After two years within the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna organization, Christian Craig will now compete in the 2025 and 2026 SuperMotocross World Championship upon a Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing YZ450F. As part of the agreement, Craig will make his debut for the race team he formerly competed with and clinched the 2022 250SX West Supercross Championship for this Saturday at 47,100-seat Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.
Craig was absent from the first nine rounds of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship due to recovering from an ACL knee injury suffered at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway SuperMotocross finale last September. Now back on the bike and up to race speed, on Thursday afternoon Craig spoke about both what he has been up to and just where he is going this approaching Saturday.
“I’m in Tallahassee,” said Craig after taking a break from dialing-in the Yamaha YZ450F. “It has been good. I’m back home at Star Racing, which has been awesome. I’ve been on the bike consistently for about six weeks. Yes, just been full throttle trying to play catchup, pretty much. I missed all of the off-season with the knee injury, unfortunately. Once I got the go ahead to get back on the bike, it has just been full throttle. Yeah, I’m excited to get back to racing. I know it is round 10 this weekend, but better late than ever to get back on the gate, I guess.”
Now healed after the knee operation was performed by orthopedic surgeon Eric Bowman, Craig is confident with his physical fitness heading into Birmingham this weekend.
“Yeah, the knee is 100 percent,” explained Craig. “I mean obviously when you’re off the bike for two or three months, you lose all that fitness. That just takes a while to get back. However, I feel like I’m close to 100 percent, so the team and I have agreed that we both feel like we are ready to go. I’m excited.”
Being ready to go means that Craig is now full-on back to being in the grind of testing, training and fine-tuning himself and the YZ450F for maximum performance.
“Yes, for sure it’s a grind now, but I mean I’ve done it for so long, that I kind of know what to expect,” explained Craig of putting in the heavy lifting the sport demands. “You know what it’s all like and what the tougher days are like. We have a good crew at The Farm and everyone is kind of on the same page. It has been fun. I’m back with the Yamaha crew and I’m loving the bike and everything that comes with it.”
Getting back on a Yamaha is a big part of the piece for Craig.
“The bike does for me well,” furthered Craig. “It feels like home, for sure. Last time I was on a Yamaha I won a championship. For sure it has been good vibes just being back with them. I’m back with Gareth Swanepoel and just everybody there. It is a really tight knit crew and everyone is pushing to be better. I enjoy it a lot.”
As part of his work responsibilities within his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Team role, Craig works very closely with and develops the organization’s legion of 250 racers. It’s a responsibility Craig finds fulfilling.
“So it has kind of been a different role for me,” he said. “Obviously, I’m racing full-time still, but I’m also helping out the team and the younger riders that get signed to the team. I try to help that transition from amateur to pro and to try and be a mentor. It’s different, for sure. We’re trying to find what works well with the team and to also keep busy with my side of it with training. Yeah, it feels like home, for sure. My brother Jeremy Coker was the team manager for he 450 side for a while, but unfortunately he left for another job (Note: Last December Coker announced he was going to Triumph Racing). I was pretty bummed out about, but it’s better for him. Other than that, though, I’m super-close to everyone on the team. It feels really comfortable, so I’m stoked.”
So now the time has come from Christian Craig to go supercross racing, and with that, plenty of motions will come to the fore for the San Diego native come Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday.
“Yes, it does, for sure,” agreed Craig. “I mean it sucked not having an off-season to be 100-percent ready, but that’s just how it played out. Yeah, I am excited to get back and see where I fit into this group. I know the pace is super-high right now. And with my two teammates, one of them, Cooper Webb, is leading the points and the other one, Justin Cooper, just got second at the last round at Indianapolis. Yeah, I’m obviously on a good bike and in a good program and it’s up to me to put in a good result now.”
Does Christian Craig have a goal he wants to achieve, or have marks he wants to hit at Birmingham tomorrow night?
“Man, it’s a big question mark right now,” he answered. “I feel like I’m riding really good at the practice track. I’ve been putting in some good laps, so my speed is there. You never really know where you fit in until you go racing and get behind the gate. Whether that puts me right outside the top five area, or top 10, as long as I can kind of go match what I’m doing during the week, I’ll be happy with wherever that puts me.”
![Christian Craig racing the 450 Class in Pro Motocross in 2021 with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing.]()
Christian Craig racing the 450 Class in Pro Motocross in 2021 with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing. Mitch Kendra ![Craig's YZ450F at the 2021 High Point National.]()
Craig's YZ450F at the 2021 High Point National. Mitch Kendra
Both a champion and multi-time race winner while competing in the 250cc sector of his career, Craig is now looking for his first career victory upon the 450cc motorcycle.
“Yeah, I haven’t got to do that on a 450 yet,” pointed out Craig of getting to the top step of the podium in the 450cc classification. “That’s obviously something that you want to check off, but you have to take baby steps and get on the podium first. The end goal is to win, so I’m on the bike and on the right program. Yeah, it’s all up to me to try to put up some good results. I mean if I can run in the top five or top 10, that would be awesome. And then I would go from there. I’ll be racing the rest of the year and I’ll just keep building. Obviously, I’m coming in a little behind and I just want to try and build each weekend and be a little bit better. Hopefully, I can pick up here where I left with the Star Yamaha crew. I’m excited. I’m not going to put a lot of pressure on myself. I’m just going to go out there and put myself up in a good position and see where that leads me. The bike is in a good spot. It’s a winning machine. And the team is leading the points right now. I know I’m around good company, so that’s all I need. I mean anybody can win on any given weekend and so I want to try to be one of those guys and put myself in a good position and see where it plays out. I’m excited, man. It’s been a long time coming from this injury, so I’m excited to get back behind the gate and keep building each weekend.”
So now is that time for Christian Craig to head to Protective Stadium where the klieg lights will be cascading down on the 45,000 rabid fans there to watch the best racers in the world.
“Yeah, there is nothing like it, for sure,” smiled Craig. “I’ve missed that anxiousness and nervousness that you get going into the race weekend. I’m excited.”
