That evening, the FIM Awards shindig was a black-tie affair, which meant renting a tuxedo back home and lugging it across the ocean. We watched the FIM hand out medals to some of the best riders on the planet, including MotoGP legend Marc Marquez, MXGP Champion Romain Febvre, Trials god Toni Bou, and almost all of their champions from 2025 (though MXON winners Jett and Hunter Lawrence and Kyle Webster of Team Australia were not on hand). Afterwards, we hung out with the AMA's Director of Racing, Mike Pelletier, and AMA President Rob Dingman, who were on hand for their own meetings. Needless to say, the rapidly approaching Anaheim opener and the start of the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Championships and SMX were constant subjects of conversation, as were the looming battles of next summer: Haiden Deegan vs. Jett and the rest of the 450 class in Pro Motocross.

Afterwards, Sabrina and I were lucky enough to be tourists for a couple of days in the medieval city of Lucerne (or Luzerne, depending on which of the four languages make up the Confoederatio Helvetia, which is where the "CH" associated with Switzerland comes from). It's a beautiful place, untouched by war for hundreds of years. If you're a history buff—as in ancient history, not just the past couple of decades—this is an amazing place to visit.

One thing I did not realize was that the FIM Gala was the swan song for Giuseppe Luongo, who served as the President of InFront, and before that, Youthstream, and before that, Action Group. Luongo announced yesterday that he was retiring, effectively handing the reins of MXGP to his son David Luongo, who has grown into a good friend over the past decade. I didn't always see eye to eye with Giuseppe, but his love and passion for motocross always ran deep. He was the promoter of the 1986 FIM Motocross des Nations at Maggiora, Italy, a race that many still feel to this day to be the best MXON ever, featuring Team USA's David Bailey, Rick Johnson, and Johnny O'Mara. It was Luongo who took over MXGP in the 1990s and ushered it into the modern era. After a dozen years of animosity between us, it was Giuseppe who called me after the 2016 MXON, which was also held at Maggiora, to extend an olive branch and try to one day work together. Well, within a year we were collaborating at the U.S. Grand Prix at WWR Ranch in Jacksonville, as well as working together to bring the MXON back to America in 2018 at RedBud and again in 2022. And this past August, InFront and MX Sports finally did a big project together, the MXON at the Ironman. Proud to say that it was a very successful and entertaining race, and I'm glad we got that done before his unexpected retirement. I wish Giuseppe the best in retirement, and I also look forward to continuing to work together with David Luongo and the entire InFront team on many more races to come.

Back home, Feld Motorsports and NBC/Peacock held their collective media days at Angel Stadium, and we had three guys there to help cover it all, so I will leave that to Weege, Matthes, and Mitch. With Anaheim now 29 days away, everyone seems very busy and very happy to get 2026 started.

The new issue of Racer X Magazine dropped this week with Monster Energy/Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper on the cover. We named him our 2025 Rider of the Year because Cooper did more racing than anyone. He rode every round of SX as well as 450 Pro Motocross and was the #1 seed going into the SMX Playoffs. And when Team USA badly needed a replacement rider for the injured Deegan, J-Coop raised his hand and told the AMA he was ready to jump down to the 250 if they needed him. Then Deegan tried to see if he could race after collarbone surgery, and Cooper was told to stay ready as a backup, but then Deegan couldn’t ride, which put Cooper on the team. To top it off, he also raced a couple of WSX races as a wildcard. Weege wrote the feature “Always There” about Justin Cooper, our 2025 Racer X Rider of the Year. Cooper says he has only missed one set of Pro Motocross gate drops in his entire professional career. He’s showed up for every National he’s been scheduled to race, and only missed High Point a few years ago after crashing in practice. That’s it. The guy is solid.

Also in the new issue is a feature I wrote on Chad Reed’s life and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame career called “22 Things,” and Matthes wrote up the Yamaha YZ World SuperFinale at the MXON called “Race White & Blue.” Our man at the beach, Chris “Browndog Wilson” Ganz, wrote about and shot the photos at the unique AX opener with his “Huntington Beach Riders Club.”

And our social media friend Josh Gagnon (@AlwaysBelieve331) has his annual countdown up and running; here are this week's entries, as Anaheim is now 29 days away. Look for Josh's page on Instagram and give him a follow...

Building a Base (Mitch Kendra)

That's a wrap on the 2026 SMX Media Days! Riders run through stations to get content for the TV broadcast, promotional packages, in-stadium pieces, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and more. Plus, we get updates directly from them ahead of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship. While this event is nothing new, for the second straight year, a dozen members of the media were invited out to Angel Stadium to participate. We gather in a room and get one to two riders at a time to chat with, digging into more serious topics like injuries and recovery, but also some light-hearted questions as well. And you guessed it, we got a lot of those “I’m-feeling-great/I’m-ready-to-win/this-is-the-best-bike-ever” comments we get every year. But I get it. In my opinion, learning the stories, changes, mindsets—you name it—now helps come the A1 pre-race press conference. Yes, things can change in one month, but I think the media days allow for better story building. Let me explain it in riding terms.

Literally every rider emphasized at some point having a strong base. They don't go straight to blazing-fast heater laps on Day 1 of SX training. First, you build up your fitness before jumping on your motorcycle, you get some riding in to knock the cobwebs off, then you start to test your settings, get comfortable with the process of working with your team, and get up to speed.

Similarly, we members of the media use this media days event to build our base. More time with familiar and new faces helps out in the long run. Instead of starting the A1 press conference by asking every rider, "What did you do since the playoffs ended?" or "How's the new bike?" we have already had these conversations. Now, we can jump right in on press day at A1 and pick up where we left off here at the media days: “How have things progressed since you spoke to us this past month?” We can take it one step further.

Plus, I will also say that with so many riders doing so many different off-season/one-off races nowadays, from Jett Lawrence to Jason Anderson to Jeremy Hand to Harri Kullas and everyone racing WSX, we have a pretty good window to keep up with the riders during the off-season. Off-season races and social media updates keep us media members—and fans—more up to speed than ever before.

All this leads me to say that our conversations with the riders were productive and insightful. My media colleagues and I fed off one another, asked follow-up questions, and learned from one another too. Plus, we can test our settings and dial in what works for us and what doesn't!

In total, our media room got time on the record with over 40 individuals (!) in our two days, mostly riders but also on-record interviews with Feld’s Mike Muye and Dave Prater from the SX operations/management side, plus Ken Adelson from the TV broadcast department. Sean Brennen also filled us in on some upcoming announcements and kept our group well-fed. And once our final interview of the week was over on Wednesday (with Levi Kitchen, for anyone wondering), we knocked out our St. Jude Love Moto Stop Cancer photos.

Shout-out to Sean and Joe Weber for inviting us, as well as the entire Feld Motor Sports team that helped put on this event. As Adelson told us, the big goal of the broadcast—but also every aspect of race day—is making the sport better and safer and "must-watch TV."

Plus, I was excited to get out of the snow and enjoy some 80-degree weather… except I got to the stadium before the sun came up and left after it had already set. Oh well, it was two long but very productive days. I’ll take it!

Between two long travel days across the country and these two media days, there was not much time for anything more, so stay tuned for features, breaking news updates, and more here on Racer X Online over the next few weeks. I got home to a white blanket of snow covering everything. So much for a warm welcome home!

SMX MEDIA DAZE (Matthes)

I had the pleasure of attending the first day of the SMX media days at Angel Stadium on Tuesday morning. We put the audio of day one up on my website if you want to check it out https://pulpmx.com/podcast/smx-media-day-pulpcasts-2/, and props to Feld for inviting some of the top journalists (!!) to attend these. It was nice to talk to the riders in a relaxed setting, although, yes, they all feel great, and the bike is great, etc. A few takeaways:

--Dylan Ferrandis said his bike's frame was amazing, but it does seem like Ducati doesn't have all the parts they need to test with yet.

--ET said his Aussie WSX round struggles were due to the way the whoops were built and had nothing to do with running a scoop tire.

--Carson Mumford's time at Quad Lock and being based in Florida really wasn't good for his mental health. He’s with AEO KTM now and back in California.

Justin Barcia will be a bit behind the 8-ball come Anaheim 1 due to a collarbone break.

—Aaron Plessinger's illness is behind him, but he doesn't quite know what it was (or isn't telling us).

—Julien Beaumer hopes to make it for outdoors and will get the rods taken out of his back as soon as the bones are healed.

—Both Lawrence brothers are in a good spot with their bikes and team.

—Chance Hymas is switching up his program and spending less time at the Lawrence compound than in the past, as being away from his family for that long isn't great for him.

—Austin Forkner may ride the 450 on the West Coast for Triumph until Jordon Smith is healed up.

The next day, I had some podcasts to do with John Anderson at Dubya USA. I stopped by there to check out the push they're making to get all the teams' wheels done. Outside of Yamaha Star Racing, which uses KITE hubs, there appeared to be a ton of Haan hubs ready to be laced up for teams like HEP and others. They're also doing the Ducati TLD team’s wheels. After that, I drove the short distance to Corona to Race Tech. I had scheduled a podcast with Dirt Bike TV's Jay Clark at the RT facility, so we knocked that out.

From there, I drove over to Pro Circuit to see my friend Mitch Payton, who was, as usual, grinding away on cylinders at his desk. We confirmed I can get an exhaust system for my 2026 YZ450. He showed me his KX85 cylinders that he'll be selling, which come with extra water jackets, power valve mods, ported features, and more. We talked about the pre-A1 live show we're doing at the Pro Circuit shop on Thursday night before Anaheim 1, and I grilled him on which coast his guys will be racing (didn't work). It was funny that while we were talking; his phone was next to him, and the names that were calling him and that he was ignoring were pretty big. Because, as anyone who knows him knows, you pretty much have to go down there to talk to him. It was interesting to get his side of the Garrett Marchbanks-to-Kawi 450 situation and the pros and cons of what he thought of the move as well.

After that, I drove home and got with Weege, JT, and Keefer to film our 2026 SX Preview shows at my studio all day Thursday.

Busy week for me!

Kawasaki Bounces Back (Jason Weigandt)

At media days this week, I was most looking forward to talking to the Kawasaki crew. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s 450 team is all new with Chase Sexton and Garrett Marchbanks, and the Pro Circuit 250 side is once again trying to avenge a heartbreaking championship loss. If it’s not Seth Hammaker just barely not winning 250SX East last year, it’s Levi Kitchen and Cameron McAdoo crashing into each other in 2024, and on and on goes the list of heartbreak for Mitch Payton.

Obviously, Sexton is the highest-profile piece, and he never holds back at events like this. Yes, most riders go with the “I’ve never felt better” cliché stuff in December, but Chase doesn’t. Two years ago at this event, he pretty much said he wasn’t yet gelling with his new KTM, and that ended up painting an accurate picture of how his tenure there would go. This year, he’s much more positive about his Kawasaki, but at least with Chase, you know if he’s struggling, he will tell you. Specifically, he said the aluminum-frame Kawi feels more responsive to him, and he feels he can push through rhythms much better. Chase said he felt he could ride consistently on the KTM, but if he really had to send it, he felt like the bike didn’t allow him to do that. He thinks speed through rhythms used to be an asset, and he lost that. He thinks he has it back. Honestly, I think Chase wanted to really gush about the new bike and staff, but he’s self-aware enough to know if he says too much positive, it just starts to sound like that cliché stuff. So I asked him to simply compare where he is right now compared to this time two years ago when he was switching to a KTM. He said it’s going much better now. Funny, though, Chase doesn’t regret the move to KTM because he learned so much there, and he thinks he’s better for having had that experience.

Garrett Marchbanks told us how difficult it was to decide on the 450 move. Yes, a 450 factory ride is a dream come true, but he also knows if he had a bad year and was left not eligible for the 250 class again, he could really be in a tough spot career-wise. He has a one-year deal with an option for year two based on his results. Garrett says the targets he has to hit are tough but also achievable.

The Pro Circuit boys are pumped about a new engine setup for their KX250s. The Kawasaki engine was new last year, and the team struggled with torque out of the gate. Changes this year seem to have helped, and Levi Kitchen seemed very happy about what he was testing this week in California. It was a down year for Levi, but he chalked most of that up to starts. If the PC boys can start where they used to, the chances of finally getting Mitch another title will be much better.

And here’s an added note: Because he only scored 20 points this year with his 3-22-22 finishes before being injured, Cameron McAdoo’s number in 2026 will be #142. Should he win a race in ’26—and Cameron is more than capable—he would be the first rider wearing #142 to ever win a professional SX or MX race. The last factory-level rider that we recall wearing #142 was Ryan Dungey at the end of the 2006 season, right after he turned pro.

AZ Open Rollercoaster (Keefer)

I went out to the AZ Open last weekend to take my kid racing, and it was cool to see such a good turnout in the Pro classes. In previous years, there may have been 20 or so pros per class (250/Open), but this year both classes had full gates and even divisions. The turnout was bigger this year than it has been in some years, which is a good sign for amateur moto. Aden won some motos in the 250 and Open pro classes but had a big one in the second Open Pro moto. With half a lap left and in the lead, he proceeded to explode the rear of his KX450 inside a square-edge hole, which pitched him over the bars while flying through the air. Good times. Seeing your kid flying through the air on the last lap when you think he has it wrapped up is not a great feeling. I went from "OMG, is he okay?" to "OK, he is up," then went into "WTF was he doing?" mode.

The life of a parent with a kid who wants to be a professional motocross racer is not always the most fun. After a trip to the local Buckeye Hospital for X-rays, it was determined that he was done for the weekend. From winning motos to driving home dejected and hurt is a crazy roller coaster. When all of the adrenaline settles down, you understand the big picture: your kid is relatively okay, and we will get him next time. Nothing is as strong as a motocross family's bond if you can see the big picture. Constant highs and lows either make or break families, but if you look at the roller coaster of motocross racing as a long-term series of life lessons (for your kid and yourself), you'll have more fun, experience slightly less stress, and create memories that you'll be able to share together for a long time. Sure, I want Aden to do well, but being an amateur parent is teaching me a lot about life, even at my age. If any of you amateur racing parents have tips or stories that you would like to share, I would love to hear them. Send them to me at kris@keeferinctesting.com

Travis Takes Over (DC)

Three years ago, the action sports world lost one of its all-time champions when Ken Block was killed while snowmobiling near his home in Utah. The news came like a gut punch to pretty much anyone who knew him—and Ken knew a lot of people! He was a longtime friend and supporter of SMX in the ways he sponsored so many riders and events through the company he co-founded, DC Shoes. After he sold the company, Ken went all in on his personal passion for rally car racing, competing all over the world. But his results weren’t nearly as impressive as the creativity he and his merry band of Hoonigans put into his Gymkhana stunt-driving videos, which have been viewed half a billion times, featuring amazing cars and trucks like the legendary Hoonicorn in what became a cornerstone of internet car culture. We were lucky enough to join Ken and his sometimes co-star, Travis Pastrana, on the sets of a couple of those videos. I even managed to let the cat out of the bag when I posted a photo of us hanging out in San Francisco for Gymkhana Five: Streets of San Francisco—I did not know that it was a hush-hush deal! He forgave me but then teased me about it for the rest of his life.

Fast forward to earlier this year, and the rumor I heard that the Gymkhana videos were coming back, with a surprise guest driver. That made me skeptical. Then we found out it was Travis Pastrana, and we could not wait! This week, the new video dropped, and it more than delivers on Ken’s legacy. Gymkhana 2025: Aussie Shred features Travis in a Subaru Brat that the Hoonigans modified for him, dubbing it the Subaru Brataroo 9500 Turbo, and the 2000 AMA 125 Pro Motocross Champion delivers some incredible driving. The videos are slicker than ever, and I imagine that somewhere on that big Gymkhana set in the sky, Ken Block approves. Congrats to the whole Hoonigan team on such a great revival of a beloved series.

Win Ads (DC)

Hey, Watch It! 

Fresh off winning the Australian Supercross Championship, Dean Wilson revisits the first rider he ever gave a bike away to seven years ago, a young man named Luke.

Check out Cooper Webb's new YouTube vlog:

World Supercross South African GP Rider Press Conference 

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week 

"Bear Causally Strolls Through Christmas Parade In Tennessee"—Bro Bible

"Police recover a swallowed Fabergé pendant after a 6-day wait for it to reappear"—AP News

“Drone drops crab legs, steak and weed into South Carolina prison: "Folks were planning an early holiday Old Bay crab boil"—CBS News

“Colts Sign 44-Year-Old Philip Rivers to Practice Squad Amid QB Crisis”—ESPN 

Random Notes

A lot of passionate, creative people work to make Racer X the best it can be, but our biggest source of inspiration is, quite simply, you! All of us at Racer X would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete our Readers' Choice survey. The better we know our readers and audience, the better we can make everything we do. For completing the survey, you'll receive a free 3-month digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated! Oh, and you'll also be entered to win a NIU XQi3 WILD bike, a VP Racing Fuels prize pack, a Bob the Cooler 75qt hard cooler, 5 Bob the Cooler 40oz tumblers, 3 Renthal control kits (bars, bar pads, grips), a Risk Racing starting gate, and a SHOEI VFX-EVO Sparkle helmet and bag! Winners will be announced on February 2nd. (Subscription confirmations will be sent after the survey is finished.)

Thanks for your help. We’ll see you at the races. 

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