As I write this the press conference is happening down near the podium, with bikes on track here shortly, beginning with the 65cc All-Stars. Of course, the actual racing starts tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. Eastern and will be shown live on Peacock, and then air again on Sunday on NBC at 4 p.m. ET. Check out this post with all the broadcast/streaming details.

Needless to say, there is a lot going on here, including a Friday Fan Zone all afternoon today—Eli Tomac looked best in the first 450 practice we just saw-and then a “Podcast Mashup” that will include Title 24’s Ricky Carmichael, Bubba’s World’s own James Stewart, SMX Insiders Jason Weigandt and Jason Thomas, Mr. PulpMX himself Steve Matthes, plus Jase from Gypsy Tales, plus a few other surprises. (If you’re not here, don’t worry, it will be archived.) And speaking of Jason Thomas, let’s start there… 

Pro Perspective (Thomas)

Round 29 of the season is here and marks the beginning of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Playoffs. Debuting last year, riders had absolutely no idea what to expect. The track maps helped a bit, but dirt composition, format, and the sheer speed of the layout caught most off guard. There was a collective scratching of the head amongst the riders that really never faded until we exited North Carolina. Riders are creatures of habit and programmed to execute a game plan. Change and surprise throw all of this into chaos. Those who adapted the most quickly fared much better. 

The 2024 SMX Playoffs should be easier in that regard. The dirt is the same as last year for the opening round and the layout is very similar (albeit in reverse). Riders will be able to use settings that they painfully arrived to a year ago. I think the results will reflect that, too. RJ Hampshire, for example, was a mess last year at this opener. He admitted that they got it completely wrong on a preparation front. They went all in on SX prep only to find a much faster, rougher hybrid layout. He absolutely hated his setup at Charlotte, and it showed. I would expect him to be much better and much happier this time around. There will be less panic and more normalcy. The riders will know what to expect and that's exactly what they want. They are robots built to repeat the same action (laps) time after time. Put them in motion without wild variation and good things happen. Adaptation is the variable they will need to revisit for the second and third round but for this first one, expect everyone to be at their best (outside of those dealing with injuries). 

The aspect riders will be most focused on will be the start. This track will be next-to-impossible to pass upon. That dynamic will change later in the motos as fatigue sets in but the layout itself is a challenging one in this regard. The inside line will dominate. That means those that can put themselves in solid early lap positioning have a huge edge. For a rider like Chase Sexton who has been hit-and-miss on starts, this is added pressure. He comes in with momentum and would be my odds-on favorite to win the title but if he cannot execute starts this Saturday, throw that out the window. Twenty minutes is a long time to sort things out after the start but don't be surprised to see your favorite rider trapped in traffic for far too long if they blow it on the first lap. 

Each race has its own specific areas of importance. Some tracks, the whoops are everything. Others require expert levels of traction management. This Charlotte track will be about who can get the start, execute the first lap, and then manage from there.

Joe-Dawg (Matthes)

News this week that Triumph and Joey Savatgy split ways came late which was a bit strange with Savatgy qualifying inside the top 20 for 250SMX and therefore in position to make some cash and finish the series. Rumors are he's going to ride for 450 Firepower Honda team for the FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) overseas and 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross here in the U.S., so I guess he wanted to start early, and he and the team decided to end it early. Going into the 250MX series, it was thought by more than a few (myself included) that Joey was capable of winning a moto or getting on the podium and it started out strong at Pala with a second overall in qualifying and a top five in a moto. But crashes, bike issues, and bad starts all became an issue for Savatgy, so something about those best laid plans or whatever happened. The Triumph team did have a good season with Jalek Swoll but the Savatgy/Triumph duo didn't work out. So, they agreed to go their separate ways in a classy PR that was shared by both sides. So, look for the #17 on red soon overseas and at Anaheim 1 2025. 

2025 Testing Incoming (Keefer)

We have some tests cooking over here at Racer X. Just when you think the testing will slow down, it ramps up. The 2025 Yamaha YZ250F will be happening on September 30 and the 2025 Kawasaki KX250 intro will go down at Washougal on October 2. We also have another special test on tap since these comparison tests are getting a lot of views. Since I feel that these new bike shootouts are kind of an old model, why not compare bikes that consumers seem to talk to me about the most. Everyone says the 2025 KX450's engine is like a 350 in 450 clothing so I have grabbed a 2025 KTM 350 SX-F and the KX450 to compare. Does the KX450 have more juice than the 350? Can the 350 get out of the gate with the KX450? Does the chassis of the 350 feel as comfortable as the green 450? These are some of the questions that we will answer in an upcoming video. Hell, we might even throw an aftermarket muffler on each of these when we compare. What about those old bikes? The 2007 Honda was a hit, so I found a clean 2009 YZ450F to compare to the 2025 YZ450F. Let's have some fun and mix it up! We will still be doing the standard new bike tests as well as settings but why not change things a bit. If it works, we will stick with it. If no one likes these types of tests we can always go back to regular scheduled programming. As always, my virtual door is open to you to give suggestions and comments. I built Keefer Inc. Testing and came on board to Racer X for these types of things. I. Can't. Wait! 

September 7, 1984 (DC)

While you might not recognize the date listed here, you will probably understand that it’s an unfortunate anniversary for the motocross world, particularly in Southern California. Friday, September 7, 1984, was the day that the riding mecca known as Saddleback Park closed its doors for good. The park manager at the time, Marvin Henricks, was forced by the landlord—the Irvine Company—to lock the gate due to his inability to meet their sizable insurance requirements. Saddleback hosted races with various promoters, including the CMC’s Stu Peters, the NMA’s Ron Henrickson, the CRC’s Jack Barbacovi and more.

Founded in 1968 by Cycle World publisher Joe Parkhurst and partner Vic Wilson, Saddleback Park was the home track for countless SoCal-based professionals, as well as visiting European riders. It’s first race was the July 4, 1968, Inter-Am race, and it went on to host Trans-AMA races, outdoor nationals, the World Mini GP, Golden State rounds and more. It was open almost every day and was considered something of a theme park for off-road motorcyclists, with well-known sections like Banzai Hill, Suicide Mountain, Webco Hill, and more. Unfortunately, Saddleback Park was also sued multiple times. There was also the unfortunate death of a 10-year-old minicycle rider named John Shaver who collided with another rider in June of ’84 that caused the Irvine Company to reconsider the existence of the park. And once the gates were locked, at 4 p.m. that Friday afternoon, they never opened again to motocross bikes. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the Irvine Company never developed the land either, so it’s just sat there all these years, empty and abandoned, an ongoing reminder of what motocross was like back in the early days.

On a personal note, I never got to ride at Saddleback Park, but my dad did drive us out there to see it one day after we drove all the way across the country to see the season-opening ’84 Anaheim Supercross. It was the Thursday afternoon. I remember seeing this super-fast kid on a Suzuki RM80 with blond curly hair just railing around the track with all of the big bikes. It was Mike Healey, and I think he was the fastest minicycle rider I had ever seen to that point in my life. Two days later Healey would battle with Eddie Hicks for the win in the 80cc Exhibition race as part of the Anaheim SX.

Every lap around Healey would swing out wide on a big bank turn and absolutely launch the jump that was dubbed the Diet Coke Catapult, much to the delight of the 70,000 fans there that night. Healey actually jumped further on his R&D Racing RM80 rocket than professional rider Ross “Rollerball” Pederson, who’s 55-foot leap won the Canadian a $1,000 bonus that night. Unfortunately, Healey’s launches didn’t count because he wasn’t in the actual AMA Supercross race.

Earlier this summer Mike Healey passed away, and I was told by a mutual friend that some of his ashes were spread at Saddleback Park, the track he grew up on.

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