Deegan Stays at Star Racing

Deegan Re-Signs with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan to join the 450 team in 2026

MARIETTA, Ga. – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing is pleased to announce a multi-year deal with Haiden Deegan that will see him continue with their championship-winning program. The Californian has enjoyed success aboard the team’s YZ250F – going from a title-winning A-class amateur to a multi-time champion in the pro ranks – and looks to continue that success next year as he embarks on his rookie season aboard the YZ450F. In 2026, he will join the 450 team, starting the year off by making another Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX title run under the 450 tent, and then launching his premier class title campaign with them in Pro Motocross and the SMX World Championship Finals.

Since joining the team’s amateur program in the fall of 2021, Deegan has been a proven title contender, winning multiple national titles and going on to enjoy a stellar pro debut season with Rookie of the Year honors in both supercross and motocross, and his first 250SMX title. In just three years, the 19-year-old has amassed an impressive number of titles and race wins aboard the team’s YZ250F. In addition to earning back-to-back 250SMX titles (2023-2024), he secured the 2024 Pro Motocross 250MX Championship and the 2025 250SX West Championship a round early. He currently has seven 250SX wins, 12 250MX overall wins, and three 250SMX wins.

With three rounds remaining of the outdoor season before the SuperMotocross World Championship Finals, it’s already been a storied season for Deegan. After sealing the deal on his first 250SX title with four wins and a total of nine podium finishes, he went on to launch a formidable title defense outdoors. The reigning 250MX and 250SMX Champion has earned five overall victories and 10 moto wins thus far, giving him a comfortable 45-point lead in the 250MX Championship and a 103-point lead in the 250SMX Combined Points. As the 2025 season comes to a close, Deegan has his sights set on securing the crown in both championships to cap off a successful tenure with the 250 team.

Jim Roach – Yamaha Racing Department Manager for YMUS

Team Yamaha Early 80s

Imagine the payroll on this bunch! Look closely and you'll spot our own #33.

Old School Suspension Testing

                                                                                    

KTM on Herlings Return

Jeffrey Herlings has recovered sufficiently from a broken right collarbone to return to MXGP action this weekend in the deep sand of Lommel.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider steered his KTM 450 SX-F through a training session in the Netherlands yesterday (Thursday) and felt fit and happy enough to confirm his attendance this weekend in Limburg, Belgium.

The 30-year-old Dutchman won in Lommel in 2024 and his ability and speed in the sand is world renowned. Herlings was victorious in Germany and Latvia this season (from the nine rounds he has contested) before missing events in Finland and Czechia due to the collarbone injury sustained while training and has been almost a full month in a natural recovery and rehab process.

Joel Smets, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Jeffrey went riding today and felt good and strong enough to enter the GP this weekend in Lommel. We’re happy to have him back but we have to be realistic about what to expect. Jeffrey is the sandmaster but has still missed two races and will have to build-up his feeling again. The team have had some fantastic results recently and we’re focused on both MXGP and MX2 titles. With the #84 also in the gate then we know we can continue to set the pace.”

Tony Cairoli All Things Racing!

Combined SMX points lead ‘definitely motivating’ Cooper

Premier class contender has posted a strong 2025 season to date.

Image: Octopi Media.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper sits atop the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) points tally after posting a consistently fast season of racing, indicating that it’s ‘definitely motivating’ to lead the premier class standings.

Cooper has been solid this season, having made all 17 Monster Energy Supercross races, while also competing in the eight Pro Motocross events contested so far. Six podiums across the board highlight his speed, with a P2 finish at the Indianapolis Supercross his season-high result.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, however, with the 27-year-old experiencing a violent fall during qualifying at the Spring Creek National, charging on to a hard-fought 10th-place finish. Taking the week off before Washougal, Cooper would again grit his teeth for a P6 overall result leading into the two-week break.

“I took the week off, I was definitely sore from Millville,” commented Cooper. “I kind of landed on my left side and head, so the trauma from slamming the ground at that speed is what has got me right now, but I taped up the shoulder and just tried to reset [at Washougal], and go into it like a normal day. I would say it was a solid day considering what we were dealt, but I’m looking for more after the break.”

Keeping Cooper on the line has been his position in the SMX standings, as the number 32 overtook absent teammate and 450SX Supercross champion Cooper Webb after the seventh round in Millville at the top of the points table with three regular season races remaining.

“It’s special,” Cooper continued. “It’s definitely motivating me, and probably why I am racing on. We have three more rounds before SMX starts up, and I’m looking to get back to form and finish this series out strong – we still have a shot at P3 in the outdoor championship, so we’ll rest up and come out strong for Ironman.”

Cooper now holds a 45-point advantage over Webb in SMX, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton is third and a further 31 markers down. In addition, he currently sits P4 in the Pro Motocross standings, eight points from teammate Eli Tomac in third place.

Three rounds remain in the American outdoor campaign for 2025, before the high-profile SMX post-season officially commences at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, from September 7.

ROGER DECOSTER STEPS DOWN AS TEAM USA MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS TEAM MANAGER

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, five-time 500 World Champion Roger DeCoster has retired as the manager of the U.S. Roger DeCoster Retires as Motocross of Nations Team USA Managerteam, capping a 44-year career during which he guided U.S. riders to 25 titles at the annual FIM World Championship event.

“Roger De Coster’s impact on Motocross in America is indelible and without compare,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “On behalf of the AMA Board of Directors, AMA staff and AMA members everywhere, I extend our heartfelt gratitude for the decades of leadership, guidance and numerous FIM World Championships. Roger, we couldn’t have done it without you.”

The MXDN is the premier motocross race in the world. In 2024, three-rider teams from 36 countries converged on Matterley Basin in Winchester, U.K., to battle for the FIM Chamberlain Cup. This year’s event is at Ironman Raceway USA in Crawfordsville, Ind., Oct. 3-5.

Roger celebrated his 81st birthday 4 days ago, but he is in amazing shape.

Roger DeCoster has managed the American Motocross des Nations 36 times, four of those included the Trophee des Nations race that prior to 1984 featured 250cc motorcycles. With DeCoster at the helm, Team USA has won the MXDN 21 times and the Trophee des Nations four times. IT should be noted that we didn’t sned a Team USA in 1979, 1980, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2020, and 2021

“I always wanted our sport to become bigger, more important and more respected around the world,” said, Roger De Coster, “This is why I raced in many places around the world besides the GPs — Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Australia — and ended up in the United States for good. For me, the Motocross des Nations became the single biggest race of the year, and I am very thankful to the U.S. riders and all the people who supported this event with their best efforts and gave me the support to fulfill a lot of my dreams. Thank you, all.”

Starting this year, in alignment with the approach of most FIM National Federations, the AMA Director of Racing will lead the team, working closely with the individual riders’ team managers to prepare the riders, develop strategy and take responsibility for key decisions.

Roger DeCoster remains active in the sport as the Motorsports Director for KTM North America. Previously, he was the team manager for Team Honda and Team Suzuki before taking the helm of the KTM factory team in both AMA Supercross and Motocross.

Prado very honest about his situation on the Kawasaki

As someone who was saw Jorge Prado riding every year in person since he was on an 85, it is pretty clear the real Jorge Prado has not shown up in the USA yet. And as Eli Tomac showed and admitted at Millville, even he can look unlike his real self when he is not comfortable on his Yamaha, a bike he has won motos on this year.

Prado is yet to find a setting that allows his to show his MXGP level, but he is not doubting himself and just waiting for bike improvements to show his real level.

In a very, very honest interview with Lewis Phillips Jorge said: “I didn’t really feel good in Millville, and we tried to make some small improvements for second moto, and I wasn’t feeling good, but at least I could kind of roll the track. Yeah. So, that’s it.”

“I know what I do. And I know what I’m capable of. That’s it. Good is if I win, right? And in Southwick, it wasn’t good. I never felt good. I’ve been racing sand forever. So for me, then I can compensate a lot just because of my riding. And that’s it. I mean, even Redbud, when I was leading, I felt like I was racing in slow motion. I don’t even know how I made it 15 minutes first when I was just cruising around the track. So, yeah, just trying to get out of cruise mode.

“So one thing, it’s clear and it’s that I didn’t win two years in a row the MXGP world title because I was lucky. I know my level, I know what I can do if I feel good. So I’m not stressing. It’s just a matter of time to figure things out and hopefully we can make improvements and go in a better direction. The team is trying to doing their best. And I’m doing my best. So like I said, it’s just a matter of time.”

Watch the full, captivating interview below from 7 minutes 45 seconds in as Prado compares struggling on his GasGas in 2022 except “Power was not an issue” back then and this time there are “multiple issues.” Prado even talks about if he will ride for team Spain at the MXoN…

Chase Back on the Box

Returning 450MX champion details Spring Creek podium.

In his second race back from injury, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton returned to the 450MX podium at Spring Creek with a third-place overall, building momentum after missing time earlier in the season. Check In with Sexton as he reflects on Millville and the build toward the 2025 SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs.

Image: Octopi Media.

Chase, I think you’re 30 or 40 seconds back. You have a front row seat to the pace that [Jett and Hunter Lawrence] are running. What do you need to do to be better?

Go faster down the hills. I was losing a lot of time and after about 15 minutes said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to get to the next race and not try and kill myself down these things.’ For me, they felt really, really sketchy and the track was very fast. I was just a little bit uncomfortable, but also they kept the same pace the whole time and just pulled away – they were riding really well and looked like they were really comfortable. So yeah, we lived to fight for another weekend and I just want to get better and better. I feel like my early laps were better today, but yeah, just really slow. I think I got to walk down the hill faster than I was going.

Coming back obviously from injury, these last two rounds – a P5 at RedBud and P3 here – is this right around the range of your expectations? Then, what do you take from these two top five overalls into Washougal and the rest of the outdoor season?

Yeah, I didn’t really have too high of expectations coming in. For whatever reason, I felt like I was a rookie again at Red Bud. I don’t know why. I felt super like out of place and I was able to ride pretty well second moto but I still had a ways to go. And even today, I got a little bit better speed-wise at the beginning. But just like I said, we got a lot of work to do with the bike with myself and it’s just an ongoing battle. But I think next week in Washougal, I really like and from here on out the tracks, I really enjoy so we’ll see. Just try and get better and try and battle with these two. They’ve been crushing it.

We’re going into the third year of the SMX Championship and we’ve seen how this plays out. You’ve missed some time this year, and several of your competitors dropped out this week as well. After taking time off, what’s the dynamic like – trying to race all season, keep yourself healthy, or take a break when you know you need it, then come in for that final push?

Yeah, I hadn’t missed a race in a while so it was nice to have some time off, but I wanted to come back obviously to get a good enough point seed for the first race. I came in leading last year’s and it didn’t work out very well. I only think I finished the second moto at the last round, so just trying to come in and get a good seed, and then also just try to get some momentum back on my side and start to fire in those last three outdoors.

International Vet MX