Main image: Eli Tomac at the 2022 MXoN, Photo by Align Media
The AMA has announced Team USA for the 2024 Motocross of Nations. As often is the case, the team selection was not simple, but after many rumors and stories, the team will consist of Chase Sexton, Aaron Plessinger, and Chance Hymas.
Deegan, the 250 National Motocross Champion, is not racing the event, and taking heat. He announced he has to get surgery on his wrist during the off-season. He's hardly alone in turning down a spot on the team. Here's how things went for Team USA over the last 25 years. There is almost always some drama behind the selections!
We've noted each year by declaring if the AMA was able to send every rider it wanted (Yes) or had to go through other options (No) to find three willing riders and teams.
1998 (Great Britain) | Ricky Carmichael, John Dowd, Doug Henry |5th
Yes. Carmichael and Henry were the 125 and 250 National Champions of 1998, and Dowd was second to RC in the 125 Nationals, but also had plenty of experience on a 250.
1999 (Brazil) | Ricky Carmichael, Mike LaRocco, Kevin Windham | 4th
Yes. Carmichael was again the 125 National Champion, Windham was the top-ranked American in the 250 Nationals, and LaRocco was second-ranked. South Africa’s Greg Albertyn won the AMA 250 National Championship in ’99.
2000 (France) | Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Hughes, Travis Pastrana | 1st
Yes. Carmichael was the 250 National Champion and Pastrana the 125 National Champion. Hughes was an American competing in MXGP at the time.
2001: No Team
No. After the September 11 attacks, no one was in the mood for international plane travel a few weeks later. Who was supposed to compete for Team USA that year? Ricky Carmichael, Kevin Windham (1-2 in the AMA 250 Motocross Nationals), and Mike Brown (125 National Champion).
2002: No Team
No. The ’02 MXoN was a mess with an announcement the race would take place at a yet-to-be-built track in California called Competition Park (there was an existing Competition Park, but the MXoN was said to take place on a new piece of land). The new track never came together so the race was postponed, and Team USA elected not to compete when the race was rescheduled.
2003 (Belgium) | Ricky Carmichael, Tim Ferry, Ryan Hughes | 2nd
Yes/No. Weirdo year where everyone raced one moto in one class, so no need for a 125/250F rider. By that standard, Carmichael and Ferry, 1-2 in the AMA 250 Nationals, were the top picks. Hughes was racing in the 125 class in ’03 and battled South Africa’s Grant Langston to the wire for the title, and finished second. He also had experience on a big bike, and in Europe, so this passes the sniff test.
BUT! What this weirdo format meant is, the fastest American 125 rider by far, James Stewart, didn’t even need to be considered for the team. Stewart also wasn’t asked in that weirdo ’02 year. What the heck?
2004 No Team
No. If you want to go off on top riders not competing at this event, that’s fine, but if you think it’s something new, well, here’s a story for you.
In 2004, Ricky Carmichael absolutely dominated the AMA 250 Nationals with a perfect season. James Stewart went 23-1 in the 125s. And yet…there was no Team USA. For 2005, Carmichael was switching from Honda to Suzuki and returning to supercross after missing ’04 with injury. So, he wanted max SX prep time at home. Stewart was heading to the 250 class, so he wanted max prep time at home. Thus, what could have been the strongest duo in Team USA history (this is not hyperbole, peak RC on a Honda 450 and peak Stew on a KX125 is about as high as high-levels can get) didn’t even attempt to race.
It actually made sense at the time because U.S. fans were in such fervor to see RC v. Stewart against each other at Anaheim that even the MXoN didn’t take a front seat. But it’s just crazy to think they were never on a Motocross of Nations team together, and Stewart never got to ride a 125 at this event. Dang it.
2005 (France) | Ricky Carmichael, Ivan Tedesco, Kevin Windham | 1st
Yes. The champs are back! Carmichael and Windham were the top American 250 (450) racers and Tedesco the 125 (250F) National Champ. This team won, not surprisingly. There was a little controversy earlier in the year when Mike Brown was announced as the 125 rider while he was leading the points, then removed from the team as he went through a slump and Tedesco rallied. Poor Mike Brown ran into every possible way to not be on Team USA.
2006 (Great Britain) | James Stewart, Ivan Tedesco, Ryan Villopoto | 1st
No. Team USA is finally going to get Carmichael and Stewart together! Right? Right? Oh no. At the last round of the outdoor nationals at Glen Helen, Carmichael crashes and injures his shoulder, meaning he has to drop out of the MXoN. With his Team USA bike having already been shipped to Great Britain, the decision was made to plug his Suzuki teammate Ivan Tedesco into that slot as the MX3 rider on Ricky's bike. The team ended up winning, though.
The 250F rider was Ryan Villopoto. The 2006 team was supposed to be Carmichael, Stewart, Villopoto. Dang it.
2007 (USA) | Ricky Carmichael, Tim Ferry, Ryan Villopoto | 1st
Yes/No. This team dominated on home soil at Budds Creek. Villopoto was again the 250 National Motocross Champion, Carmichael was running a half season as he headed toward retirement but won every 450 National he entered, and Ferry was a solid veteran of the MXoN, including his spot on the winning ’06 team. (South Africa’s Grant Langston won the AMA Motocross Championship.) Ferry more than did his job, but missing was Stewart, who was originally announced to the team but got injured. Once again, the mighty Villopoto/Stewart/Carmichael trio was unable to compete.
2008 (Great Britain) | Tim Ferry, James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto | 1st
Yes. No arguments here, Stewart had a 24-0 season 450 Pro Motocross, Ferry was second in points, and Villopoto the 250 National Champion. This was an all-Kawasaki team, by the way.
2009 (Italy) | Ryan Dungey, Ivan Tedesco, Jake Weimer |1st
No. It gets weird here. The best American 450 motocross rider is probably James Stewart, but he signs a supercross-only deal with San Manuel Yamaha after Kawasaki doesn’t try to renew his deal. Australia’s Chad Reed is the AMA 450 Motocross Champion. So who is gonna race a 450 for Team USA? How about the 250 National Motocross Champion, Ryan Dungey? This moves second-ranked American 250 rider, Jake Weimer, into the 250 slot, and Tedesco, who was third in 450MX points but experienced from the ’05 and ’06 events, takes the final spot.
2010 (USA) | Trey Canard, Ryan Dungey, Andrew Short | 1st
Yes/No. This appears straightforward since Dungey is now the 450 National Motocross Champion and Canard is the 250 Champ. Colorado’s own Andrew Short gets the other slot for a race in his home state at Thunder Valley. But it’s again worth mentioning Stewart, still supposed to be supercross only, showing up for the Unadilla National to pitch his case to the AMA to ride for Team USA. But then the AMA announces the team in opening ceremonies at Unadilla before the first moto.
2011 (France) | Blake Baggett, Ryan Dungey, Ryan Villopoto | 1st
Yes. RV and Dunge are 1-2 in AMA 450 Motocross and Baggett is the top American in the 250 standings behind Scottsman Dean Wilson. The team wins
2012 (Belgium) | Blake Baggett, Justin Barcia, Ryan Dungey | 3rd
No. Dungey is 450 Motocross Champion, Villopoto is out injured, Stewart returns to motocross, but is also injured by this time of the year. So 250 rider Justin Barcia jumps on a 450, and Baggett (now 250 National Champion) takes the 250 slot again. But in the deep sand of Lommel, this squad struggles and an eight-year win streak is snapped.
2013 (Germany) | Justin Barcia, Ryan Dungey, Eli Tomac | 2nd
No. Ryan Villopoto is 450 National Champion but does not race. Dungey and Barcia are the 450 riders alongside new 250 National Champion Eli Tomac. It’s not a great day for Team USA outside of Tomac getting into a nice battle with Germany’s own Ken Roczen for a moto win on a 250F.
2014 (Latvia) | Ryan Dungey, Jeremy Martin, Eli Tomac | 3rd
Yes. This would be the pick of the litter for Team USA, as Martin is the 250 National Motocross Champ, Dungey and Tomac are the best American 450 guys (Germany’s Roczen is the AMA 450 Motocross Champion). Ends up being another loss, though.
2015 (France) | Justin Barcia, Jeremy Martin, Cooper Webb | 2nd
No. Weirdo year. Dungey is 450 Motocross Champ but chooses to not go after many years of service. Tomac is injured. Cooper Webb, a 250 racer, volunteers to race a 450. Justin Barcia is second-best American to Dunge so he gets a 450 slot, and Martin is 250 Motocross Champion again. This team performs really well but France is just slightly better on home soil.
2016 (Italy) | Jason Anderson, Alex Martin, Cooper Webb | 3rd
No. Weirdo year. Roczen wins 450 Motocross Championship again. Dungey is out injured and probably wouldn’t have raced anyway. Tomac is on a Kawasaki and the team doesn’t want him to go. Webb is 250 National Champ but again volunteers to race a 450, so Alex Martin takes the 250 slot, and Jason Anderson, out injured most of outdoors, comes back late in the year to take the third slot. And this team should have won, too! Anderson gets landed on after winning a moto and it all falls apart.
2017 (Great Britain) | Thomas Covington, Zach Osborne, Cole Seely | 9th
No. Weirdo, weirdo year. Kawasaki says no to Tomac, now 450 Motocross Champion. Dungey is retired. Baggett is hurt. Cole Seely, fifth in points, is the top-ranked American 450 racer who wants to go. Zach Osborne is 250 National Champion, so he gets the 250 spot, and it seems like no one else wants to go, so Thomas Covington, an American living in Europe and racing the GPs, gets the third spot. This event largely does not go well for the Americans. Seely’s bike breaks and Covington tears his ACL. It’s kinda like that.
2018 (USA) | Justin Barcia, Aaron Plessinger, Eli Tomac | 5th
Yes. Held on home soil at RedBud, the Tomac/Kawasaki camp relents and Eli, again 450 Motocross Champion, races. As does 250 National Champion Aaron Plessinger and second-ranked American 450 rider Barcia. They struggle, though.
2019 (Holland) | Jason Anderson, Justin Cooper, Zach Osborne | 6th
No. Weirdo year. Kawasaki wins both the 250 and 450 Motocross Championships with Adam Cianciarulo and Tomac, but doesn’t want to send the riders. Osborne and Anderson volunteer and even go over way early to learn the sand. Justin Cooper gets the 250 slot and does win the 250 qualifier on Saturday. That’s the highlight. Sunday’s race is a muddy mess and right off the bat Anderson and Cooper crash into each other, and it doesn’t really improve from there.
2022 (USA) | Justin Cooper, Chase Sexton, Eli Tomac | 1st
Yes. The MXoN is back at RedBud and everyone wants to go. This team has the riders 1-2 in the 450 Motocross Championship and the top-ranked American 250 rider, and it wins.
2023 (France) Aaron Plessinger, RJ Hampshire, Christian Craig | 8th
No. Weirdo year. Tomac is hurt. Sexton wants to race but he’s switching from Honda to KTM and won’t have time to be ready. That leads to a cascade of other riders choosing not to race since the chances of victory are getting slim. Notably, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing doesn’t offer Justin Cooper or Haiden Deegan, and Kawasaki’s long run of not participating means Anderson is out. On down the list the AMA goes until Christian Craig, out injured nearly all season, raises his hand to go alongside RJ Hampshire (eighth in 250 points) and Plessinger.
