2024 Motocross of Nations Post Race Interviews

Eli on MXoN

Eli Tomac was the key to securing Team USA’s presence at the MXoN and ultimately leading them to the podium! Bringing his best to Matterley Basin, Tomac ran up front all weekend, including grabbing an incredible holeshot in the final and highly competitive moto—possibly one of the most stacked in MXoN history. Although he was overtaken by Gajser and Jett Lawrence, Tomac held off Hunter Lawrence and a hard-charging Herlings in the closing stages, finishing 2-3 on the day and guiding the USA to a solid second overall, all on just two weeks’ notice.

Tomac said in the press conference: “We gave it our best effort obviously and came up that bit short, super proud of Cooper and Aaron. What a track, and the conditions, it was a very tough track. Proud to stay consistent and put in some good results. Of course we wanted more, it was a good effort.

Then, in convesation with Swapmoto, Eli said: “We all stepped up and tried our hearts out. It was a gnarly track, these GP tracks, the ruts were pretty insane, very technical riding but at the same time it was really cool for racing with how technical it was. Man, it was close, very close in points. Second doesn’t sit well but it is what it is.

“I expected him to be more fast…”

Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing led The Netherlands to third at the 2024 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations with 5-5 scores in his two motos. Vital MX's Lewis Phillips found him after the MXoN to discuss a hectic 48 hours of on-track action, in which he battled with Honda HRC's Jett Lawrence for a brief period and reunited with an old foe in the form of Ken Roczen.

2024 MXoN Some Great Racing!

  Jason WeigandtEditorial Director

It was the way motocross, and the Motocross of Nations, was supposed to be. It was motocross in the old world, a rainy, drizzling affair, powered by a raucous crowd and the best riders in the world converging in a clash of nations, ages, eras and more. It came down to a thrilling final moto, and even the last darned turn of the last lap. It was epic, and it ended up being historic.

Here's how it all went down at the 2024 FIM Monster Energy Motocross of Nations in England.

Moto 1: MXGP and MX2

The dramatic build up to this year's race quickly turned to reality in an amazing first moto, with an all-star list of big hitters battling right from the start. It was Jorge Prado nailing the holeshot even with Spain's outside gate pick, followed by Tim Gajser, Jeffrey Herlings, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen and Romain Febvre. Think of teh names in that group! Roczen was up to his usual early moves, getting Tomac then battling Herlings, and the three titans went back and forth early, right behind the Prado/Gajser battle up ahead. Watching all five of these riders battle in formation in the early laps was a thrill and the crowd was absolutely crazy for it.

As laps unfolded, Gajser made the move for the lead on Prado, and then Tomac anchored Team USA's hopes by putting it together. He fended off Roczen, then Herlings crashed and Tomac got by, and then Tomac made the move on Prado. He then started attacking Gajser for the lead, and the duo started to pull away from the rest of the field.

The only big 450 hitter not in the lead group early in this moto was Australia's Hunter Lawrence, but that was by design. The 250s were on this gate as well, and Australia put 250 rider Kyle Webster in the best gate and it paid off with a good start. This put Hunter at a disadvantage but he slowly worked his way forward throughout the moto. The 250 star early was Belgium's Lucas Coenen, who was actually making moves toward Febvre and Tomac! Then he crashed, hard, and appeared to have injured himself. With that, Belgiums hopes, already hurt by injuries to other riders, took a serious dive.

Up front, Tomac kept heat on Gajser for awhile but then Gajser pulled away. Febvre got back to Tomac and pushed him hard for second place, but the Frenchman had to pull his goggles. He still stayed on Tomac through traffic, but ended up hurting his eye due to the roost. Gajser scored a big win, Tomac held on for second with Febvre third. Febvre was so mad at lapped rider Arnaud Tonus that he shoved him after the race!

While Herlings did fall early, he finished fifth, and Kay de Wolf rode well on the Netherlands' 250 bike to take sixth. All told, Netherlands' 11 points gave them a big early points lead. Australia sat on 19 with Hunter (eighth) and Webster (11th), but that was still a victory of sorts, as the Aussie team needed Webster to log at least one good result, and that 11th on the 250 was solid. Team USA also took 19 points with Tomac's second Cooper Webb's 17th. Webb was put on the outside gate and was outside the top twenty early, he inched his way forward throughout the race for 17th.

Moto 2: Open and MX2

Spain had a holeshot again with Rubin Fernandez, but this moto had Jett Lawrence in it, and he quickly made a few moves, took the lead from Fernandez and took off with the moto win. That was a big boost for Australia, and the Netherlands opened the door, slightly, to the other teams due to a few falls from de Wolf. He still ended up as the top MX2 rider overall with 6-5 scores, but did leave a few spots the Dutch desperately needed on the table. That was also hurt by Glenn Coldenhoff, who struggled and then crashed late to net 18th. Netherlands' big point lead from Moto 1 was gone.

Webster had a bad one with a bad start and a stop for goggles, he was 19th for Australia but that mattered little, it would be the team's one throwaway score. 

Team USA had an okay moto, Aaron Plessinger was up front early with a good start, but dropped some spots to finish seventh. Webb was better this time, bulldogging his 250 to ninth, which made him the fourth-best 250 on the track. 

Goggle management in the non-stop drizzle told so much of the story. Plessinger eventually had to throw his goggles, but so did so many others. Webb was wiping his goggles with his sleeve early to save his roll off film for the end. On the last lap Mikkel Haarup got to Webb and tried to make a pass, but Webb held him off by a wheel.

The French team took a hit based on a tough day for Tom Vialle, who went 22-12 in his two motos after winning the MX2 qualifier the previous day. Renaux was a solid fourth as the Open rider.

When it was all told, the points were incredibly close. Taking the drop score out, 

Five teams were separated by four points! Netherlands and the USA led with 18, France and Spain had 19, and Australia had 20. It would all come down to the final moto, which, by the way, packed one of the most stacked gates in the history of the sport with each team bringing two 450 riders to the gate. It could not get any better.

Goggle management in the non-stop drizzle told so much of the story. Plessinger eventually had to throw his goggles, but so did so many others. Webb was wiping his goggles with his sleeve early to save his roll off film for the end. On the last lap Mikkel Haarup got to Webb and tried to make a pass, but Webb held him off by a wheel.

The French team took a hit based on a tough day for Tom Vialle, who went 22-12 in his two motos after winning the MX2 qualifier the previous day. Renaux was a solid fourth as the Open rider.

When it was all told, the points were incredibly close. Taking the drop score out, 

Five teams were separated by four points! Netherlands and the USA led with 18, France and Spain had 19, and Australia had 20. It would all come down to the final moto, which, by the way, packed one of the most stacked gates in the history of the sport with each team bringing two 450 riders to the gate. It could not get any better.

Moto 3: MXGP and Open

It would come down to this. The final moto, with five teams with a chance to win and an all-time stacked gate. Who would be clutch and grab an incredibly-important start? How about Team USA’s Eli Tomac roaring off with the Fox Holeshot! On the first lap, the Netherlands and Spain found their hopes dashed when Coldenhoff and Fernandez got tangled in a pileup and were down in the back of the back. Now three teams remained with a shot: USA, Australia and France. France then saw hopes fade as Renaux crashed, and then Febvre crashed out of the moto completely when he knocked the wind out of himself.

It would come down to Team USA versus Australia, but also in the balance hung the bragging rights of a moto win against an all-time deep field. For the USA, Tomac took on early pressure from Prado, lost the lead, got it back, and then started to pull away. Plessinger was 15^th early but started to make passes as other riders faltered. Australia’s Lawrence brothers were fourth and fifth early, waiting for their chance.

As the race transpired, Gajser started to make tracks toward Tomac. Prado faded back and eventually finished 14th. Hunter and Jett got to third and fourth and the points were incredibly tight. Could the Lawrence’s move further forward? Could Tomac hold on for the win? Could Plessinger move up? At the halfway mark, Gajser really started pressing Tomac, but then Jett moved around Hunter to third and started putting blazing lap times together. Gajser passed Tomac for the lead and Tomac fought back. It was incredible racing as they traded the lead! Then Jett was there, he caught Tomac for second, made the move and closed down on Gajser. This was a massive boost for Australia’s chances, then Jett made a pass on the inside of turn one on Gajser to take the moto lead. He started pulling away briefly, but then Gajser responded with determination to latch back on to Lawrence. More great racing! Tomac remained in third.

At this point, the Lawrence’s 1-4 was going to be enough to bring the Chamberlain Trophy home. But Team USA gained some points as Plessinger moved forward and other riders went down. He would get to eighth from 15th. So much of the race ebbed and flowed with goggles, too, as the rain never quite let up. As the white flag waved, though, Australia was sitting on a four-point lead, but Gajser was on Jett’s rear wheel challenging for the moto win! Jett didn’t need to win it, but he explained that he wasn’t sure, so he was going all out to keep Gajser behind him but also not crash and throw the entire race away. Gajser, heartbroken over last week’s close loss of the MXGP World Title, had nothing to lose, and his nation, Slovenia, was not a contender for the win. It was his time. He absolutely sent the final lap and then with two turns to go got super aggressive and drove inside of Jett. He made the pass within sight of the finish! In this incredible moto, it was Tim Gajser with the bragging rights as the winner, and a 1-1 score in his two motos. Jett finished right behind him and Hunter’s fourth, behind Tomac, was enough to give Team Australia its first-ever Motocross of Nations win.

Team USA was second, three points behind, and the Netherlands salvaged a podium.

It was as close and exciting and as good as it could possibly be.

US Takes 2nd at MXoN

The 2024 Motocross Des Nations in Matterley Basin is in the books. Team USA after a poor performance in qualifying on Saturday came back with a vengeance when it counted on race day. Eli Tomac started the first moto off strong with a 2nd place behind Australian Jett Lawrence. It was thought that Team Australia wasn’t going to be a huge treat with Kyle Webster as their 250 rider, but that wasn’t the case. After the second moto, it was the Netherlands that had the lead coming into the final moto.

In the third moto, Eli Tomac got out front early with Tim Gajser hot on his tail. Hunter Lawrence and brother Jett were coming through the pack together in around 5th and 6th place. Halfway through the moto Jett hit the afterburners, passed his brother, and climbed to the lead. Tim eventually got Jett back to lead the lead and overall. Team USA still had a chance as Aaron Plesinger was working through the pack getting up to 8th. However, Hunter Lawrence was riding great. He was not going to let the overall slip from Team Australia. Hunter kept Jeffrey Herling at bay and was close to overtaking Eli Tomac’s third position giving team Australia 2-4 scores in the final moto. This was good enough to make them the 2024 MXDN champions.

MXoN returning to the US for 2025 at Ironman

Infront and MX Sports to collaborate in hosting next year's MXoN.

The 2025 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) has been confirmed for Ironman Raceway, marking the prestigious international event’s return to the United States for next year between October 3-5.

In a special press conference at Matterley Basin this afternoon on the eve of this weekend’s edition, Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo, along with MX Sports president Davey Coombs, officially announced a collaboration to host the event.

“We are in a historical moment with this press conference,” Luongo stated. “We are very proud as Infront to collaborate in the future with MX Sports to work together and to go back to the US for the next Monster Energy Motocross of Nations at the beautiful Ironman track.

“This event is part of a common project to work more and more together, and I think, in the world of motocross, we are the best experts of what we do on both sides of the ocean for many decades now, so to do an event together will bring motocross to another level on this kind of track. It will be nice to come back to the US and I think we will be there more often in the future.”

Coombs was joined in the press conference by MX Sports event director Tim Cotter and Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton, with near 20 staff from the company that operates that American AMA Pro Motocross Championship in attendance this weekend.

Ironman will be the first time that the Coombs family has held an MXoN event, with RedBud most recently playing host to the Nations in 2022 and 2018. Prior to that, MXoN was staged at Thunder Valley in 2010 and also Budds Creek in 2007. The only other time it had visited the United States was back in 1987 at Unadilla.

More Team Australia

Team Australia captures historic first MXoN victory in 2024

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Section: Competition Post: Alex Gobert

Team USA's Tomac, Webb and Plessinger P2 at Matterley Basin.

The final Nations podium featured the Australians ahead of USA and The Netherlands, while the individual class victories belonged to Tim Gajser (MXGP), Kay de Wolf (MX2) and Jett Lawrence (Open).

Race one featuring MXGP and MX2 saw Tim Gajser (Slovenia) take control in the early stages, going on to seal a commanding victory ahead of Eli Tomac (USA). Tomac put on a charge to second, but wasn’t able to track down Gajser at the front, and it was Romain Febvre (France) who completed the top three from Jorge Prado (Spain) and Jeffrey Herlings (Netherlands).

Positions six through 10 included Kay de Wolf (Netherlands) – top of the MX2 entries – ahead of Jeremy Seewer (Switzerland), Hunter Lawrence (Australia), Alberto Forato (Italy) and Ken Roczen (Germany). There were two major non-finishers in Max Anstie (Great Britain) and Lucas Coenen (Belgium), both exiting with crashes in the mid-stages of the race.

Next was MX2 and Open, where Australian Jett Lawrence made his first appearance to dominate on the way to winning race two. Lawrence led home Ruben Fernandez (Spain) as he did in Open qualifying, with Simon Laengenfelder (Germany) third, from Maxime Renaux (France) and de Wolf.

Local Conrad Mewse (Great Britain) made a move on Aaron Plessinger (USA) last in the moto, with Karlis Alberts Reisulis (Latvia), Cooper Webb (USA) and Mikkel Haarup (Denmark) the top 10. It was The Netherlands leading at that point, ahead of USA and Australia, but it was all to play for in the final encounter.

Race three was an all-450 affair with the MXGP and Open categories, with Tomac scoring an exceptional holeshot, before engaging in battle with a fast-closing Gajser. Lawrence, too, was slicing his way through the pack from the outside gates and, in the end, it was him and Gajser who fought for the moto win.

While Australia was firmly in position to clinch the Nations classification overall, Gajser managed to strike on a determined Lawrence in the final turns to steal the checkered flag in positions 1-2, with Tomac third, followed by Hunter Lawrence and Herlings the top-five. Sixth through 10th this time around included Seewer, Forato, Plessinger, Renaux and Roczen.

Australia took the 2024 MXoN victory on a total of 26 points from Team USA (Tomac, Webb and Plessinger) on 29 and The Netherlands (Herlings, de Wolf and Glenn Coldenhoff) on 36, completing the overall podium.

Jett Leads Australia to MXoN Victory!

The greatest Australian rider of all-time and (in my opinion) the future GOAT of our sport, Jett Lawrence, has led Team Australia to their first victory in the 40-year challenge by the Aussies for this prestigious event.

All the way back in 1984 team Australia contested their first MXoN and finished in the B-final, but today, at Matterley Basin in England, Jett Lawrence went 1-2 and placed himself as probably the fastest man on the planet, while also holding the Chamberlain Trophy.

Along with brother Hunter and young MX2 rider, Kyle Webster, Australia created history and the huge tour group from down under, with the tour guides, Stephen Gall, who first rode for Australia in that 1984 event and one of the Aussies best ever, Jeff Leisk, celebrated as the green and gold captured the greatest prize in the sport.

Hunter Lawrence: Sounds good, happy to hear you say it twice (that they are the champions), Jett is a freak, we all know that. Shitty weather, but what a great day. Good weekend, but I cannot think about my weekend and thanks for everyone who fund raiser and so pumped to get a gold plate for Australia, first time ever.

Jett Lawrence: It was good the first one cruisy and the second not as good a start and I got around Tim, but he got me on the last corner, like I got him last year.

Also a sensational performance from five time World motocross champion Tim Gajser, who went 1-1 to win the MXGP class and set himself up for 2025. Whatever happens, the AMA and FIM riders are so close in speed at the moment, it makes for some exciting events in the coming years.

In the MX2 class it was World MX2 champion, Kay De Wolf who won the MX2 class and showed that he would be hard to beat wherever he decides to race.

MXGP/Open Moto

Tomac the holeshot ahead of Seewer, Hunter Lawrence, Gajser, Prado, Roczen, Herlings, Febvre, Jett Lawrence in ninth and then Lopes 10th. Coldenhoff and Fernandez crashed and suddenly it Prado with the lead, but Tomac stole it back. Prado back into the lead, but Tomac tries to repass. Gajser all over Hunter Lawrence and did a pass. Jett Lawrence still in eight and Herlings just ahead of him, and Herlings passed Seewer.

Top ten on lap one was Prado, Tomac, Gajser, Hunter Lawrence, Roczen, Herlings, Seewer, Jett Lawrence, Febvre and Forato. Hunter Lawrence back past Gajser and Jett Lawrence beautiful as he moved into sixth and passed Herlings and Roczen. The Aussies looking good as Plessinger is in 12th and Coldenhoff way back outside the top twenty in 27th.

Tomac still all over Prado and into the lead and Gajser back past Hunter Lawrence as Jett Lawrence. The Lawrence brothers are leading Australia to their first ever Chamberlain trophy. Lap two it was Tomac, Prado, Gajser, Lawrence, Lawrence, Roczen, Herlings, Febvre, Seewer and Forato.

Herlings into sixth place as he passed Roczen and on lap three it was Tomac, Prado, Gajser, Hunter Lawrence, Jett Lawrence, Herlings, Febvre, Roczen, Seewer and Renaux. Tomac held a 2.6 second lead over Prado and Gajser and Lawrence all over Prado and both passed and Jett also closing up on the Spaniard.

Herlings 11 seconds off the lead and just not showing his speed. Having raced every single weekend for the last six months, is the Dutchman just burned out? USA 1-11, Australia 4-5, The Netherlands 6-26 and France 7-10. Hunter Lawrence moved past Prado and Jett about to do the same. The Aussies are going to win this, for the first time ever.

Jett a beautiful pass on Prado and the AMA boys are all moving forward. MXGP and AMA has never been this close. Lap five its Tomac, Gajser, Hunter Lawrence, Jett Lawrence, Prado, Herlings, Febvre, Roczen, Seewer and Renaux. Gajser holding up the honour of MXGP as he is circled by AMA riders. Gajser all over Tomac and the five time World champion looking very calm behind the American.

Gajser into the lead and the Slovenian showing he might just be the fastest man at this event, but Tomac pushed him aside and retook the lead, while Gajser not giving up either. They are five and six seconds ahead of the Lawrence brothers, but the Aussies know they just need to finish where they are to win the event. Gajser back into the lead, but this racing is first class and then some.

Top ten on lap eight was Gajser, Tomac, Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, Herlings, Prado, Febvre, Roczen, Seewer and Renaux. Plessinger 11th, Mewse 15th, Fernandez 16th, Coldenhoff 18th. Herlings into fifth as he passed Prado and onto Hunter Lawrence. Ten minutes to go and this is usually when Herlings goes, but he is 13 seconds back.

Jett Lawrence all over Tomac and the Aussie is flying and looking to call himself the fastest man on the planet. Lawrence into second and now going after Gajser, who isn’t that far ahead, just two seconds. Lap 11 and it was Gajser, Jett Lawrence, Tomac, Hunter Lawrence, Herlings, Febvre, Seewer, Prado, Renaux and Forato, with Plessinger 11th and Roczen 12th.

Jett Lawrence right up on Gajser and the Slovenian made a huge mistake, but kept the lead, but Lawrence is looking to pass. Prado a mistake and back down in 13th place and his brilliant season ended badly. Renaux also crashed and dropped to 11th. Jett Lawrence pushing hard, hardly needed, but don’t we love him for this type of charge.

Three laps remaining and the top ten was Gajser, Jett Lawrence, Tomac, Hunter Lawrence, Herlings, Febvre, Seewer, Forato, Plessinger and Roczen. Febvre crashed and out of the moto it seems.

Gajser all over Lawrence and took the lead, but Lawrence wasn’t allowing it, very close and intense racing. Gajser in the final lap charged up the inside to take the moto victory and show that MXGP and AMA are very lose in speed, but Lawrence leads his country to their first ever MXoN victory. Brilliant day for the sport, brilliant for AMA, brilliant for MXGP, just a huge day in the sports history. Gajser wins the MXGP class, Jett Lawrence the Open class and De Wolf wins the MX2 class.

Reprint from MXLarge.com

WOW What They Really Need is a YZ350 Two Stroke!!

Rumor: Kailub Russell is Joining Yamaha to Develop the All-New YZ350F!?

Rumors are swirling about a new development in the  Yamaha lineup—a potential YZ350F in the works. According to a well-informed source, Caleb Russell, a renowned  off-road racer, might be switching from KTM to Yamaha. Not only is Russell expected to race in the XC1 class, but he may also play a key role in developing the much-anticipated YZ350F.

Kailub Russell is a prominent American motocross and off-road motorcycle racer, known for his achievements in the GNCC (Grand National Cross Country) series. He has won multiple GNCC championships, solidifying his status as one of the top riders in the sport. Russell is recognized for his exceptional skill and consistency on various terrains, making him a formidable competitor in both motocross and off-road events. His dedication to the sport and impressive track record have earned him a loyal fan base and respect among peers. In addition to his racing career, he has also been involved in mentoring younger riders, contributing to the growth of motocross in the United States.

The prospect of Yamaha entering the 350cc market could shake things up, particularly for riders who prefer a middle ground between the 250 and 450 models. With KTM’s success in this space, Yamaha’s move could attract riders who love the brand but have longed for a 350cc option. However, some within Yamaha are reportedly concerned about the potential impact on 450 sales.

If this rumor holds true, it marks a bold new direction for Yamaha and a potential turning point in the off-road market.

Winning is the only thing that really matters"—Eli Tomac

Team USA shares their first impressions of the highly anticipated 2024 Motocross of Nations at the iconic Matterley Basin track in the UK. With the weight of expectations on their shoulders, the team is determined to put on a strong performance against the world’s best riders. Legendary Team Manager Roger DeCoster leads the charge, bringing decades of experience and insight to the competition. In a press conference, DeCoster discusses the team’s preparations and strategy, joined by standout American riders Aaron Plessinger, Cooper Webb, and Eli Tomac. Each rider shares their personal thoughts on representing their country in this prestigious event, reflecting on the challenges of racing at Matterley Basin and their determination to bring home the victory for Team USA.