2024? The team has to be picked by September 3. The race takes place October 6. Here are some riders who could or should be considered for the team.
MX1 Class
Chase Sexton: Well, duh. Barring a disaster, Sexton is in.
MX2 (250) Class
Haiden Deegan: The obvious pick is the new 250 Class AMA Pro Motocross Champion, but Deegan has said he needs an off-season surgery to remove some hardware. Will MXoN eat into his recovery timeline? Can he handle both? In the post-race press conference last week, Deegan said of the AMA approaching him for MXoN:
“I honestly haven’t gotten talked to much about it. It’s kind of up to the team to let me know what the deal is.”
We'll take that as meaning Deegan isn't out.
Chance Hymas: What if Deegan can't go? We’ve heard Hymas wants to race the event so badly that he’s been visiting the AMA truck on weekends to let them know he wants to race. If Deegan can’t go, this could be the 250 pick, as Honda HRC promises full support for the event.
Levi Kitchen: Levi’s been on fire as of late and is as deserving a candidate, performance-wise, as Hymas. The one question might be his team. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and owner Mitch Payton was once a stalwart supporter of this event, not even just for American racers but in support of any non-U.S. riders who were selected to their own respective teams. But the Monster Energy Kawasaki 450 team has not supported any ‘Nations races outside the U.S. in awhile. Can Pro Circuit operate as a separate entity? Remember our note above on AC not going to the Netherlands in 2019.
Now, some trivia: Who was the last Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider to compete at a Motocross of Nations?
![Haiden Deegan]()
Haiden Deegan Align Media ![Chance Hymas]()
Chance Hymas Align Media ![Levi Kitchen]()
Levi Kitchen Align Media
Open Class
Aaron Plessinger: From a personality and points standpoint AP is an easy pick. He flies the USA colors whenever possible and competed last year, plus he’s now the second-ranked American in the 450 Pro Motocross standings. What’s not to love? Well, the only demerits are that his performance at RedBud 2018 was under par, and last year he had one decent moto (fifth) and one terrible one (18th). So that’s not a great MXoN track record. The bigger issue, though, is going against a legend, as seen below.
Eli Tomac: Here’s where it gets tricky. We’ve heard the AMA is holding the team announcement as long as possible to figure out if Deegan can go, and also buy more time to watch Tomac ride Pro Motocross again. Budds Creek and Ironman will provide the test for ET. We’d assume if Tomac didn’t want to compete, he would have already said don’t bother waiting for him. Could ET versus AP at Ironman this weekend be the deciding factor?
This becomes the biggest dilemma. Do you go with Plessinger who has been solid all season or try to extrapolate how fast and strong Tomac could be by October?
Justin Cooper/Cooper Webb: Now let’s add a little wrinkle to this. Cooper Webb always stepped up for Team USA when asked in the past and has said many times he’d love to go back and get a chance at redemption. He’s been involved in some heart-breaking losses at this race. Webb’s chances of going, though, took a significant dive after he sprained his thumb at Unadilla and had to drop out of Budds Creek and Ironman. Justin Cooper is also a candidate, as he was battling Plessinger in the points most of this season and had some great performances for Team USA before (won the MX2 qualifier race at Assen in 2019, won the MX2 overall at RedBud in 2022). It’s also worth noting that if you pick one of the three Yamaha guys—Tomac, Cooper, or Webb—you essentially create a backup plan, to where if anyone gets hurt in SMX you’ve got the right bike on the truck if you want to send another Yamaha rider as a replacement. There are lots of options to think about this year!
Trivia Answer: The last Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider to compete at Motocross of Nations was... Jo Shimoda on Team Japan at RedBud in 2022.
