We made it to the race, which was held in the old JFK Stadium, in what used to be a rough part of Philly. I remember thinking that I couldn't believe our parents let us drive to Philly and stay overnight, but we were fine. Yamaha teammates Mike Bell and Broc Glover were the winners of each race, both of which were run during the afternoon. We drove home late Sunday afternoon, once again reading Anna Karenina. It was a successful end to the first road trip that just my sister and I went on. But it wasn't the end of this story.

Check out this breaking new just ahead of press day:

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

With nearly a 100 percent chance of rain forecast for Saturday in Philadelphia, it feels more like "when and how much?" rain is coming versus "will it rain at all?" For the championship contenders, rain is not a welcome development. The chaos that inclement weather can bring is a variable that can't be controlled. Most dynamics are within one's purview: starts, speed, execution. Mud and rain add in the risk of mechanical failure, pile-ups, and much more variance in the actual riding. Our two frontrunners, Hunter Lawrence and Ken Roczen, have separated themselves (with a nod to Cooper Webb) and are poised to take this fight to the last lap in Salt Lake City. Mud changes the equation and could have wild consequences in the results column. It changes the narrative a bit and just adds random chance into scenarios that riders would love to have complete control over. How will it shake out? How much rain will we get? Is the track just slippery and tricky like Cleveland, or is it a Foxboro 2025 repeat? These are very impactful questions that could have heavy input on how this championship turns out. Both Hunter and Ken are likely nervous as it is, and adding rain to the mix only exacerbates the tension. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, they say, and the 2026 SX champ will have to bear this weight to be champ.

Honda in Japan (Aaron Hansel)

Our man Aaron Hansel is one of several lucky moto media members to get a week-long trip to Japan to check Honda's engineering and production processes. Here's a snip from his story:

The trip started with a visit to Motegi, a famous Japanese track that holds many high profile events, including MotoGP, and when I made it through customs and rounded the corner to see familiar faces from Gypsy Tales, Vital MX, Cycle News, Motocross Action, Whiskey Throttle, and more, I knew it was going to be a blast.

As the trip unfolded I started adding experiences to the highlight reel at a rapid pace. I honestly can't even keep up with all the stuff they let us see and do, the schedule was as efficient as Honda's production process! One highlight, I think, though: They allowed us to drive the bus around the track! 

Check out the rest of the story on this site later in the weekend.

ClubMX: Stolen and Found! (DC)

This past Sunday morning, ClubMX in South Carolina was hit by thieves who stole several motorcycles as well as an enclosed trailer. It was the latest in a very long and unfortunate list of teams and riders in that area who have been targeted, as Phoenix Racing was hit, as were eight-time GNCC Champion Kailub Russell. Here is a local news report on the incident.

The good news is that local police tracked down and found the criminals. According to a local news outlet, “Deputies with the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office recovered nearly $70,000 worth of stolen property connected to the ClubMX theft that occurred on April 19, 2026. This case began with a tip received around 8:00am. Deputies acted on that information immediately, leading to a coordinated response that resulted in a full recovery by the end of the day.

All reported stolen property was located and secured. During the course of the investigation, deputies also recovered a stolen pickup truck out of Pickens County.”

Lucas Coenen (DC)

Belgium's Lucas Coenen is still the MXGP points leader in the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP), but he had a rough weekend at Arco Trentino in Italy last weekend. Like Hunter Lawrence here in the U.S., things started well but then went sideways in a hurry. After winning the Saturday heat race, the Red Bull KTM rider crashed on the second lap in the first moto and had to dig out a 12th. Then he finished third in the second moto. However, Herlings won the overall with 1-2 moto finishes and closed to within 4 points of the 18-year-old Coenen. Our colleague in Europe, "MX Geoff" Meyer of MXLarge.com, was there to see the race in Italy, as well as the disappointed Coenen afterward. Here's how he described the scene in the press room:

As the media sat waiting for Tim Gajser and Tom Vialle to arrive for the Sunday afternoon press conference, Lucas Coenen sat waiting. The look on his face was that of a man who was not just a little pissed off, but pretty angry, and it was hard not to feel for him. When veteran journalist Adam Wheeler, trying to make light of the vibe, asked Lucas if twin brother Sacha was paying for dinner that night (Sacha won MX2) Lucas didn't look amused, and Wheeler retreated to his seat, looking a little embarrassed. This wasn't the time for small talk, and while GP winner Jeffrey Herlings sat smiling and answering questions, Coenen sat waiting, just wanting to get out of that media room and as far away from the journalists as he could.

It was interesting during the press conference how, on a couple of occasions, Herlings would take a glance over at the Belgian youngster, maybe trying to see what type of mental damage he had caused the KTM man. The wise old fox was looking at Coenen as his prey.

Coenen had embarrassed Herlings somewhat in some races this year, and I am sure the Dutchman was loving the pain and anger he had caused his young rival. The mental game in 2026 is going to be more than a little special, and I think it might even heat up. Coming into Trentino, I think most of us expected it to be a tough GP. We wrote last week (see story here) that this would be the chance for guys like Herlings and Tim Gajser to maybe get a break on the teenager, who had dazzled them with his speed in rounds two, three, and four in Spain, Switzerland, and Sardinia.

Despite his qualification moto win on Saturday, as early Saturday morning, it was obvious this was going to be difficult, and as he struggled to stay close to the times of Herlings, he looked frustrated as he returned to the mechanics area, waving his arms and wondering what they could do to help him. Sure enough, his comments on Sunday night didn't surprise anyone.

"Honestly, I didn't expect too much coming into this weekend because the track doesn't really suit my style. I had a couple of crashes in the first race and another small mistake in the second, so it wasn't the easiest weekend. Still, I'm happy to be here, healthy, and taking some points because that's on your bad days that you win championships."

As for his battle with Herlings for the major prize, he knows that he isn't racing just anyone, and he knows that there will be times he wins and times Herlings wins, but that day in Trentino, he wasn't close to fighting for a GP victory.

"As riders, we want to beat each other. I mean, it's hard to give a compliment to your opponent, but in Riola (Sardinia), I rode fast. Like we know, Jeffrey is the best sand rider in the world. So, I can't say no for what he said. (Note: Herlings said Lucas would have even beaten Jett Lawrence in Sardinia.) Coming in here, I knew these three guys would be on it. Jeffrey and Tim have surely won the most at this track. So, I was expecting them to be up front. I was just hoping to be around them a little bit, but yeah, that's how it is."

Now, with a five-week break and returning for another hard pack circuit, but you can be sure this time the teenager will be more than prepared to put his own slice of luck into this 2026 MXGP title race. A poor result last weekend isn't going to cause him too much concern; it will only make him hungrier and better prepared for the French GP at Lacapelle Marival on May 24.

For more, check out Geoff's full feature on Lucas Coenen here.

Coming to America, Sooner than Later? (DC)

There's a very good MXGP podcast that I like to listen to. It's on Vital MX and hosted by their own Lewis Phillips and our longtime contributor Adam Wheeler. 

Both are very well-versed and connected on the Grand Prix circuit, though "Big Lew" is now based here in the U.S. and Adam is primarily focused on MotoGP. It was Wheeler who was at Arco Trentino in Italy for last weekend's race, and he brought up a subject that was discussed last year—the Coenen brothers using an off-weekend from MXGP to come race AMA Pro Motocross, which did not actually work out. Well, it looks like it's being discussed again by the fast Belgian brothers and their families, as well as in the paddock.

According to Adam, "There were lots of questions and chatter about them coming to the U.S. Asking around about it at the weekend, it seems they do have, or KTM is obliged to fulfill their request if they want to race in the U.S. this summer. I was saying to people around KTM, 'How do you realistically consider that situation, because Sacha is now, what, four points away from Simon Langenfelder for the red plate in MX2, and Lucas is still leading the MXGP championship? Is it realistic that they could suddenly sort of finish one GP and then have to jump on a plane and consider a race like Southwick or Budds Creekin 2026?' It does seem a bit of a stretch, but I think it is going to be a part of their induction process. I interviewed Lucas on Saturday, and he said, 'Yeah, it's still the dream for the whole family—not just him—to head over to the U.S.' So I think it's very possible that we could have a world championship leader headed over to some rounds of the Nationals... It's more likely to happen than not."

So, what are some possible off weekends once Pro Motocross is up and running? June 14-15, which would be Thunder Valley; July 11-12 is Southwick; and August 29-30 is Ironman—and that happens to be the very track where Jeffrey Herlings famously came over in 2017 and won the Ironman 450 National.

World Supercross 2026 (DC)

The 2026 FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) schedule was announced this week, a six-race series with races on five different continents. The series will begin on August 8 in Calgary, Canada, at McMahon Stadium. Then, on October 10, the second round will take place in Birmingham—the UK one, not the Alabama one that Monster Energy Supercross is in—at Alexander Stadium. Two weeks later, it's off to Buenos Aires, Argentina, followed by a return to Cbus Stadium in Gold Coast (Australia) on November 21. The fifth round will be in South Africa inside Cape Town's DHL Stadium. A sixth and final venue and date will be announced soon, apparently also in Africa.

No word yet on which riders will be lining up for some or all of the races. Some big names made select rounds last year, including Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, Cooper Webb, and Haiden Deegan. The defending WSX World Champion is Jason Anderson, who is currently on a racing hiatus.

This Week's Win Ads (DC)

With SX, GNCC Racing, and MXGP, it was a busy week of racing around the dirt bike world. Here's a shortcut to see the big winners, according to the win ads in cyclenews.com.

Hey, Watch It!

SMX Visits Fayette County CTI Moto Shop

Ken Roczen being an absolute badass:

Specialized Bike Race Recap | 2026 Rocky Mountain ATVMC Dukes GNCC

JT's awesome, SNL inspired intro at the Rock and Roll HOF
RacerXtra - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Insta360 Track Prep - 2026 Cleveland Supercross

Great interview by Ben Giese in his RIDE BYND with our guy Steve Matthes:

Steve Matthes — How To Build A Life Around What You Love

Lucas Coenen showing off some skills...

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

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week 

"A humanoid robot sprints to victory in Beijing, beating the human half-marathon world record"—AP News

"Parachuter slams into Virginia Tech scoreboard — jarring crowd and delaying football game"—Yahoo Sports

"Science: Researchers gave cocaine to salmon and they swam faster and traveled farther than their sober counterparts"—NY Times

"High school softball: Southwood, Huntington combined for national record 99 runs in wild Louisiana game"—Max Preps
The article starts with: “The Southwood-Huntington box score is a treasure-trove full of nuggets.”

Random Notes

Shout-out to Alex Martin with a great result in the Boston Marathon!
Alex Martin