And speaking of SMX, news dropped this week that Monster Energy has extended their contract to support SMX through 2030, which is fantastic news for the sport. Between this added championship (and its $10 million in bonuses for the riders), new OEMs like Triumph and Ducati joining the sport, the news that two more MXoN races will be coming to the U.S. in 2028 as well as 2031, not to mention the second-largest turnout ever for Loretta Lynn’s participants, with over 27,000 attempts to qualify (and the annual max of 1,512 finalists racing all last week), and some great mainstream media courtesy of Raycin Kyler’s big win at LLMX on ESPN as well as Fox News, this whole SMX program is on quite a positive roll. And speaking of Raycin…

WMX (Sarah Whitmore)

The Women’s Motocross Championship is back this weekend at Ironman for its fourth round after an eight-week break. During that break, Kyleigh Stallings, Jordan Jarvis, and Lachlan Turner all raced Loretta Lynn’s, where Turner swept all three motos, winning by a large margin. Mikayla Nielsen has been racing off-road, and Charli Cannon took a little time to heal from her finger surgery. Though she raced in Australia the last two weekends and wrapped up the MXW title with a four-moto sweep, she should be close to 100 percent by now. Finally, we should be in for the Turner/Cannon showdown we have all been anticipating.

Women’s racing is on fire recently. It all started at Thunder Valley when the Friday schedule got rained out, and WMX ran its moto on Saturday after the Pro Motocross motos. It was so well received that this weekend at Ironman, the women will run their first moto today and their second moto on Saturday. This was always the goal of the WMX racers: to get the series back to what it once was, but no one expected it to happen so soon. Here’s hoping the riders put on a good show once again.

Let’s just say after this year’s Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, the future of WMX is looking BRIGHT. Both the Women’s and the Girls’ classes showed incredible speed, but it was when the females hit the track in the “boys’” classes that eyes were opened. Lala Turner was battling for a top ten in the 250 B class, and Hannah Jamison did the same in Mini SR. But it was Yumena Berning (65cc 7-9) and Raycin Kyler (65cc 10-11) who really stole the show. The 65cc 7-9 class ran first in the program, so Yumena was the first girl ever to get a moto podium at Loretta’s and then landed on the overall podium at the end of the week with second overall! Then Raycin topped it and won the overall in the 65cc 10-11! History was being made, and barriers were being broken all week at The Ranch, and it was amazing to watch.

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

After a couple of weekends off, it’s go time! Three rounds to settle Pro Motocross and then three more to settle the SMX World Championship Playoffs! The riders hopefully did the right things to feel a bit rejuvenated. If they’re begrudgingly boarding the plane this week, they did it wrong. A few weeks ago, we talked about how a plan needed to be put in place to balance training and rest. If riders didn’t take the chance to rest, they simply won’t get another one like that until the end of September. Maintaining fitness and sharpness while recharging the batteries—that’s the sweet spot. Overdo it? It’s going to be a long six rounds. Spend the entire three weeks playing Call of Duty, and you’ll regret it 25 minutes into the first moto tomorrow. It’s not rocket science, but it is important.

As for what to expect, I have two main questions: will Haiden be back to 100% and ready to be the guy he was pre-RedBud? And can Chase Sexton find his Washougal form on tracks that aren’t a liability for the Lawrence brothers? Those questions should determine the outcome this coming Saturday and the Saturdays through the remainder of August, too.

Transitions (DC)

There was good news and bad news during the break, as there seems to be a lot of riders both rejoining the SMX tour while others are now on the sidelines. Yamaha Star Racing's Pierce Brown is finally back after that brutal crash back in February while leading the 250SX East opener at Tampa, as is his teammate Daxton Bennick, who suffered a concussion earlier in the summer. (It was hoped that their younger teammate Cole Davies would also return at Ironman, but he's not on the roster.) And Jett Reynolds is back after missing all summer with his own injury. Phoenix Honda's Dylan Ferrandis is finally back after missing the first three-quarters of Pro Motocross, and so is Shane McElrath—I just saw both here this morning.

On the sidelines are Red Bull KTM's Aaron Plessinger, who struggled with his health and the heat at RedBud as well as Spring Creek, and HEP Twisted Tea Suzuki's Colt Nichols, who is undergoing surgery on a torn UCL in his right thumb. And of course, '25 Supercross Champion Cooper Webb is still on the mend, as is Kawasaki's Jason Anderson, who has been dealing with health issues.

And Triumph Racing's Stilez Robertson announced that he was stepping away from pro racing after a long string of injuries, the most recent of which is a stubborn wrist injury. Robertson was very successful as an amateur and minicycle racer, just as his fellow Bakersfield, California, neighbors Ryder DiFrancesco and Jett Reynolds were. Their combined 24 titles at Loretta Lynn's made the "Bakersfield Boys" the second coming of the El Cajon Zone. Unfortunately, their success as pros has been stunted by a rash of injuries for all three. Robertson did earn several podiums, including a couple of second-place finishes at the Daytona Supercross, but he never made it to the winner's circle as a professional.

“I’ve made a really hard decision, but with my wrist injury still bothering me, I am stepping away from professional racing," said the 23-year-old Robertson in the Triumph Racing press release. "I’ve been at the practice track supporting the other riders on the team this summer, and I’ve been really enjoying it, as well as helping develop Triumph’s amateur racing program. The team has been super positive and really understanding the whole time, and we’ve done everything possible to get healthy and back to racing. Finally, I want to say thank you to all of the sponsors that have helped me through my career, as well as my family, friends, and fans!”

The Amateur Grind (Keefer)

The family and I are here in Indiana this week, helping Aden chase his dream of becoming a professional motocross rider. Last week we were in Tennessee, and now we are in Indiana. I sit here in an Airbnb near Ironman, wondering how these amateur motocross families do this year in and year out with their aspiring professional motocross children. It is Wednesday night, and I am in a different state than I was in last week. Lucky for me, I have a job in the motocross industry, and I have set myself up to where I can travel without too much issue. But then I wonder how a blue-collar family with a child that aspires to be a motocross rider can make it happen. Look, I know you don't need all of the bells and whistles on a motorcycle to become great at riding one, but you do need a lot of money and time for the key industry people to see your child race the motorcycle. This is where I have tons of questions. How can a family leave work for several weeks out of the year to chase down all of these races that you need to attend to get a factory ride or even a factory-supported ride? The amount of money, time, and miles spent on the road to travel to the required events can drain bank accounts, break apart families, and even crush dreams. I know this isn't anything new to any sport, but when we have as much talent as we do in motocross, how can we as an industry sustain this? Not to be the "back in my day" guy, but it wasn't nearly as expensive as it is now, and there weren't nearly as many races to attend as you need to now to be noticed. These are just thoughts that I have while I am driving across the country with my family, that's all.

Regardless of all the hurdles, we are here to try and get better and showcase Aden's talent on a bigger stage like the Ironman Combine. Ironman is one of the most fun tracks to ride, so I am excited for Aden to get on the track Friday. We appreciate getting to spend time as a family on trips like this and hopefully get to see Aden do well, and maybe someone else will notice that too! Having Aden learn from other past champions as well as race with a ton of talented kids is a really cool experience, and when it's all said and done, this is why we are doing this: for the experience. When I spend a crap ton of money and time for us to go to some of these races (and maybe get grouchy), and maybe the results aren't what they're supposed to be, I stop and think about how I get to spend time with my family that I normally would not be able to without these dirt bikes. See you at Ironman!

IRONMAN (Matthes)

Back in the day, let's call it BSMX (Before SMX) we wouldn't see many factory guys come back for the last two or three nationals of the year after getting hurt. But now, guys like Dylan Ferrandis, Shane McElrath, etc come back to get some points to get into or stay in the top twenty combined points which get them a bunch of money and automatic entry into the three SMX rounds. That's the good thing about these two extra races added onto the calendar. More racers are racing, period. 

But the flip side of things, something I discussed with Zach Osborne on the Moto:60 Show this week is that our sport is so brutal, getting our stars through all 31 races is almost impossible. What major sport has so many stars not able to line up all year? I get it, SX and MX is much more dangerous but the solution to this was to add two races to the schedule? I know, I know- NBC money, money for racers- I get it but Justin Cooper is so far the only rider (fingers crossed he's got six more to go!) to line up all year long. These riders are not just paid for their results, they're also paid to market bikes, get on TV and meet fans. I understand that 2025 is a bit of an outlier because we literally have one rider making it and normally there are three to four but still, imagine 3-4 MotoGP racers making it to all the rounds, or even MXGP! It's not normal and it's not a good thing in our sport. What's the solution? Well, I don't know man. Zacho mentioned limited practice days and sure that would work but how to enforce that? I thought maybe if all the teams agreed that they won't support the riders with mechanics, parts, etc for, I don't know, three weeks in the off-season? Maybe that would work. Again, I don't know man but I do know it's an issue for our sport.

WEIMER (Matthes)

Did a short little podcast with Jake Weimer who was racing at the ranch for the first time since he was a kid in getting third in +25. Weimer talked about the differences from the track back then to now, whether he was happy with his results and would he go back again. Listen HERE.

Cycle News (DC)

With no Pro Motocross the last two weekends, the win ads were thin in this week’s Cycle News, but the Loretta Lynn’s winners got some extra love courtesy of Yamaha, FMF, and Dunlop. Enzo Temmerman earned himself the cover with his sweep of the two Pro Sport classes.

Hey, Watch It!

Watch Racyin Kyler's full interview on Fox and Friends:
"11-year-old motocross racer makes history with major win"

Awesome edit by Chris Post for Align Media: LORETTA LYNN'S 2025

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week 

"Explaining how a touchscreen works with a sausage"—BBC News

"New Zealand woman arrested after two-year-old found in luggage"—BBC News

"Hot dog spill shuts down highway in Pennsylvania commuters’ wurst nightmare"—AP News

"Hockey Team’s Mascot is Charged by Grizzly Bear While Filming Video"—Petapixel

"Woman Goes Viral For Posting Her "Workday" At Microsoft Where She Does Absolutely Nothing And People Are NOT Happy About It"—Barstool Sports

"Fake Doctor in Cincinnati Has Been Convicted For Luring Men to His Apartment for Genital Exams"—Barstool Sports

“Heinz unveils ketchup smooth. Would you try it?”—ABC News

Random Notes

Check out this article from Sports Business Journal on the rise of SMX. 

And this article on Vital MX: 2025 Loretta Lynn Champions and Winners | By the Numbers.

Lake Elsinore is opening its doors for the first time since closing in November of 2024. Jason Baker, world renowned track builder, owner of Dream Traxx and the Moto Sandbox training facility, and his partner Bryan Wallace, who has been running Fox Raceway the past few years, are bringing the facility back and are holding a pre-release ride day on Aug 16 centered around the youth of the sport. 

On August 16th, they will open two brand new youth oriented tracks with limited entries for numerous split practices. This day will cater to Beginner / Intermediate 50cc, 65cc, and 85cc, along with 12"-20" Stacyc Bikes. 

Stay turned to www.leraceway.com for more information.

And next weekend at Unadilla, the Legends & Heroes of Motocross will be exception food donations for the Feed the Vets program. Anyone who donates a can of food at the Legends & Heroes rig will receive a commemorative Unadilla ’25 Feed the Vets decal. Please remember to bring some cans with you and help out a very worthy cause. 

And here is the sticker for Ironman Raceway of Haiden Deegan. Make sure to stop by the Racer X trailer to pick up your free Ironman National event sticker.