David Vuillemin has parted ways with Ferrandis

 

David Vuillemin has confirmed that he has parted ways with Dylan Ferrandis after the pair worked together for five years and they had good times together – especially in 2021 winning the AMA 450 National Motocross title.

It’s an unknown future for Vuillemin at the moment as he hasn’t decided to continue coaching but he has got offers if he decides he’s not ready for retirement.

“I’m getting a lot of messages about this and I can’t physically reply to everyone individually so it’s easier to post something. After 5 years of working with Dylan, the adventure comes to an end. Obviously wishing him the best for the future. As far as I’m concerned, this is a good time to reflect, continue coaching or retire. I have suggestions for new challenges, but first, I have to weigh the pros and cons…”, Vuillemin stated on social media. 

Is This The Year USA Re-takes the MotoCross Des Nations?

The big hope for Team USA fans this year at RedBud MX is the 1-2 punch of Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton, who pushed each other to a higher level all year, will push themselves ahead of the pack to secure the Chamberlain Trophy for the Americans. This is a well-worn pathway to victory for the U.S. squad, which would often trot out riders who battled for titles all year in a united front, especially in that magical 13-year win streak. Names like Johnson, Ward, Bailey, and Stanton would go from foes to friends and pull Team USA to victory.

It's wild to think that a Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart Team USA never materialized, as RC was injured in 2006 and Stewart was injured in 2007, their only chance to really line up for the team together. The last win for Team USA came in 2011, and looking back now, it’s the 1-2 punch of Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey, at each other’s throats all season battling for titles, that made that team hard to beat.

The Ryans came to define a generation, and while you can ignite endless bench racing arguments over what history duo is the best ever, the sheer longevity of these two at the top can’t be questioned. Quality? We’ll never know what duo is best. Quantity? Well, no others can match what The Ryans did, which is combine for eight-straight Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championships and AMA 450 Motocross Championships in five out of six years. They pushed each other to a higher level by trying to beat each other, and the one time they got to form the 450 effort for Team USA, they delivered.

That year was 2011 in France. Even with The Ryans, this battle would not be won easily. Dungey and Villopoto only got thirds in each of their first two motos. Team USA’s 250 rider Blake Baggett took 17-17 moto scores on his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki KX250F (which isn’t good but isn’t as bad as you’d think, he was actually fourth overall in the MX2 class with those finishes).

Team USA had the back against the wall in moto three, but somehow, miraculously, Villopoto and Dungey emerged with great starts together in moto three, which shouldn’t be possible since each team gets only one decent gate pick per moto. It still wasn’t over, though, as the home team of France was determined to win and Christophe Pourcel, an old rival of both Dungey and Villopoto in his 250 days, was out for victory. Pourcel actually passed Dungey and was about to mount an attack on Villopoto, until his rear tire somehow came off the rim and ruined his moto. That kind of good luck and clutch final-moto riding seemed to bail out the Americans year after year. The 2011 triumph marked seven-straight wins for the Americans.

MX Des Nations

MXoN - The American Future

The 2022 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations return to RedBud in America and while it has been four years that we last visited, the memories of that event stay close to the heart of two of the men who were involved in the promotion of that race. Giuseppe Luongo and Davey Coombs are two of the most powerful men in motocross and their memories of 2018 and the future of the event in America hold strong. Both spoke to mxlarge soon after last years event and the opinion was this relationship would only grow in the future.

Luongo, who has been the main man at many of the sport’s biggest moments the 2018 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations created a relationship with America that he hopes lasts for many years to come.

“For me the big emotion did not come by who wins,” Luongo said. “For us what is important is to organize the greatest event.  This is the MXoN - unpredictable and full drama.  And this is why this event is unique and why we all love the MXoN. I enjoy every race, because all are full of emotion. As always, the 2018 MXoN was full of emotion on the track, also the fans created an amazing atmosphere, and, as always, the racing was unpredictable right up until the last laps of the last heat.”

As for Team USA winning in 2022, Luongo looks forward to the day the greatest winner of this event returns to the top of the MXoN podium. Already in 2022 we might get to see a Team USA victory and I don’t think anyone, including Luongo will be disappointed with that.

“America has a huge potential, it’s the biggest Motorcycle market in the world, there are thousands and thousands of amateurs, and the possibility is definitely there.  I think it’s just a question of making the right choices and a bit of fine-tuning, and for sure the American riders have a great chance to be back on top at the MXoN, people should not count them as goners as with a few minor adjustments they’ll be back.”

Davey Coombs also knows the importance of the relationship between America and the rest of the World and an event like the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations will always bring a sort of relationship that only a race like the MXoN can bring. As for the 2018 event, Coombs was happy for the event, but will no doubt look for a better performance by Team USA in 2022.

“The RedBud event was a huge success,” Coombs said. “Despite the weather and it is great to see it return to our shores. We've had a fantastic summer over here, with big crowds and great racing, as we've been able to "get back to normal" after Covid. I know there has been a lot of discussion about a return to RedBud, and that is certainly be a great choice, but there are a couple of other great tracks and facilities that would make for a great Motocross of Nations in the near future.”

No doubt, both Luongo and Coombs will be excited to see the outcome of the 2022 MXoN and will talk again about reintroducing the race in the near future. USA and Europe and the rest of the World looks forward to the AMA and FIM riders battling as often as possible, and for now, in two weeks’ time, we get to see that happen one more time.

Fly'n Brian Myerscough Interview

MXA INTERVIEW: THE STRUGGLES OF FLY’N BRIAN MYERSCOUGH

On Sep 15, 2022 Last updated Sep 15, 2022

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BY JIM KIMBALL

WHAT CONVINCED YOU TO BECOME A MOTOCROSS RACER? My family lived in Calimesa. It was a small rural town right against the foothills. We had 10 acres, and I could ride my Honda MiniTrail right to the hills. Originally, I started doing trials events, and one day they had a trials at Saddleback, and that is when I first saw Jeff Ward, who was riding a MiniTrail 50. I was in awe of Jeff. He was so naturally talented. I did trials for two years, and then one day at Dead Man’s Point I saw a motocross race and decided, “I gotta try that.”

AND, JUST LIKE THAT, YOU WERE RACING MOTOCROSS? Yes. I was maybe 11 years old. I got a Steen’s 100. It had a Hodaka engine, leading-link forks and 16-inch wheels. I raced it in the 100 Junior class. A lot of the other guys had bigger bikes, like Hodaka Super Rats. My bike was a minicycle size. I got pushed around in the first few races, and then I got a Rickman Micro-Metisse 100. It was a full-size motorcycle with a Hodaka 100 engine in it. I began winning races.

 

YOU KEPT PROGRESSING? For sure. I did well right at the beginning with winning races and progressed from there. There are pictures of me riding the 100 Rickman. I was a small guy who rode big bikes before I got into riding the minicycles full-time.

WHEN DID YOU GET ON A MINICYCLE? We had an SL-70 that we used to race locally. My dad made it happen for me. Initially, my parents said, “You will never race.” My dad wasn’t into motorcycles, but he saw how I enjoyed it and said, “I gotta help that kid.” Bill Bell at Long Beach Honda built my SL-70. He was Mike Bell’s dad. They used to have a 75 Modified class, and I rode a stock 75. The first big minicycle race I went to was the 1973 NMA World Mini Grand Prix at Indian Dunes. I rode two classes. For a 12-and-over Expert rider, there were three main classes: 0-75 stock, 0-75 Modified and then 0-110 Modified. Flying Mike Brown was the fastest guy at Indian Dunes. He was the guy to beat. The Honda XR-75 had just come out, so I rode that in the Stock class, and then the SL-70, which was modified, in the other classes. I ended up winning both those classes.

“A LOT OF THE OTHER GUYS HAD BIGGER BIKES, LIKE HODAKA SUPER RATS. MY BIKE WAS A MINICYCLE SIZE. I GOT PUSHED AROUND IN THE FIRST FEW RACES, AND THEN I GOT A RICKMAN MICRO-METISSE.”

WAS THIS BEFORE TWO-STROKE MINICYCLES? Eventually, the Yamaha YZ80 came out, which was great. I rode that after the Honda. After that World Mini Grand Prix, they had what was called the Nationals at Saddleback. By that time, I was on XR-75s for each of those three classes. I won that event in 1973, and Jeff Ward was second in all of them. Then I got hooked up with J&B Honda and started riding for them. After the YZs came into existence we started racing those. At that time, my brother still rode. My dad bought a Yamaha shop in Redlands, and I was doing well. His main business was as a housing developer who built tract homes. With the Yamaha dealership, we also developed Myerscough Machines with Ted Moorewood. The aftermarket product was coming into existence more, along with mail order.

 

YOU EVENTUALLY WON MANY MINICYCLE RACES, DIDN’T YOU? I did, on both Honda and Yamaha. They had the Grand National Championship in 1985. It was 12 races during the summertime that crossed the United States. Not everybody was going to be able to follow all the races, but Jeff Ward, Mike Brown, Jimmy Holley and myself were there. That year, I won every class in the Grand National Championship series. It was a big deal back then. During that time Jeff Ward, the other kids and I would go to Saddleback and Carlsbad to watch all the pro guys.

Go to www.motocrossactionmag.com for the rest of this very good interview

Jett Headed to 450!

Two-time 250 outdoors champion looking ahead to premier class.

With his proper 450 race debut expected to align with the start of the outdoors season in 2023, the anticipated timing of Jett Lawrence’s advancement to the premier class has been all but formally announced.

The younger Lawrence brother captured the 250SX East regional title in Monster Energy Supercross before dominating the 250MX season outdoors.

Following his Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship triumph last season, Lawrence’s ascension to the 450 ranks has seen few interruptions. However, the 19-year-old’s near future came further into focus as the Fox Raceway finale approached and the Team Australia Motocross of Nations (MXoN) line-up was revealed.

During the Fox Raceway 2 National Staging Area Pre-Race Show produced by American Motocross, Lawrence confirmed the planned start of his 450 career will follow just one more Supercross season on a 250.

“In between Washougal and Unadilla, I did,” Lawrence said, responding to a question from television analyst James Stewart about acquiring seat time on a Honda CRF450R.

“I rode the 450 a lot, then I probably did two days on the 250. And then after this weekend, all next week, we’re going to be testing more motor stuff and more suspension stuff on the 450 to get it more dialed.”

During multiple podium interviews throughout his outdoors campaign, it was clear that Lawrence was thinking ahead to competing on a 450. Additionally, he’ll contest the Open class at MXoN on a 450, with the explicit goal of getting a head start on preparing to race the bike full-time.

Even for the current standout rider in the small-bike class, the transition to the 450 hasn’t been seamless.

“It’s crazy,” Lawrence said. “My 250 suspension feels amazing — I’m so comfortable with that. I know what it does. We took the exact same setting from that and put the forks and shock onto the 450, and it was horrible. It reacted totally different; I had no idea what it was going to do.”

Beyond bike set-up, Lawrence is already thinking about adjusting his riding style to get the most out of the Honda CRF450R.

“I was still, like on a 250, leaning back,” he said. “I almost looped out a couple times.

“Once I got more of that 450 style — staying further forward, being smooth on the throttle, and not just dumping the clutch and letting it go — at the end of the week, I ended up getting a rideable setting I was pretty happy with. But we’ve still got some more things we want to test, especially with the engine, the ECU, and that stuff.”

Lawrence’s first 450 race will occur during the MXoN at Redbud on September 24–25. Fans, the industry, and his competition will watch closely, knowing his full-time debut in the premier class is hardly more than half a year out.

Big Dave's Vet Weekend

32ND BIG DAVE VET HOMECOMING TAKES PLACE THIS WEEKEND AT HIGH POINT RACEWAY

1. 

Our friends at Lojak’s Cycle Sales invite you to come out and join our extended racing family on this special weekend as we celebrate our motocross heritage and the memory of “Big Dave” Coombs (1941-1998) with all of our friends – old and new. This event offers two days of unique racing and a wide selection of vet classes for all skill levels, as well as support classes for our younger racers. Spend Saturday night bench racing over adult beverages. This is a laid-back event that is sure to bring back cool memories

Honda's Side

Honda Statement on its Offer to Ken Roczen

TORRANCE, Calif. — Following Ken Roczen’s comments yesterday regarding his contract negotiations, American Honda Manager of Sports & Experiential Brandon Wilson made the following statement:

“We genuinely enjoy working with Ken and have loved having him on our team for the past six years. We have a ton of respect for the speed and talent he regularly demonstrates on the track, and even more so for the heart and dedication he has shown in returning from severe setbacks. In light of recent comments, we felt the need to clarify a couple of points. We were looking forward to continuing with Ken in 2023, and we recently made him an offer of a contract extension. That offer has never been rescinded, but it was declined by Ken and his team. It’s true that the offer included a stipulation that Ken not compete in a series that has positioned itself as a direct competitor to our supercross and motocross racing partners. We feel it’s important to support our racing partners and to treat all of our riders the same. That said, our esteem and appreciation for Ken are as strong as ever, and they won’t be altered by the fact that our priorities don’t happen to align on this issue.”

KEN ROCZEN “I AM A FREE AGENT”

Two-time Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross champion Ken Roczen took to James Stewart’s Bubba’s World podcast on Thursday with some interesting news. The 28-year-old German was in a contract year with Honda HRC and had yet to sign anything with them for 2023. According to Roczen himself, he is now a free agent moving forward, as the offer he had on the table from Honda was pulled.

Roczen has been with Honda HRC since late 2016 when he made his debut with the team at the Monster Energy Cup. Over the past six years of racing with Honda, he has won several supercross and motocross races while finishing runner up in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross twice. Though he hasn’t quite been able to capture his former championship glory, Roczen has arguably been the face of American Honda for the six years he’s been with the team.

“So, I’m in a position right now… my future has always been kind of set in stone for a long time; months if not years in advance,” said Roczen on Episode 0.8 of Bubba’s World. “This last week, it’s a funky feeling but basically, I am a free agent at this point which is kind of crazy. I’ve never been in that position. But it was ultimately these races that I committed to, these overseas races, and it’s not three anymore, it’s two. I haven’t raced over in Europe in a long time, I’ve never been to Australia. For me, the decision to race those races was fairly easy. Especially this late in my career, it was the right time. It’s just been way too long and since this isn’t a full series yet, I had the opportunity to make that deal. Which was a shocker to me, Honda decided to pull the offer that they gave me a week or a couple of weeks ago, which by the way, was a great offer. I mean, if I wanted to go after the money, then that would have been the smart thing to do. But I have committed to these races, and I just didn’t feel comfortable at all to leave fans hanging.”

Honda has yet to comment on the situation and there certainly are two sides to this story. For Roczen, he had committed to racing in the newly formed FIM World Supercross championship months ago. Since the announcement, there has been wild speculation on which team Roczen will be racing for in WSX since Honda HRC did not commit to the 10-race team program that WSX has laid out.

Read: Honda Releases Statement on Its Offer to Ken Roczen

Now we are less than a month away from the opening round of WSX in Wales and Roczen has still not announced to any of the 10 teams that are committed to race. But Roczen himself remained adamant over the recent stretch that he would be racing the series when the time came.

“There’s a lot of people overseas that don’t have the money to come over here and watch us race,” Roczen continued in his conversation with James Stewart. “So for me to be able to go back over to Europe and Australia next to also having a little bit of vacation. It’s kind of something that we don’t really have much time to do so. I wasn’t ready to disappoint the fans and pull out of this World Supercross thing. I decided to stick with it and Honda just decided to shockingly pull the offer. It was one of those things that had me a little bit shocked, but it’s a funky situation to be in. But at the same time, I’m sticking to my guns because I feel like I owe it to the fans, and I owe it to myself. I was looking forward to this whole thing months and months ago and that’s what I’m going to do.”

As mentioned, Roczen’s three-year extension with Honda HRC, which was announced back in May of 2019, would carry the German aboard the red machine all the way through about now. Contracts usually expire the first of October for that year of racing, which means Roczen was set to become a free agent regardless if he was unable to sign a new contract before that date.

Back in July, Roczen was a guest on the PulpMX Show and expressed an interest in doing supercross and motocross for 2023. While long-time counterpart Eli Tomac is set to race supercross only in 2023, Roczen seemed committed to continue racing the full American schedule with whichever team or brand that may be. In the Bubba’s World episode today, Roczen explained that his Honda contract that they offered him would have only been for supercross as the expectation is for two-time 250 class champion Jett Lawrence to race a 450 for Honda HRC next summer.

“The offer that I got was basically for supercross 2023 and supercross only,” said Roczen. “It was for great money. Everything made sense, and I was very appreciative that that happened. Unfortunately I made this deal that I had with World Supercross months and months ago. And I didn’t even… I was in contract yes with Honda, but we had a mutual agreement that hey, we’re not a big fan of this but for this year it’s a startup and things like that, that they were going to be okay with it. So, we didn’t worry about anything. And at that point, when we made this deal, I didn’t even have an offer yet or anything for the next year.”

 

Honda now has a clear vacancy in the second seat alongside Chase Sexton moving forward, unless Roczen and Honda can come to terms at a later date. It’s unlikely any of that news gets decided in the coming weeks as Honda HRC first has to turn their efforts to helping Chase Sexton, Hunter Lawrence, Jett Lawrence, and Gariboldi Honda transplant Mitch Evans at the 2022 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations next week. Honda HRC will also likely be helping Ruben Fernandez at MXoN.

“For sure got rid of the itch"...RD5 to Hang'em Up Again

Ryan Dungey impressed many this year with his return to racing always hovering around the top five after 5 years off to finish sixth in the championship. But it looks like he was still a bit disappointed not to be closer to the front despite enjoying his return to racing and after rumours it might race again next year it seems Ryan has decided to go back into retirement with his family taking priority.

Speaking to Michael Lindsay of Vital MX, Ryan said: “For sure got rid of the itch…I wanted the challenge of doing this summer and it was good. I’m not going to keep racing after this, this was the last one. I think i got rid of the itch, for me when i stopped in Vegas in 17 I stopped on top and that’s tough because in a way I couldn’t wait to be done but in a way , coudl I have kept going? You play that in your mind. It’s been five years later now I wanted to see from not riding at all over five years, is it possible to get back to that top level of shape. I think with another off-season and more prep we could get there but yeah, just couldn’t bridge the gap. Those guys are fast.”

Tomac Is King!

Tomac takes the crown with an incredible display of toughness.