West Michigan man named to Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30′ list for motocross parts business

NEWAYGO COUNTY, MI — A professional motocross rider from West Michigan is finding a new type of success in the sport as a businessman.

Nick Tomasunas, of Newaygo, and his business MX Locker were recently named as one of Forbes Magazine’s 2023 “30 Under 30″ retail and E-commerce businesses.

Tomasunas has been racing professionally for the last four years and started MX Locker with his friends Ryan Amolis and Andrew Samole.

MX Locker serves as an online marketplace to buy new and used motocross gear and bike parts. The MX Locker app launched in the spring of 2021 and has since grown to service over 100,000 users.

“Ryan started this as his little side project in college and he’d go to us riders and ask to buy our old gear,” said Tomasunas, who serves as the company’s chief marketing officer. “I caught wind of that and I helped him out, becoming his first team rider.”

Motocross can be a high-stakes sport, from the risk for serious injuries to some seriously large price tags. A higher-end helmet for the sport can run between $700-$800, not to mention the actual bikes.

“It really depends on how involved you want to get, but for suspension, that can run $10,000,” Tomasunas said. “If you’re to go out and buy a wheel set, that’s $1,500. There’s a ton of money in motocross. Even race fuel is $50-$75 a gallon. It’s gnarly.”

Those costs can be particularly inhibitive to new riders just getting into the sport who are unsure if they want to shell out thousands of dollars yet.

“What’s so great about this app is that we’re a marketplace for new and used stuff,” Tomasunas said. “So for people looking into getting into this sport, they can find used deals to somewhat get into this sport.”

MX Locker serves as a specialized marketplace for riders to sell their used items directly to others interested in the sport. Tomasunas said the most popular items for sale are bike suspensions and boots.

“Motocrossers love their boots and you go through them fairly quickly,” he said.

Other items for sale on the app include graphics, brakes, tires, fuel systems, gloves, goggles, engine parts and other apparel.

Tomasunas said it was his business partners’ idea to apply for the Forbes “30 Under 30″ list, but he didn’t think they would actually be selected.

“What are the chances of us making that list?” he said. “I woke up at 6:30 a.m. (the day the list came out) and Ryan texted me a like to it with no context. It was unreal.”

According to the business’s Forbes profile, MX Locker is on track to pass over $3 million in sales by the end of 2022.

“It’s my entire life now,” Tomasunas said. “I love it. I wake up and I’m excited to work and be surrounded by it. I don’t really race as much anymore, but this is the most important to me. A pro racer doesn’t really make that much money unless you’re in the top five, so now I’m chasing this business and riding for fun.”

Tomasunas said he and his business partners hope to be able to expand the user base of their marketplace to over 1 million people.

“Honestly, we’re taking things day by day, but I want this thing to grow into the seven figures,” he said.

MX Locker is available for download on smartphones or can be accessed at its website, mxlocker.com.