Team USA Organization at Another Level (Jason Weigandt)

I got to tour the Team USA corner of the paddock today, and there’s some very impressive stuff going on over there. It’s so impressive that I actually can’t tell you about it, because I can only assume these things are things other teams don’t know about. It’s next level organization and planning, with stuff hung on the walls and plans and charts to dissect the track and more. After today’s start practice, I saw Aaron Plessinger, Cooper Webb, and Eli Tomac in the team trailer together, and the vibe is high. 

This vision was built from the rubble of 2018’s embarrassment at RedBud. Other countries (like France) have taken this event to another level of organization, and simply showing up with good riders wasn’t enough to win anymore. Chris and Christina Denney and Paul Perebijnos deserve a lot of credit, amongst many others, for this kind of growth. What we saw at RedBud in 2022 was much more effective than 2018, and the result showed. Last year in France Team USA had a team trailer in Europe for the first time, and this year they’ve dialed that setup in just a bit more. Seeing Webb, Tomac, and Plessinger working together like this was a great sign. 

Plessinger told me he’s feeling so much better than he did at this race last year. His shoulder tweak at the SMX Playoff opener in North Carolina actually came at the right time, because he had to take a few weeks off of hard riding during the week. The rest only helped, because he said when he got back on the bike after the Las Vegas SMX finale, he turned in his fastest outdoor lap of the year at the Baker’s Factory. Last year’s MXoN was also his first-ever overseas trip, and he barely slept throughout the weekend. This time he slept on the plane well and feels good. He’s refreshed and fired up, compared to last year when he felt burned out.

By the way, during start practice I saw dust on the track. This place has been hammered with rain for the last week or so but last two days have been good, and the track is not muddy at all. The forecast, so far, is also pretty good. So yeah, vibes are high here for the Americans. I don’t know if that results in a win but at least they’re putting their best foot forward, which is a far cry from that 2018 event. 

DES NATS (Matthes)

This is it, the week that many fans of the sport live for and that's the FIM Motocross des Nations (I know it's now "of" but I stick with "des"). This event is cool for sure, I ended up going to 13 in a row until my streak ended the year of COVID-19 and I didn't go last year in France. But as you read this, I'll be in the UK and Matterley Basin, site of one of the worst MXDN races in terms of weather/fun factor in 2017. Weather looks better this year so that's awesome and it's going to be interesting to see who does what as there's no clear favorite in my eyes. Australia, Holland and France are so close with USA right there. Heck, USA might not win an overall and still win the thing although they'll need some help. 

That's the thing about the MXDN, there's so much randomness in the results, one crash or bike issue and you're out of the thing. You drop one result but over six motos, you'd think that there would be more consistency. Oftentimes, there's not. 

And speaking of help, DC has been to so many MXDN's over the years and as he pointed out in this podcast we did on his personal MXDN highlights; USA had gotten a lot of help in winning this event over the years. And now, all the winless years they had (broken at Redbud in 2022), it seemed that anything and everything that could go wrong, did. Including the ultimate disaster the last time USA raced here in the UK. 

Thanks to David Luongo for letting myself and Lewis Phillips do a couple of live shows from the pits at 6 p.m. each day at the Infront stage. Pretty cool, we're going to have some great guests as well over the two days so stay tuned for that. We'll try to record them as well to put up as a podcast. 

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

The Motocross of Nations is the most prestigious event on the calendar. There is simply nothing like it. The timing is not convenient for teams or riders, the weather is often dicey (especially in the UK), and it's expensive to send a team across the Atlantic. I hear and understand all of those concerns, but I simply don't care about them. This race surpasses all of those hurdles by leaps and bounds. The patriotism and pageantry of racing for one's country is something I will always hold in the highest regard. 

As for how Team USA does this weekend, I almost don't care. The fact that they rose to the occasion is enough for me to cheer without worry of the result. The path to Matterley was one of the more chaotic in team history (outside of 9/11 or Covid). There was a time when the entire project was in doubt. When pressed, though, both Yamaha Star Racing riders Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac said yes while Red Bull KTM’s Aaron Plessinger was waiting in the wings all the while. When “yes” is hard and inconvenient but still seen through, my respect is always going to be given. Win or lose, this rendition of Team USA will go down as one of my favorites because of it.

As for the race itself, all eyes will be towards the skies on Sunday. Rain is likely and could bring a 2017-like race day. If so, forget about what should or could happen. The mud and rain will turn expectations on their head. Teams like Germany or Great Britain will exponentially increase their chances of a podium. The great equalizer will weigh heavily on best laid plans. Let's hope the skies part around the green grass hillside of Matterley Basin, giving us a do-over from the mess that was 2017. Everyone outside of Max Anstie is probably hoping for this very thing. 

About Those Numbers... (DC)

Shortly after we posted Racerhead last Friday the AMA released the 2025 numbers for SX/MX/SMX. It was a combination of expected repeats from the semi-permanent guys who will continue with their same numbers, as well as some interesting twists on those who do not have such numbers. The single lowest new number is the #10, earned by Chance Hymas, who picks up Justin Brayton’s long-time career number. Next up is #19, earned by Jordon Smith in 2024, likely with Triumph, as the North Carolina native passed on #13 (which the AMA does allow each year) and SMX Finals 250SMX winner Pierce Brown right behind him as the new #20. That number had previously belonged to Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Max Vohland, who barely raced this year after an early injury in supercross. He is now moving to the Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha team, where he will be #92. The veteran Austin Forkner, who finished (and won) just one race in '24, will be #83—the number Jett Lawrence wore in his first full year in the circuit, back in 2020.  

Speaking of Jett, it will be weird seeing him wear #1 in SX, where he's the new champion, but #18 in Pro Motocross, even though he has lost just one national in 15 career starts on the 450. Whichever number he has, he will be wearing that unique purple plate that he earned with another SMX title, unless he's the points leader. In that case it will be red with the bright yellow number. Same goes for Haiden Deegan, only he will be #38 for whichever 250SX region he enters, and #1 in Pro Motocross and SMX, where he too repeated.

There is some foreign intrigue here too. Our friend Harri Kullas, who raced most of the summer here in order to get into the SMX playoffs, where he finished 13th overall. He's looking for a full ride here now for '25, and wherever he lands, he will wear #42. And what of newly recrossed MXGP World Champion Jorge Prado, who is headed to America and a ride with Monster Energy Kawasaki? Prado earned #70 for his brief cameos at the beginning of AMA Supercross, the same number that carried Ricky Carmichael to his first professional title in 1997.

So, who made the biggest jump of all in the numbers? Red Bull KTM's Juju Beaumer, the AMA Rookie of the Year. He wore #929 this season, but he earned himself #23 in a fine first season.

Finally, I like to see who ends up with #54 each season because that remains the lowest number in AMA Pro Motocross/Supercross history to have never won a main event or overall. The closest a #54 ever came was Mike Brown back in 1992, when he rode a PEAK Antifreeze/Pro Circuit Honda for Mitch Payton and finished second at the Pontiac Silverdome's 125 Supercross. That's it. That's the best finish ever for #54. So, who has that number in 2025? ClubMX's Jett Reynolds.

Read the full announcement of the 2025 numbers.

STILL MORE PHIL (Matthes)

Weege recapped the busy Vegas SMX weekend where the folks at Feld managed to squeeze a race around all the parties that Phil Nicoletti had. Our guy MX Reference went through Phil's career stats and put them down for everyone to read. Did you know Phil had one top ten in 450SX but 29 top tens in 250SX? Well, you do now. Read more about Phil’s career. [Editor’s notes: And speaking of number, how Phil is it that he earned his best national number in his final season, as he would have been #29 for 2025. – Mitch]

MXoN Fantasy (DC)

Looking to manage a virtual team this weekend at the MXoN? We got a note from MotoXDream360 pit boss Denny Stephenson with two different types of fantasy leagues—one that is free and one where there's a $30 entry fee and a 100 percent purse payback:

Play the FREE 2024 Moto des Nations league. Click the link for the rules of the game on the main page & again. Play for FREE at MotoXDream360.com. If you want to get a little wild & play for some cheddar. I have the 24MXDN Matters for 30. 100% payback. Top 5 payout as follows. 1st 41% • 2nd 26% • 3rd 16% • 4th 11% • 5th 6%. Sign up now.

MXGP Wraps (DC)

The winner-take-all drama promised before the 20th and final round of the 2024 FIM World Motocross Championship (MXGP) didn't really pan out that was as Red Bull GasGas rider Jorge Prado took the fight straight at Tim Gajser and everyone else in Spain, taking his 11th MXGP win of the season and clinching his fourth world title. The 23-year-old Prado was right at home—literally—on the new track, though the course itself did not get many positive reviews. Especially frustrated was Jeffrey Herlings, who was docked three spots in the first moto for going off the track and back on too quickly for the race officials. The Bullet lashed out after the race in frustration with the whole situation, especially after Honda HRC's Gajser had a similar off-track excursion and was not penalized at all. The penalty ultimately cost Herlings the overall victory as he won the second moto. Needless to say, he was not happy.

In the MX2 class Lucas Coenen won for the ninth time this year but it was his Nestaan Husqvarna teammate Kay de Wolf who grabbed the '24 FIM World Championship with his steady performances all season long. Now, it will be interesting to see how these two kids (Coenen turned 17 in August while De Wolf is now 20 years old, as of Sunday—what a birthday gift!) do against Team USA's Cooper Webb, who volunteered to ride Haiden Deegan's Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing YZ250F this weekend. De Wolf has been with this team since he was on 85cc minicycles. Here's more about the latest "flying Dutchman" from our friends at MXLarge.com.

Young Americans (DC)

Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb, and Aaron Plessinger aren't the only Americans over here at Matterley Basin competing at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Turns out Yamaha's bLU cRU program has chosen three young racers to represent the USA at the YZ bLU cRU FIM Europe Cup SuperFinale. Kade Nightingale (65cc), Tayce Morgan (85), and Chace Lawton (125) will all be competing in this new SuperFinale. The three emerged from Yamaha’s 2024 bLU cRU Invitational races, which took place at Glen Helen, Washougal and Budds Creek earlier this year. According to the press release the riders were judged on their performances both on the track and off the track, including their academic grades, history riding Yamaha, and their love for the brand and the sport.

According to Jennifer Davie, Yamaha’s experiential marketing manager, “Our team of judges have discussed all of our 45 qualifiers at length and narrowed the list to the three finalists to join us in the United Kingdom. We are extremely excited to have Kade, Tayce, and Chace join us at this year’s Yamaha SuperFinale!” Among those judges were Doug Dubach, Ryan Villopoto, and Damon Bradshaw. They were onsite at each of the bLU cRU Invitational rounds, working with racers, providing training, and getting on the track with them, while also evaluating all riders to make the most informed decision.

“This is such a unique opportunity – no one has ever done anything like this before. Yamaha has really stepped up this year, and what an amazing experience to be a part of Yamaha’s bLU cRU Invitational series working with the young riders, sharing stories, and enjoying Yamaha-exclusive access to some of the top tracks in the country,” said Doug Dubach in the PR. “These three kids are fast, talented, and just great people. It was really difficult to pick only three riders from the 45 amazing competitors and exceptional kids, but it’s also been awesome to get to know the winners and their families, and we can’t wait to see their faces when they get to MXON.”

The SuperFinale will feature 110 competitors from Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and the US--29 countries in all. Fans back home can watch the races live streamed on the Yamaha Racing YouTube channel. The YZ65 and YZ85 races will take place tomorrow at 13:10 GMT and 13:45 GMT respectively. The YZ125 race will start at 9:20 GMT on Sunday. And viewers can catch the full story of the 2024 bLU cRU Invitationals on YouTube at YouTube.com/@YamahaMotorUSA. 

Team USA ATVers Wins (DC)

If our two-wheeled guys have as much success as our four-wheeled guys did in their MXoN last weekend, we would be on top of the world. The AMA's Team USA ATV lineup of Bryce Ford, Joel Hetrick and Brandon Hoag dominated the 2024 FIM Quadcross of Nations last weekend in the Czech Republic. Their victory marks the sixth time that the team has secured a global championship since 2017. All three were aboard Yamaha-backed YFZ450R machines and competed in two 25-minutes + 2 laps motos on the hilly Loketske Serpentiny circuit. 

“The team showcased that ATV motocross riders in the United States are a force to be reckoned with,” said Team USA ATV Manager Mark Baldwin of Baldwin Motorsports. “While Bryce, Joel and Brandon are competitors on home soil, they had to come together in the Czech Republic to bring home the team’s sixth title. We are all so proud to bring home the coveted FIM World Championship to the United States.”

After sweeping the three Saturday qualifying races, Sunday's Nations' race saw Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s Hetrick and Westland Motorsports/JH Racing’s Hoag start out front and stay there. The duo led wire-to-wire, Hetrick first and Hoag second. 

The second moto saw another 1-2 for Team USA as Ford Brothers Racing's Ford grabbed the holes hot and took off, while Hoag started eighth. Neither would stop charging from there, and a half-hour later they hit the checkered flag way out front, with Ford 44 seconds ahead of third-place while Hoag 33 seconds clear. 

Things got a little dicey in In the final moto after Hetrick, the five-time AMA Pro Motocross ATV Champion, grabbed the holeshot but Ford was buried in the pack. On the fifth lap the leader Hetrick got a rock stuck in his chain, causing him to retire. It was all up to Ford to defend Team USA's title. Fortunately, Ford was up for it. He reached the front at the halfway mark and finished 19 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, giving Team USA 1-2-1-2-1 moto scores in this five-best out of six competition. Well done!

“We are incredibly appreciative of the sponsors that contributed to the team’s efforts to secure the FIM World Championship,” said Team Delegate Harv Whipple. “It’s not an easy or inexpensive feat to get the United States’ top ATV racers, their team members, and their Yamaha machines overseas. Support from sponsors make it possible.”

Next year's race will be held in The Netherlands, which just happens to be where Team USA Junior competed in this year's FIM Junior World Cup. The boys did not win in the deep sand but, as always, they acquitted themselves well. Here's betting that Team USA ATV does just fine in the Dutch sand!  

(From left) Team USA ATV's Brandon Hoag, Joel Hetrick and Bryce Ford 

Hey, Watch It

I CAUGHT AN ALLIGATOR | Levi Kitchen YES CHEF

More gold from Lyndon Fox's YouTube channel: The 1976 Unadilla 500 National, featuring a bunch of top stars from that era, including Pierre Karsmakers (#8 on the Honda), Tony DiStefano (#6 and the Suzuki), eventual winner Steve Stackable (#7 on Suzuki), Kent Howerton (#3 on the Husqvarna), and many more:

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Brent Duffe, mechanic for Haiden Deegan, was the guest on Gypsy Tales this week to discuss working with the Deegans, their four championships so far, and the job in general:

Our man Tom Journet moonlights at the races as the creative behind the "This Is Lawrence" vlogs on YouTube, featuring Jett and Hunter as they go through their weekend races. The latest drop is from the brothers in the SuperMotocross finals at Las Vegas, where between the two of them they won something like $1.7 million...

And here’s another amazing old video from Lyndon Fox, this time the 1982 U.S. Grand Prix at Unadilla, which was the first major race in America won by a KTM rider, Kees Van der Ven: