I know the AMA and the Martins are also keeping tabs on the numbers, as they are expecting another very big crowd, just as we've seen throughout 2026.

As far as the championships go, the Lawrences are still 1-2 in 450, only now it's Jett with the red plates, by a single point. In the 250 class, Cole Davies took over the points lead for the first time outdoors, as he now leads Levi Kitchen by two points. Unfortunately, Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda is out for the rest of the summer after crashing in practice at Southwick and breaking his collarbone. Jo was not alone in that regard as the very tricky (and surprisingly fast) 'Wick 338. Christian Craig and Nick Romano also had big crashes, and of course, so did the visiting Coenen brothers. Southwick 338 promoter Keith Johnson, whose track team includes John Dowd, Doug Henry, and Chris Canning, all New England motocross legends, said that, in hindsight, they maybe should have dug it a little deeper, as it was drier on top than they expected. That led to the track being slicker than normal, and that led to what sure seemed like more crashes than usual.

Of course, the thing that everyone has been talking about all week long isn't what's coming up tomorrow at Spring Creek, but what happened last week in the 250 class...

Everybody Loves Sacha (DC)

Renen's Pete Fox called it "the most fully pinned first lap ever!" We Went Fast stats man Clinton Fowler said, "I think he spent about six of his nine lives on that first lap."

"Earned my respect," said Brian Deegen. "This is the type of rider that sells tickets. On the edge, exciting old-school motocross, crashes, breaks bones, gets up, and finishes the race, no goggles, and still wins!"

"Sick. I was watching, and I think I see a little of myself in him, but I think he's a little too sendy," Haiden Deegan told Weege after the race.

Sacha Coenen put in one of the all-time rides in Pro Motocross by going 1-1 at the 'Wick. He had that crazy first lap in the first moto, and then just flat out left everybody behind, winning by a massive margin. The Belgian KTM rider who was making his second appearance of this series was doing pretty much the same thing in the second moto, then crashed hard with a few laps to go. "Giving us the whole Sacha experience," said Jason Thomas, who has long followed the Coenen twins on the MXGP circuit and now sponsors them through FLY Racing.

Sacha, known for great starts, incredible speed, but also an entire catalog of big crashes, broke his collarbone but still got up to finish the race and actually re-opened his lead on Davis in the process. He won the race, for a 1-1 overall that honestly felt even more impressive than Jeffrey Herlings' legendary 1-1 at Ironman about a decade ago. Coenen rode with such heart that the Southwick fans responded. Needless to say, when the brothers come back here full-time in the future, they will have a huge following already in New England.

Sacha reportedly got the collarbone plated on Monday before flying back to Europe, and as of right now, he plans on racing in this weekend's MXGP at Foxhills in Great Britain, where he is the MX2 points leader. His brother Lucas also impressed at Southwick, at least until he went over the bars with a couple of laps to go in the first moto and called it a day. He too is the points leader over there, 68 ahead of the aforementioned Herlings in MXGP. You can watch the British MXGP all weekend on mxgp-tv.com or the second motos on Sunday on CBS Sports Network (full broadcast times below).

And look—Lucas is featured on the new Racer X Magazine cover, from his incredible day back at Thunder Valley, where he went 2-2 and was beaten only by Jett Lawrence in the two motos. Man, are these guys fun to watch!

Of course, the Coenens are not here at Spring Creek, but Red Bull KTM's Eli Tomac is. And so will be Monster Energy Kawasaki's Chase Sexton, though only Tomac is racing. Tomac was hurt in a first-lap crash at the opener with Garrett Marchbanks and has been sidelined ever since. As for Sexton, he crashed on press day at Thunder Valley and had to have surgery for a torn ACL. He's coming this weekend just to watch; there is no real timeline for his return, though it's likely January '27.

Here's Weege on Sacha and Lucas Coenen:

And Sacha’s incredible saves on the opening lap of the first moto.

MXGP of Great Britain TV times and welcome video for this weekend's round 12 of the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP).

Get your MXGP-TV pass today

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

Arguably the best track of the year is upon us. Spring Creek's mix of clay and sand provides a level of traction that riders envy most other weekends of the year. It allows riders to attack the track and be heavy-handed with the throttle. There are tracks that simply can't be trusted on a traction basis, and there are tracks where what you see is what you'll get. Spring Creek is the latter in that if you see what looks like prime soil to grab a handful, chances are good that great things will happen if the hammer is indeed dropped. Try that at Unadilla or Washougal, and you're going to learn about Doc Bodnar's summer plans.

The elevation also adds a level of fun to the mix. Even with the midway interruption of Mt. Martin (I support this change, by the way), the up-and-down around Spring Creek Motocross Parks adds enjoyment to what can be simply riders doing their job on other tracks. I can vividly remember enjoying the "free" practice on Saturdays before the race day on Sunday. There was no pressure, and the lap times meant nothing, so it was purely riding for the love of the game. This track made days like that a joy to be a part of.

All in all, every track has its unique aspects. There is a feel and rhythm to all 11 stops. Colorado is a mountain swing and elevation challenge, High Point marks the East Coast swing, and RedBud is all about the Fourth of July. Unadilla brings about the nostalgia of yesteryear and often a break from the summer heat (maybe not this year). Spring Creek will always be about the fun that dirt bikes can bring. In a world of high pressure, high expectation racing, actually enjoying the act of riding one's dirt bike is a welcome reprieve. Roll on the weekend.

Winners on Both Sides (DC)

Sacha Coenen just joined a very elite club. Excluding home GPs (like all of the USGPs over the years) how many riders have won both an AMA Motocross National and an overseas Grand Prix in the same year?

• Honda's Pierre Karsmakers in 1975 (he won the Canadian 500 Grand Prix—Honda's first-ever GP win—and the Moto Masters 500 National in Mexico, New York)
• Johnny O'Mara in 1982 (Swiss 125 GP and 125 Nationals at Broome-Tioga, New York and St. Petersburg, Florida)
• Donnie Hansen in 1982 (AMA 250 National Champion and the Swedish 250 Grand Prix)
• Jean-Michel Bayle in 1989 (he won Gatorback 250 and Unadilla 500 National, as well as the 250 World Championship and multiple GPs)
• Micky Dymond in 1986 (won the Brazilian 125 GP while on his way to the AMA 125 National Championship)
• Mike Kiedrowski in 1991 (won the AMA 125 National title and the Japanese 125 GP)
• Jeff Stanton in 1991 (he won four 250 Nationals and the Japanese 250 GP)
• Mike Keidrowski again in 1992 (he won two 500 Nationals, the RedBud 250 National, and the Japanese 250 GP)
• Jeffrey Herlings in 2017 (Ironman 450 National and several rounds of MXGP)

Did we miss anyone else? Let us know in the comments below.

First Timer at Southwick (Keefer)

Since Aden is racing the complete AMA Pro Motocross Championship, it's been fun tagging along with him and my wife to watch his rookie season with the Phoenix Honda team. I have been to all of the outdoor national venues besides Southwick and High Point, so getting to be able to check all of the national boxes has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid. Unfortunately, I missed High Point due to some testing obligations, so the wife filled in for me there, but getting to go to Southwick to watch #486 race was pretty damn cool. Little did I know how tucked away this track was within a residential neighborhood and basically in the backyard of a school. If you drove through the neighborhood, you would never know there was a sand track right smack dab in the middle of the town!

The track itself held up to its title as one of the toughest on the circuit, and Aden found out quickly how "local" this place can get. Being that Aden is in "A" qualifying, we knew it was going to be close on him getting straight through to the motos since the 250 "B" group gets out on the smooth/glass-like track first. After the first qualifier, Aden thought he felt decent, only to find out he was 41st in qualifying. Unlike other tracks this year, Southwick is not a second qualifier-friendly place to better your time. The LCQ went well, and he got in, but he got the FULL PULL SOUTHWICK experience. Mom was stressing!

The fan base here is one of the most knowledgeable on the circuit, as I had several conversations with people who knew a ton about the history of our sport as well as Southwick itself. Hell, I had a gentleman break down the very first national at Southwick in 1976 and basically gave me a play-by-play of what happened on that day. The spectating/viewing is decent, as the many rolling hills provide a place to see at least over half the track, which was nice for mom and dad, but the sheer number of fans attending made it difficult to get a good spot. Hearing fans cheer across the sandy hills was something I will not forget. When Sacha went down in the second moto, the whole hillside erupted, and (to me) it sounded similar to a crowd from an SX venue. It was that loud! The track broke off a lot of guys, but it didn't seem like it was the roughest Southwick I have seen. The way the edges form around the track and the way the bikes are set up now (with stiffer chassis/suspension settings and scoop tires) force riders to be a little more precise, in my opinion. A lot of the crashes I witnessed are from knifing front ends or rear ends catching edges/kickers off jumps. The more precise riders (besides S. Coenen) seemed to shine at Southwick.

Southwick lived up to the hype that I put on it and was one of the better places I attended so far this season. RedBud is at the top for me, but honestly, Southwick is not that far behind. As a fan of the sport getting to go to all of these classic venues that have seen some of the best riders/battles of our sport is a huge highlight for me. Thanks to all of the MASSHOLES that I came across, it was an honor.

Scoop Tires 101 (DC)

There was a lot of talk last weekend about how scoop tires worked out at Southwick, especially after Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Nick Romano suggested on social media that his frightening crash over the finish line jump may have been the result of his rear end sliding out on him as he accelerated over it. Also, with the Coenen brothers' blistering fast pace while shod with Pirellis, the brand they use in Europe, rather than Dunlops, which the vast majority of riders use here.

Joining that conversation was former professional Frank Stacy, a fast man from New York who competed on the pro circuit throughout the seventies, then went to work for Dunlop Tire, which had its U.S. base in New York. Stacy posted this on Facebook about scoop tires:

Frank Stacy, by the way, is in The Vault, and has one of the most diverse lists of bikes that he raced during his professional career, which lasted from 1973 through 1980. He started on a CZ in '73 and then raced, in order, Maico, then back to CZ, then Can-Am, Penton, KTM, Yamaha, back to KTM, back to Yamaha, then back to KTM again! Stacy also raced this Sachs briefly in the old Trans-AMA Series!

Southwick 1974 (DC)

The Southwick National has been around since 1976, but the track itself goes back even further. The American Legion Post 338 wanted to give local kids something fun to do in the early 1970s. Motivated by a New England charitable cause called the Jimmy Fund, the track was in the middle of town, giving it a very unique setting for a motocross track. Earlier this week we got the following letter from a reader about his uncle, Craig Filiault, and the original Southwick track, built in another part of town.

What a cool photo... And Godspeed, Craig Filiault.

ISRT (MATTHES)

If the International Supercross Race Team continues to make this much news in Pro Motocross, they're gonna have to change their name to IMRT. Just a couple of weeks after letting “Corndog” Cornelius Tøndel go to the factory Kawasaki, they've filled that spot with former PRMX and ClubMX rider Mark Fineis, who made a return to racing at RedBud and logged impressive finishes on a privateer Honda. Mark hasn't been racing in 2026—he has been coaching riding schools—but showed up and showed impressive speed at that. So, Bubba Pauli and Derek Rankin decided to give him a shot on Tondel's bike for the rest of the outdoor season.

Loretta Lynn's Fantasy (Wes Williams)

Vurbwes reporting live from the Oregon Trail as my Conestoga wagon heads east to the humid lands of Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, where I'll embark on my 28th consecutive year at Loretta Lynn's Ranch. While our plans at Vurbmoto.com include a literal insane amount of coverage every single day, I think what our team is most excited to unleash is the power of our Prospect app (available in your app store of choice).

The Vurbmoto Prospect app is 100 percent free to use (although there is a “pro” version if you want to support our mission... building all this ain't the easiest on the ole' pockets). It'll be home to a ton of awesome Loretta's features, including an entirely new Loretta's Zone with enhanced live timing, insanely detailed live and post-race data, every Loretta's result from 1982 to today... and maybe the coolest thing we're announcing right here, right now: The first-ever Loretta's Fantasy.

You can play ANY class and pick ANY rider. Compete against the entire world or just your buddies in a private group. Build lineups in up to five classes by predicting where five riders will finish overall. The closer your picks are to the actual results, the more points you score. Nail it exactly? 100 points. Miss by a little? Still score. Miss by a lot? Well... maybe don't miss by a lot.

Once the official rider roster is released, Fantasy will go live inside the Loretta's Zone. Get your picks in before racing kicks off Tuesday morning, then follow along all week as scores update after every moto.

Again, it's all FREE. You'll just need to create an account at prospect.vurbmoto.com/app. Once you're in, make sure to claim your rider profile (also free) and dive into everything we've built over the last few years. You'll find your career results, all-time rankings, MotoPlayground Dirty 100 rankings, race metrics, complete Loretta's history, and honestly... way more data than most people probably ever wanted to know about themselves.

See y'all at the Ranch.

This Week’s Win Ads (DC)

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!

Michael Mosiman: "I Fell Asleep… Then THIS Happened!"

The Coenen brothers flock on their trips back and forth to the U.S. and MXGP:

2026 Southwick Cinematic Recap

SMX Insider | Season 4 Episode 28 | Spring Creek Preview

Rewatch the 2022 Spring Creek National | 450 Class RAW

Ricky Carmichael lapping the entire field at Spring Creek in 2006:

Here’s Sarah Whitmore-Smage’s Racer X Preview:

1995 Foxhills 125cc Grand Prix, starring Paul Malin and Sebastien Tortelli:

Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week 

“Norway star Erling Haaland left the U.S. with seven World Cup goals and a taxidermy raccoon, sparking a run on the item"—LA Times

"School district changes policy after student graduates with 11.99 GPA"—UPI

"Florida Man Guilty Of Vacuum Cleaner Sex"—The Smoking Gun

"Parts of Montana were almost as hot as Death Valley on Sunday"—Washington Post

Random Notes

Looking for another way to access results and data from the races over the years? There's always the Racer X Online Vault of course, and also the results database right here on Racer X Online. Did you know our results site here contains not only the up-to-date standings are results from 2026, but all the previous archived results from The Vault? Just use the dropdown menus to select a year, and you’re off and bench racing.

Also, here’s a tip to check out SMX Muse, which is building out a much deeper dive into the results. Check it out here.