Okay, everyone enjoys an off-weekend, but there's no such thing for our man Jason Thomas. He takes every chance he can to hop across the pond and enjoy some MXGP. He's in Portugal right now, so let's start over there.

PRO PERSPECTIVE (JT)

Checking in from Portugal this Friday because I can't seem to process a weekend off. Seriously, though, the privilege of traveling to these MXGP races is one I don't take for granted, and although I could also use a timeout, I am happy to be here. This Agueda venue is one of the best MXGP has to offer, and the track most closely resembles Budds Creek of any that I have seen globally. The orange dirt and gentle elevation changes are mirror images of the Maryland Pro Motocross staple.

Further, it's one of the only tracks in MXGP that I would actually like to ride. Most MXGP tracks are just not anything I would take joy in riding, to be honest. That's not to say they're not iconic or entertaining to watch; they're just much different than what I spent my career upon. Imagining myself trying to navigate something like Montevarchi or Lacapelle-Marival sends shudders down my spine. MXGP tracks leave something to be desired in the "fun" category, but they very much create a skill set that American motocross does not. It's not my place to say which is better, but I do know which I would prefer riding, and this Agueda venue is a welcome respite on the "fun" side. I think that many of the MXGP regulars would agree, too.

As for what's expected over here, the Coenen brothers have taken charge of these championships. That's not to say they are not wildly competitive; it's more that circumstances have created large points gaps in their favor. Sacha has found consistency in 2026, and winning along the way has given him a nice edge on his young competitors. Defending champ Simon Langenfelder has struggled as of late and needs a bounce back weekend to change the atmosphere. Others like Guillem Farres and Mathis Valin have shown they can win, but less-than-ideal weekends have been punitive to date. Sacha has been surprisingly the most consistent, and the points have been rewarded accordingly.

In MXGP, Sacha's twin brother Lucas has been great, too, but the mechanical failures of Jeffrey Herlings have been incredibly important in the overall story. Lucas and Jeffrey have been fairly even on a performance scale, but now Jeffrey will need an exceptional second half of the championship and maybe a break to go his way, too. The MXGP championship "feels" much closer than the points would indicate, and maybe that's good enough for now. The racing is tight and wildly competitive at the top. The field is very deep, but it does feel as if Herlings and Coenen are beginning to separate themselves from the rest. Gajser, Febvre, and the rest just haven't been there regularly enough to make a dent. It's only halfway, but the trends seem to be taking shape.

Seeing other parts of the world is something I love. I've been to Europe 200+ times now and will continue to venture over, God willing. My heart belongs to SMX and all things America, but there is something romantic about the history of Europe. Different culture, different perspectives, same dynamics of motocross... the love of moto is universal. With so much that wants to separate us in these times, moto is a great way to realize we are all in this together.

Watch Out for Davies (Jason Weigandt)

DC will share some cool stats about Cole Davies winning in just his sixth Pro Motocross start, which puts him ahead of any current peers and into some elite company. It just doesn't feel the way the numbers portray, because while the stats say this is Cole's first-ever outdoor season in the U.S., it feels like he's been around much longer than this. Cole no doubt has a "supercross guy" tag on him because his whoop speed and supercross skills are elite, but just think of it this way: if Cole doesn't get hurt in Salt Lake City last year, is it possible he's a podium guy last summer behind Haiden Deegan, and then suddenly he feels like a title favorite for 2026?

Well, that didn't happen because he got hurt, so now we have a rider with tons of supercross wins and a title but very little outdoor success. He also has had very few outdoor starts! I can tell you from talking to Cole's team and his family that expectations are very high this summer. He's had a bunch of weird stuff happen at the first few rounds—like crashes and bike problems—and that has obscured his results. Heck, the kid dominated the second moto at Hangtown and hardly anyone noticed because he wasn't even on the overall podium! He was the fastest qualifier at Thunder Valley, in his first visit to the track. Now he has a 1-1 from High Point and from what I've been told, he will be much better on the gnarlier, rutted eastern tracks than out in California. Plus, team manager Wil Hahn admits the team did very little outdoor prep with him in order to lock down a supercross title. In other words, if Cole wins this outdoor title, we should not be surprised at all. It was just a matter of time.

The JuJu Train (Keefer)

I was a replacement co-host on the PulpMX Review Show last Sunday, and the question was asked: "Who wins the 250 title?" If anyone says they know who will win the 250 title, they are just plain crazy because the 250 Class is bonkers right now. Cole Davies shows raw speed. Levi Kitchen has speed and experience. Seth Hammaker was in the running, but now with a shoulder injury, who knows? Jo Shimoda is, well, Jo Shimoda. And what about this kid from Lake Havasu, Arizona? Yeah, that guy: JuJu! I don't think anyone is taking this kid seriously, yet he's in pretty much a dead heat for the points lead with Kitchen and Shimoda. I understand there is some reason behind this, with coming off an injury and all, but with the help of KTM and Aldon Baker, we are seeing a 250 title threat in real time.

Julien Beaumer's raw speed got him hand-picked by "The Man" himself, Roger DeCoster, a couple of years ago. He came through the school of Deegan Knocks in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross in 2025 and I think is the most mentally put-together 250-tier rider in the series. Could I be wrong? Of course, but I see some real grit in this JuJu, and I only think as the series gets deeper into the summer months, he could be a real problem for "the favorites" of this class. He has enough "pissed-off" in him with a blend of raw speed that could really get some momentum rolling if some of these guys aren't careful this summer.

High Point was a glimpse of what we could see (and I think we will) in the coming weeks. If it wasn't for that small mistake in the first moto, High Point could have been a different story. All it takes is to click off one moto win, and this JU JU train could pick up some steam!

Nick Romano (Matthes)

We had Nick Romano on the PulpMX Show Monday night with Phil Nicoletti in-studio. He didn't have a good High Point, and his first moto especially had us laughing at how bad he was going backward without a crash. But regardless, his story this year is maybe one of the best there is. Nick detailed how he didn't have a bike at all, hadn't ridden, but hired a trainer in SoCal to first get into shape to where he needed to be. After that, he started going to Pro Circuit to bug Mitch Payton for a ride, which didn't really work at first. He talked about buying a KX450F from Mitch just to get out there and ride a bit. His buddy Levi Kitchen put in a word or two with Payton about a fill-in ride, and as Nick told us, he was a bit crushed when nothing happened before the 250SX East Division started in Monster Energy AMA Supercross started. At one point, he told Kitchen he was done, that the comeback was over, but Kitch convinced him to keep going.

Then Payton finally called; he didn't have to do a tryout at all, like we surmised, and he was locked in for the ride. He loves the bike (duh) and really took advantage of this opportunity. He's been working with Ron Tichenor and he even talked about how he turned down rides with lower-level teams because he just wanted a shot with a factory bike. He got a very unexpected podium in Lakewood, and now he's on his way to a good summer if he can stay healthy. Super cool story, and that's how it all began!

Tony Returns (DC) 

Antonio Cairoli is coming back to America to compete in the next three rounds of the series. The nine-time FIM World Champion and all-around good guy will ride for Ducati at RedBud, Southwick, and Spring Creek. Cairoli retired from full-time competition in MXGP a few years back. He raced here last year at RedBud and Spring Creek and acquitted himself quite well for a nearly-40-year-old rider. A mechanical issue and a second-turn crash held him back, but his speed was definitely top-10, if not better.

Here's the thing: Last year, Southwick was before RedBud, so #222 sat it out as he was just arriving in the U.S. and needed to shake the bike down more. He came to Southwick anyway to watch and spend some quality time in the TV booth bench-racing with James Stewart. Cairoli is an excellent sand rider, and I remember thinking it was a shame we would not get to see him ride the 'Wick. Now he gets his chance, and he will be joined by a couple of other fast European guys making cameo visits to SMX this summer in the Coenen brothers, Lucas and Sacha. (And if you haven't watched these two in the sand on MXGP-TV.com, you don't want to miss Southwick!)

Randomly Interesting Stat Lines (DC)

The last time anyone other than Chase Sexton beat the Lawrence brothers for a 450 National win came at the 2022 Pro Motocross finale at Fox Raceway, which was won by then-Yamaha-mounted Eli Tomac. Since then, Jett Lawrence has won 26 nationals since he joined the class to start the '23 season, Hunter has won three (he joined in '24), and Chase has won the other eight.

Cole Davies took his first Pro Motocross win in just his sixth-ever outdoor national race. How does that compare to some other recent fast guys?

Haiden Deegan needed seven (RedBud '23).

Levi Kitchen needed 31 (Spring Creek '24).

Jo Shimoda needed 29 (RedBud '22).

Jett Lawrence needed 12 (Fox Raceway '20).

Hunter Lawrence needed 21 (Southwick '21).

Cooper Webb needed 17 (Muddy Creek '14).

Ryan Villopoto needed five 250MX races (High Point '06).

This Week's Win Ads (DC)

Hunter Lawrence led the way with win ads from both Yoshimura and Honda for his High Point win. Yamaha ran two celebratory spreads for wins by Cole Davies (High Point 250) and Liam Draper (Little Raccoon U.S. National Enduro). And speaking of raccoons, check out the cool trophy atop the head of Women's winner Lorie Steed in that Husqvarna ad for her U.S. National Enduro win. Beta posted a win ad for Pro NE2 winner Jhak Walker, who also got a cool raccoon hat trophy. And while not exactly a win ad, it was cool to see AEO Powersports/Synchrony/KTM rider Avery Long featured in a 6D ad.

Finally, Airoh posted a one-pager for the Coenen brothers from their impressive SMX debut at Thunder Valley a couple of weeks ago, though it could have also doubled as a win ad for Sacha, who topped the MX2 class at the Grand Prix of Italy upon his return to MXGP.

Hey, Watch It!

HUNTER BACK ON TOP

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Pro Motocross High Point review with special guest Chad Reed | Title 24

Chad Reed addresses rumors surrounding Michael Jordan and Supercross | Title 24

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week 

"Gracie the Giraffe Goes Missing in Texas" -NY Times

"This Giant, Seven-Story Picnic Basket, Once Home to an Iconic American Brand, Could Be Yours for $8.5 Million" -Smithsonian Magazine

Random Notes

Former professional racer Bruce Stratton, who hails from New York and raced on the Pro Circuit team from 1991 through 2005, and his wife Karyn, were riding a street bike on Route 20 in New York when they collided with an SUV. Bruce survived and is in a Syracuse hospital recovering, but Karyn unfortunately did not survive. She was 55 years old. Godspeed, Karyn.