And it’s not just the AMA circuit where we’re seeing relative calm in the premier class and chaos with the 250s. The FIM World Championships ended last weekend down under in Australia, ironically, and the veteran Frenchman Romain Febvre clinched the title in the first moto and was immediately greeted by his closest rival in the standings, Belgium’s Lucas Coenen, despite their season-long battle. But the MX2 class came down to #1 Kay de Wolf vs. #27 Simon Langenfelder, the points leader going into the Australian finale. De Wolf went to the same playbook as Deegan, maybe even more so, knocking Langenfelder down twice, once in the first moto and once at the start of the second, seemingly putting himself in a position to successfully defend his world title. But then the heavens opened, rain pummeled what looked like a very cool circuit, and De Wolf ended up drowning his Husqvarna. Then lightning struck, and the race was red-flagged, just like the High Point National, just like the Charlotte SMX. Langenfelder claimed the MX2 world title, the first for a German since Ken Roczen back in 2011. (In Las Vegas, I saw Kenny and his wife Courtney, and we were discussing Langenfelder. She joked that Kenny could no longer be Germany’s “last world champion” after all these years because Simon was going to win.) De Wolf was not penalized for either of his take-outs of Langenfelder and actually ended up winning the GP of Australia overall. The lightning ended the moto early enough for his laps to count and still get him the overall!

Febvre will be riding for Team France next weekend, both Roczen and Langenfelder for Germany, De Wolf for the Netherlands, and Lucas Coenen and his twin brother Sacha, who won the second MX2 moto in Australia, will be riding for Belgium. However, France will not have Tom Vialle, who’s ending both his 250 career as well as his time in America with a return to MXGP to race for Honda HRC. He’s apparently taking the place of Tim Gajser, the five-time FIM World Champion who announced he was parting ways with Honda after a decade together. In another big shakeup coming to MXGP, the fact that Jeffrey Herlings’ time with KTM also appears to be ending, as the Bullet, the all-time Grand Prix winner with 112—all of them on KTM—has yet to re-sign his contract. He’s rumored to be going to Honda next year, and he’s also going to miss the MXoN, as the Dutch team did not include him in their lineup; no idea why.

So now we’re on the brink of the last big race of 2025. Yes, there are the big off-season SX races in France and Australia, as well as the return of World Supercross, which will now include Haiden Deegan making his international debut in Buenos Aires in November, but we’re at the end of both SMX and MXGP, in what’s been a very long season already. On a personal note, I am super excited for the MXoN, as it’s the first time in its long history that MX Sports has been a part of the actual organization of the event, though I’ve been a fan of it all my life and have attended it often, going back to my first time as a spectator in 1993. That race, in Schwanenstadt, Austria, marked the last of 13 straight wins for Team USA. Here’s hoping this 2025 race marks the first of a new streak for Team USA. Let’s go, Eli, Haiden, and RJ!

We will have more on what to expect next weekend at Ironman, including Friday's press conference and gate picks (the dreaded ping pong ball lottery), the downtown Crawfordsville parade, the Racer X Live shows from the track featuring Weege, Matthes, JT and more, Saturday practice and qualifying races, and of course Sunday's race. It will be a busy weekend, but I really can't wait to get it started! Here's Weege with more from Vegas…

Did We Learn Anything? (Jason Weigandt)

Everyone has an opinion when it comes to Haiden Deegan. He’s the perfect “celebrity” for today’s polarized times, in which he drives some people absolutely crazy yet also has supporters who will never leave his side. Sound familiar? I think, leaving Las Vegas, the Deegan haters felt like they had all the evidence they needed to prove the kid is a disrespectful punk. Those seem to be the key terms used. Deegan lovers, though, would not be having any of that. And so, each side blames the source. Deegan fans have been rallying all week, saying that “everyone” said Haiden was going to have to take Shimoda out, so why would “everyone” get upset when he actually did so? Deegan fans are also quick to say that “everyone” thought it was great when Kitchen took Haiden out, so why is “everyone” upset now? And why did “no one” get upset when RJ Hampshire took out Seth Hammaker in Salt Lake City?

Well, I can address these inaccuracies. First, there’s a big difference between saying a rider will have to take someone out and saying you think that’s okay. There’s also a big difference between one takeout attempt and multiple. Most of the ex-pros I’ve talked to think that slowing down and racing behind you is a bridge too far. I know some fans say that this is old-school racing and bar banging used to be part of the sport, but slowing down and taking multiple shots is not something common at all, not in the ‘70s, ‘80s, or ‘90s. (Well, there was that 1974 showdown between Czech rider Jaroslav Falta and a whole battalion of Russian riders from the old USSR that tainted the whole 250cc World Championship, but that’s a whole different story…and now 50-plus years ago) This is the fundamental difference between what Kitchen did to Deegan and what Deegan did to Shimoda. Kitchen tried an aggressive pass that didn’t work. Deegan kept trying over and over and over. I actually think Haiden could have been worse, as he never straight T-boned Jo and even gave him a little room on the top of the berms. But I always defer to the ex-racers. Many of them think multiple shots and slowing the pace is just too much.

Who said this? Adam Cianciarulo and Justin Brayton both said it went too far on their "AC & JB" show. On "Title 24," Ryan Villopoto said it was a “chicken shit” way to try to win a title. And to really get the old-school perspective, I chatted with Ricky Johnson yesterday, and he said Deegan’s tactics were bullshit. It’s true that in RJ’s era, guys hit each other and banged bars. RJ said he even practiced how to get to someone’s front wheel, and he’d bump into Jeff Ward from behind to try to knock him out of a rut. But multiple shots? They didn’t even do that back then. Johnson blew his points lead in the 1982 250 Nationals when he broke his wheel in the first moto of the last round by over-jumping and flat-wheeling some landings. In moto two, he tried to engage Donnie Hansen in a battle in hopes Donnie would make a mistake, but Donnie just put it in cruise mode. Instead of trying to take him out or slowing down to bunch up the field, Johnson said he spent the rest of the moto riding while crying. He had lost the title and had to accept it.

Did Eli Tomac bunch the field in Las Vegas in 2017? He did. He also never knocked down Dungey the way Haiden did when he took himself and Shimoda to the ground. Furthermore, a lot of fans were actually very angry at Tomac for doing that to Dungey. Now look at Salt Lake City, when Hampshire took Hammaker down. People were very angry at RJ for that!

This is why nostalgia is such a powerful force. Something gnarly and aggressive back in the day eventually fades and feels non-threatening with time. Whoever was mad at Tomac eight years ago isn’t anymore. Whoever was mad at Hampshire five months ago has moved on (except for Hammaker himself, who says he still has not spoken a word to Hampshire). So while now it seems like “everyone” was okay with Tomac’s bunching strategy back then, at the time, they were not. With time, the anger fades. I guarantee you some fans thought Damon Bradshaw was an idiot for jacking with Jeff Matiasevich 30 years ago. Now it’s just looked back on with fondness.

So that puts all the heat on Deegan, which only makes his fans fight back harder. One other fact that needs to be mentioned: In 2017, Tomac doesn’t bunch the field if he didn’t already feel wronged by Marvin Musquin, who pulled over to let teammate Dungey win the previous week. In 2025, Deegan doesn’t go crazy if he didn’t already feel wronged by Levi Kitchen, and he would have never been in the position he was in Vegas.

This dovetails so nicely into Team USA and the Motocross of Nations. If Deegan can muster up a great performance 13 days after collarbone surgery, it’s going to lead to another meeting at the summit for the Deegan haters and the Deegan lovers. Thus, the drama continues. That’s all that really happens these days. More stories, but endless debate.

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

What a wild week for Team USA and the MXoN. The chaos that was Haiden Deegan's weekend, coupled with Chase Sexton's scary crash, landed with a thud on Team USA last Saturday night. For a while, this entire enterprise was nothing less than pandemonium. Cooper Webb was trying to decide whether or not to fly back from Maui, Justin Cooper was dusting off his 250 form, RJ Hampshire had to stop spraying foam and get back in the saddle, and Eli Tomac was likely staring at the ceiling each night in confusion. There were more twists and turns in this saga than the climb to Pikes Peak. In the end, we have some semblance of clarity. Haiden Deegan is going to tough out the plated collarbone he quickly had repaired. Justin Cooper will now slot into his backup role in case Haiden can't manage the pain or immobility that his injury brings. RJ Hampshire will officially take the Chase Sexton spot, and if we know anything about RJ, he's going to step up in this spot every single time. Eli is the constant here, but the irony is that he was the fill-in last year when Chase was once again injured at the SMX Final. Crazy stuff, but the upside is that the event is on home soil and Team USA has depth available.

Now, how do all of these riders approach this thing amidst the uncertainty? For Haiden, it's full recovery and therapy mode 24/7. Every modern recovery method will be in play; every second of healing is paramount. Modern medicine is a wild undertaking. There are so many unorthodox but effective strategies employed nowadays. From the experts I have spoken to, the time-frame is not ideal but also very doable. Remember how effective Coty Schock was in 2024 (ironically after a run-in with Deegs)? The real question for me is: can he be near 100%, and also, how durable is the injury in any sort of incident? Does a small crash on Saturday completely eliminate Team USA, or is the plated bone able to withstand reasonable stress? I have no doubts about Haiden's toughness, but some things supersede toughness. Time will tell, I suppose. It will be interesting to see if JCoop is on hand Friday in case the situation turns south. He could sub in immediately if needed in this scenario.

For RJ, it's back to work when he was expecting a break. He probably took two days off, which is not what he was planning, but with this change, it’s still appropriate before locking in, anyway. He will get back to MX riding, which he will fall back into like his favorite pair of shoes, after hammering all summer. At least the timing was good for an otherwise very bad set of circumstances. Would it have been ideal for him to know sooner so he could mix in one day of MX during the playoffs? Sure, but it's not a huge deal. The hybrid tracks kept riders in that high-speed, rough-track mentality. I don't expect any sort of letdown versus his Budds Creek form. The key for RJ will be to get good starts and stay out of trouble. I would be laser-focused on staying near Hunter Lawrence at all times. Start with him, match pace, and see what you can do late in the race with him. If he is in close proximity to Hunter all day Sunday, I think Team USA will be in good shape. The funny part is that I trust him much more on the 450 in this scenario than the 250. RJ's a different rider on the bigger bike.

For Eli, it's business as usual. He has been planning for this and has been through this process many times. He also dealt with the playoffs last year and had even less prep before Matterley Basin. He will be good to go and the anchor for Team USA. His starts will be critical, but he stepped up and delivered in 2024. This Ironman track is one he is typically good on, and I like his chances of being top 3 in both motos. I'm sure he's shaking his head at the chaos all around him, but when the gate drops, that all melts away, and he will be the Eli we expect. To win the overall, Eli may need to win a moto or score a maximum of 4-5 points between two motos. That's a tough ask for the senior member of the team, but winning this event always is.

PulpMX Show (Steve Matthes)

We had a fun Pulpmx Show on Monday night with Adam Cianciarulo, Phil Nicoletti, and Marshal Weltin in-studio to go over the Las Vegas SMX finale. Maybe the most fun part was getting JT and the always classy Justin Brayton on the phone to talk about what exactly the guys could do on a dirt bike. AC was out on everything except changing an air filter; Brayton could do everything short of a top end on a two-stroke, and Phil and JT were the same. Adam did mention that he could "figure it out" when it came to changing a tire. Also, not coincidentally, AC is the one out of all of us with the most money because that's how these things work. Adam's never had to learn because he was always fast on a dirt bike!

We had Jo Shimoda on the line talking about the Vegas finale, and he mentioned that he thought the attacks from Deegan would be worse than they were! He said that he also thought he would end up on the concrete. So, I guess, good job to Deegs for the restraint? Jo's really been the breakout star of 2025 with his improved English and offbeat sense of humor. Cianciarulo trained with Jo for a few years before he hung it up and mentioned how unintentionally funny he is. We talked about riders having that "dawg" in them, but Shimoda pushed back on us for that and said he had the cat in him. There was some more Drink Weird stuff also in there.

We had Mitch Payton call in, and hey, he's a legend, so what can you say? His calls are always awesome, and we talked about the potential for Garrett Marchbanks to move up to factory Kawasaki for that second spot next to Chase Sexton. Also, we asked him about Jorge Prado's year at Kawasaki, and Payton being Payton, he gave us most of what he thought about it, although you could tell he held back some.

You can listen to the show at pulpmxshow.com or check out the YouTube!

PULPMXGIVESBACK.COM (Matthes)

We're going to do the draw for a new Yamaha YZ450 and Jerry Robin's race bike (all the money goes to Jerry) next week, so get your tickets now. Thanks again to Yamaha for making this happen! Check everything out here. 

Triumph TF-450C Press Launch (Kris Keefer)

While I was busy with other testing duties here in Southern California, I asked my buddy Randy Richardson to fill in for me for the Triumph TF-250C/450C Cross Country launch in West Virginia. The very wet Hatfield and McCoy trials were on the menu for Randy to test out the TF-450C, and for a GNCC-type closed course machine, this was a great test for the new Triumph off-road machine. There will be a full video of Randy-isms up right here on Racer X soon, but in the meantime, here is a little bit of what Randy thought about the new Triumph TF-450C.

"Overall, the TF450C felt light and nimble, and the chassis was very stable and predictable. We set the sag at the recommended 105mm and never felt a need to make any suspension adjustments, as I felt comfortable on the bike immediately. The suspension felt supple and absorbed the roots and rocks well, yet handled higher-speed hits and g-outs without bottoming. With the OE map setting offering 61.5 hp, I used the Triumph app to install the Soft map as a secondary setting, as I felt the base setting might be a handful for me given the 1 inch of rain the night before that left the trails extremely slippery. That Soft option proved to be perfect, as it, combined with the Traction Control, made the bike super tractable, especially on the greasy hills. As the trails became more tacky, I could toggle back to the more powerful OE map in the faster sections, which essentially offered two bikes in one."

Stay tuned for more info on the new closed course off-road model from Triumph, as well as more Randy. Who doesn't love a little Teenior Citizen testing in their life? Well... he's on a trial run here.

Vegas Win Ads (DC)

Honda came up aces in Las Vegas with Jett and Jo, and you can see Honda HRC lighting up a slot machine in the pages of this week’s Cycle News, “Three for Three” and “Calm Over Chaos,” which is a reference to you-know-who. Yoshimura also doubled win ads with the same headline, “All On Red.” Dunlop congratulated their two latest championships, and Maxima gave 250 runner-up Seth Hammaker some love (and that $250K bonus probably eased the pain a little as well). There were also a couple of GNCC ads congratulating FMF/KTM Factory rider Ben Kelley on clinching the XC-1 title in the series, but he is not the overall champion—Kelley is still trailing XC-2 250cc rider Grant Davis in the overall standings, and it was Davis who actually won the Mountaineer GNCC ride down the road here in West Virginia. 

Hey Watch It!

This is Lawrence in Las Vegas:

Carson Brown Rips a Cobra 65cc

The Deegan's own video from Las Vegas

Jo Shimoda talked to Matthes and the Pulpmx studio about his SMX Finals: