Main image: Scott Burnworth, photo by Mike Emery
There are few guarantees in life and, unfortunately, one of them is the fact that unexpected things are going to happen along the way that break our hearts. Many of us in the motocross family were reminded of this cruel fact of life with the tragic news of the passing of Scott Burnworth. He was a truly special human being, a warm soul who helped keep the motocross flame going in Southern California for his whole life. He was a minicycle hotshoe as a kid, a factory superstar as a young man, a tireless industry worker as an adult, and more recently a vintage motocross hero. Everything Burner did, he did it right. He had natural talent and style as both a rider and an artist. He was the ageless avatar of eighties’ motocross, the embodiment of that incredible era of works bikes and rock stars and cutting-edge moto fashion and racetracks and riding spots with cool names like Carlsbad, Saddleback, Indian Dunes, Ascot Park, Escape Country, Palm Avenue, and more. Burner was a product of the El Cajon Zone and while he never achieved the championships of neighbors and contemporaries like Rick Johnson, Broc Glover or Ron Lechien, he lived his life with a bigger smile and a never-ending passion for all things moto. He took great care of himself and could still slide into the same perfectly-matched JT Racing gear he wore when he first signed with Suzuki or the THOR gear he was wearing when he last signed with Yamaha. He had a cameo role (though one he didn’t want) in the ’86 Anaheim duel starring RJ and David Bailey, and he could tell you details about every lap in every race he ever rode because he just loved it all so much… He was forever young and forever cool, and will now sadly remain both forever. Losing Scott Burnworth is a gut punch for an entire generation of moto enthusiasts that he continued to inspire long after his racing career was over. We’ve lost an icon. Godspeed, Burner. Thanks for keeping it all so real.
What a way to end a year. This was not the “December surprise” we’ve all come to expect in this sport. Jorge Prado getting banged up or Jeremy Coker moving from Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing to Triumph or Star Racing signing even more fast kids—those are the kind of things we’ve come to expect in Decembers around here. The holidays are upon us and Anaheim is rapidly approaching and everyone is hunkered down, getting ready for Santa and then the Big A, but also keeping an eye for the unexpected, that thing that shakes up what we have been expecting to see when the new season begins. You know, the kind of unlucky things that happen on Friday the 13th... Anyway, here at Racer X we’re spread a little thin because the Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Racing banquet is this weekend in Sandusky, Ohio, and we’re also finishing up the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Yearbook which will be available at all 17 rounds of the series, Jason Weigandt and Jason Thomas just did an preseason edition of the SMX Insider Show, and they're both working with Steve Matthes on our own Racer X Preview Shows today. Oh, and we're also finishing up another issue of Racer X Illustrated! And of course, there’s the upcoming New Year’s Eve annual feature The Lives They Lived where we talk about some of the moto friends and strangers that we collectively lost in the last year—a list that unfortunately just got longer and harder… So forgive us for being a little light on this one. Here’s Racerhead…
And Josh Gagnon's (@alwaysbelieve331) countdown to A1 continues...
Triumph Gets a Star (Mitch Kendra)
Earlier this week, Steve Matthes reported that Jeremy Coker had left Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing and joined the Triumph Racing team. Now, Triumph has made the news official: Coker has joined as the general manager of Triumph Racing America. This is one of the bigger off-season moves in terms of team personnel, as Coker had been with Star Yamaha since 2014 and was the 450 team manager in his latest role before departing the team. We expect Coker to be involved with more than just the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) team. Read the full release from earlier today. Check out Matthes, Weege, and JT discussing the move below, then JT's interview with Coker in the video section later in this post.
Metty and Tichenor (Matthes)
The great Aussie MX'er Brett Metcalfe finished his 24 years career (and he wears #24!) by crashing out and ending up in the hospital at the AUS-X Open a couple of weeks ago. Not exactly the way Brett would want his career to end but in the podcast I did with him on this site, he laughed about it. What a career he had in the USA, Canada, Europe, and back down under these last few years. He got the Southwick win in 450MX so we can't say he's the fastest rider to never win a race in the USA but if it wasn't for that, he might top that list… Off the top of my head, Michael Byrne, his fellow Aussie, might be that guy now or maybe Scott Burnworth? (Note: Matthes wrote this before the new of Scott’s passing, but he would be correct in listing Burner alongside the other “Byrner” with this somewhat dubious honor.)
Anyways, Brett sat down to talk to me about his career and how important the Bercy SX in 2000 was for his career. Jeff Leisk, working for KTM down under, got Brett a showcase and he made the most of it. From Bercy it was an MX2 ride then KTM USA and then he was off to the races here. Metty talks about that race and more in the pod including his Canadian title. Good stuff from a guy that was always a class act to deal with off the track win or lose. Check it out.
Listen: Brett Metcalfe Announces Retirement
Weege, Seth Rarick and I did a Lett Re-Raceable Podcast yesterday with Ronnie Tichenor talking about the season-opening SX in Orlando in 1991. This was the race where Team Peak Pro Circuit debuted (with a win from Brian Swink, in a near photo finish with Ryan Hughes) and Tichenor, dropped by factory Suzuki after four years, rode a full privateer TUF Suzuki to a fourth after leading the opening seven laps of the year. Ronnie was always way underrated and was one of those guys that was one-and-done in terms of factory rides and unfortunately for him, it was at Suzuki, which was hardly a powerhouse back in those days. Ronnie tells some hilarious stories about Bob Hannah when he was the Suzuki coach, his aversion to going to California, racing in Japan, turning down Roger De Coster for a factory ride in 1998, and more right here:
Renthal Factory Visit (Keefer)
I am headed over to the UK to visit the Renthal Factory in Bredbury, United Kingdom. I am bringing a film crew to show all of you the ins and outs of how a handlebar is made. I am going to be bugging the crap out of the Renthal engineers to show you guys how Renthal makes their bars. From the inception of a bar bend to the packaging, you guys will be along for the ride. We will have a full feature of the tour in an upcoming Racer X Films video. I am a handlebar nerd so getting to see how it all goes down as well as breaking down the processes in which each handlebar has to pass before it gets to the consumer is something that I can't wait to see myself. Is a 7/8 crossbar handlebar flex less or more than a crossbar-less 1-1/8 handlebar? The answer may surprise us! Why does Renthal make a ton of bars in a length of 810mm or longer when other make theirs at 800mm? Yes! I am jacked up for this! Hopefully you will all enjoy the behind the scenes of how a handlebar is born. Check back to Racerxonline.com around the holidays to see my best Mike Rowe Dirty Jobs impression!
Take Our Readers' Choice Survey!
A lot of passionate, creative people work to make Racer X the best it can be, but our biggest source of inspiration is, quite simply, you! All of us at Racer X would really appreciate it if you can take a few minutes to complete our Readers' Choice survey. The better we know our readers and audience, the better we can make everything we do. For completing the survey, you'll receive a free 3-month digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated and a $20 gift card to MotoSport.com! You'll also be entered to win a Denago Powersports MX4 bike, five pairs of Sidi Crossair boots, an OGIO Dozer gearbag, a Risk Racing starting gate, a MotoSport shop stand, a 6D ATR-1 helmet, and a FXR 2025 Clutch Pro Moto gear kit! Winners will be announced January 3.
Hey, Watch It!
JT interview Jeremy Coker for the SMX Insiders:
Watch: Benny Bloss Explains Bad Arm Break, Compartment Syndrome and Medicine Addiction Process: 9 Surgeries in 22 Days!
GoPro: Rider's Eye View of AMA Arenacross in Boise
Baker's Factory BTS Bootcamp 2025 Week 3!!!
VARG EX: Stark's Road-Legal Enduro Bike Unveiled
The Anaheim Supercross opener--from 1981!
We've been talking you about Rob Andrews' excellent series "Namur Track Walk" where he walks the grounds of the most famous motocross track ever, The Citadelle in Namur, Belgium. Here's Part 3 (and look for Part 4 tomorrow on his The Inside Line Book channel on YouTube).
Carson Brown’s 500cc Open Bike Showdown!
2025 TRAINING CAMP | Chase Sexton
Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week
"OnlyFans model flashes chest at Giants game after alleged request from anonymous player on team"—NY Post
"Where Beards Grow, Strong Feelings Follow"—DNYUZ
"He risked it all for a hash brown"—The Sun
"Police recover a stolen van with 2,500 pies after a chef’s appeal, but they are too damaged to eat"—AP News
"Truck fire covers California highway in melted chocolate"—UPI
“Macy’s provides more details about that employee who hid more than $150 million worth of expenses”—CNN
Random Notes
The MXGP of Portugal will return to the Crossódromo Internacionalde Águeda on May 3-4, 2025, and the previously scheduled first round in Indonesia on June 29 has been cancelled. Instead, the MXGP of Great Britain will now take place at Matterley Basin on June 21-22, 2025. The second Indonesian round on 5-6 July remains on the calendar and will be the MXGP of Indonesia, with the venue to be announced. Read more information.
Charlie "Diffy Smooth" Burgess spotted this "Racer X Table" on the Facebook marketplace.
Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races!
