Delta Motorsports Park, located near Toledo, was a regular host of Inter-Am events, as well as 125 Nationals, while Honda Hills near Linville, Ohio, hosted Trans-AMA events that brought in international superstars like Roger DeCoster, Heikki Mikkola, Ake Jonsson, and more. Ohio was such a significant moto state that of the 12 AMA Pro Motocross rounds held in 1974, four of them were in Ohio: Grand-Am Motocross Park (Hamersville), Mid-Ohio (Lexington), the previously mentioned Delta, and Highland Hills (Hillsboro). It was at that last track that one of the most iconic photos in motocross history was shot, "Tony D. and the Jammer," taken by Charlie Morey. It appeared one week later on the cover of Cycle News East and then, 30 years later, on the cover of Racer X Magazine. In our opinion, it's the greatest motocross photo ever taken.

In 1975, Mid-Ohio hosted the first 125cc U.S. Grand Prix, won by Honda's sensational teenager Marty Smith. It was at that race that Smith began using a jump at the top of the crest to launch his bike over a jump further down the hill. It was apparently a mind-blowing move to everyone who saw the leap. It was also the invention of what soon became known as a double jump.

Ohio had a uniquely influential place in the evolution of American dirt bike racing because it was the home of John Penton (1924-2025). Mr. Penton was both an amazing rider and an entrepreneur. When he made his deal with KTM in 1968 to build lightweight two-stroke dirt bikes for off-road racing, he used the ports of Lorain, Ohio, to import his bikes from Austria. For the next 10 years, every KTM that arrived in the U.S. was branded as a Penton before John sold the naming rights back to KTM. To this day, Amherst remains a hub for the KTM Group North America.

Ohio has produced many world-class riders. Cleveland's own Bryan Kenney is an American motocross pioneer in his own right, paving a path to Europe in the 1960s and early '70s that has been followed by countless globe-trotting Yanks. He won the first Daytona MX in 1971 aboard a Husqvarna, a brand that also used Ohio as an Eastern U.S. base. He was followed by Lisbon's Gary Semics, who won the '74 AMA Supercross Championship in the 500 class aboard a Husqvarna, and Marietta's Denny Swartz, who gave Maico their last-ever national win in 1980. Later on, London, Ohio's Jeromy Buehl and New Philadelphia's Brock Sellards would win 125 SX races, and Sellards would win a couple of nationals too. And then came Aaron Plessinger, the son of Ohio off-road royalty Scott Plessinger, and winner of both 250 SX and MX Championships. He is a current Red Bull KTM factory rider, completing the circle back to John Penton, but unfortunately is injured at the moment.

Mid-Ohio promoter Peter Weidner would host the 125 USGP, as well as Trans-AMA and Trans-USA races, until 1981, when his FIM relationship was ended (by them, not Pete) because Team USA had missed the Motocross and Trophee des Nations in 1979 and '80, and he ended up getting penalized for it, despite having nothing to do with the decisions of the factory teams and top riders out in California. (Ironically, that same year, Team USA returned to the MXoN and Trophee races and began a 13-year winning streak.)

Wait, there's more. Ohio is also the cradle of Eastern off-road racing in large part because of John Penton, but also from all of the fast enduro/hare scramblers who were from the area: the Penton brothers and their sons, the Leimbachs, Billy Uhl, Terry Cunningham, "King Richard" Dick Burleson lived right across the Michigan border, Rod Bush was born just across the border in West Virginia, Scott Summers across the border in Kentucky, and later on Scott Plessinger and his SMX son Aaron, and Jeff Russell and his son Kailub.

Ohio was the epicenter of the once-thriving Action Sports' Arenacross Series, which was run by Drew Wolfe, as well as the home base of the late Phil Alderton's Honda of Troy (and later Yamaha of Troy) team that rivaled Pro Circuit Kawasaki and what is now Yamaha Star Racing.

Add it all up, and you have deep roots in the dirt bike world, yet only one single supercross in history before tomorrow.

The 1995 Cleveland SX is remembered for two things: 1.) Jeremy McGrath clinched his third of four straight titles in Cleveland; 2.) Jeremy McGrath clinched that title in front of a mostly empty Cleveland Stadium, a place us Pittsburgh Steelers fans also referred to as "the mistake by the lake." I will never forget the top section of the massive stadium being completely empty, but kids kept sneaking in and flipping the seats to spell out giant swear words.

Will tomorrow's race be any different? I sure hope so, but the weather is threatening, and the local racing season has started in earnest. Cleveland is not the same town that it was back in 1995, that's for sure. And neither is Monster Energy Supercross. Right now, Ohio is represented on the starting line by Vermilion's Logan Karnow, Medina's Cade Clason, and Mantua's Jeremy Hand. (If you're wondering why entries seem light, with both classes around 40 signed up, part of the reason is the fact that Triple Crown races are tough for privateers in that if they don't qualify, there is no participation in the main program, as even the LCQs take place at the end of qualifying, long before opening ceremonies.)

Sorry for the detour down memory lane and all that homework on Ohio moto. Here's hoping for a great race and more visits to Ohio in the future. Let's get into the rest of Racerhead.

Pro Perspective (Thomas)

As DC said, the series returns to Cleveland for the first time since 1995 and could see weather for the first time in 2026. With rain forecasted for tomorrow, the big questions are: When? and How much? If it's light rain and early in the schedule, I think we will be just fine. The track has been covered throughout the week and mostly protected from the Thursday precipitation. Still, an 85 percent chance on Saturday feels foreboding. Further, the forecast says the most likely rain is just before we go racing, which means the track will be vulnerable. If the rains do come, what does that mean for the 450 championship?

With a 10-point lead over Ken Roczen and 15 over Eli Tomac, Hunter Lawrence is in a good position with four rounds to go. A true mud race would be a chance to bring real variance, though. The most likely outcome of a dry race would be favorable for Hunter's chances. Mud takes "likely" and throws it out the nearest window. It adds a level of randomness that championship leaders despise. As the series draws closer to conclusion, avoiding catastrophe becomes the ultimate necessity for those out front. With three more outdoor venues after a possibly wet Cleveland, there's no guarantee that dodging the mud bullet would be isolated to once. Could you imagine multiple mud races to close out this championship? Everything we feel certain about would immediately be up for grabs. Weather could be the one variable that no one has really factored in. Mother Nature could, in the end, decide the fate of the 2026 title

So Many Guys Getting Better (Weigandt)

Hunter Lawrence has regained control of this Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship with just four races to go. As I said to Honda HRC Progressive team manager Lars Lindstrom, this was pretty quick work to get the train back on the tracks after the big Detroit crash. Hunter has a bigger points lead now than he did going into Detroit. If Hunter wins this title, the Nashville win will be looked back on as his clutch moment, where he ripped momentum back away from Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac (who, for a brief bit, looked to be back up to speed). But nothing is assured yet. Was Nashville the moment, or just a moment?

It's even harder to say because, with four races to go, there are so many spoilers in the mix. A year ago, the races featured, essentially, only Chase Sexton and Cooper Webb in the battle for the win, which made points hard to find. Remember last year in Pittsburgh? Webb knew he just had to get one win on Sexton to have enough points to hold a real edge. Well, no one is thinking that this year. A win on Saturday for Lawrence would mean a 13-point lead at minimum with three to go, but that doesn't mean as much when so many other fast riders are in the group. The Coopers (Cooper Webb and Justin Cooper) are still there and capable of beating anyone, Tomac could still be fast, Jorge Prado gets starts and fights for podium real estate, Chase Sexton is back, and heck, last week Dylan Ferrandis and Justin Hill both stepped up. A bad race now for a title contender doesn't mean an automatic second-place finish. Just ask Tomac.

Check out this story I wrote Monday for more on Ferrandis' development on the new Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull Ducati, and Hill finally getting back into the mix. 

One of my biggest pet peeves in the sport is assuming two title contenders go 1-2 down the stretch. I like years like this one, where absolutely no one thinks that will happen. Here's to more surprises over the next four weekends!

By the way, Eli Tomac is throwing out the first pitch later this afternoon at the Cleveland Guardians vs. Baltimore Orioles game.

And a get-well-soon goes out to Nick DeFeo after a huge crash while practicing left him with multiple injuries. Ugh!

Cole Davies: Lucky Dog (DC)

In NASCAR-speak, "Lucky Dog" is a rule that allows the first car one or more laps down to get a lap back during a caution period, according to someone named "AI" on my iPhone. In supercross, it could very well refer to Cole Davies, at least for this season. Now don't get me wrong—Cole is the fastest man in the 250 SX East. He's won five straight now, which matches Monster Energy/Yamaha Star Racing teammate Haiden Deegan's 5-for-5 earlier in the 250SX West Division. Of course, Haiden and his camp and his fans prefer "7-for-7," as he did win the Birmingham East/West Showdown, only to be docked a position after the race, handing the win to runner-up Davies. Deegan's already clinched the 250SX West, and with a 19-point lead now over Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Seth Hammaker, Davies could soon do the same.

The Deegan call wasn't the only one that went in Davies' favor. At the end of last week's Nashville race, Hammaker crashed with Rockstar Husqvarna's Daxton Bennick towards the end of the main event. When he got going again, he cut inside one of those big donut-shaped markers on the inside of a corner and was subsequently docked two positions, dropping him from third to fifth and adding to Davies' points pad. The worst part of that call, in my personal opinion, is that it came too late for ClubMX Yamaha's Devin Simonson, who was moved up from fourth to third, but he didn't get to be up there on what would have been his first-ever podium. But to Hammaker's credit, he did give back the custom guitar he was handed on the podium, which was apparently not the case in Birmingham, as Deegan is said to still have the first-place trophy.

Yes, Davies has been a lucky dog—twice—but he's already surpassed Ben Townley's three career 250 SX wins, making him the most successful New Zealander ever in AMA Supercross. He's the real deal. Davies, still just 18 years old, already has seven main event wins. It's also hard to believe he was racing SX Next (Futures) just two years ago!

BLU CRU Invitationals (Keefer)

Yamaha puts on these exclusive race events for Yamaha BLU CRU members, and this weekend is the first round at Glen Helen Raceway. Four rounds across North America allow competitors to race against other Yamaha racers with several classes to choose from. Yamaha also hosts a demo ride day as well as a family dinner, a three-moto format, and even a pre-race training session with special guests brought in by Yamaha.

I did this event last year and had a blast! If you're a Yamaha rider and want to head to one of the rounds shown, you'll be treated like a factory rider for the weekend.

Pro Motocross Countdown (DC)

We are now about six weeks away—44 days to be exact—from the start of the 2026 Pro Motocross Championships, the second half of the Monster Energy SuperMotocross World Championships. It's also the countdown to the return of Jett Lawrence and the beginning of Haiden Deegan's 450 career, as it appears that Yamaha Star Racing and the Deegans have decided to stick with the plan of waiting until the start of the MX series to put Haiden on the 450, despite the fact that he's already clinched the 250 SX West Championship for the second straight year. His imminent move will have the effect of opening up the 250 MX Championship he's won the past two years to someone else, and there's no shortage of contenders: Cole Davies, Levi Kitchen, Jo Shimoda (if he's healthy), Chance Hymas (ditto), Seth Hammaker, Ryder DiFrancesco, Nate Thrasher, Max Anstie, Pierce Brown, and more.

We are also starting to see what some of the tracks look like as the spring season is well underway. Tim Cotter and I took a drive out to High Point yesterday, the site of Round 4 of Pro Motocross, to get an idea of how things are shaping up out there. High Point, unfortunately, does not have many local events, so the High Point National will be the opening weekend—in June. But the "Country Club of Motocross" looks great, even when it's empty, just dirt and grass. Check out the photo I shot of master photographer Garth Milan of Octopi Media last summer, getting a shot of Levi Kitchen on the first tunnel jump, and then how the exact same spot looked yesterday...

And check out these photos that Rick Van Dyk posted from a recent visit to Hangtown—the rice husks are back! I don't know if they will still be there when the Hangtown Classic returns in June for Round 2, but it's definitely a game-changer for the oldest race on the circuit!

Obviously, we still have four rounds of Monster Energy Supercross to go in what's been a very compelling and entertaining championship. Fortunately, when all is said and done, we're taking it straight outdoors.

Sand Mastery: Lucas Coenen vs. Jeffrey Herlings (DC)

For a generation of motocross fans, the idea of Jeffrey Herlings getting straight-up beaten in a sand race seems far-fetched. The Dutchman known as "the Bullet" has been consistently the best rider in the sand ever since he won his first Grand Prix at the age of 15 in the sands of Valenswaard in his home country. Sixteen years later, he's the all-time winningest rider in the FIM World Championships with 113 career wins, a dozen more than the great Stefan Everts. A prominent number of those wins came at sand tracks like Valkenswaard, Lommel in Belgium, Lierop in the Netherlands, and more. We featured Herlings on the cover of the brand issue of Racer X Magazine with the headline "Enter Sandman" after he swept both motos at the '26 MXGP opener in sandy Argentina (shot by Bavo Swijgers, his first-ever cover; give him a follow @shotbybavo). Even at age 31, Herlings continues to be considered the best sand rider in the world right now.

That may have changed last weekend. Herlings and the rest of the MXGP frontrunners are finding themselves in a generational transition with a much younger rider who seems to be improving by the race. Lucas Coenen is a 19-year-old Belgian speedster who raced for the Red Bull KTM team. Last weekend in sandy Sardinia, off the coast of Italy, Coenen put the screws to the Honda-mounted Herlings and everyone else at the sandy Riola Sardo circuit event called "the Dance in the Dunes." Coenen's best lap in the first moto was nearly 2.5 seconds faster than runner-up Herlings, and he cleared out in dominant fashion. In the second moto, Coenen had nearly a 15-second lead when he crashed late in the race but then held Jeffrey off in a late charge. It was a rare defeat in the sand for Herlings and a signal that Coenen is going to be very tough to beat this season. Coenen, whose twin brother Sacha is battling for the MX2 title, is gaining confidence, and he's proven that he's almost as strong as the workhorse Herlings.

MXGP is staying in Italy, though this weekend's race is on the mainland, up in the foothills of the Dolomites at Arco Trentino. It's a hard-packed track, and it might actually favor Herlings over Coenen, as he's been raving about how much he likes the Honda on Trentino's kind of dirt. But don't count out Tim Gajser, to whom this round feels almost like a home race, as it's the closest to his home in Slovenia. It will be packed with his fans, and he went 1-1 here last year.

There's been a lot of talk about the Coenen brothers coming to America one day. That day might be as soon as the end of this season, according to someone in the know at Red Bull KTM.

This Week's Win Ads (DC)

Hey, Watch It!

The Vurbmoto crew caught the 250 A action at a very crowded Toyota of Redlands California Classic at Fox Raceway last weekend:

Keefer chats with Uncle Phil, Brand Ambassador for Husqvarna:

Duke Gomez takes on the Nashville SX:

James Stewart's Top 10 Stewpendous Moments at Nashville (including that crazy crash in qualifying that happened in the background of Race Day Live):

Delanie Walker Takes Over Nashville Supercross | Bussin' With The Boys

Racer X’s Injury Report, hosted by Sarah Whitmore:

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week 

"A 10-run 6th inning helps the @Pirates secure the series-opening W!"
Caption on the MLB X page for the Pittsburgh Pirates' 16-5 victory over the Washington Nationals

"Local gift card company foots the bill to bring giant rubber duck back to Pittsburgh ahead of NFL Draft"—Business Journal

"Chinese carmaker patents voice-controlled 'in-vehicle toilet'"—BBC News

Random Notes

This Roczen pop up shop will be at Machine Gun Kelly's coffee shop in Cleveland. It's less than half a mile from the stadium.

Things to do in Cleveland this weekend: 

The Michigan Mafia of Motocross lost a good friend this week with the passing of Christa Howard. She was a longtime photographer for Cycle News as well as many other publications in and out of the MX world back from the mid ‘70s until the late ‘80s. She was also the photographer for the District 14 monthly publication for many years. She was very popular and well-respected by racers as well as track owners, race officials, and really anyone who attended the races regularly. Christa Howard was 89 years old when she passed on Monday. Godspeed.