Seat Concepts
Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 3:26PM Jetts out but...Jett Lawrence and Cooper Webb behind the scenes. Relaxed vibes and a reminder that even the fastest guys in the building know how to keep it fun. Same speed. Different personalities. All 100%.
Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 3:14PM It proved to be a pivotal day at this year’s Dakar Rally, as the second part of the marathon stage delivered yet another reshuffle in the overall standings.
Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 3:00PM Stop and say hello to Jeff at the Expo and see all the new featuress of The Slacker suspension tool.
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 5:23PM 
Motocross and the body: Performance at the limit of endurance
Motocross often looks easier than it is. Jumps appear clean, lines logical, everything seems controlled. Those merely standing on the sidelines see little of what's really going on. Only after spending more time there – as a rider, spectator, or someone familiar with the scene – do you realize how much of it is just a facade.
Because motocross doesn't begin with the first jump. It begins in the body. And that body is in a state of heightened intensity from the very start.
The moment everything starts up
As soon as the motorcycle starts rolling, the body switches gears. It happens automatically. Pulse quickens, breathing becomes rapid, tension builds throughout. Adrenaline takes over. Not because you're particularly brave, but because it's necessary. Without this state, high-level motocross wouldn't be possible.
Many underestimate this. Adrenaline feels good, sure. But it's not a gift. It's a tool for stressful situations – and motocross is almost entirely about that. Starting gates, jostling, changing terrain, ruts, other riders. There's never a moment when you can truly relax.
The pain is there – just later
Anyone who thinks drivers don't feel pain during a race is mistaken. They just don't feel it immediately. Endorphins mask a lot. Bruises, sprains, minor fractures are ignored. Not out of toughness, but because that's how the body regulates itself.
The rude awakening comes later. When everything shuts down and the body signals what really happened. Many injuries aren't recognized until hours later. Sometimes not until the next day. Anyone who's been around for a while knows these moments.
The heart is constantly working at its limit.
Motocross isn't a typical endurance sport, but it puts a brutal strain on the cardiovascular system. High heart rates over extended periods are normal. There are hardly any periods when the body truly recovers. If you're not physically prepared, you don't immediately lose speed; you lose precision. And precision is everything in motocross. Small mistakes quickly become big – and can have painful consequences.
The actual burden is not visible.
The hardest work doesn't happen during the big jumps, but in between. Landings, accelerating out of deep ruts, constant recovery. Every impact travels through legs, back, arms. Some of it is absorbed by the landing gear, the rest ends up in the body. The danger isn't the single hard moment, but the repetition. Lap after lap. Training session after training session. Many injuries develop gradually. You don't notice them immediately – but years later.
What's often forgotten: Motocross isn't about relaxed riding. It's about holding on. Holding on with your legs, stabilizing with your core, controlling with your arms. Your muscles often work without movement, under constant tension. Arm pump is the most well-known example of this. When blood flow to the muscle can't keep up, you lose feeling. So does strength. And then a race is quickly over – no matter how fast you actually were.
Injuries are part of the sport.
Motocross is prone to injuries. Anyone who's been in it for a while knows that. Collarbone, shoulder, knee, wrists – the list goes on. What's striking is that many injuries don't happen in races, but in training. That's where you're trying to get faster. Where you're pushing your limits. The body doesn't differentiate between training and racing. Wear and tear is wear and tear.
In the end, it's often the mind that decides.
The longer a run lasts, the more the mind decides. Lines change, the track becomes uneven, mistakes creep in. Mental fatigue doesn't manifest as exhaustion, but as inaccuracy. That's why many drivers today work specifically on their mental strength. Not to become more aggressive, but calmer and clearer.
Why we keep coming back
All of this sounds clinical. Physical limits, pain, wear and tear, injuries. And yet, every weekend, riders line up at the starting line. Not because they have to. But because they want to. Motocross demands everything: concentration, fitness, discipline, and the ability to endure hardship. There's no autopilot, no safe comfort zone. Every lap is new, every track different, every mistake palpable. That's precisely what makes this sport so brutal – and so honest.
And perhaps that's precisely why so many never truly let go, despite everything. Because there's hardly anything comparable. That feeling when everything comes together. When body, motorcycle, and road become one for a few minutes. When noise, fatigue, and doubt disappear, and all that remains is riding.
Objectively, motocross is one of the toughest sports in the world. Subjectively – for those who live it – it's simply the coolest.
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at 8:18PM Reigning Supercross champion holds the momentum entering 2026.
Too often has Cooper Webb been overlooked in the Monster Energy Supercross 450SX title picture, even while holding three premier class titles and again entering with the number one plate in 2026. That said, with Anaheim 1 marking a brand new series this weekend, it is Webb who many believe starts this season as favorite.
Flying under the radar has been a theme throughout the 30-year-old’s career, despite having earned a solid haul of amateur and professional championships. This narrative nearly cost him a shot at the pro ranks, with a lifeline at Star Racing Yamaha getting him lined up as a rookie in 2013.
Fittingly, he delivered last year’s 450SX title to the organization, but he was once again an underdog, with the pre-season spotlight on Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive), Chase Sexton (Monster Energy Kawasaki), and then teammate Eli Tomac – who has since moved onto Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Webb would ultimately walk away victorious in a season that went down to the wire with Sexton, marking his third premier class crowns – together with his 2019 and 2021 titles – and a sweet one to obtain at that.
“A long time ago, when I was a 17-year-old kid, they [Star Racing] were the only team in this paddock that gave me an opportunity,” Webb said moments after claiming last year’s championship. “To repay them at this level feels amazing.
“It’s talked about all the time – I’m not Jett, I’m not Chase, I’m not Eli… but I like to say that I’m Cooper-freaking-Webb dude, and I feel like I can get it done. It wasn’t likely, entering the year I wasn’t number one on the list, but I used that as motivation to put myself there.”
Image: Octopi Media.
It is 100 percent true what he says, for whatever reason. I say that because, alongside his trio of championships, he has finished runner-up twice (2020 and 2024), as well as third overall in 2023. That’s an ultra-impressive record, showing both the speed to win and consistency to stay there for an entire season.
Which is why there is no question this year that he is the favorite, and it’s important to both say and acknowledge. And although I would see it as a fact regardless, there are additional reasons that strengthen the case.
Firstly is the absence of the now triple Monster Energy SMX World Championship title-holder, Jett Lawrence. Next, the high-profile team switches between both Sexton and Tomac, and then Hunter Lawrence’s yet-to-be-seen consistent indoor form. Lastly, there is Ken Roczen’s (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) initial fast pace, but mid-season struggles to consider.
Naturally, Jett casts a major shadow over the sport because of what he can do on a motorcycle. A serious pre-season foot and ankle injury, however, will effectively rule him out of any title chances. In fact, most don’t expect him back until Pro Motocross come May.
For Sexton and Tomac, they’ll embark on their maiden campaigns with both Monster Energy Kawasaki and Red Bull KTM, respectively, and although both remain title prospects, one would think that there will be some teething moments as they come to grips with their new surroundings.
Not to say that it can’t be done, but lining up against Webb – who is now in his third year with Star Racing this time around – it’ll be challenging to go up against someone with that level of comfort and continuity in year one on all-new teams.
Importantly, Webb will compete on a refreshed YZ450F in 2026, with the new platform perhaps throwing some curveballs his way during the season. Asked about the new machine and defending the title, he remained optimistic.
“My title defense in 2022 – I have a lot of PTSD from that one because it was terrible, and ironically, we also had a new bike that year [laughs],” mentioned Webb during December’s SMX Media Days in Anaheim. “But we’re working hard, and the bike is getting better, so I have a lot of confidence there.
“But I think just not taking [defending] lightly. A few times I have won and – you don’t get complacent – you kind of feel like [it’s] job done. This year is opposite – now I want to go out there and show why I won.”
As for Hunter, he can be considered a wildcard. By all accounts, the former 250SX East class champion is in fine form at the test track and has undoubtedly risen through both the SMX post-season and Pro Motocross ranks in the 450 class to be considered as a genuine threat.
That form has yet to transfer over to Supercross, with an injury at Tampa’s fifth round last year, coupled with ninth overall in his rookie 450SX campaign in 2024, leaving us yet to see what the elder Lawrence brother can do in the series.
Lastly, it’s important to recognize that Roczen held the red plate during the early stages of last season. The evergreen 31-year-old remains one of the most explosive riders at the beginning of races, which, interestingly, translates to his season-long narrative too.
Watch for the number 94 to be ultra-fast from the outset, but the story will be whether he can maintain a championship-contending pace from January to May.
All said, it’s finally time that Webb is consider the favorite, as he eyes rarefied air this year by joining an exclusive group of riders with four or more 450SX titles. That honor belongs only to Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto, and Ryan Dungey, which isn’t a bad club to join for a rider typically deemed an underdog.
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at 11:12AM MXVice...Herlings has become HRC Honda MXGP's Jeffrey Herlings now, as he prepares to embark on his first season aboard a CRF450RW and his first in a complete visual makeover with Fox Racing. In this exclusive interview, Jeffrey talks about all these factors and more, covering his past, mindset, the future, and more.
Monday, January 5, 2026 at 7:01PM
Jeffrey Herlings’ headline-grabbing move from KTM to HRC Honda continues to be one of the biggest talking points ahead of the new season – and in a recent interview with Dutch media outlet NOS.nl, the five-time World Champion offered a revealing insight into how dramatic the change really is.
For Herlings, KTM had become more than just a team; it was the place where he won almost everything there is to win. But the Dutchman admits that, despite the success, the time felt right for something new.
“We won so much together but things happened. KTM had financial problems, which have since been resolved. And to be honest, I also felt like a new challenge at Honda.”
He compared Honda’s stature in motocross to one of the biggest brands in motorsport.
“The Ferrari of Motocross, a top team you want to have raced for at least once. Though I do hope I do better at Honda than Lewis does at Ferrari.”
Everything changes
Herlings acknowledged how rare such a bold career move is for someone who has spent so long with one manufacturer.
“I don’t think there has ever been a rider who stayed with the same brand for so long and then did this.”
The adjustment, he says, has been massive.
“It’s like trading Earth for Pluto – everything is different. The bike, the gear, the sponsors and the staff I have to work with.”
Aside from bringing his trusted practice mechanic with him, almost everything around him is new:
“They’re going to help me build a bike I’m really happy with. The only person I brought with me from KTM is my practice mechanic. He knows how I want my bike to be.”
Learning the Honda
Herlings likens the adaptation process to building a relationship – something that takes patience and trust.
“It’s like a relationship – you have to get used to each other and adapt. At KTM everything was more or less the same every year. This Honda, for example, has an aluminum frame – I haven’t ridden one for seven years.”
From gearbox choices to suspension settings and even boots, the smallest details matter:
“Do you want a short or long gearbox? Do you want the suspension stiff or soft? There are a hundred things like that. We’ve already tested for three days with different boots. It’s millimetre work, because you want the full grip.”
He also recognises that big team switches don’t always pay off.
“Yes, a switch like this sometimes goes wrong. Was it the rider? Was it the bike? Or a combination? Prado went from MXGP to Supercross – a completely different discipline. Compare it to a road cyclist switching to mountain biking.”
Racing the clock
Time, he admits, is not on his side.
“There’s time pressure. I have very little time to make the adjustment. I’m 31, I’ll race two or three more years and maybe only get a few more chances at the world title. In two months the first grand prix is already here. The key now is to stay healthy, test well, and go into the season with a bang.”
Yet confidence remains – and the numbers back him up.
“I don’t see why not. After everything I’ve been through, nothing is bothering me anymore. Last season I was only really fit for the final five races – and I won three of them. That tells me I can still do it.”
Herlings’ move to Honda marks the start of a bold new chapter. The challenges are real, the adjustment is intense but the Dutch star remains convinced that the decision can reignite his title ambitions.
