Tomac vs Sexton Take Your Pick

T-Dog’s Takes: The Greatest Title Fight Ever

by Troy DogSeptember 1, 2022, 12:36 pm 

Notice that this column now has a sponsor? That’s right! Troy Dog joined the Blu Cru and you should too! I have one in my garage right now and I can’t wait to go shred it! Thank you to Yamaha for believing in my ELITE columns on this dirt bike website enough to sponsor me. What a dream come true! BTW: Have you seen the all-new YZ450F? OH. MY. GOODNESS. I can’t wait to test that bad boy.

Wow! I simply cannot believe this Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship chase right now in the 450 class! I can’t remember the last time a championship came down to the final round, especially in the Premier class with one point separating the top two. Obviously when the championship comes down to the final round it’s not impossible for the title to go to the rider second in the series. Usually the 450 championship leader has a pretty sizeable points gap heading into the final pair of motos. We’ve really been treated to a spectacular season this summer, but to have veteran Eli Tomac and young up and comer Chase Sexton in a winner take all final round truly takes the cake. Now which one of these guys will get to eat it too?

If you think about it, it’s really cool that Chase and Eli are here digging this out. They both came up through the now defunct Amsoil Factory Connection Honda amatuer team (GEICO Honda on the pro side). Both are regional champions, but right there is where the similarities really end. Sexton is the on the verge rider in the sport. He’s 22 years old and he could potentially take the sport by storm in the next few years and win everything. He’s young, he’s fast, and he knows what it takes to win championships. His picturesque riding form is like watching Bob Ross paint a masterpiece. Chase can smell this championship and he will do whatever it takes to win it. To be 22 years old and on the verge of your first championship in the premier class, well that doesn’t really happen anymore.

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On the other hand, you have Tomac, one of the all-time greats in this sport. He’s racked up so many wins and he’s close to the top of the all-time wins list in both Supercross and motocross. The only thing that Eli doesn’t have on his side is time. Although he’s one point ahead in the championship, his peak days appear to be over and he can probably smell retirement at this moment. That’s not a diss on Tomac. At 30 years old his body has seen wear and tear unlike any other discipline in the world.. He has claimed that this will be his final motocross season and he’s going to do whatever it takes to put this championship plate on the mantle at home in Colorado. 

So, now that we set the stage for what I hope to be one of the all-time greatest motocross races ever at Fox Raceway this weekend, I have to give my two cents. Who do I think is  going to take it? Well to preface my answer, I want to stay out of all drama related to who I finally pick. Both riders are deserving, however. as an unbiased ELITE journalist in this sport, I get paid the big bucks to call it like I see it. Sexton is very good at Fox Raceway. Sexton is good everywhere. Tomac is good at Fox Raceway. Tomac is good everywhere. I truly hope this comes down to 60 minutes +4 laps of back-and-forth action and I hope it doesn’t come down to a crash or a DNF. The rider that I picked for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will be Eli Tomac. Tomac has a chip on his shoulder because he will never get the chance to win another motocross championship. Yes, he will race Supercross and possibly World Supercross, but no more outdoors. Tomac’s championship experience will help him get the job done 

I know that Sexton reads my columns and he likes some of my tweets on Twitter, so I know this is gonna hurt by saying this. I’m sorry bro it’s nothing personal. I promise. It’s just Eli freaking Tomac.

Alright boys, let’s get down to business and may the best man win.

Extreme heat forces reduced moto lengths at Fox Raceway

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Post: Alex Gobert

Pro Motocross finals to feature a revised schedule this Saturday.

Moto lengths have been reduced ahead of this weekend’s 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship finals due to extreme temperatures currently affecting in the region.

Fox Raceway is forecast to reach 103 degrees on Saturday, with the decision made by MX Sports Pro Racing to drop the motos from 30 minutes to 25 minutes plus two laps.

In addition, the seconds motos at round 12 of the season will be contested half and hour later than usual, providing riders and teams appropriate time to further recover for the afternoon action.

Both the 450MX and 250MX championships will be decided this weekend, with Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) and Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) separated by just a single point in the premier class, while Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) is expected to clinch his second-straight 250 crown.

50th Anniversary of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Finale in San Diego County

The Fox Raceway II National will commence on Saturday, Sept. 3, headlined by the closest title fight in the history of American motocross. Photo courtesy Align Media

Looking for something to do on the unofficial end of summer Labor Day weekend? Keep reading.

After a summer filled with one of the most memorable and competitive seasons of all time, the 50th Anniversary of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is set to crown champions as it returns to the motocross epicenter of Southern California for a dramatic finale that will kick off Labor Day weekend from Pala’s Fox Raceway in San Diego County.

The Fox Raceway II National will commence on Saturday, Sept. 3, headlined by the closest title fight in the history of American motocross.

“During such a major milestone season we should be treated with the most compelling championship battle in motocross history,” said Davey Coombs, president of MX Sports Pro Racing. “The incredible action on the track that we’ve been treated to this summer has only been surpassed by tremendous crowds that are amongst the biggest we’ve seen in many, many years. Hundreds of thousands of passionate motocross fans have cheered on these exceptional athletes from all over the world and there’s no better place to watch the culmination of this historic season than Southern California, the proverbial home of the sport.”

Fox Raceway kicked off the 2022 season over Memorial Day weekend in May, with an event that featured the venue’s largest crowd to date that set the tone for the exceptional season that unfolded throughout the summer.

The sprawling landscape sits on the Pala Reservation of the Pala Band of Mission Indians and has served as one of motocross’ most high-profile Southern California venues for more than a decade. Its desert setting, with dry, arid conditions, makes for one of the sport’s most unique challenges that when combined with the high temperatures of late summer, will provide a significant final test of physical and mental fortitude for these world-class athletes. The riders who emerge triumphant at the season’s final event will be deserving of their success.

Headlining the anticipated battles that will unfold at Fox Raceway is arguably the greatest championship showdown of all time in the premier 450 Class between Colorado’s Eli Tomac, a multi-time champion, newly named ESPY Award winner, and one of the most decorated racers in history, and Illinois’ Chase Sexton, an up-and-comer amid a breakout season that has pushed him to the brink of stardom.

With four wines, just a single point separates Tomac and Sexton as they enter the 12th and final stop of this landmark season, the smallest margin in a championship battle over five decades of competition. This showdown of veteran experience versus ascending talent has captivated the global audience of the world’s most prestigious off-road motorcycle racing series and will reach its crescendo at Fox Raceway, where both riders have won twice, to put an exclamation point on a season that will forever be remembered in the annals of the sport. 

Australian Jett Lawrence is on the verge of capturing his second straight 250 Class title at just 19 years of age. Photo: Align Media

Event Information

Fox Raceway II National

Round 12: 50th Anniversary Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

Fox Raceway – Pala

SUNSHINE STATE VINTAGE MX PAX TRAX EDITION 2022

Apr 24, 2022 Sights and sound of the Sunshine State Vintage Motocross Club Series Race, Round 10, April 24, 2022 at the Pax Trax in Bunnel Florida

The Hurricane Was Always Creative!

FORGOTTEN MOTOCROSS TECH: HURRICANE HANNAH’S MOST INNOVATIVE IDEAS

MXA Aug 30, 2022

Motocross history is filled with examples of creative ideas that were heralded as groundbreaking, but, because of the rapid rate of change in development, sank into the swamp of forgotten technology. Although some are best left abandoned, others were truly innovative (if not ultimately successful). MXA loves to reveal motocross’ tech trivia. Do you remember these ideas? Hannah Racing Products (HRP).

The ubiquitous HRP Flak Jak.

Bob Hannah is famous for many things—his AMA National Championships, bold public statements, ramming Kent Howerton and his 1987 Motocross des Nations victory—but his longest-lasting contribution to the sport is often forgotten. At the height of his motocross fame, Bob Hannah started Hannah Racing Products (HRP), and, as you would expect from such an eccentric person, his gear ideas were very unique. While many of his most creative ideas were misses, he had one major hit that changed the way motocross racers dress today.

In 1981 Bob Hannah showed up wearing the first-ever all-plastic chest protector, the HRP Flak Jak. The $70 Flak Jak was a front and back design that used arched shoulder cups to join the two halves. Inside the shoulder cups were nets that kept the plastic pieces off the rider’s body. Before the HRP Flak Jak, most chest protectors were padded cloth designs with plastic pieces sewn on. Hannah went all plastic, and eventually every company would copy his design.

Gary Jones in HRP Hi-Back pants.

Not as successful were his $128 HRP Hi-Back pants, which combined the pant and kidney belt into one piece. Functionally, the Hi-Backs were incredible to wear, as the kidney belt stayed centered over the small of the rider’s back and the kidney belt kept the pants in place; however, they didn’t catch on, largely because riders didn’t know what to do with the kidney belt when they were in the pits.

HRP’s Bio-Foam jersey looked like a typical cotton jersey but with padded Bio-Foam shoulder panels sewn in. You could wear the jersey by itself or in conjunction with the HRP Flak Jak. Unfortunately, the Bio-Foam shoulders weren’t as happy in the washing machine as the cotton was. Bob sold the HRP and Flak Jak names in 1987. HRP is still in business today, but without Bob.

Great Britain Extend World Trophy Lead With FIM ISDE Day Three Win

Reaching the halfway point in this year’s FIM International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) Great Britain took victory on Day Three to further strengthen their lead in the World Trophy competition.

Leaving the beaten-up special tests of Days One and Two behind them, the FIM ISDE competitors today headed south into the Loziere region for a new course and new tests to.

With momentum behind them following their Day Two win, Great Britain were on a charge. With all four riders again featuring inside the top fifteen in the outright classification, they steadily etched out their lead to win by fifty-eight seconds over Italy.

They now enter the second half of the FIM ISDE with a two minute and twenty-three second lead over Italy.

For the third day in a row, Italy placed as the runners up. While not getting close enough to challenge for victory they are proving incredibly consistent and are ready to capitalise on any mistakes that may befall their rivals.

There was added reason to be upbeat in the Italian camp with Andrea Verona (GASGAS) also closing out Day Three with his first outright win of the week.

“I feel all week that I have been riding well, but today it just came together,” told Verona. “I remembered the lines quite well in the new tests and was in a big fight for the win with Josep (Garcia). On the final test I just gave it full gas and it worked out.”

Spain was third today to maintain their position of third overall in the race. Similarly, France took fourth, with the United States fifth, mirroring their World Trophy standings.

However, after three days of racing, only three hundredths of a second separate both France and the United States, which is set to make for an exciting second half of the FIM ISDE.

Mindset of Lawrence unchanged entering Pala finals

News 29 Aug 2022

 Competition Post: Troy Guenther

Australian targeting overall victory to conclude 250MX season.

Image: Octopi Media.

The mindset of Hunter Lawrence remains unchanged entering the final round of the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Fox Raceway as he trails Jo Shimoda by seven points for P2 in the 250MX standings.

Lawrence started the year in fine form, scoring a worst result of P4 across the opening 10 motos of the season.

Misfortune sporadically throughout the rounds since has seen the number 96 lose crucial points to the red plate and come under pressure from the in-form Jo Shimoda, who relegated Lawrence to third in the standings following Budds Creek.

Lawrence has scored three race wins and 13 podiums across the 11 rounds this season but has been unable to land a 250MX overall victory in 2022. Achieving such is at the forefront of his mentality entering the Fox Raceway finals.

“Just same as it has been, go in and try to win,” explained Lawrence. “That’s all it has been. We have had a bit of bad luck this season, it is what it is, second or third, it’s not first.

“Regardless I’m going there to try and win, get an overall and it will be what it will be, like I said, we came in with goals to win [the championship], and it is looking like it is pretty slim now. So we will just go in and try to get an overall win, and yeah, just do me.”

Despite additional bonus money awarded to Lawrence if he can secure second in the championship, he stated that is not his motivation and looks forward to successful years ahead with an improved 2022.

After 11 rounds last year in 250MX, Lawrence had 349 points, two moto wins and five podiums to his credit. While he was also P3 in the standings then, the CRF250R rider has 430 points now entering the 12th stop in the 2022 series, highlighting the steps made in the last 12 months.

The Australian notched 3-2 results at Ironman on Saturday but was demoted two points from the opening moto for jumping under a wheels on the ground flag, which ultimately demoted him to third overall on the day.

Round 12 of this year’s Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship takes place this Saturday in Pala, CA.

Motocross riders head to Badlands for Day 2 of Red Bull Outliers

More than 500 meters of track were installed at Olympic Plaza Friday, helping turn downtown Calgary into a motocross track.

That's because the city hosted the first leg of the Red Bull Outliers event Saturday, until heavy rain wiped out the late afternoon portion of the competition.

"Safety and security of the participants and spectators is always a primary focus for Red Bull," said spokesperson Alexandra Martineau in a release. "Therefore, following discussions with local authorities, we have decided to discontinue Red Bull Outliers in Olympic Plaza – Calgary downtown."

That early shutdown didn't change the plan for Sunday, however, when Red Bull Outliers switches to the Badlands, near Steveville.

More than 250 drivers from around the world are taking part in the event, which had its Calgary debut in 2019, before being shut down the past two summers due to the pandemic.

One of the drivers is Lexi Pechout, a Calgarian, who spoke to CTV News Friday.

"Because it's part of the World Enduro series, we have lots of people coming in from Europe, the U.S., all over the world to come to this event, so it's a really big deal for it to be in the city," Pechout said.

Lexi Pechout is a Calgary motocross rider competing in the Red Bull Outliers event

It was a really big deal for Pechout to be competing at home, too.

"It's fun to compete with friends and family here too," she said. "Having an event in your home city is always fun.

"And being able to connect with people that way too."

Sunday's Badlands event has free admission.

Steveville is a ghost town in southeastern Alberta near Brooks, on Township Road 2204.

Foxhill: Team USA wins Senior MXDN/Motocross

America, featuring superstars like Ryan Villopoto, Mike Brown and Zach Osborne, took the overall win at the Veterans Motocross at Foxhill.

The famous Foxhill British Grand Prix circuit was home to the Veteran Nations Motocross (VMXDN) over the weekend. With its long climbs and descents, the traditional slope near Swindon in County Wiltshire is very dry and relatively slippery.

A highlight of the event was the team race for the legends on retro two-stroke bikes from different eras. In this race, American stars Ryan Villopoto, Mike Brown (both Yamaha 250) and Zach Osborne (Husqvarna) finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th consecutively after winning the opening race.

Nevertheless, the local heroes showed plenty of fighting spirit in front of their home crowd as the fans cheered them on. Brad Anderson in particular showed himself strongly with his 250cc Honda. During his chase, he overtook his team-mate Mel Pocock – the two Brits finishing the race in 3rd and 5th respectively.

At the end of the race, Anderson and Villopoto were in a fierce battle for P3, which Anderson narrowly won. Race victory went to Northern Ireland’s Neville Bradshaw with a 500 two-stroke Honda. A third Briton – Kurt Nicol – finished 16th. In the end, however, America secured overall victory.

2022 Team USA Motocross of Nations Team

Pickerington, Ohio — The United States will be represented by three of its fastest motocross racers at the 2022 Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Motocross of Nations, which returns to American soil at RedBud MX in Buchanan, Mich., on Sept. 23-25.

The 2022 U.S. Motocross of Nations team includes 2022 AMA Supercross 450SX Champion Eli Tomac, 2021 AMA Supercross 250SX West Champion Justin Cooper, and AMA Supercross 450SX competitor Chase Sexton.

“We’ve put together a strong team of riders for the Motocross of Nations this year,” said AMA Director of Racing Mike Pelletier, “and we believe Eli, Justin and Chase — all talented, accomplished racers — can put the U.S. on the top step of the podium in front of the home crowd at RedBud. I look forward to watching them take on the world for the United States this September.”

Team captain Tomac will be competing on the U.S. Motocross of Nations team for the fourth time and will race in the event’s MXGP Class.

“It’s an honor to be racing for Team USA this year at Motocross of Nations,” Tomac said. “I believe our team is very strong this year and we have a great shot at winning, but we will never underestimate our competitors and the challenge of the event itself. The race pace has been at an all-time high in the [Pro Motocross] series, so I’m looking forward to putting our speed, pace, and consistency to the test. With the race at RedBud we will be more motivated than ever to have a top-step result.”

Cooper will be competing on the team for the second time, racing in the MX2 Class.

“It means a lot to me to be picked to represent Team USA,” Cooper said, “especially because it’s in our country this year. Just like in 2019, I will give everything I have to represent my country right. It’s an honor and I’m so excited to be picked for the MX2 Class.”

It will be Sexton’s inaugural appearance in Motocross of Nations competition, and he will race in the Open Class.

“I’m super-stoked to be picked for the Motocross of Nations,” Sexton said. “It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was little, watching Ricky Carmichael, Travis Pastrana, James Stewart and the other Team USA riders. It’s such a cool race —something like no other. I went to the Motocross of Nations at RedBud in 2018 and got to watch, and now I’m excited to race it. It’s going to be special for me, having grown up like two hours away from RedBud, because it’s my home race. I’m stoked about it, and the goal is to hopefully go there and win.”

AMA Motocross Hall of Fame Legend Roger DeCoster will again manage the U.S. team as it strives to secure the world championship. DeCoster, who heads up KTM, GASGAS and Husqvarna’s racing efforts in AMA Supercross and the Pro Motocross series, took part in six victorious FIM Motocross of Nations teams back in the 1960s and 1970s, and is a five-time motocross World Champion.

“I am really happy with the way things are coming along for the Motocross of Nations at Red Bud,” said Roger DeCoster. “Clearly there is a different feel than recent past years. We now have the best three riders, and their teams are excited to go. Nine events have gone by since we won in France and the pressure will be enormous, but I feel that the way they have been racing, Eli, Chase and Justin will be up to the task.”

The FIM Motocross of Nations — which emerged in post-war Europe in 1947 — is one of the world’s most high-profile motorsports events. National teams from across the globe compete for a combined score to determine the overall championship-winning country.

The U.S. team still holds the record as all-time leader in FIM Motocross of Nations overall team victories, having won the event 22 times — 20 of them with DeCoster as team manager. The last time the U.S. team claimed a Motocross of Nations victory was in 2011.