Should old acquaintance be forgot, October 1? You’ll be missed. For decades, that date stood as the New Year’s Day of the professional AMA paddock, as team contracts usually expire at the end of September, and announcements of new deals begin the day after. Those deals are often signed as early as springtime, which creates moves many people know are coming, but kinda’ sorta’ couldn’t talk about it for several more months. This also locks riders and teams into a loveless lame-duck run through the end of the season.

Now? Not so much. The invention of the SuperMotocross World Championship playoffs in 2023 created an opportunity few realized. Can you get a fresh start for next year, this year? That’s starting to happen. Cooper Webb broke that mold when he and Red Bull KTM broke up last summer and Coop appeared on a Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing YZ450F when the SMX playoffs began. This year, such a move became a trend. The new offseason? It now happens during the season.

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki brought on Garrett Marchbanks in August.