The 250SMX class has been just as strange, for the most part. Jo Shimoda was the winner of that same Anaheim opener, with heavy favorite Haiden Deegan only fifth. Deegan wouldn't win until the third round of the series, but he would secure the 250SX West title, and then pretty much dominate Pro Motocross. Shimoda, on the other hand, would get his fingers broken on a pit board the very next weekend after his Anaheim win and then needed until the middle of summer to get his second win of the whole season. Yet now here we are going into the SMX final race, and it's Shimoda in control with a 10-point lead following an incredible turn of events in St. Louis when Levi Kitchen cooked Deegan in a corner and knocked him out of what was looking like a third straight 250SMX Championship. I never would have guessed that collision would be the defining moment of the season (not to this point, anyway).

Nor would I have bet that Red Bull KTM's Tom Vialle would be the one to win the 250SX East for a second straight year, especially after a no-points race in the mud at Foxborough. But then RJ Hampshire dropped Seth Hammaker at the final round, and Tom won himself a second title. I did have Vialle as the most likely rider to take on Deegan for the 250 Pro Motocross title, which of course he didn't. Now, one week after winning the second moto at the St. Louis SMX, Tom is lining up for his last race in America and with KTM as he's headed home to the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) after this—he's not even sticking around to ride for France in the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Didn't see any of that coming for Vialle… And don't get me started on Jorge Prado.

So here we are at the end of 2025, one of the Lawrence brothers about to become a million dollars richer, Jo Shimoda possibly half that, Haiden Deegan suddenly being the quiet one, despite being the one taken out, Chase Sexton, Eli Tomac, Jason Anderson, and Jorge Prado all on the move, Cooper Webb already eyeing up what would be a fourth 450SX crown... Who would have thought this season would turn out anything like the way it has?

Did I mention it rained pretty much all of Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas?

Everything Including the Kitchen Sink (Jason Weigandt)

The deep payout in the SMX Playoffs has changed the paradigm on how racers race. When Levi Kitchen took Haiden Deegan down in St. Louis, it appeared only as a revenge-fueled racer, with nothing to lose personally, taking out frustration on Deegan. That was not the case. See, Kitchen has had a lackluster season based on his usual standards and didn’t really look like a title contender when the playoffs started. He was sixth in seeding when the playoffs began and then finished fourth (after a penalty) in Charlotte. He then finished fifth in the first moto at St. Louis. It didn’t seem like Levi was a true contender with a lot on the line when the gate dropped for the second moto. In a normal series, that would be true. A 250SX Supercross Championship, for example, usually pays a $500,000 title bonus (from the team), but that’s it. Finish third in the series? Nothing. Fourth? Nothing.

The playoff money is different, though. Kitchen knows that all positions pay and even jumping a few spots in the rankings can make a big difference. Sixth in the 250SMX standings pays $25,000. Fourth pays $100,000. So, a guy like Kitchen, even if he isn’t winning races this year like he normally does, still has a lot to gain. That’s what motivated him to get aggressive on the first lap of moto two in St. Louis. Kitchen’s starts have been bad all year, and he is one of the more start-dependent riders on the track. He finally had sight of the podium in that second St. Louis moto. He’s been told by his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team owner, Mitch Payton, to get more aggressive. He also lacks experience in getting aggressive! So, he went for it, executed it poorly, and put himself and Deegan on the ground.

Levi is trying to get what Pierce Brown got last year. Pierce didn’t appear to be a contender heading into the playoffs, but one awesome night at the Vegas triple point finale boosted him from seventh to third in the final SMX standings. That was a jump of $132,000 in pay!

So now we know what to expect. Riders are fighting for every position in a three-round series. This could matter again this weekend. We all know that Jo Shimoda wins the title if he finishes first or second, but remember the whole 250 pack, like Kitchen, has a lot to gain if they can maximize a score in a triple-points event. Just to pull some names out, Nate Thrasher is fifth in 250 points. Ty Masterpool is seventh. These guys know a good night in Vegas (like Brown had last year) could make them an extra hundred grand. Remember, Masterpool led a moto in Vegas one year ago! Further, third-ranked Seth Hammaker and fourth-ranked Tom Vialle probably feel like they can still win this thing if it gets crazy. So don’t expect anyone to give Jo anything, and that’s going to make his path to finish the race in second that much harder. At least we know the stakes now!

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

Final. The end. Kaput. The 31st round of the SMX World Championship has finally arrived. Las Vegas is the natural host for a finale and will once again see two big title fights unfold. St. Louis turned the likely outcomes on their head and now we have a real showdown situation in both classes. Sure, the details are different. The dislike in one class is met by true brotherly love in the other. Still, there is a pile of money and championship legacy at stake in both scenarios. Let's take a look at each and how I see it shaking out. 

In the 250SMX Class, it's war. Haiden's back is up against the wall here as he needs to win and Jo has to finish third or worse, something he hasn't done often. Jo's starts have really been the key change. He puts himself into positive situations and his riding takes care of the rest. He's not mistake prone, and he isn't scared of the moment. The lights are going to be at their brightest in Vegas, though, and the knives will be out. 

As for Haiden, he has an interesting conundrum. Simply winning isn't enough. He's going to need help from someone, maybe even Jo himself. That first moto will be pivotal for the math. If Haiden wins and Jo gets second, Haiden's hand will be forced to get creative. He can only push the envelope so much, though, as he is still on probation from the Denver SX. He may need a strong ride from Hammaker or outside help from one of his teammates in blue. In any case, the drama will be on full display. Deegan hasn't been in this situation very often and when he has, he resorts to whatever games available. 

The 450SMX Class riders are much different when it comes to the dislike and contempt. Brothers Lawrence will once again sort out this championship, that is unless a very specific scenario brings Tomac into the fray. They played this game last year and Jett was simply too good at it. Will that be the case again in 2025? Hard to say but I think most expect that outcome. Jett has proven to be the best rider in the world when all things are equal. He has proven that he is at his best under the most extreme pressure. It seems to focus his efforts and block out the distractions. If that's the case this weekend, watch for Jett to manage the race in his typical fashion. To do it, he will need to nail the details. Hunter's starts have put him up front nearly every time in recent history. Hunter's pace has improved to a point that if Jett fouls the start, he won't be able to close (like moto one at STL). Advantage Jett but not by wide enough to overcome mistakes. Remarkable step forward by Hunter, honestly.

This new championship is still earning its stripes historically. Setups like this will quiet even the loudest detractors, though. Two titles up for grabs with wild scenarios at play? How can any race fan complain about that?

YOGI (Matthes)

The AMA's been getting some ex-racers to help out with penalties, track conditions, etc. over the last couple of years. We've seen Andrew Short out there, I think Kevin Windham came out to a race, and it's been a lot of Ezra “Yogi” Lusk this summer as the former Yamaha/Suzuki/Honda/Kawasaki factory rider has been pretty instrumental behind the scenes. We had Lusk on the PulpMX Show this past Monday night talking about safety lights, the Deegan/Kitchen incident, and more. It was a great interview as Lusk took us behind some of the decisions, some of his thinking, and along with the other officials, why they make certain calls. Also, it seems like in talking to Yogi, apparently the teams really like to try and rat the other teams out! Lusk talked about getting video after video of riders going off the track, not slowing down, even cutting. Something I think is interesting that both Lusk and AMA's Mike Pelletier have told me is that the rule book itself needs to be written a little better to clear things up like Jett hitting the gate at Ironman, riders going off the track in MX, and other things like that. There's a clear direction to try and get better and more distinct penalties to help everyone out.

I thought it was hilarious when Lusk said he could barely keep a straight face listening to Kitchen describe the "pass" on Deegan, and eventually, Ezra just told Levi he needs to get better at taking people out! Also, Yogi said he definitely would've given himself a written warning for what he did to McGrath in St. Louis in 1998! Listen to the show at pulpmxshow.com and hear for yourself or watch it on YouTube.

PULPMX GIVES BACK (Matthes)

Going off the successful PulpMX LCQ Challenge we're doing, I got the guys at Yamaha back involved in trying to help out some injured racers. We started a 501C non-profit, and the first campaign is giving away another Yamaha YZ450F! Man, the BLU CRU guys are great, right? We're doing the draw here shortly, so stay tuned, but if you want to help out and maybe win something, check it out!

Visit pulpmxgivesback.com for more information.

History in the Making? (Mitch Kendra)

The Mountaineer GNCC, round 11 of the 13 of the Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Racing season, takes place this weekend at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Beckley, West Virginia. XC2 KTM rider Grant Davis is again in control of the overall points. In fact, three of the top five in overall standings are XC2 competitors! Davis is joined by third Angus Riordan and fourth Cody Barnes with vets Ben Kelley and Steward Baylor Jr. sitting second and fifth, respectively. Will the youngster continue to lead after this weekend? We are in the final stretch. Could Davis pull off two titles, both the XC2 title and the Grand National title? If so, that would be historic. These final rounds will be fun to follow!

Down Under Title Battles (DC)

Turns out the two SMX title bouts aren't the only championships to be decided this weekend. Down in Darwin, Australia, the 20th and final round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will go off, making this an exceptional weekend for that country. It's their first MXGP visit in some 25 years, and it's happening at the same time as the Lawrence brothers are the frontrunners over here in the United States, and young Kayden Minear just won the SMX Next World All-Stars title, and Tiger Wood finished third. In the MXGP division, Kawasaki-mounted Romain Febvre could become the answer to a trivia question this weekend if he can hold on to his points lead over KTM rider Lucas Coenen. If Febvre wins, he would become the rider with the most time between his first world title and his second, as he won the MXGP title way back in 2016, his first year in the premier class. Ten years is a long time to wait for a second championship in any sport—don't mention that to any friends who might also be New York Jets fans. Febvre can give Kawasaki a much-needed boost in an otherwise unfortunate year that saw neither of their AMA-based riders, Jorge Prado and Jason Anderson, finish out their respective seasons. The Frenchman only needs to score 14 points to clinch the title from Coenen.

It's a bit closer in the MX2 division as Germany's Simon Längenfelder is trying to unseat Dutchman Kay de Wolf, the defending champion. The KTM-mounted Längenfelder is 16 points ahead of Husqvarna's de Wolf. He would become the first German since Ken Roczen to win a world title.

And don’t forget about the WMX title that’s going down to the wire as well. Lotte Van Drunen has a 16-point lead on six-time world champion Kiara Fontenasi and 17 points on Daniella Guillen going into this last round down under. Plus, throw Aussie native Charli Cannon, who raced WMX here in the U.S. all summer, into the mix as a wild card.

Also to note is the fact that this could be the last race together for Jeffrey Herlings and KTM, as well as for Tim Gajser and Honda. Both of the multi-time world champions are at the end of their current contracts, and both have been with their respective brands for a very long time. Herlings turned pro with KTM back in 2009 and has been there ever since, while Gajser has been with Honda since he went pro in 2014. Both have had their share of misfortune this season with injuries, but Herlings is ending on a high note—he's won each of the last three rounds. You can watch both title chases streaming on MXGP-TV.com.

2026 Yamaha YZ450F (Keefer)

Matthes and I went to GH on Tuesday, post Monday-night Pulp Show, to test the 2026 Yamaha YZ450F at Glen Helen Raceway (insert shocked face here). Yamaha made A LOT of changes that may not necessarily be caught by your eye, but regardless, there are plenty of chassis changes/updates aiming at a more comfortable ride. The engine also got some tweaks, with most of those coming in the way of less sound due to the 109db rule. A hydraulic clutch is also standard on the new YZ450F, so if you're looking for the old cable clutch, that isn't going to happen in '26. With that being said, a lot of your older 2023-2025 parts will swap over to your 2026, so parts like wheels, muffler, seat, etc. will mate up. The 2026 YZ450F suspension has also been updated with new valving in the fork and shock, as well as a brand-new shock body and tool-less adjuster (compression only).

There were so many changes to the Yamaha that we did just a video about all the changes/updates to the YZ450F. That video, as well as the opinion-based ride impression video, will be available to view right here on Racer X's website on Monday at 9 a.m. Pacific/12 p.m. Eastern. Yamaha has us under an embargo until then, so you will have to wait a couple more days.

St. Louis Win Ads (DC)

A great weekend for Hunter Lawrence and Jo Shimoda at the St. Louis SMX meant a great week for Honda, Yoshimura, Dunlop, and more to celebrate in Cycle News. Hunter's win puts him in a nice spot to challenge his little brother Jett for the $1 million bonus tomorrow in Las Vegas. It also gave the advertising managers a chance to do something for Hunta rather than Jett. And Shimoda's win, despite his illness, also made for a nice headline from Yoshimura: "Grit Over Quit." While Hunter and Jo each got their own ads from Honda and Yosh, they were together on Dunlop's win ad, joined by an unlikely third man in young Ryder Malinoski, who won the SMX Next World All-Stars main event on Saturday for the Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha team, though the title went to Kayden Minear. (I was watching Malinoski after I saw Daniel Blair's video predicting a win, and he was spot-on.) Hunter also got a pat on the back from Alpinestars with a goggle ad. And then there was a win ad for Beta's Dare DeMartile, who won his fourth straight WORCS race at Glen Helen Raceway.

Robert Redford Rode (DC)

Hollywood lost an icon earlier this week when acclaimed movie star/director Robert Redford passed away at the age of 89. Redford was best known for a lot of different movies, like two buddy movies he partnered with Paul Newman in—"The Sting" and "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid"—and the political history of the Watergate scandal known as "All the President's Men," his romantic film with Barbra Streisand "The Way We Were," and some really good sports-related movies like "The Natural," "Downhill Racer," and one that you've probably never heard of called "Little Fauss and Big Halsy," which is why he gets space in a weekly column about dirt bikes.

In 1970, Redford, nearing the peak of his fame as an actor, read a script about a road and flattrack motorcycle racer and sometimes scrambles rider on the semi-pro circuits of Arizona in the late 1960s. He's called Big Halsy, and his partnership with his mechanic Little Fauss, played by Michael J. Pollard, gets complicated by some of the women at the racetracks, specifically the gorgeous Lauren Hutton... And that's all from Redford's IMDb because it's really all I remember about the plot of the film. But I do remember the racing scenes, and for a movie that came out before "On Any Sunday," which came out the following year, seeing dirt bikes in a movie was a very rare thing. Redford played off the riding scenes well because he and his friend Paul Newman both rode dirt bikes often, as did John Wayne himself. One other very cool thing about this movie is the theme song, written and performed by none other than the Man in Black himself, Johnny Cash.

According to one review of the motorcycle movie, "The screenplay by Charles Eastman, which was first published as a book, beautifully captures the Arizona dirt and the troubled racers themselves. Some depth to the complexity of their characters is lost in the film, but under the direction of Sidney J. Furie, it remains a gem of a cult classic and one of Redford's most obscure films."

Robert Redford did a lot of things in what seemed like a great big life, but I always thought it was cool that he went all in on this road-tripping motorcycle movie (though he later regretted the womanizing and manipulating his character did). He made a lot of great films, but this rather modest, small-budget motorcycle movie made him cooler than any of those others... Except maybe "Jeremiah Johnson" of "The Natural," or even "Brubaker," which were all amazing. Godspeed, Big Halsy.

God Speed, Dale Lolley (Mitch Kendra)

Unrelated to motocross, but I wanted to mention this: a friend of mine’s father passed away on Wednesday morning following a battle with cancer. Dale was a family friend who covered the Pittsburgh Steelers longer than I have been alive. I grew up reading his articles in the Observer-Reporter newspaper (our local paper here in southwestern Pennsylvania) and would get excited to see his post-game takes on WPXI Channel 11’s The Final Word late at night after each game. Which rookies impressed him early in the season? Which veteran additions made the biggest impact? Which position will the team need to address in the draft? Lolley was always there to give us his insight on all things Pittsburgh Steelers. That eventually turned into me following Dale on Twitter (now X) for the latest Steelers happenings, whether it was pre- or post-game, game day, off-season, etc. I looked up to Dale for his passion for the Steelers—and the local Pony League World Series baseball tournament as well. It seems like just yesterday his son Noah and I were playing middle school basketball together, with Dale and his wife Amy sitting next to my parents in the crowd, cheering us on through some downright frustrating games. And here Noah and I are now, a handful of years graduated from college, each married, and following our passions in life. The Lolley family was always friendly, whether we caught them at church, sporting events, you name it. Dale was an excellent writer and moreover, Dale was a great man. He will be missed by many. Steelers Nation lost a truly passionate fan, but your passion will be remembered forever. Godspeed, Dale.

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