In the 250 class, Cole Davies claimed the 250SX East Championship with his fifth win of the season. He emerged from the worsening mud to win a main event marred by the femur-breaking crash of Storm Lake Honda's Izaih Clark, who was having a great night to that point. (Here's a get well soon to #91.) Davies' win means that his team has now won 14 of the 15 main events in the 250 class so far. With Deegan returning for Denver's 250SX West, and then both Deegan and Davies racing in the final 250 East/West Showdown in SLC, the bLU cRU could end this SX season with more wins in a single year than any other brand (currently tied with Kawasaki '04 and Honda '23, with 14 each). Davies is also the second New Zealander to win a 250SX title, joining his mentor Ben Townley as Kiwis with a supercross crown. And as far as foreign champions go, he joins Mickael Pichon, Stephane Roncada, Christophe Pourcel, Marvin Musquin, Dylan Ferrandis, and Tom Vialle (all from France), Chad Reed and Jett and Hunter Lawrence (Australia), Ken Roczen (Germany), Grant Langston (South Africa), and Ernesto Fonseca (Costa Rica).

Denver is pretty much the home round for Eli Tomac, and the two-time 450SX champion and Red Bull KTM rider is using tomorrow's race as his point of return after crashing out in Cleveland during qualifying and then sitting out the Philly round. ET3 started this series with two wins and looked like he had found the perfect fit with the KTM Group, but then things started going sideways—especially after Eli won Daytona and then chipped his tooth on the heavy trophy that broke off. It would be great if he could end the series as well as he started, but the damage is already done to his hopes for a third title. He's still fourth in the standings, but he's mathematically eliminated from title contention as he's 55 points down. Only Roczen, Lawrence (down four points), and Cooper (24 points behind) are left in this championship chase (and both 250 titles are already done and dusted). Either way, it's good to have a superstar like Tomac back on track—hopefully, he's ready to go when one of the most anticipated AMA Pro Motocross Championship seaons ever starts at the end of the month!

Here's Weege with more on the endgame...

Playoff Race (Jason Weigandt)

Playoffs only officially entered this sport in 2023, but there have been decades of races that felt like playoff rounds, just not in name. If you look at most close championships, you'll find a race with two or three rounds to go that tilted the math before the finale. Last year, Cooper Webb's clutch win in Pittsburgh fit that definition. That was a playoff-like must-win scenario for Webb. There are many of these. The 2011 season featured an awesome five-way championship battle, but it was Ryan Villopoto's victory at the next-to-last round in Salt Lake City that put the points out of reach for everyone else. Eli Tomac's struggle in New Jersey in 2017 flipped the odds against him. Jeff Emig won a mud race in Dallas in 1997 that put the math where he needed it against Jeremy McGrath. Not every title gets truly decided at the final round, but that doesn't mean there isn't huge pressure along the way.

This weekend is one of those weekends. Ken Roczen going up four points with two to go has pushed Hunter Lawrence to the brink. If Roczen digs out another win, he would be up seven points, at minimum, on Lawrence, which would mean he would not even have to podium next weekend to ice the title. Lawrence wouldn't be mathematically eliminated, but his odds would become much, much tougher. This race could be the one that tilts it. Can Lawrence get a huge victory over Roczen (or at least finish ahead of him in the race if neither wins) to get the math back in line? Or maybe, when we look back, Roczen's wins in Cleveland and Philadelphia will be seen as the clutch wins that decided it all. These aren't called playoff rounds, but they essentially are. Who will perform best under the pressure of these next two Saturdays?

Pro Perspective (Thomas)

Two rounds to go, and what a championship fight we have to witness! It feels as if Ken Roczen has stolen the momentum away from Hunter Lawrence post-Nashville and, with it, the red plate going into Denver. Momentum has been fleeting in this championship, though, and there's no guarantee that Hunter won't strike back this Saturday. In fact, there's plenty of reason to think he will get back to winning. Lawrence was very good at this race in 2024, nearly winning his first-ever main event and, more importantly, showing he would indeed be a 450 threat indoors. Riders don't forget nights like that, and Hunter will know that this is the perfect round to bounce back. Furthermore, we don't really know what elevation will mean for Ken Roczen these days. He's stronger later than he's ever been in this series, but if there is any sort of hiccup, 5,000 feet of elevation would bring it to the forefront. Kenny wouldn't really need to struggle; he would more just resemble Nashville versus Philadelphia. The margins are so tight that it only takes a slight miss to change this narrative with so few laps remaining. The same dynamic is present for Hunter, too. He's now four points down, and any sort of negative result would almost ensure coming up short. Both riders face the same ask: be perfect, or nothing is assured. The stage is set; the math is all fairly straightforward. It is now just a matter of who executes and who lets their first Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship slip between their fingers.

ONE WEEK! (Matthes)

One week from today, we'll have the sixth annual Yamaha LCQ Challenge race after press day. Thanks to Yamaha, we're able to raffle off a 2026 YZ450F and a bunch of other cool prizes, with all the money going to the privateers that qualify for this race. We keep track of the 450SX LCQ points, with fifth being worth 25 points and so on down, and the top 17 riders go to this race along with five 250SX wildcard riders. Then all the money raised goes to these guys, they then race two main events, and we combine the scores to get the overall winner. Did we mention the second start is staggered and you can also pass before the green flag? CHAOS!

So, if we have a good year, we'll be over a million bucks given away to riders since we started this thing. The guys at Feld Motor Sports have let us do this for six years running now; Harv Whipple helps us organize it, AMA helps out, and it's all to help the riders that do the whole series but don't get into main events all the time. Without these guys, it would be tough to have a competitive series with all the injuries we get, etc.

We'll be streaming it with the Vurb Moto guys; stay tuned to this site for links, etc., next Friday afternoon.

Get a raffle ticket HERE.

Weekend with Dad (Mitch Kendra)

For the second time now, I got to bring my dad along for the weekend at the Philadelphia SX. He joined me in 2024 to attend this round—at the time it was the only race in Pennsylvania and our closest race—and we stayed with his sister Margie and her husband Bob near Warminster, Pennsylvania (I wrote about that fun weekend in Racerhead #17 in May 2024). My Aunt Margie and Uncle Bob live about an hour away from Philly's Lincoln Financial Field and an hour and a half from New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, so it works out perfectly to visit them and set up my home "base" for the weekend at their place. Thankfully, they take great care of me when I am there! This year was no different. Last year, I stayed out with them between the two back-to-back Philadelphia and East Rutherford SX events, getting in some quality family time, riding bikes with my eastern PA guys Mike Emery and Matt Rice, and saving myself from having to do four back-to-back five-hour drives.

This year, though, with only one round out in the Philly/New Jersey area, my dad and I had a shorter trip—but still a great one! Even just driving out there together was well worth it, as any and every car ride with my dad includes all of the following in some order: singing good music together, small talk, deep stories, life lessons, tears, jokes, and anything and everything in between. Life, the current racing, stick-and-ball sports, his days of racing dune buggies, going to my sports together in college, our incredible wives back at home (my mom, plus my wife Caity)—you name it—we truly covered it all. I had to skip out on attending the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh because of press day on Friday, but after dinner with Margie and Bob, we got to watch the draft together, so it worked out.

Friday morning, I was off to the stadium for press day as my dad stayed back and visited. On Friday night, we got to see my cousins Amy and Eric, which was great to catch up with them! Saturday morning, Dad and I hit the road for the stadium with, again, more tunes and talking. After qualifying had completed, we met up before the night show to sweep through the pits, catching up with some familiar faces (Pete and Rich from Legends and Heroes) and meeting new ones (I introduced him to locals Bryce Shelly, Cory Carsten, and a few others). Then, I was off to the press box, and my dad would do his thing. My dad is as badass as they come (a blue-collar guy used to working in bad weather daily), and like the other fans in the stands at the Linc, he toughed out the rain to watch the action. It was the only SX race he attended all year, and, boy, did the racing deliver! After concluding my post-race press activities, we met back at the truck and downloaded for 20 minutes, catching up on the highlights of the day and having a snack while post-race SX and Pens/Flyers traffic finally finished up. Then, the late-night driving back to Aunt Margie's.

Before we left eastern PA, we met my sister Megan and her boyfriend Zak (they live out that way) for breakfast. Getting to see them for the first time in a few months was a perfect ending to a great weekend. Despite the great weekend, we got into the truck, and my dad said one of his go-to lines: "You know my favorite part of every trip? Heading home!" he yelled with a clap of excitement and a laugh. I mapped out our directions home, turned on the radio, and started off with a classic right off the bat: "Drive (For Daddy Gene)" by Alan Jackson. What a great weekend! Thanks, Dad.

This segues perfectly into my next entry...

Best Thing I Saw Today (Mitch Kendra)

Taking a page from SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt, the Best Thing I Saw Today ("today" in the race day at Philly) was when Russell Buccheri qualified for his first-ever 250SX main event. Buccheri—like many riders did all night long—ran into trouble in his heat race and was forced to the LCQ, where he finished second to race winner Coty Schock. With the checkered flag out, I grabbed my binoculars and watched Buccheri's final half lap and what followed. He took the checkered flag, then rode alongside the track, immediately going straight to his dad, Mike, for a huge hug. The two embraced for a while, commemorating the moment together. That is what it is all about. A handful of other riders, mechanics, and industry personnel walked by, patting the duo on the back to acknowledge their accomplishment.

I met Russell and Mike a few years ago, and they have been big supporters of me and my work ever since. I've watched as Russell raced at High Point Raceway in the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn's Ranch qualifier, then watched him qualify for his first Pro Motocross race at the very same track. I was able to help tell his story: growing up under the late Bill Dill's tent, Russell had hopes of being a professional racer himself one day. Although Dill passed away before it could happen, Buccheri made it to the pro ranks, with the 3D racing logo on his KTM for his first pro start at High Point Raceway in 2024.

On Saturday, I saw Mike for a brief moment earlier in the day. He said this was their final chance to qualify for a main event this SX season, as they would be skipping the finale and getting a slight head start on Russell's Pro Motocross prep. I told Mike, "It's going to happen," just before we parted ways. Mike wore the big smile he always does.

Safe to say, the '26 Philadelphia SX will be a night the Buccheri family remembers forever. It seems like Russell had a great "weekend with dad" of his own!

Russell Buccheri posted on Instagram:

Phoenix Honda Visit (Keefer)

While I was in North Carolina, I had the chance to grab our videographer, Ripper Rob, and record a full tour of the Phoenix Racing Honda race team shop in Salisbury, North Carolina. I have been to North Carolina once before but never had the chance to ride there or tour any shops (moto or NASCAR), so I wanted to make sure to at least visit David Eller and the boys over at Phoenix. I didn't know much about David Eller besides how generous he was with his time and money when he helped rebuild some of Loretta Lynn's iconic buildings around the property. David showed me the shop, how he became a team owner, and even had a McDonald's sign hanging in the shop to remind him of his first job back in the day (you guessed it, McDonald's). Hell, he even had his actual work clothes from McDonald's back in the day. Ripper Rob and I toured the engine room and spoke with Guam from Factory Connection about all of the sets of suspension he has to do because there are GNCC/SX/MX settings he has to keep up on. Phoenix not only has a full professional GNCC off-road team and MX/SX team, but David also helps out Pro ATV MX racer Joel Hetrick and GNCC off-road racer Brycen Neal with their own Yamaha effort. There is  LOT going on at the PHX race shop.

I even got to ride a local legend of a track called "Chicken Track," which, according to Jacob Hayes and Travis Preston, is where legends are born. It was a fun time in North Carolina, and I will be headed back there in a couple of weeks to ride the hallowed grounds of the old JGR facility, so stay tuned for that. Look for a full video of the Phoenix Honda race shop next week right here on our website.

GNCC Back in Action (Mitch Kendra)

While the 450SX racing has been fantastic all season long, the Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) series has had some excellent action as well. In just the PM Bikes races, there have been five different race winners in the first five rounds! The Old Gray GNCC, the sixth round of the 13-round season, takes place this weekend in Tennessee. Liam Draper, who has seven career P2 overall finishes in the afternoon race, is looking to add his name as a first-time overall winner. Could Draper get that win this weekend and make it six different overall winners? Tune into RacerTV live on Sunday to watch the action. And by the time you read this, our social media manager (and two-wheel enthusiast) Matt Rice will have competed in the first eMTB race of the season.

MOTOWORLD 2 (DC)

There was a time when there was a MotoWorld, a weekly television program about motorcycle racing, hosted by Dave Despain, Larry Maiers, and at times Art Eckman, that was must-see TV. It was structured like a news program, and it brought racing into everyone's living room in a pre-live TV, pre-streaming, pre-social media way. And then there was MotoWorld 2, which was hosted by the New England sub-moto culture legend Jerry Bernardo of FAH-Q Racing fame, that was more like something you'd stumble upon while watching Comedy Central. It was a loud, funny look at the sport and the industry that felt like you were following along as your wacky buddy tried to sneak into the pro pits. It was the nineties, summarized each week in a 30-minute package, with Jerry driving the limo everyone was riding in on the way to the after-party.

In case you missed it during its heyday, there are a bunch of episodes posted on YouTube, and now there's an origin story headed our way:

"THE STORY BEHIND THE GREATEST SHOW YOU'VE NEVER SEEN"

"Remember the '90s when TV was loud, fast, and a bit unhinged? We sure do. Long before everything was polished and sponsor-soaked, there was MotoWorld 2. Strap in for the behind-the-scenes chaos; an archive of the six seasons of MW2 drops in seven days.

"If you're happy we finally unearthed the dusty old MW2 vault, share this on your social. If you are unhappy about it, make sure your AMA membership is up to date.

"Soccer moms, beware; you might want to stretch first."

This Week's Win Ads (DC)

With Cole Davies winning the Philly SX as well as the 250SX East Championship, his sponsors had double-the-reasons to chat him up in their celebratory win ads, which Yamaha, FMF, POD, and Dunlop all day. Dunlop shared their win ad with Ken Roczen, winner of the 450 class last Saturday night, and now the new points leader. Suzuki and ASV also gave Kenny some love, while Triumph was able to celebrate their first AMA National Championship with Deacon Denno's win in the SMX Next Supercross finale. And there were a couple of off-road winners featured: KTM's Dante Oliveira for his success at the AMA National Grand Prix Championship at Fox Raceway in Pala, CA, and Nitro Mousse congratulated Cody Barnes for his win at the Ole Mill Farm U.S. Sprint Enduro event in Charlotte Hall, Maryland (and event that actually took place a couple of weeks ago).

Hey, Watch It!

Check out the washing station at the Philadelphia SX during the night show...

Fly along with Cooper Webb as he jets off to Philadelphia and nearly wins himself a mud race:

Here's what a handful of riders said after the Philly SX (shout-out to Michael Antonovich):

Weege breaks down the Ken Roczen vs. Cooper Webb rivalry, which re-emerged in the Philly 450 main:

IT’S NOT OVER TILL IT’S OVER… THEN THIS HAPPENED | Philly SX

SMX Insider EXTRAS – The Big Interview with Kevin Moranz

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

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week 

“GateDrop - a new energy gummy brand from moto insiders”

"Outrage after Indian man carries his sister's skeleton to a bank to prove her death"—BBC
(Contributed by David Pinkman)

"AI-powered robot beats elite table tennis players"—The Guardian
(This one from the Stump Grinder)

“The Knicks went on a 67-13 run to take a 50-point lead in a Game 6. This is a thing that happened.”
Not a headline, but a post by SportsCenter after the New York Knicks’ 140-89 victory in game six to advance to round two of the NBA playoffs.

Random Notes

Our friend Jeff Cernic will be hosting the Cleveland Bros MX Relay Challenge at Pleasure Valley Raceway near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on Friday, May 15. The unique event will see teams of 4 riders—one on 65cc, one on 85cc, a B/C rider, and an A class or pro rider—in an 8-lap relay race. Each bike will do two laps, and there's a $5,000 purse up for grabs. Visit PVRMX.com for more details and to get your team signed up! 

And on May 31, the day after the Pro Motocross opener at Fox Raceway, Scott Burnworth's Carlsbad Reunion will take place over in Carlsbad, at the Booze Brothers Brewing Co. It's an annual get-together of old friends and legends who frequented Carlsbad Raceway. It's also named in honor of the late Scott Burnworth, a legend in his own right.