Honda AUSX team resumes US-based training strategy

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Outfit returns to MTF to maintain consistency prior to final rounds.

Image: Foremost Media.

The Honda Racing Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX) team has returned to the Millsaps Training Facility (MTF) in a continuation of its US-based training strategy ahead of the final two rounds of the 2022 season.

Owned by Yarrive Konsky, the domestic factory Honda team spent the majority of the AUSX and World Supercross Championship (WSX) pre-season in Georgia as part of its US training camp at the coveted facility to best prepare.

Following the opening two rounds of the AUSX series, team riders Max Anstie, Wilson Todd, Kyle Webster and young American Gage Linville are making the most of the MTF complex and resources on hand, which is also the base of Konsky’s US-based Fire Power Honda Racing team year-round.

“We wanted to maintain consistency in our program, especially because the weather is intermittent in Victoria and there is a lack of tracks and the sheer costs to maintain tracks is high,” Konsky told MotoOnline. “Also, we have a great base there with trainers, suspension techs and we have the option of three tracks.

“Kyle is in a position to race for third in the championship and we wanted him to take away a lot from the past two rounds and work forward, while Wilson needs to work on selected things and change his bike slightly and Max wanted to try some new options. It made sense we return.”

Notably, Honda Racing SX1 signing Dean Wilson returned home following Melbourne – where he was third on the AUSX podium – in anticipation of his first child arriving. It isn’t expected that he will return for Newcastle or Wagga Wagga at this point.

Wilson, Anstie and Todd will be based in America full-time next season as part of the Fire Power Honda team, while Webster will compete in Australian ProMX. It’s unclear who will replace the again-retired Dean Ferris alongside him in MX1 and Todd’s title-winning MX2 position is also yet to be filled.

In addition, MotoConcepts Racing (MCR) regular Justin Brayton has returned to his home in the US and is expected to continue his usual training program separate from the Honda Racing team. He also has Paris Supercross planned prior to Newcastle this month.

It’s a hybrid-type structure for Brayton in returning to bid for a fifth-straight AUSX 450 crown, understood to be riding his MCR WSX bike in Adelaide under the Honda Genuine Polyflor Honda Racing banner, but with a HGS Exhaust and Hinson clutch (at least the cover) fitted.

Also in contrast to the Honda Racing regulars, Brayton was equipped with Renthal handlebars and Dunlop tyres – despite on-bike branding indicating otherwise – following the short turnaround from Melbourne to Adelaide of just one week.

Can Suzuki Land Roczen?

Rumour: Roczen now linked with HEP Suzuki!

Max Anstie’s former team, HEP Suzuki, are, according to Steve Matthes at Pulp MX, making a “big push” for Ken Roczen to return to yellow!

Matthes tweeted: “Hear that HEP Suzuki making a big push for Roczen.”

The German of course was a teenage star in MX2 winning his first GP at just 15 on a Suzuki before moving to KTM to win his MX2 world title. Roczen of course went back to Suzuki in AMA competition and won the 450 AMA motocross series on yellow in a team owned by Carmichael and Carey Hart.

But with a bike that still a kickstart ( a new bike is rumoured to be coming soon) and a team that hasn’t a history of winning it would be quite the catch for HEP Suzuki to capture a star shining as brightly as Ken Roczen still is. HEP Suzuki do participate in the WSX series and it would mean getting the defending champ for 2023 if Roczen raced WSX next season. But with the team wearing Thor and sponsored by Twisted Tea, there will have to be negotiations with Roczen aligned with FOX and Red Bull for his whole career and very much still advertising both brands.

Roczen has already been linked to a Kawasaki with help from Mitch Payton and Roczen was even posting footage of himself on a 2023 450 Yamaha at Club MX with the rumoured option of going blue possible with help from Red Bull and logistical assistence from Club MX.

Roczen, who spoke with Jason Weigandt while he was riding the Yamaha at Club MX said he still had nothing signed: “I have no deal signed, everything is open. I also got to start somewhere, I can’t fast forward time – maybe in two, three or four weeks I know what I’m doing.” Full interview with an open Roczen below:

After riding the latest and greatest Yamaha, that even had Eli Tomac excited for the new machine despite winning everything on the 2022 machine this year when he spoke to us in Cardiff, “the first thing you will notice right away is the weight of it, it’s a lot lighter, you feel that just leaning left to right, getting into a rut, starting a turn, it is so much more manourveable but it’s not unstable, I think people are really going to like it.” Could Roczen really return to Suzuki and a kick-start?

It’s fascinating times for the super-talented and very marketable German who seems to be enjoying the freedom of seeing what’s out there – but he will be back on a Honda for the Paris supercross next weekend!

Article: Jonathan McCready

Justin Brayton Not Quiet Ready To Hang'em Up

Justin Brayton is really one of those guys that you just want to have success. Already a main event winner in the tough AMA supercross championship, King of Paris, and multiple Australian supercross champion, the Honda Australia rider is looking at extending his already successful career and taking on the World in the 2023 World supercross championship.

When it comes to negative press about the WSX series, it is riders like Brayton that give it credibility and a reason we should all support the new series. Still a top-level rider, but at the age closer to 40 than 30, he possibly burn-out from the hard grind of 20 supercross events in America and then another dozen or so motocross races.

Brayton has always been a travelling, making trips to Europe and Australia on many occasions and as mentioned picking up championships and trophies along the way. Now, with the 2022 season nearly done, he still has the Paris supercross to come and then two more rounds of the Australian supercross championship, then it will be preparing for the 2023 WSX title race.

“Australia trip 1 of 2 is in the books,” Brayton said. “1-3-2 in the three races and also met some great people, got to see some old friends, had some great food and coffee. Great to catch up with my friend and mindset coach while I’m in Australia. I met Anthony several years back while I was over racing SX and have worked together ever since. He also just wrote a fantastic book called The Performance Mindset. Some great insight for anyone, especially athletes.”

The rounds in Melbourne and Adelaide ran back-to-back weekends and Brayton loved the travel and went 1-2 in the overall and is equal first with Aaron Tanti for the top spot in the Australian 450 supercross championship race. His World SX ended with podium finishes and a lot of enjoyment.

“We got off to a great start in Melbourne and had hoped to continue that in Adelaide. I love Australia so much, so travelling to these different locations is what makes this championship so special to me. I know that I am in a good place with the team, so I want to put the CRF450R on top again. It was a game of chess out there. The track was really, really challenging. The priority was just finding smooth lines and putting my CRF450R where it needed to be. It is just amazing to be back here in Australia. I love racing here and spending time with the team. Adelaide was a solid day. I qualified in first, got the heat win and ended second in the main event. I started in third in the main – it was good enough – but I struggled with the track. It was very simple, more motocross like and quite short. It is all good though! I’m looking forward to regrouping at home before the final two rounds here in Australia!”

Now, with the Aussie season nearly done, the America wants to enjoy family, then prepare for what could be his last season racing, but this time not in USA, but around the World as the WSX series heads to several different countries and a lot of big stadiums.

“I did retire in the US, but over the phase of my career and having kids, if you look at really all sports – I’ve got friends in all sports across the world – I think just stopping anything that you are so passionate about is really dangerous, as far as just your life overall. The first thing that I crossed off was motocross in 2016 and I replaced that with five or six races here in Australia. That was a big part of a life decision, to experience the world and I was previously able to come here actually with Craig Dack in 2010 and I just fell in love with the country. Fast-forward to now, I’ve got three kids, businesses in the US and what’s next to cross off without crossing everything off and that was the 17 rounds in the US. Obviously, it is so competitive, but I think I can still focus on, like they were saying earlier maybe eight to 10 rounds [of WSX] next year.”

So now, we can all sit back, and await who will join Brayton in the WSX, but what we do know, a WSX championship trophy sitting alongside his King of Paris and Aussie SX trophies sure would be a nice ending to what has been an incredible career for somebody who stayed real to himself and didn’t get carried away with the glitz and glamor of USA SX.

Moto 1 Tomac takes It

Red Bud ...Team USA

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Jeff Ward at MX des Nations...1989

Throwback Thursday: Jeff Ward Soars in Motocross Des Nations (1989)

Larry Lawrence | September 22, 2022

Team USA with Jeff Ward, Jeff Stanton and Mike Kiedrowski, managed by Roger DeCoster, won the event

Nate Rauba photo

In this week’s Throwback we dial back the time machine to 1989 and travel to Gaildorf, West Germany, site of that year’s Motocross des Nations. This photo shows Jeff Ward (No. 1) soaring past Team Norway’s Håkon Huseby as a packed crowd watched Team USA dominate the international competition. Team USA Manager Roger DeCoster directed a strong team. Ward was already part of five winning American squads coming into that year’s event and he was joined by pair of Motocross des Nations rookies in Jeff Stanton and Mike Kiedrowski. Ward won the first moto, Stanton the other two. And Kiedrowski did a great job as well, finishing as the top 125 class rider in the first moto and the second in Moto 2.  As a result, Team USA won with 4 points, Italy was second with 11, Great Britain third with 15.

Here’s hoping Team USA break its 11-year dry spell and turns in another strong performance this weekend at the 2022 edition of the Motocross des Nations at RedBud MX in Buchanan, Michigan.

You can read coverage of this race and much more by subscribing to the Cycle News Archives at: https://www.cyclenews.com/cycle-news-archives/

Red Bud ...Team USA

75th Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Returns to Legendary RedBud This Weekend

REDBUD (United States) – The Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations will make its much-anticipated return to RedBud in Buchanan, Michigan this weekend for the 75th edition of the event which promises to be bigger and better than ever before!

Since the success of the 2018 Monster Energy FIM MXoN, everyone has been eager to see the event return to ‘America’s Motocross Track’, where home fans hope to see their local heroes Team USA back on the top step after an 11-year drought.

This will be the second time that RedBud will host the biggest motocross event of the season, and the fifth in total in the United States. The US first hosted the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in 1987 at Unadilla with Bob Hannah, Rick Johnson and Jeff Ward contributing to USA’s 13-year winning streak that ran between 1981 and 1993.

Team USA is of course one of the favourites heading into this weekend. Having won a total of 22 times, more than any other nation, the Americans are looking to get back on top after not winning a single event since their last victory in 2011 at Saint Jean d’Angely. This year the team consists of Eli Tomac, Justin Cooper and Chase Sexton, with Sexton making his very first Monster Energy FIM MXoN appearance.

There is no doubt the trio will feel some kind of pressure, since the only time the US team was ever beaten on home soil was in RedBud 2018, but with the support of the home crowd and a very strong line-up, we could see the Americans back on top!

• Team USA wins in 2011 MXGP

Meanwhile, Team France will be looking to repeat their success from 2018, when the nation scored their fifth consecutive victory with Gautier Paulin, Jordi Tixier and Dylan Ferrandis. Of course, Dylan Ferrandis will be back on the team this time around alongside Maxime Renaux and Marvin Musquin, with the trio a real threat for the Chamberlain Trophy once again.

Team Australia’s Mitch Evans, Hunter Lawrence and Jett Lawrence are another big threat for the top spot this year with a very strong team line-up. With Evans strong in MXGP and the Lawrence brothers shaking things up in the American series’ – this trio is one that could gift Australia their very first victory at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

Team Great Britain is also a team to look out for with Dean Wilson, Max Anstie and Tommy Searle representing the Union Jack in the USA. The British squad has some history too, having won the event 16 times and is second in terms of the most wins as a nation. Wilson, Anstie and Searle are also the trio that began Team GB’s podium streak in 2017 at Matterley Basin where they finished third and since then, the squad has placed third for the last four events consecutively and will be looking to end their weekend with another medal to make it five!

Team Italy with Antonio Cairoli, Andrea Adamo and Mattia Guadagnini are the defending champions this year after their victory on home soil last year in Mantova. Having tasted victory last year, the motivation will be high.

• Team Italy wins in 2021 MXGP
• Glenn Coldenhoff dominates in RedBud 2018 MXGP

Though Team Netherlands will also arrive hungry for the win after losing the title last year by just a single point to the Italian team. The team made up of Glenn Coldenhoff, Kay De Wolf and Calvin Vlaanderen will aim to clinch the nation’s second title, since their first win in Assen of 2019, a team that both Coldenhoff and Vlaanderen were a part of. Vlaanderen will also be looking to put the heartbreak of his time in RedBud last time around, behind him and focus on bringing home a solid result, while Coldenhoff will be looking to dominate just like he did in 2018 when he went 1-1 in his heats.

Also, Team Spain with Jorge Prado, Guillem Farres and Ruben Fernandez is a strong team who is likely to score top positions, along with Team Belgium with Jago Geerts, Liam Everts and Jeremy Van Horebeek, as Everts is set to make his debut for the Belgian squad, while Van Horebeek is set to make his 11th event representing his home country, which will also be the final time for the Belgian who announced his retirement.

Team Japan’s, Yuki Okura, Jo Shimoda and Kota Toriyabe are another trio to look out for this year, as well as Team South Africa’s Tristan Purdon, Camden Mc Lellan and Cameron Anthony Durrow.

This Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations will be full of big milestones as we celebrate the 75th edition of the event that began in 1947. This year, Team Estonia’s Tanel Leok will compete at his 20th Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations while for Team Germany’s Max Nagl this will be his 17th appearance, as Team Ireland’s Martin Barr will represent his nation for the 16th time. Others celebrating big milestones include Antonio Cairoli who will make it his 15th appearance, Jeremy Van Horebeek and Team GB’s Tommy Searle will line up for the 12th time, as well as Glenn Coldenhoff and Team Switzerland’s Jeremy Seewer who will ride for their country for the 11th and 10th time!

A total of 34 teams, including special teams from FIM Europe and FIM Latin America, will participate in the 75th edition of the event with the action promising to be bigger and better than ever with a very competitive line-up that makes the podium hard to predict!

The State of Supercross, Motocross

There’s certainly a resurgence in the racing world. More specifically, the state of Supercross. The announcement of two new series, the World Supercross Championship (WSX) and the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) are both set to give fans no shortage of racing in the coming years. New teams, new locations, and ultimately more races isn’t something to complain about, and we like to think that a rising tide floats all ships. But is there a competition between the two entities, and if so, will this be better or worse for the sport as a whole?

Supercross, motocross, World Supercross and SuperMotocross—racers have more options than ever. Photo by BrownDog Wilson

To clear things up, the WSX are the new kids on the block ready to strut their stuff. It’s an all-new series run by the team that organized the Aus-X Open a few years back. They’re set to embark on their inaugural season in October and have locked down big purses, international locations, 10 teams, and 40 riders. From the outside, their business model looks like F1 or MotoGP, but fit to spec for Supercross. For 2022, their series of 3-4 races will take place after the American Motocross series but they plan to overlap that schedule in coming years. It will be interesting when that schedule comes out.

The SMX is the newest collaboration between the two big American promoters, Feld and MX Sports. They’ve teamed up to make one giant series within two separate series, which spans the current Supercross and Motocross Championship and pays points throughout the year. From what we understand, the top 20 riders in each class will be eligible to race in three “playoff” rounds which will be held on a hybrid-style track (think Monster Cup). Points from those rounds will then earn someone the SuperMotocross World Championship crown. In theory, three different riders could win throughout the year: one Supercross, one motocross and one SuperMotocross. It’s something new and we will learn more down the road when more details from Feld and MX Sports are revealed.

But let’s play a game of hypotheticals here. As a rider, this could be good. More racing means more chances to put money in your pocket. And if you’re a Supercross specialist, maybe this is your shot to ride stadiums year-round. No more hot summers and no more 30-plus-two motos. But hopefully your team is okay with you choosing which schedule you’d like to run. In the case of KTM USA, we’ve yet to see any support from them regarding the new WSX series. Same goes for Kawasaki, as none of their U.S. riders have been confirmed, either. This gives us the idea that they’ll be competing in the SMX Championship, which is basically the current American schedule.

From a team’s perspective, more racing means more money. More travel, more parts, more time, more money. That’s the bottom line. The WSX grid is composed mostly of privately funded or European-run efforts. Teams like MotoConcepts, MDK Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing are all privately run ventures that seem to have enough “resources” to fund a new racing venture. The others, Craig Dack Yamaha, Bud Racing Kawasaki and Honda NILS are all staples in the MXGP or Australian Championships. The WSX promoters do plan on off-setting team costs, but, in the end, international travel for big teams will come with a hefty price tag.

Justin Brayton made a comment that really resonated with me regarding this topic. In short, he said that Supercross and motocross are about the same as indoor and beach volleyball. Sure, they’re both volleyball, but the technique, training and physical exertion required to play each one makes them two entirely different games. Brayton’s choice to race the WSX route is an easy insight to his opinion on the two options.

Eventually the two schedules will overlap and there will be choices for everyone involved: Which series to run, which teams to ride for, and which schedule to adopt. But for fans, it’s an easy choice. We can support both endeavors and enjoy more racing than we know what to do with. CN