On the international side, there were three multi-time FIM World Champions missing from their various countries, all with a little extra drama thrown into each situation. First, there was the missing Jeffrey Herlings, the all-time winningest rider in Grand Prix history (race wins, though, not titles). Herlings was still coming off an injury and getting back up to speed when the Dutch team was announced, and he wasn’t on it. Then “the Bullet” started winning again, and suddenly the Dutch federation looked like they had made the wrong call. But riders and the team manager were adamant that there was more to this story, and we’ve even received a couple of emails from the Netherlands about this whole mystery of why Herlings was not added to the team. And did Jeffrey even want to be on it? After all, he is leaving KTM after more than 15 years and will almost certainly be riding for Honda HRC on January 1, 2026. He’s had a lot of injuries, so every start probably feels like a risk at this point in his career. And then there’s something in his KTM contract about the number of races he does or doesn’t do, and how that affects his salary… In other words, we still don’t know why.

We know why four-time FIM World Champion Jorge Prado was not there for Spain, and it’s understandable. His lost 2025 season will be discussed for years to come, with “Prado Corner” continuing to generate podcast fodder for Matthes, Weege, Lewis, Kellen, JT, RC/RV, AC & JB, Hopper, Darkside, etc., etc. Prado missed SMX too as his Kawasaki deal unraveled, and then there were questions about Monster Energy, his Fox Racing deal, and more. The Monster situation got settled, and he’s now where he probably should have been when he came here in the first place, on a Red Bull KTM. And yes, he’s staying in the U.S. in the hopes of avenging himself and his reputation in 2026 and beyond. [Editor’s note: Oddly enough, Prado earned national number #26 for 2026… -Mitch]

Coincidentally, on a parallel track with the Prado/Kawasaki situation was another multi-time world champion struggling with his U.S.-based team. Frenchman Tom Vialle earned two 250SX East titles, both squeakers, but the success everyone expected for him outdoors never came in his three years in America, as Vialle won just two rounds in three seasons. Because he was being forced into the 450 SX class after winning a second SX title, Vialle wanted the stability of a longer contract than the single year Red Bull KTM was offering. He was also struggling with the suspension on his 250 SX-F.

This all came to a head at the Budds Creek series finale when he struggled to an 11th in the first moto, then sat out the second, which garnered him a lot of criticism online. Frustrated with the whole situation, Vialle posted, “I haven’t quit or anything like that. Like everyone knows, I’m not the only rider in this situation dealing with broken/fading shocks all summer. The team and I can see in the data that the shock isn’t working properly… After the shock broke once again in Moto 1 at Budds Creek, I decided not to race the second moto for my own safety. I’m sure everyone understands.”

Vialle did return for the SMX Playoffs and finished his challenging season ranked third. He then signed a deal to race MXGP with Honda HRC and went back to France, but not with Team France. Vialle stayed away from the MXoN at Ironman. And the money that KTM had for him in ’26 is the money that’s now going to Jorge Prado.

Okay, now let’s talk about that dress for the homecoming dance…

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

Another off week has come and gone in the world of SMX. October is an interesting month for riders and teams. It would seem that it's fully "off," and riding and training take a breather en masse. That's somewhat true but not entirely. October is a month for testing the following year's parts and options. For teams to be prepared for the following year with the appropriate parts, they need to work through all possibilities and narrow the scope down to what will likely be needed the following season. Test riders often bear the brunt of the dirty work, working through endless parts that aren't within a range of use. Once they narrow it down to what riders could or would want (within reason), the team riders will begin their process of working through what they have to work with, too. Riders typically prefer different settings, so there is no perfect setup across the board. Height, weight, skill sets, and riding styles all make a big difference in what riders choose. Eli Tomac's tall rear end would feel front-end-heavy for most riders wanting a more balanced feel. The 2026 motorcycle options will often be determined in October and early November. It's not really a time for motos; it's a time to work through the bike and give the OEMs time to build parts.

November and December are the time for riders to build themselves up and the time for the manufacturers to build their assets. Different tasks, but they come together in unison this January. So, if you see riders out at the local test track next week, the focus won't be on speed, fitness, or technique. The name of the game for October is testing.

Silly Season Looms (Jason Weigandt)

Right on time, one season ends, and the hype for the next one begins. I am certain the 2026 season will be billed as having one of the deepest fields of all time. That’s because every season is billed as having one of the deepest fields of all time. It doesn’t matter if it’s Villopoto/Dungey/Reed/Stewart years or Lawrences/Sexton/Tomac/Webb years like now. The mind can dream about the possibilities.

It gets even better when there are some big team switches in store, and that will happen in 2026, too. Pretty much, you can thank Chase Sexton for that. Sexton is moving to Monster Energy Kawasaki, and Eli Tomac will take Sexton’s spot at Red Bull KTM. Think about it: if Sexton stays, a lot of people might stay. If Sexton stays, you not only lose out on the “How will he do on a Kawasaki?” hype but also the “How will Eli do on a KTM?” hype. Where else could Tomac go? Stay at Yamaha for a discount? Go to Troy Lee Designs Ducati (also a rumor), which is still in the development process? Chase and Eli taking new rides on established teams is huge for the off-season hype mill.

Then it gets crazier because of the Jorge Prado deal, which wasn’t even supposed to be on the table. Prado had two more years to go at Monster Energy Kawasaki but fought his way out of that after protracted negotiations. Now there are spy shots on the internet of a “mystery rider” with blank gear riding at the KTM supercross track. How will Prado do back on an Austrian bike? Add that to the intrigue pile, plus you get the “If the Kawi wasn’t good for Prado, will it be okay for Sexton?” question.

One more piece: DC mentioned Tom Vialle moving to Honda's MXGP team for '26. If Vialle doesn’t win the 250SX East Division Championship, he doesn’t have to move to 450SX, and he definitely stays at Red Bull KTM in America for another year of 250 racing. Instead, he won the title in improbable fashion (RJ Hampshire took himself and Seth Hammaker out trying to win the title, and Vialle cruised by), which booted him to 450SX. KTM had to come up with a one-year 450 deal for Vialle, but instead, Honda HRC in Europe offered a better deal. Vialle took it. If he doesn’t, Red Bull KTM doesn’t have a spot for Prado. Where else could Prado go? There were rumors of Monster Energy KTM Team Tedder, but that wouldn’t have carried the same resources as the full factory team. So, things all slotted into place well here for the bench-racing hype.

It's not even over. Prado’s gone from Kawasaki, so who will be Sexton’s teammate now? We’ve heard so many rumors, but perhaps moving up one of the 250 guys from Monster Energy/Pro Circuit is the easiest solution. It should be a fun off-season to follow. Or we can just ask Matthes…

G Money (Steve Matthes)

It appears that Monster Energy Kawasaki has settled on the second rider for ‘26 alongside Sexton, and it's Garrett Marchbanks. There was talk of putting Marchbanks’ teammate Cameron McAdoo up, and McAdoo had been riding a 450 lately, but in the end, it was Marchbanks who has ridden a 450 both in Monster Energy Supercross (one main event start) and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship before with the Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha team. Now, I had heard that Marchbanks had said no earlier when asked about moving to the 450, but I'm guessing he got some sort of incentive with an added year on his contract (he did a one-year deal with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki for 2026) or maybe he got to keep some gear money. I think something was thrown at Garrett because, like I said earlier, he had previously said no. It's a good pick for Kawasaki with what was left out there for 450 spots after the Jorge Prado debacle left them hanging. Marchbanks will do well for the team; he's obviously a bigger guy, and he's got experience in the class. Poor Valentin Guillod; he was really hoping to get a tryout for the spot!

Tomac (Keefer)

Not sure where the Tomac-back-to-Kawasaki story was invented, but people can calm down about it. Eli is going to Red Bull KTM, period. I have personally seen parts moving in the Eli direction. Mr. Tomac requires certain things on/from his motorcycle (as he has earned), and being with Yamaha for so long, there are certain things that he wants from his KTM that he's become accustomed to from his Yamaha days. I am not talking about engine or suspension; KTM will take good care of him there. I am just simply talking about rider triangle pieces and other "feel" type parts that he requires. I may or may not have had some time on certain aftermarket pieces that Eli is going to run, so when I see these "Tomac is going to be the second guy at Kawasaki because Monster is going to pay for him to be on the team" or whatever cockamamie thing that comes from some of these social media types—and it should be "media" with quotation marks. KTM is having a factory Red Bull KTM introduction for us the first week of November, so that is when you will see the #3 on the factory orange squad. I know it's off-season and we are missing racing already, but everyone needs to calm down, go ride themselves, and not worry or believe what some people are coming up with for clicks. Grab a tear-off and move on.

Numbers Deep Dive (Mitch Kendra)

Speaking of Marchbanks, he was the only rider to earn a career number for 2026, which he picked, #36. As I pointed out earlier this week in a deep dive on the ’26 AMA national numbers, Marchbanks first ran this number in 2020, his second full pro year, when he won the Daytona SX 250SX main event. He got to run this number again in 2023 with the Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha team, then ran it again this year. So, when it came time to pick a career number (he could only do double digits since single digits are saved for national champions), Marchbanks went back to his ol’ #36.

A few other things I pointed out in that numbers article:

• Seth Hammaker takes over as #10 after his best year of racing to date, as #10 was not a career number for Chance Hymas, who ended up with a season-ending knee injury in June.
• Julien Beaumer will be the first rider to not skip the #13 out of superstition (which the AMA does allow) since Colt Nichols ran the odd number in 2020.
• Jordon Smith earned his 11th different national number in 11 straight years (pretty crazy he has yet to earn a permanent number!).
• Fredrik Noren has his 12th year of earning a two-digit number since 2014 (most among active riders).
• Factory riders Pierce Brown and Cameron McAdoo did NOT get into the top 99 this year and will likely have low-100s numbers made available to them.

For this and even more interesting—at least to me—information on the assigned numbers for next year, take a few minutes and read through my full deep dive.

This Week's Win Ads (DC)

With SMX and even the MXoN now finally over, there are just a few major off-road championships left to finish up the domestic racing schedule in the U.S., as well as the launch of Arenacross and, coming up at Thanksgiving, the THOR Mini O's at Gatorback. As a result, a lot of eyes—and a lot of ads—were focused on the next-to-last round of the 2025 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Racing Series, which took place in Athens, Ohio. In what seemed unthinkable back in February when the series started, eight-time GNCC #1 Kailub Russell finally got the first win of his comeback after retiring five years ago. The AmPro Yamaha rider has struggled, especially with a bumper crop of XC2 riders who are rewriting the playbook for this type of woods racing. Russell edged out his teammate Liam Draper by just three seconds and four seconds ahead of XC2 rider Cody Barnes of the Phoenix Honda team. Cycle News gave KR557 the cover (from a great Mack Faint shot), and Yamaha and FMF both did up win ads for the 35-year-old. KTM's Grant Davis (who shared the FMF spread with Russell) also clinched the XC2 title and got a win ad from the Austrians. There were also a couple of MXoN-related ads in this week's issue, including the three YZ World SuperFinale bLU cRU winners in Chandler Powell (65cc), Jaydin Smart (85cc), and Cooper Johnson (125cc). Finally, Fly Racing gave Team USA's RJ Hampshire a pat on the back for helping the team to a runner-up finish.

1996 (DC)

More often than not, the FIM Motocross of Nations is held in Europe, and over the years, I've been lucky enough to visit a bunch of different countries and tracks, beginning with the 1993 race in Schwanenstadt, Austria, usually with my good friends Jeff Cernic and Larry "Moe" Sidor in tow. Through the rest of the 1990s, we visited Switzerland, Slovakia, Spain, Belgium, and Great Britain, skipping only the '99 race in Brazil. I would go shoot the races mostly in black-and-white film on assignment for Cycle News and Dirt Rider Magazine, as well as Racer X Newspaper and then magazine.

One of my favorite trips was to Jerez, Spain, for the '96 race. The track was on the infield of a road course, but it had some really big hills. The promoters built a very American-style track, with steep, supercross-style jumps, including a downhill triple that played right into Team USA's hands. To no one's surprise, Jeremy McGrath (#5) dominated on his Honda CR250—his last outdoor race on that amazing motorcycle, as he would shockingly switch to Suzuki prior to the '97 season opener. His Team USA stablemates were Steve Lamson (#6 on the Honda CR125) and Jeff Emig (#4 on the Kawasaki KX500), and both would also win their classes easily. Having not-so-great days in Spain were Belgium's Stefan Everts (#2), France's Sébastien Tortelli (#9), and New Zealand's Shayne King (#19).

I bring this particular race up because last week my friend and fellow moto historian Larry Lawrence was scanning in some of the old Cycle News archived photos and came across these prints that were in a contributor's folder with my name on it. I had mostly forgotten about these photos, though not the massive leaps the guys were making over the heads of some of the slower riders over the massive downhill triple! Thanks to Larry for unearthing these old gems and bringing back some great MXoN memories.

Hey, Watch It!

Watch: 2025 Motocross of Nations RAW Video Highlights

Kailub Russell captioned his YouTube GoPro video from last weekend's win at the John Penton GNCC with this:  "After 5 years and 3 months and some time away from racing. We've found the center of the box again!" Ride along on a hectic first lap:

This one did not age well: Chase Sexton visits KTM in Austria (2024):

We stumbled upon some very old Daytona "Motocross" footage from the pre-Supercross era, 1972:

Davey Coombs — The Soul of Motocross

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week 

"An AI became a crypto millionaire. Now it's fighting to become a person"—BBC News

“Philly Artists Turn Scrapple Into Sculpted Masterpieces”—Philly Mag

“Family Goes on 100 Mile Road Trip and Finds Their Cat on the Car's Roof”—People

“Man Stores AI-Generated Robot Porn on His Government Computer, Loses Access to Nuclear Secrets”—Archive

"Tennis player who said a kiss caused his positive methamphetamine test gets 4-year suspension"—AP

“Arrest Made In Drive-By Cheeseburgering: Ex-employee is busted for bizarre battery at Tampa-area strip club”—The Smoking Gun

Random Notes

Happy birthday to Torsten Hallman, who turned 86 years old today!

Congratulations to Brian "Big B" Barnhart, longtime driver for the Monster Energy Kawasaki team, on hanging up the keys to his big rig and exiting the road after more than 20 years at the helm. Barnhart will take a new in-house role with the team at their headquarters in Irvine, California. Read more on Barnhart.