Welcome to Racerhead and welcome back 250SX West Region riders. After spending the last month focused on the East Region, the West Coast guys are back for the Seattle SX, round 11 of the 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. We’ve got another very close battle happening in this division as Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen (who hails from nearby Washougal) leads Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith by four points and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s RJ Hampshire by five. RJ is the only one in this region who has two wins so far in the series, just as Tom Vialle is the only one in East Region with two wins. All told, we’ve seen eighth different winners so far in the first 10 rounds of the series, which speaks volumes from the parity and depth in the 250 class right now—and to think that neither of the Team Honda riders Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas have won yet, nor KTM’s nor Julien Beaumer, nor Kawasaki’s Max Vohland, who is now out for the rest of the series, nor East Region riders Max Anstie and Seth Hammaker. In other words, there are still a few guys in this class that could get a win before it’s all over.
Of course, it’s a different story in the 450 class where Jett Lawrence has won half the races himself and now holds a 21-point lead over Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb. The Honda HRC-backed Lawrence put on a masterful performance on a very difficult and rutted Indianapolis track. Why was it so soft? Because while the stadium may have a room, the place where the dirt is stored from year to year does not have a roof, and it was soft to start with. The added traffic of it being a Triple Crown race only added to the breaking down of the lines. And after Jason Thomas went down to the whoops to show just how rutted they were in the SMX Insider Post-Race show, it really made Lawrence’s almost perfect run through three races even more impressive.
Looking ahead, Seattle doesn’t have a roof either, and it’s raining again—they canceled today’s press day riding to keep the track covered in plastic for as long as possible. Jason Weigandt, Aaron Hansel, and Tom Journet are all out there to cover the event and they are telling us there is a 50 percent chance of rain tomorrow. Rain of course has been the one weakness Jett has shown as he did not fare well in either San Francisco nor San Diego, both of which had weather elements. Lawrence was in the 250SX West Region last year and won Seattle, but that race was mostly dry. Tomorrow could be a different story… And remember, tomorrow’s race actually starts at 5 p.m. on the West Coast, 8 p.m. here in the East Coast.
Last weekend was an interesting one off the track in Indianapolis as FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) promoter David Luongo and his Infront Moto Racing managers Andis Steins and Augusto Valente came to visit and attend their first “real” supercross, promoted by Feld Motor Sports—David has been to Daytona and the Monster Energy Cup and various SX races in Europe, but never one of the standard events that we usually have every other weekend of the series. Needless to say, they were impressed by the scale of it all, from the opening ceremonies to the racing itself, and how efficiently Mike Muye and Dave Prater and the entire Feld staff run these events, and also the performances of Jett Lawrence, Ken Roczen, Cooper Webb, and the ever-smiling Cameron McAdoo, who got his first win of the season in front of nearly 65,000 fans.
Luongo’s visit was a quick one, but he did attend the Racer X/PulpMX live show at the Irving Theater on Friday night, and even joined everyone on stage to talk motocross, supercross, Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, Team USA, and more. He also ended up doing “Race Day Live” with Justin Brayton and Dan Hubbard, as well as the TV show with Ricky Carmichael and Jason Weigandt. While they were here, they visited a couple of potential venues for future events, including nearby Ironman Raceway, and then on the way home High Point Raceway. The AMA rolled out the red carpet as well, as AMA President Rob Dingman invited them to stop by the AMA offices and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame for Sunday afternoon tour. They discussed Team USA logistics with the AMA’s Mike Pelletier and Christina Denney, and also had a sit-down with Team USA Manager Roger De Coster, as well as many of the top riders. All of this happened in a short window between MXGP rounds as they had just opened the series in Argentina, and were soon headed for Spain, where round two takes place this weekend. (Their travel schedule for this fortnight was Patagonia in Southern Argentina to Buenos Aires, to Geneva, Switzerland, for two days, then to Chicago, then Indianapolis, then drive to Pittsburgh, fly back to Chicago, back to Geneva, and then on to Madrid, Spain!) I’ve known David and Andis for several years now and we worked together on the MXGP at WW Ranch in Jacksonville, Florida, back in 2017, but the Indy SX was the first chance I had to sit down with him and watch a race together. He’s a really big fan, and I could tell he was pulling for guys that raced MXGP or that he knew from Europe, like Tom Vialle, the Lawrence brothers, Ken Roczen, and more, just as I am always pulling for not only Team USA but AMA-based riders at the Motocross of Nations. I can’t really say what the future holds but the bench-racing alone was epic all weekend long. Hopefully I can visit a round of MXGP later this season, but we will definitely see these guys again when Team USA goes to Matterley Basin in Great Britain to get the Peter Chamberlain Cup back in The Man’s hands!
While we were at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, Luongo spotted the 1990 Bieffe Suzuki RM125 that Donny Schmit won his first world championship on. Turns out that David’s dad Giuseppe Luongo was the manager of that team, as he wasn’t yet running MXGP full-time.
Finally, have some positive thoughts and prayers for Alistair Dickert, the 19-year-old amateur race who was struck by lightning at the Spring-A-Ding race in Texas. He is still in the hospital, and his family has posted that it's been an up and down week for him. We will update with any news, hopefully for the better.
Levi Kitchen +100, RJ Hampshire +140… (DC)
Online betting is a very big thing in mainstream sports. For instance, right now there are 29 million online brackets for the NCAA college basketball tournament. (Who else had Kentucky winning it all?) It’s been only a matter of time before the online bookies found their way into supercross/motocross, and that time pretty much started on Wednesday morning when an offshore casino called BetOnline posted odds for this weekend’s Seattle SX. They also started advertising with our friends at the PulpMX Fantasy League. Sure, fantasy leagues have been around for years, but this new entity allows for what’s called prop betting, which means they will post odds on a particular rider’s chances of winning or making the podium, and then you can log in and bet on your favorite rider and/or unfavorites who just happen to be really good.
Whether you like to bet or not, or whether your state allows it or not, gambling has become a huge part of the sports landscape in this country. And while we’re not sure who exactly is setting the odds—Eric Johnson used to help out the MGM Grand Casino when they took bets on the old U.S. Open of Supercross—they seemed to know that this weekend is Levi Kitchen’s home race and it may very well rain, so Aaron Plessinger is +400 to win!
Jett vs. Jeremy (DC)
We are still a very, very long way away from anyone ever coming close to Jeremy McGrath's seemingly unobtainable 72 premier class AMA Supercross wins and seven Monster Energy AMA Supercross titles. As a matter of fact, the closest anyone has gotten to either is Eli Tomac's 51 wins (where he's been stuck since last April) and Ricky Carmichael's five SX titles (he retired in 2007). Lately people have been talking about Jett Lawrence's meteoric rise and the idea of the 20-year-old reaching Jeremy-like heights seems like a real possibility, plus he made the mistake of implying that 72 was the goal in the preseason TV stand-ups, which got some folks fired up. Hence, the strange booing that's come his way so far. Despite riding a 450 to perfection last summer in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, as well as winning the SuperMotocross World Championship that followed, Jett Lawrence is still only 10 races into his 450SX career. So how does his first 10 races of his rookie year in the 450SX class compare to Jeremy's first 10 races in what used to be the 250 class?
(Yes, we know that Jeremy did a handful of races in 1992 on the 250 while still racing—and winning—the 125 West Region but for the sake of an even comparison we're talking about his first 10 SX races of 1993, which started in Orlando on January 9 and reached ten races on April 3 at Charlotte.)
Lawrence has won five of his first ten AMA Supercross rounds (and that's counting his three race wins in last weekend's Indy Triple Crown as a single round). He's also had some off-nights, including a ninth place in the mud at San Francisco and a sixth place at Anaheim 2. After 10 races he tallies 210 points, with a 21-point lead former two-time SX champion Cooper Webb.
Back in 1993 Jeremy McGrath won six of the first ten AMA Supercross rounds (and that's not counting the 125 National he won at Gatorback Cycle Park in the middle of those races, back when the two series overlapped). Jeremy also finished fifth once, fourth twice, and then finished second at Daytona, his first-ever "outdoor" race on a 250. After 10 races he tallied 224 points and enjoyed a 24-point lead over Kawasaki's Mike Kiedrowski.
So, advantage McGrath, from the start, but not by much. Oh, and in Jeremy's 11th race in 1993, he finished second at what was the first night of the Pontiac doubleheader to Kiedrowski, then won the next four in a row. And here's some more food-for-thought: McGrath would go on to win 10 total rounds in '93, a new single-series record at the time. His only truly bad night would be a ninth at the series finale in Las Vegas. The series then measured 16 rounds, one less than it does in 2024. And in the races that followed those first ten McGrath went 2-1-1-1-1-9. Jeremy would ultimately tally 358 points and bettered Kiedrowski in the end by 57 points, which means he more than doubled his points lead in those last six races.
Let's check back and compare both Jeremy in 1993 and Jett in 2024 when we get past Salt Lake City in May.
PULPMX SHOW (Matthes)
Fun PulpMX Show on Monday night with Daniel Blair in-studio to talk about the Indy SX Triple Crown and more. We had Jett Lawrence on the show talking about his 1-1-1 performance at Indy, and Jett admitted that yes, his rookie 450SX year has been a lot with the ten races in eleven weeks but that he's got "kid energy" so he's going to be alright. He mentioned also that he was content to sit in second in the third TC and take the overall but that he saw Chase Sexton coming so that was it, Ken Roczen had to be passed. It's scary how fast he can make up time on a rider in front of him. Weege and I were talking about this on the Fly Racing Moto:60 Show yesterday, I don't remember another rider that can seemingly come into a corner at Mach 4 when he needs to and get up on the rear fender of another rider.
Also, Blair got the Daytona SX goggles back from the fan that took them off Lawrence's head while he was doing a burn-out. Jett said that he didn't remember telling the guy that he could have them, as he was a little busy with a wide-open CRF450R! Anyways, Blair built this up pretty big that he got these things, but Jett didn't seem to care either way. Which made me laugh.
We had Nick Wey on the show and really, I brought him on to talk more about amateur racing with Blair than his work with Cameron McAdoo, Adam Cianciarulo, and Jo Shimoda. It was interesting to hear them talk about the different races across the country and why top amateurs don't race more.
Shoutout to Mike Muye at Feld who heard my complaints about the AMA results sheets that showed some guys with a "0" beside their name when they didn't make the main. Now usually this wouldn't matter but this year we started giving riders 0 points who make a main (also SMH at this but I can't fight every battle). So, now when you're looking back at the stats to see who did what, you have no idea if a rider didn't make a main or just got last in the main. From my understanding, Muye got this corrected and for that he’s my SX Hero of the Week.
Back in Action, Part 1—MXGP (Mitch Kendra)
The second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) is back in action this weekend at the MXGP of Spain. GasGas rider Jorge Prado enters his home race with the points lead after finishing seventh in the qualifying race then 1-2 in the first two motos of the season. Kawasaki’s Romain Febvre and Honda’s Tim Gajser land in Spain tied for second in points with 51 points apiece as Pauls Jonass (Honda) and Jeremy Seewer (Kawasaki) round out the top five. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) and Ruben Fernandez (Honda) are both out for this weekend with injuries.
In MX2, Kay De Wolf (Husqvarna) enters the second round with the points lead over Simon Laengenfelder (GasGas), Thibaut Benistant (Yamaha), Mikkel Haarup (Triumph), Andrea Adamo (KTM), respectively. de Wolf has shown speed since entering the MX2 Class, but if he can nail the consistency game, it might not be good for the rest of the field. KTM’s Liam Everts will be back in action after missing the opening round following surgery to fix a thumb injury.
With so many fast riders in both classes that can win on any given weekend, we should have an exciting race this weekend. Will Prado and de Wolf continue their momentum, or will their competitors step up and fight back? Tune into www.mxgp-tv.com on Saturday for qualifying and Sunday for the motos.
- MXGP
What If? (DC)
Here's part of an email I got from a reader this week (who profers to remain anonymous) after they noticed the visit by the MXGP/Infront guys to Monster Energy Supercross:
Last weekend as I was watching the Indy Supercross “Race Day Live” and the night program on Peacock I noted that on one of those shows they had as a guest David Luongo of MXGP. This got me thinking, I wonder if he is talking with Feld/MX Sports about a merger? Well that seems unlikely but a few more things popped into my head as follows...
1.) What if MXGP picked 11 GP's which would pay points toward getting into the SMX Finals, so GP riders could qualify.
2.) Then have no conflicting dates with the MXGP's and the SMX Finals.
3.) And make the SMX Final tracks with 40 rider starting lines to handle the extra riders coming from MXGP.
4.) It's the Super Motocross Finals, so you make the tracks Super Wide.
5.) Finally have one of the Super Motocross Finals on a real motocross track.
Wouldn’t it be cool if somehow we could re-live the good old days of the late 60’s and 70’s when the MSGP stars would come over and compete against the top riders in the USA?
What If?
Thanks for the email. When Feld and MX Sports Pro Racing came up with the idea for the SuperMotocross World Championship, it was based on AMA racing and rules, as well as accumulating points in our respective domestic championships. The idea of including MXGP was never really considered, nor do I think there is interest from MXGP in participating anyway. What would be cool is the concept of a combined race that pays points for both AMA Pro Motocross and MXGP, with 15 or 20 riders from each series automatically seeded, the rest of the gate qualified in as wild cards. It’s something that David Luongo and I have talked about many times, and hopefully it’s a step closer to fruition after our visit. It’s also something that I first heard years ago from the late Eric Geboers, who told me his dream (besides winning five FIM Motocross World Championships) was to have a combined GP/National and hold it at The Citadelle in Namur, Belgium. If this Ryder Cup-like race ever does happen, we should name the trophy the Eric Geobers Cup.
Merch Madness! Up to 50% Off on Racer X Brand Website
We are having a Spring Blowout Sale to clear out the shelves over at Racer X Brand. One could even call it a “Merch Madness” sale in honor of March Madness being right around the corner? Anyway, head over to racerxbrand.com now and take advantage of some heavy discounts across the entire website. Sale ends on March 31, 2024:
- Select T-shirts - $28 $15
- Oversized Cover Wall Decal - $100 $70
- OGIO x Racer X Rev Backpack - $139 $120
- Shade Hats - $40 $30
- Pit Jacket - $50 $40
Back in Action, Part 2—GNCC (Mitch Kendra)
The fourth round of the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Racing series is also back in action this weekend. Johnny Girroir has taken two of the three overall wins so far—and he won the third round XC1 race, although XC2 rider Josh Toth claimed the “overall” win after the time adjustment. Still, Girroir has a 21-point lead over Steward Baylor Jr. and a 31-point lead over Jordan Ashburn, although the series is far from over. Similar to supercross and MXGP, there are multiple riders more than capable of winning races—Baylor Jr. and his brother Grant, Ashburn (2022 Champion), 2023 Champion Craig Delong, Ricky Russell, Josh Strang, and more—but sometimes a guy goes on a run. So far in 2024, Girroir has had the hot hand. For more in depth information, read Jared Bolton’s full update from Thursday, which recaps rounds two and three and covers what to watch for at the fourth round this weekend in South Carolina.
- GNCC
Camp Coker Bullet
Saturday, March 23
Win this 1997 Penton! (DC)
Upon entering the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the first thing you will probably notice is the blue "Penton" motorcycle sitting in the lobby. The bike is actually a 1997 KTM 200 EXC modeled as a Jackpiner-edition Penton from yesteryear (as in the years that KTMs sold in America were actually Pentons, named after John Penton, and in case you're wondering, the Jack Pine Enduro in Michigan was once one of the biggest and most prestigious off-road events in America). From time-to-time supporters of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame will donate motorcycles to be sold or raffled off, with the funds going to support the museum and the AMA HOF. Besides the Jackpiner, there are two other bikes up for grabs—a 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR 40th Anniversary Edition and a 1975 BMW R90S.
But it's the blue Jackpiner that caught our eye. According to the website, KTM built this model to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first Penton motorcycle sold. "It was named for the 175 Penton that housed the first full-size motor that KTM built. There were only 133 sold, and all were numbered and had a sticker on the front fender with John Penton’s signature. According to Dirt Bike Magazine, “The significance of that 1997 motorcycle goes far beyond its short production run. It marked the beginning of a KTM dynasty that continues to this day. It was the first 200 that KTM built, and the Jackpiner was the first bike with PDS no-linkage rear suspension and one of the very first dirt bikes with a hydraulic clutch."
Also, you don't have to go to the museum to enter the raffle. Tickets are $5 each, $20 gets you five tickets.
One other AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame note: There is a beautiful 1979 Maico in the collection that is a replica of one of Danny "Magoo" Chandler's motorcycles. This was the year Chandler launched the huge uphill double-jump in the middle of the 250 National and instantly became an American motocross folk hero (though he was already a local legend in NorCal area for his fearless riding). They also named the jumps the "Magoo Doubles" and they were the most famous obstacle in motocross, notorious long after Saddleback Park shut down in 1984. A young Kevin Kratz (future AMA race official) snapped this epic photo of Chandler jumping the hill that day and everything about it just screams 1979! Anyway, there is also an impressive painting of Chandler jumping the doubles on display in the AMA HoF hanging above the motorcycle.
Next year, when we host Racer X Day at the AMA Museum the day after the Indianapolis Supercross, make sure you look for this cool little slice of American motocross history.
Finally, here's some more cool moto stuff in the museum, including the bikes of some of last year's inductees—Ryan Dungey, Travis Pastrana, Grant Langston, Barry Hawk—plus previous inductees like David Bailey and Ron Lechien, and even an old Honda ATC and a giant Loretta Lynn album cover.
Back To The Testing Grind (Keefer)
I have been traveling for a bit for Aden's racing and also been away from California on some confidential tests, so I am finally back home to get back to some media testing. Just when you think there is a slow time of year for new bike season, it seems like there is no real slow time anymore. Simon Cudby and I shot three bikes in one day this week, and we have more on tap in the coming weeks! YZ250 two-stroke, KTM 250 SX-F Factory Edition as well as a beautiful Garage Build that Eddie Laret built up. Next week I am back in studio for the PulpMX Show, have a two day boot shootout and then I fly to St. Louis for the PulpMX Live Show as well as the supercross. When I return from St. Louis we are meeting up with Rodney Smith and Beta to test their new 450 as well as finish off the 250 Factory Edition parade! After that we are headed to Mesquite for the Vurb Moto World Mini event so that will be a four-day weekend of fun. IT'S A FULL PLATE! However, nothing makes me more happy than dissecting motorcycles and giving you all information about each. It's something I still get excited about. As always, my door is cracked open for you if you have any questions about any test you see here on Racer X. The email is on my website, and you can ask away! See you guys at the track. Just don't talk about Loretta's yet. I am not ready for all of that.
Historical Note (Scott Wallenberg)
Every day our friend Claude Giguere sends out a batch of retro friends to a big list of old moto friends. From time to time someone in the audience will chime in with a cool backstory on a photo, like this one, which I posted after he dedicated a day to Gary Semics.
This photo is of Semics in 1971 Trans-AMA at St. Peters, Missouri, shot by my dad Wally. At this time Gary was 17 and the AMA rules were that you had to be 18 to be eligible to race the Trans-AMA Series, so Gary entered using the name of his neighbor Dale Burton. And if you see race programs from that series it says #33 Dale Burton from Lisbon, Ohio!
Ads We Could Not Get Away with Today (DC)
How about this late '80s win ad for Broc Glover, who won the last AMA Supercross he ever entered at the Los Angeles Coliseum, back when that part of town was even rougher than it is now...
Hey, Watch It!
SMX Insider – Episode 62 – Winning Streaks
Inside Arenacross Ep3 - Chaos in Daytona
In honor of our Italian friend Edoardo Panini's visit to the Seattle SX this weekend, here's a glimpse at his new book "Untold: Rick Johnson." The book is filled with amazing shots of RJ's career, as well as a deep-dive into his life. (Edoardo is working on a U.S. distribution deal and as soon as we find out what it is we will post it here.)
The latest episode of the Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha series "Every Second Counts" is out and it includes Indianapolis and Coty Shock's gutsy ride.
Here's Jeremy McGrath and David Vuillemin riffing on Jett Lawrence with Steve Matthes on the PulpMX Show:
Jett Lawrence is riding so well it made Gary (and David!) Bailey come out of retirement and comment on his style and form.
Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week
"Rise of the Jesus-themed NIGHTCLUBS where twerking, drinking and smoking are banned but Christian music thumps all night"—dailymail.co.uk
"500-pound mound of pythons found in Florida marsh"—WKRN.com (contributed by The Stump Grinder)
"Burglar does yoga routine before swiping croissants from local bakery"—Fox News Video (another from The Stump Grinder)
“Man banned from Buc-ee’s for life after bringing his service duck inside Tennessee store”—Pennlive.com
Random Notes
For the latest from Canada, check out DMX Frid’EH Update #12.
Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races!