PRO PERSPECTIVE (JT)

RedBuuuud is here, and it's time to get back to business. The 250 Class is wide open, folks. There has been no real trend to latch onto, which means there are a lot of different ways for this to go. Levi Kitchen, Jo Shimoda, Julien Beaumer, and Cole Davies all have legitimate reasons to think this is their summer. They've all had their moments, and I could make a real case for each of them breaking through and taking the reins. Unfortunately, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki announced this week that Seth Hammaker, who entered the last round at High Point tied in points, will miss the rest of the year with a shoulder injury. 

I think Beaumer might be the toughest sell, as he just hasn't been in this situation often enough or with follow-through, but his performance through four rounds has been incredible nonetheless. The fact that he's racing at all is a miracle of modern medicine. I would need to see some winning and confirmation that this is sustainable to get on board, but I am a fan of this effort, full stop.

Kitchen looked to be "the guy" early on and still could be. His starts are a real downside risk, though, and his lackluster day last time out didn't ooze warm and fuzzy feelings. He has been near the top of this class for a long time, and I like that aspect. He is no stranger to winning or consistent podiums. I don't think the moment is worrisome or too big. First-lap positioning will be crucial in this story.

Shimoda was my championship pick going into the series, and I see no real reason to back off that now. He has "underperformed" so far (his words) and has had a real issue with making passes when needed. Still, he sits one point out of the lead with an established trend of being better as the series grows late. The fact that he sits here without putting his best foot forward as of yet bodes very well. He will need to win motos down the stretch, but the setup here is as good as he could ask for.

Davies has become the favorite to win this thing in the minds of many moto experts. His ability to dominate a particular day is notable and, honestly, something I didn't see coming. He has had a few bad days in there, which have been punitive on a points basis, but those 1-1 days are powerful antidotes. I think RedBud is particularly important to establish the trend of "I am the best guy." If he has another iffy day like Thunder Valley, it's hard to just assume he will go on to win this thing. He's still young and in his first full Pro Motocross season, so assuming anything is unwise, really. He sure does show a lot of promise, though.

In the end, we all want parity. Having no clue as to what's about to ensue when the 30-second board goes up is what makes our sport so great. The 250 Class this season embodies that uncertainty. I could make up 20 scenarios and still be wrong about how it turns out tomorrow. I don't think it gets much better.

RedBud, White and Blue (Brandon Croney)

As a motocross fan, what is better than spending America's 250th birthday at the beloved RedBud motocross track, watching the fastest dudes on two wheels? Absolutely nothing! As a kid growing up watching motocross, you would always see your favorite riders on this weekend come out in their fresh red, white, and blue kits with their America-themed graphics. The best part for me was seeing those epic pictures of those riders flying through the air, throwing whips with Old Glory flying proudly in the background. This weekend will certainly be no different, as press day takes place today. We will see teams and riders unveil their USA-themed bike graphics as well as their gear sets they will run during the weekend.

We are lucky enough to have the Fourth of July fall on the Saturday of one of the best tracks on the Pro Motocross circuit. But what can we expect out of the rough and grueling RedBud track this weekend? Will the Australian brothers, Jett and Hunter Lawrence, put a damper on the American fans and continue with their winning ways? Will Haiden Deegan, who won his first overall here at RedBud on a 250, break through and put his number 38 on the top spot of the podium? Will we see another rider break through in the 450 Class and halt the Lawrence brothers' success here in 2026? Lots of questions will be answered this weekend. For now, get your stars and stripes cut-off shirts ready to go, tell Alexa to play Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba" on full blast, and let me hear a REDBUUUUUUD as loud as you can as we drop the gate on another round of Pro Motocross!

Haiden Deegan at Walmart (DC)

Last night at the local Walmart near RedBud, the Deegans stopped in to check out some of the new Haiden "Dangerboy" Deegan DNGR Bikes that store is selling. As you can see, the bikes are super cool, and with 16" wheels, they are meant for ages 5-7. The bikes are made by Hyper Bicycles, and I have a feeling they will be selling a boatload of these—I already bought one online for the Racer X collection! Haiden signed every bike they had, and they sold all 20 that the store had in stock. Brian sent us these photos, and the Deegans decided to buy one of the bikes as a surprise gift for a young fan who spotted Haiden in the store and could not believe he was seeing his hero in Walmart! The DNGR Bikes are available right here from Walmart.

#222 (Matthes)

Like last year, it's awesome to have MXGP GOAT (don't @ me, people) Tony Cairoli come back over to race a few nationals starting this weekend in RedBud. TC's been integral to the development of the Ducati Desmo450, and he'll race this weekend and the next two to help the team out. Justin Barcia's also going to make his return this weekend, so the guys will have a full truck. Originally, I saw a list that had Tony running #93, which he got from his two races last year, and that would definitely be strange to see him in any number other than his famous #222. Well, it turns out he's going to be allowed to run #222. I thought it was a rule that you had to run your national number, but I guess that's changed the past few years, and he's going to be allowed to run his trademark triple deuce. Which I think, for a rider just doing a few races and for a legend like Tony, I'm good with it. Not that anyone asked me.

Whatever number he runs, it's awesome to have a guy like Cairoli racing our series!

And this is pretty funny. Cairoli was in New England for testing earlier this week, as that's close to Rick "Ziggy" Zielfelder's Factory Connection shop, and Ziggy's been helping Ducati sort the bike. While there, Tony went riding with Keith Johnson, the promoter of Southwick and a former professional racer himself. They took a photo together and KJ posted, "Great day of riding with Tony Cairoli. Between the two of us, we have 9 World Championships and countless MXGP wins. Don't remember who has what, but I know it's 9 total!"

Sidelined (DC)

Unfortunately, we found out this week that Seth Hammaker's 2026 season is over as he needs to have surgery on the shoulder he injured in his big crash at High Point. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider was having quite a month, having won the Fox Raceway opener—his first national win ever—and then landing on the cover of Racer X magazine for the first time, and even being on the High Point National event T-shirt for the first time—and he hails from Pennsylvania!

Hammaker is not alone on the sidelines. Red Bull KTM's Eli Tomac is still out from his Fox Raceway crash with Garrett Marchbanks, and so is Yamaha Star Racing's Justin Cooper. And of course, we already know that Monster Energy Kawasaki's Chase Sexton's season is over as well, following his press day crash at Thunder Valley.

One rider we thought would be back is Max Anstie. The elder statesman of the Yamaha Star Racing team was injured in Saturday morning timed qualifying at Fox Raceway and was hoping to be back by now, but then announced this week that he and the team have parted amicably. Vital MX's Lewis Phillips got an interview with Anstie for this podcast:

MXDN (Matthes)

Don't look now, but the MXDN stuff is starting to ramp up. Yesterday on the FLY Racing Moto:60 show, JT and I talked about Team USA's options. We're hoping Eli Tomac comes back and looks like his old self at some point, but that's a question mark. Chase Sexton is out. Haiden Deegan has turned it down in the past when the race was in Europe, so his status for going to France this year is still a question. Kawasaki hasn't supported this race when it's not been in the USA, so Levi Kitchen might not be the choice. So are we left with a team of ET, Julien Beaumer, and Aaron Plessinger, maybe? It's easier for the Austrian OEM to support this race, for sure, as they've shown in the past. Also, when it comes to Deegan, it's no secret that they've not been happy with some of the penalties Haiden has gotten this year or in other years. The man who dishes those out is AMA's Mike Pelletier, and he's also the manager of Team USA. This leads to a bit of a sticky situation, for sure. Not that it can't be worked out, but it could be an obstacle.

Maybe it all works out and the best team as of now—IMO Tomac, Deegan, and Kitchen—all end up going, but right now it seems like it might be another year of Team USA not sending its best three racers. Stay tuned.

FIM Junior World Cup (DC)

Imagine being a fast young American racer and getting to represent your country on the weekend of America's 250th anniversary. That's what's happening this weekend for a dozen kids over in the Czech Republic (now known as Czechia as well). Jeff Cernic checked in with us a few times this week from the Team USA Junior trip to Europe for this weekend's FIM Junior World Championships in Jinin. Each year he and the AMA organize a team of young riders to take on the rest of the world in what's a sort of Junior Motocross of Nations. They run three classes at the event: 65cc, 85cc, and 125cc. In the 65cc class, the United States will be represented by Jax Baker, Yumena Berning, Carter Holmes, and Abshur Hall. The 85cc class will see Joey Vicari, Chase Brennan, and Austin Keller compete on behalf of Team USA. And racing in the 125cc class will be Noxx Lewin, Gauge Brown, Sawyer Gieck, and Chase Dashiell.

Cernic has been the Team USA Jr. manager for several years now and tries very hard to make the trip a great learning experience, as well as an international competition. For instance, he took them to both the KTM Pro Shop and Museum in Austria, as well as the CZ Museum in the Czech Republic. (The kids probably never realized that in the 1960s and '70s, the Czech-made CZ was one of the most competitive bikes in motocross, and Jaroslav Falta won the 1974 Superbowl of Motocross at the LA Coliseum on a CZ!)

According to the website, "The two-day event splits Qualifying on Saturday, July 4th, from the main Championship races on Sunday, July 5th. Each of the three classes—125cc, 85cc, and 65cc—will be divided into two groups for Free and Qualifying Practice, with Saturday's program closing with the Last Chance Races for those who miss out on automatic qualification. An additional race for each class will take place on Sunday morning for all the riders not qualified for the main races on Sunday. Adding to the racing experience for the young riders making the trip to Jinin, every race will be broadcast LIVE on MXGP-TV.com on Sunday. Let's take a closer look at the leading contenders in each class."

Here was something cool that Jeff also sent: Yumena Berning, only the second girl to ever compete for Team USA Junior—Raycin Kyler was the first last year—has become something of a mainstream news feature in Czechia and was featured on the cover of today's newspaper!

Good luck to all of the riders on Team USA; bring home some championships!

Hey, Watch It!

The Most American Video You Will Watch Today, by Travis Pastrana and Channel 199:

Weege Show Wednesday: silly season underway!

2026 RedBud Preview and Injury Report by Sarah Whitmore-Smage:

RAW Haiden Deegan and Cooper Webb practice in the sand:

The battle we've been waiting for! Herlings vs Lucas Coenen!

Raw Enduro Motocross | Winning POV

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week 

"Finding Out Malik Tillman Had To Change Cleats Right Before His Goal Because His Foot Was Covered In Blood Makes It Even More Iconic" -Barstool Sports

"Merlín the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match" -AP

"Tim Hardaway Sr. won’t let son wear No. 10 with Heat: ‘My legacy is my legacy’" -NY Times

"The Chancellor of Germany Just BANNED Calling In Sick From Work For The Entire Country" -Barstool Sports

“TEQUILA SUNRISE: Victory for England as ALL pubs told they CAN be open until 5 a.m. for early hours World Cup clash with Mexico.” – The Sun 

Random Notes

Everyone at Racer X Online, as well as MX Sports and Racer Production next door, send our condolences to the family of Dan Bromley. He passed away last week while participating at the Lima Half-Mile, part of the American Flat Track Championships. Bromley was a third-generation racer, former champion, and highly respected member of the flat track community. He was also the AMA’s Assistant Track Racing Manager. Godspeed. 

The Dan Bromley Legacy Fund has been created to support Dan’s wife, Connar, and their two young children following his passing this past weekend. Every donation and share helps honor Dan’s legacy and extend support to his family. https://givebutter.com/bromleyfamily.