South African GP WSX

McGrath on Today's SuperCross

While a group of mechanics and technicians tended to the Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F up on a bike stand before them, seven-time AMA Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath sat on the back bumper of a Kawasaki Team Green box van and thought about taking a bite out of a turkey sandwich. The 72-time main event winner who almost single handedly took the sport of supercross up and out of the klieg-lit NFL and Major League Baseball stadiums and into the mainstream, looked on while a group of photographers snapped images of Kawasaki team racers Cameron McAdoo, Garrett Marchbanks, Chase Sexton, and Seth Hammaker. Present at the 2026 Kawasaki Racing team photoshoot at the Kawasaki test track nestled in the hills above Corona, California, McGrath was tuned in, both on and off the motorcycle.  

“2026 Kawasaki photo shoot, right?” asked McGrath, as candid as ever. “It’s always one of those nerve-racking days because I come out once a year for supercross photos like this and I’m riding with all of the kids and it’s like,‘Wow.’ So it’s definitely a little bit scary, but yeah, I enjoy being here. It’s fun. I enjoyed riding my bike, so that was cool, too.

“I think you obviously want to have some fun out here, but also do it with some respect, you know?” McGrath said on participating in the photoshoot. “The bikes these days are so gnarly and so fast, and I do not ride all the time, and then trying to ride supercross out here, it’s a bit of a challenge. I have to argue with myself when I’m out there that I don’t just try and go hard. Like I have to make myself not do the whoops because I really want to do the whoops. And then there are the bigger jumps out there. It’s a constant battle because I want to just go out there and go like I’m 20 years old again. It’s a blast riding my bike. I do ride my motorcycle, but I just never ride supercross. It’s always sketchy when I do.”

Having raced to his very first professional supercross victory on the No. 125 Team Green Kawasaki inside Sam Boyd Stadium on March 17, 1990, McGrath would power on to race throughout the 2002 season. Based outside of San Diego and still heavily involved in the sport, “Showtime” McGrath talked about what he’s been up to as of late.

“I still live in north San Diego,” explained McGrath. “I do a lot of stuff for Kawasaki. I actually drive side-by-sides a lot. We go out to the desert and do all that. We also have a bike company right now. We have an E-bike company called 101 Bikes. It’s me and Scott Spekovic and Eddie Cole and a few guys. So we mess around with that. I still host a show for Kawasaki called, Kawasaki Science of Supercross. 2026 Supercross is coming up, so there are a lot of requests going on for things that I need to be involved with through Kawasaki. I also help my wife with her store. She’s got a store called, TaDah Hone Décor in Solana Beach and I feel blessed that I don’t have to go to work 9-to-5, which is great. I go down there and hang out and do handyman stuff and work on things. It’s cool. It’s like therapy. I also have one daughter, Bergen, still in high school playing lacrosse, so we’re still in sports and stuff like that. My other daughter, Rhowan, is at TCU. She’s been out of the house for a year and a half. But yeah, I’ve just been hanging with Kim and doing family stuff.”

On the outside and looking in as a retired racer, from the back of the Kawasaki box van, McGrath weighed in and provided his take on the vibe he feels the sport reverberates in the modern era.

“It’s pretty cutthroat these days,” pointed out McGrath. “I feel like there is a lot of pressure on these guys. I think it’s a different atmosphere than when I was a kid. It was more of a fun feeling and not so much a corporate feeling. But I mean with more exposure, more money and bigger sponsors, that stuff kind of happens. These kids don’t know any different. It’s just a lot different from when I was a young guy. They don’t know any different because it has been that way since they started.”

How would Jeremy McGrath deal with the sport’s current climate and culture if he were racing in 2026?

“I would just try to make it as relaxed as possible, you know? It’s a pretty tense atmosphere out here. Everyone is fighting for real estate, of course. They’re fighting for their jobs and they’re fighting for the spot on the team and they’re fighting to be the best guy out here. It’s kind of fun to watch. It’s fun to watch these guys ride their bikes. It’s neat for me to see Chase Sexton because I’m a fan still of the races and it is going to be interesting to see him on a Kawasaki. Overall, yeah, I don’t put too much thought into it anymore. I’m still a huge fan of it. I love it.”

And how does McGrath feel hanging out with the current generation of Supercross athletes?

“They are all real respectful,” nodded McGrath. “Yeah, everyone is cool. They’re all really respectful, I think. Everyone is super nice. I think they have a nice vibe around the team. I tell you, it’s flattering, for sure, to get these invites and be involved and have access to race bikes and stuff like that. Sometimes it feels a little bit like I don’t want to be in the way of these guys. They’re the new school guys. I want to be respectful of that, too. But it is neat being able to be invited out here. It’s cool.”

 

With the opening round of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship set for Angel Stadium on January 10, it’s all systems go for racers and race teams the world over. It’s also a very special place for Jeremy McGrath.

“Anaheim is still the Mac Daddy,” declared McGrath, who won eight premier class races (ten if you count his pair of 125SX wins) inside the Major League Baseball stadium. “It is the top of the top. I think when we all get there, we're all hyped. I still get real nervous and have a lot of fun, just like I was racing back in the day. I loved the racing. I was one of the lucky ones to have a lot of race wins. But I don’t think the race wins stand out as much as missing the lights and the fans at night. I think for me that’s a really special moment that you don’t really recognize when you’re doing it. You kind of take it for granted. I loved racing under the lights and hearing the crowd. I loved that. I loved it a lot. Naturally, it’s not going to happen forever, but it's just one of those things you really miss. I also miss the video days of shooting videos with Fox Racing. We were growing up, man, we were just learning how to be men at that time. Those days are missed, for sure. And I had a lot of great races. I mean my first win in Vegas and my first win with PEAK Antifreeze Honda and my first 250 win at 1993 Anaheim. Anaheim was a local race. You never know. You get super powers at your local race. That first win in 1993 was a monumental night for me.”

 Eric Johnson

Giuseppe Luongo retires from Infront Moto Racing

At the Infront Moto Racing Board meeting of 11 December 2026, Giuseppe Luongo announced his retirement from his position as President of IMR. David Luongo has been nominated in his place as new President of Infront Moto Racing to ensure continuity and stability within MXGP.

Giuseppe Luongo has been the engine and soul of modern Motocross, all the innovations in terms regulations, management, organisation, infrastructure and media coverage has been done under his management.  

Luongo started out as a Motocross rider, then, still in his early days in Motocross he was the team owner of the Suzuki factory team between 1989 and 1992 recruiting the young Stefan Everts onto this team. During his 42 year Motocross World Championship promoter career, Giuseppe Luongo has organised more than 800 events amongst World Championship, European Championship and Nations events, he has been the founder and promoter of the European Championship as we know it today, he is the founder of the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, he has been the founder and promoter of the FIM Women’s World Championship, of the Masters of Motocross and he has been the promoter of the Supercross World Championship.  During this time he also organised several FIM World Champions’ Awards gala events.

Since a very young age he loved this sport, where he was a rider himself, and his dream was always to give more visibility to Motocross, to bring it into the homes of the most possible families around the world.  Quickly he understood the potential of this sport and the necessity to bring it to TV, he realised it was crucial to create better infrastructure so that fans, and also riders, teams, media, industries and partners could feel welcome, and to offer a safer and more comfortable working environment for all involved.  Through devotion and hard work, he has achieved all this.

At 65 years old he dedicated 50 years of his life to Motocross; 8 years as a rider and 42 years as a promoter.  While working hard to build up the value of this sport he has had the pleasure of working near all the stars of our sport, including Eric Geboers, Roger De Coster, André Malherbe, Georges Jobé, Ricky Johnson, Johnny O’Mara, David Bailey, Pekka Vehkonen, John Van Den Berk, Ron Lechien, Jeff Ward, Joel Smets, Pit Beirer, Jeremy Mc Grath, Rick Carmichael, Stefan Everts, Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey, Tony Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings, Tim Gajser, Romain Febvre, Jorge Prado and many many other great Champions.

Among all the innovations he has brought to Motocross, the most important are: the arrival of live TV, the creation of the pyramid for riders being formed in European Championships all the way up to MXGPat the point of the pyramid, the infrastructure in the paddock, safety to the circuits, the double floor pit-lane and Sky-box, and last but certainly not least the MXGP-TV.com live streaming (starting in 2011, the FIM Motocross World Championship was the first sportingindustry to have live streaming for a World Championship, and since then it has simply grown).  

Giuseppe Luongo said: "It’s a day full of emotions for me because it’s what I have wanted since a few years, but at the same time I feel like I miss a part of myself and am saying goodbye to my family.  On the other hand my passion and love for Motocross will remain and for sure I will continue to follow all the Championships via MXGP-TV.com and I will always be ready with my experience to give advice whenever it is asked for. My retirement from Motocross will allow me to now dedicate more time to my family and to my other passions.  It is without a doubt that the continuity of Infront Moto Racing is in very good hands and it will continue to develop, my son David and Daniele Rizzi with the rest of the Infront Moto Racing crew have already proven their capabilities and also the fact they are young they will bring even more new ideas and innovations with the new technology and novelties our digital world is offering, while of course maintaining the full respect of the rules and soul of our sport.

By promoting the various Motocross Championships I have learnt much more than just managing a sport, it has taught me mediation, patience, personal relations, how to deal with victory and how to deal with defeat.  I often mention how indispensable it is when managing Motocross, as opposed to other sports, to create the right balance between amateur and professional.

42 years as promoter is a very long career, I have had the opportunity to travel to many countries and meet many people all the world which has been enriching with different languages and cultures, and for sure there are many people to thank for helping me during this successful journey, unfortunately I can not name everyone but my sincere gratitude goes to Wolfgang Srb and Francesco Zerbi because they were the first who believed in my vision, project and ability as promoter. Tony Skillington was an important person during our time together in Motocross.  I would like to thank all the riders, the industries, the teams, the manufacturers and the media because with their support (and with their critics) they all have helped me to see the bigger picture, helped to make the right decisions to make the Motocross project successful.  Of course I would like to thank the fans and all the volunteers because without them all of this would not make sense.  FIM has been with me through my career and I would like to express my appreciation to the FIM, especially their President, Jorge Viegas, for their continued partnership. I would like to thank the Infront Group and in particular it’s President, Philippe Blatter, for believing in us and in our management, and for giving us the chance for entering into such an important group in sports’ media marketing.  A special thanks goes to all the managers and staff who have accompanied me through this long and special journey, to Daniele Rizzi who has been beside us with his devotion and hard work.  In a context of work, I am grateful to my son, David, who naturally inherited the love for this sport and immediately understood the soul of Motocross, thanks to his vision and his management he will continue our dream, and now he permits me to retire with a free mind. And the last but not least my wife, Ursula, has divided every moment of our life working together over the last 24 years, helping me in everything and giving many good advices when it was necessary" Laughing, he says, "….but luckily for me that will continue." Then he goes on to say, "And the greatest thanks goes to Motocross, since I was 15 years old I have it given everything but it has given me back everything, and I will continue to be one of it’s greatest fans."

Philippe Blatter, Infront’s President & CEO, added: “Giuseppe is a true pioneer and visionary of modern motocross. He has shaped MXGP from the very early days. It has become his life’s work and an incredible success story. Combining decades of vision, courage, and heart, he transformed the series into a global phenomenon based on a unique heritage and a loyal community of fans, teams, and riders. When Infront joined forces with Giuseppe in 2019, MXGP was already the pinnacle of off-road motorsport. Together we kept its core intact while bringing the sport to more people and more places, with even more emotion. We owe Giuseppe a huge debt of gratitude for decades of dedication and the great legacy he is leaving behind. His name will be forever linked to MXGP. Now it’s time to open a fresh chapter for MXGP with David Luongo as President of Infront Moto Racing. We have full confidence in his leadership to push MXGP further on screen, on soil, and in the hearts of fans worldwide and look forward to our continued collaboration.”

Jorge Viegas, FIM President: “On behalf of the FIM Board of Directors, the Administration as well as the entire FIM Family, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Mr Giuseppe Luongo for his unwavering dedication and remarkable contribution to the world of Motocross. His passion, integrity and commitment have shaped our sport and inspired generations. As he embarks on this well-deserved retirement, I wish him health, happiness and a smooth transition towards the new chapter ahead.  I would like to personally thank him for his contribution and for the lifetime of partnership, excellence and friendship”

After 50 years in Motocross, Giuseppe Luongo has decided to retire because he knows all what has been built will continue with the actual management, and MXGP will advance and grow, having a bright future.  

On behalf of the FIM and Infront Moto Racing and all the Motocross world we thank Giuseppe Luongo for his complete devotion to Motocross and we wish him a great future for his retirement.

A NEW STANDARD IN URBAN-MOTO ELECTRIC BIKES

101 BIKES ANNOUNCES THE NEW “SEASIDE” E-BIKE — DESIGNED BY ICONS, ENGINEERED FOR ADVENTURE

Valencia, California — November 20, 2025— 101 Bikes proudly unveils the new 101 Seaside E-Bike, an urban-moto inspired electric bike created by a legendary team of innovators from the cycling and motorcycle industries. The 101 Seaside brings together the design influence of Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath, BMX visionary Bob Haro, and industry leader Eddie Cole, resulting in a class-defining ride built for style, performance, and everyday freedom.

Developed in Southern California and engineered for all riders—from daily commuters to weekend explorers—the 101 Seaside blends modern e-performance with moto attitude, backed by premium components and real-world durability.

BUILT BY LEGENDS — MADE FOR THE FUTURE

The 101 project brings together decades of innovation and racing heritage:

 •  Jeremy McGrath — The winningest Supercross racer in history

 •  Bob Haro — Founder of HARO Bikes, the father of freestyle BMX

 •   Eddie Cole — Veteran powersports and sporting-goods executive

The result is a bike that blends moto DNA, bicycle craftsmanship, and modern electric technology to create a new category of fun, approachable mobility.

AVAILABILITY - Now!

www.101bikes.com

Jett and Hunter Are Ready!

Monster Energy Supercross didn’t start well for Hunter and Jett Lawrence in 2025, and then injuries cut the indoor season short for both. Hunter Lawrence says a change made during Pro Motocross helped frame rigidity. The brothers feel a lot more set for supercross this time.

“I think this year I’m in a better position and I’m a better rider, more experienced,” Hunter Lawrence said. “I feel like we’ve improved the bike a lot of things we didn’t have sorted out last year coming into supercross until like third round of outdoors, some serious stuff. So, that was good.”

“Yeah, last year I think we had 17 test days before A1, where this time we only had a couple,” Jett Lawrence said. “So, it’s a lot less hectic with testing days, but it’s a lot calmer and we’re looking forward just for the year to start, honestly, and get underway.”

Both Lawrences seemed to be in a lighter, happier spot, mentally, compared to media days last year. It helps that this time they’re not straight off of flights from Australia, with jet lag, but overall everyone appears to be in a better place.

Jett says his number-one goal for 2026 is to make it to all 31 races and avoid injury.

250 Honda HRC Progressive teammate Chance Hymas feels great following ACL surgery, and says he’s fitter than he’s ever been. He plans to race 250 West, and has made a big change to his program by moving back closer to his Idaho home, and riding at Mesquite. He will still spend some time in Florida, but reconnecting with friends and family, he thinks, can help him. He’s spent a lot of dark times in Florida after having so much downtime with injuries, and wants a reset.

“I’d say this next phase of my career is very important,” said Hymas, who will enter a contract year. “I feel like I’m at the point where it’s the decider of where I’m at for the rest of my career. But I’m really happy with where I’m at, and I’d like to stay here, so I need to go put some good results down.”

TUSK Stand...The Perfect Christmas Gift

Tusk Motorcycle Scissor Lift Stand

Every offroad rider can use this scissor stand. It makes garage life so much easier and safer. The perfect Christmas gift for yourself and others.

Details

The Tusk Lift Stand is an excellent addition to your shop or garage. Whether you are storing your bike between rides, doing regular maintenance or a complete rebuild, the Tusk Lift Stand is the best choice. This lift stand has a durable and strong steel frame and includes a rubber non-slip top pad to keep your bike in place. The supplied wheels make it easy to move around the shop and they can easily be locked to keep it in place. Simply lift your bike onto the stand, secure it from the foot pegs with the supplied hooks, and use the pedal on the hydraulic jack to lift the bike with ease. A safety rod is also included to lock the stand in place when it is lifted. When looking for parts and accessories for your ATV, dirt bike, or UTV, think TUSK!

• Tusk Scissor Lift Stand is great for doing maintenance or storing your motorcycle.
• Hydraulic jack for ease of lifting and lowering your motorcycle.
• Made of strong and durable Q235 steel.
• Safety pin for a secure stand.
• Top Plate dimensions are 16"x13.75".
• Adjustable height from 13.75"-34" inches.
• Maximum weight capacity 300 lbs.
• Locking wheels make it easy to move around the shop.
• For motorcycle use ony.
• WARNING: Do not move the stand with a bike on the lift.

NBC Sports Keeps...2026 Supercross and MX

"I think NBC should do the sport a solid and upgrade the coverage team. I'd keep Weigandt, JT and dump the rest. Too many cooks in the kitchen trying to get in their comments, especially Diffey and Christien. Our sport deserves a more professional broadcast team."

NBC Sports and the SMX League^TM announced Tuesday the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship broadcast and streaming schedule, including the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. 28 regular season races plus the postseason playoffs across the series, including exclusive live coverage of Main Event races, qualifiers, and heats, will be presented across NBC, Peacock, NBCSN, and NBC Sports digital platforms.

Peacock is the home of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship Series in 2026, presenting live coverage of all races, qualifying, and heats across both Supercross and Pro Motocross spanning all rounds from January to September 2026. The platform will also provide on-demand replays of every race. Qualifiers and heats will be available exclusively on Peacock for every race throughout the season. Additionally, 11 races (live and encore) will be presented on NBC, with select races appearing on NBCSN, a new 24/7 linear network featuring a wide range of marquee sporting events and programming from NBC Sports.

2026 marks the fourth year of the SMX World Championship which unifies Supercross and Pro Motocross and presents the season-ending SMX World Championship Playoffs and Final, with the top racers in the world competing for the sport’s ultimate title in a style of racing that features the best that both indoor stadium Supercross and outdoor Pro Motocross seasons have to offer.

NBC Sports’ 2026 SMX World Championship season opener begins with an encore presentation of the SMX Preview Show, followed by a live look-in at Angel Stadium, at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, followed by the SMX Insider Pre-Race Show from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 6:30 p.m. ET on Peacock with racing at 7 p.m. ET on Peacock.

The outdoor Pro Motocross season of the SMX World Championship begins from Fox Raceway National in Pala, Calif., on Saturday, May 30, at 4 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock, with an encore presentation the next day at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

The SMX World Championship Playoffs will culminate with two playoff rounds (Sept. 12, Sept. 19) and the SMX World Championship Final (Sept. 26), with further programming details to be released at a later date.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2025 SMX World Championship Series continued to have a strong presence on streaming, with Peacock delivering over 1.5 billion minutes streamed during the 2025 season, marking yet another year of significant growth in the popularity of the sport. Additionally, unique viewership on Peacock for the 2025 SuperMotocross season had an increase of 6% YOY, further showcasing the passionate audience of the sport that continues to come back week after week.

The 2026 SMX commentary team will consist of Leigh Diffey and Jason Weigandt as play-by-play, 15-time AMA champion Ricky Carmichael and five-time AMA champion James Stewart as analysts, and Will Christien and former veteran racer Jason Thomas as reporters.

Race Day Live will cover all regular and postseason races of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship Series exclusively on Peacock. Former racers Justin Brayton and Adam Cianciarulo will serve as hosts of the pre-race program while Steven “Lurch” Scott and Haley Shanley join as reporters. Katie Osborne will join Shanley, Christien, and Thomas on a rotating schedule during the Pro Motocross season as reporters. 

Additionally, all Spanish-language broadcasts will also be available on Peacock throughout the 2026 season.

A one-hour SMX World Championship preview special airs Saturday, Dec. 27, at 4 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, headlined by appearances from three-time SMX 450 World Champion Jett Lawrence,  two-time SMX 250 World Champion Haiden Deegan, two-time SMX 450 Runner-Up Hunter Lawrence, three-time and defending 450 Supercross Champion Cooper Webb, six-time AMA Champion Eli Tomac, 2023 Supercross 450 Champion and 2024 Pro Motocross Champion Chase Sexton, as well as Justin Cooper, Aaron Plessinger, and Jorge Prado.

All televised rounds of the SMX World Championship Series on NBC will also stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app via authentication, giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

It's All About the Start!

Works Connection knows "holeshots"

Aprilia MXV 450 – The engine that simply refused to be “normal”.

Aprilia MXV 450 engine

There are machines that you see once – and immediately you know: Okay, someone definitely didn't follow the manual here. The Aprilia 450cc V-twin is a perfect example. An engine that, at first glance, looks like it was born out of a pure love of breaking the rules. While the entire off-road world dutifully relied on their single-cylinder engines, Aprilia apparently thought: "No. We're going to do something completely crazy."

Technology as a defiant reaction

The MXV 450's engine seemed like a piece of the future that had accidentally wandered into the present. A compact, dry-lubricated 77-degree V-twin with fuel injection and a power delivery that didn't scream, but roared confidently. For the scene at the time, this was almost heretical. After all, motocross bikes weren't built to write technical novels, but to win races. But Aprilia seemed to relish precisely that: designing things that seemed absurd at first glance – and then suddenly made a surprising amount of sense.

What many often forget: The MXV 450 wasn't simply a one-off project. It was the most radical offspring of an entire model family that, with the RXV (enduro) and SXV (supermoto), had already proven that a lightweight V-twin could be more than just a quirky idea in the off-road sector. The MXV was, so to speak, the "What happens if we go completely overboard?" child in this lineup – an engine that Aprilia deliberately sharpened, slimmed down, and tailored for pure racing. No compromises, no comfort. Simply an attempt to prove that twin-cylinder engines have their place even in the dirt.

Pushing the limits on the racetrack

Of course, Aprilia didn't just tinker with the engine in the lab. The MXV 450 had to go where it really hurts: to the racetrack. And there it proved that courage doesn't just look spectacular, but can also work. It was the last twin-cylinder motocross bike ever used in Grand Prix racing – that fact alone is enough to understand its later cult status.

There were races where the twin revealed its strengths: the controllable traction from low revs, the unusually direct throttle response, the almost outrageous eagerness to rev. Joshua Coppins, a rider not known for sugarcoating things but for clear words and unbridled commitment, immediately sensed that the MXV was something special.

He repeatedly described the riding experience as surprisingly good, as a machine that felt right in many moments – powerful, agile, with a power delivery completely different from what motocross riders were used to. At the same time, he didn't hide the challenges the team faced. He spoke openly about the recurring technical problems: clutch issues, starting problems, small details that can quickly determine victory or defeat in motocross. He made it clear that the potential was there – but that the reliability sometimes simply couldn't keep up.

But as polarizing as the machine was, it was also overshadowed by regulations that didn't exactly welcome its unusual architecture. Especially in the USA, the hurdles for twin-engine bikes were set so high that the MXV had virtually no chance there. In the end, the motorcycle didn't fail due to a lack of talent or potential – but because of rules that simply didn't exist for bikes like this.

Why Aprilia did it anyway

This unspoken question hangs over the entire MXV 450 story: Why all this effort for a concept the industry didn't want? The answer lies in Aprilia's own brand DNA. Aprilia was never a company that followed trends. It was the company that ignited trends – sometimes successfully, sometimes with explosive flops, but always with the same will to push boundaries.

The MXV wasn't developed to dominate sales charts. It was born out of a pure love of technical experimentation. It was meant to prove that motocross didn't have to be stuck in single-cylinder dogma. And incidentally, it demonstrated how far a V-twin could be miniaturized, streamlined, and honed for harsh off-road conditions without losing its distinctive character. In this respect, it's less of a motorcycle and more of a research project on two wheels – one you could simply ride if you were brave enough.

From niche project to legend

Today, years after its disappearance from the market, the MXV 450 seems like an artifact from a time when manufacturers were still willing to take risks. Its sound – raw, unadulterated, different – ​​was often described in test reports as a mixture of "V-twin thunder" and "two-stroke cheekiness." Its power delivery on technically demanding tracks felt like a small miracle, because the twin pulled so cleanly from low revs that one almost forgot how unorthodox this concept actually was.

But part of its mystique is the tragedy inherent in many great motorcycle ideas. The MXV was ahead of its time, while the market was only just beginning to accept fuel injection. It entered a competition that had become entrenched. And it broke rules that no one else wanted to break. All of this makes it no less relevant today – on the contrary: it makes it fascinating.

What remains

Holding the engine of the MXV 450 in your hands today doesn't feel like examining a piece of technical equipment. It's more like glimpsing a moment when Aprilia didn't ask if something made sense – but whether it was possible. This machine is a monument to courage, curiosity, and a certain endearing kind of madness, without which motorsport would have long since become boring.

The MXV 450 was never a bike for the mass market. But it was a bike for history. And that's precisely why it speaks louder today than many motorcycles that were more successful back then. It's the legacy of a time when things were done simply because no one had dared to do them before.

Suzuki and the rumors about an MXGP comeback

In recent months, rumors have been circulating that Suzuki is working on a return to the Motocross World Championship after years of absence. Officially, the Japanese manufacturer remains tight-lipped – but internally, there seems to be much more activity than one would expect after their surprising withdrawal from MotoGP and MXGP. And that's precisely why so many are watching Hamamatsu with bated breath: Will the yellow bikes actually make their comeback in 2027?

Why Suzuki again, of all things?

Since the end of its factory program in 2017, Suzuki's presence in motocross has been a mere shadow of its former self. No model updates, no official teams, no visible plan for the future. Yet, behind the scenes, the brand has never completely ceased to send signals about its motorsport heritage.

The most important clue: Suzuki operates in multi-year development cycles. So, if 2027 emerges as a possible comeback year, that would fit perfectly with the kind of long-term planning for which Japanese manufacturers are known. And that's exactly what several independent insiders are currently saying.

The role of Silvan Geboers – a name that makes you sit up and take notice

When it comes to Suzuki and motocross, one name comes up again and again: Silvan Geboers. The Belgian led the successful Suzuki factory team for decades, produced world champions, and is still considered a key figure for everything concerning Suzuki and off-road racing.

Geboers' recent trip to Japan reignited the rumor mill. A clear denial? Not a chance. Instead, a typically cautious statement that sounded more like "I'm not allowed to talk about it" than a genuine "no." And we know exactly these kinds of nuanced pronouncements all too well from this industry.

2026 is cancelled – and that's precisely what makes 2027 so realistic.

If Suzuki returns, it won't be half-hearted. And that means: a new motorcycle. The RM-Z platform has long since reached its technical limits. Ride-by-wire, modern electronics, a new frame – all of that is on the to-do list if Suzuki wants to make a comeback internationally. No new model is homologated for 2025 and 2026, which makes it clear: a factory entry before 2027 is virtually impossible.

Conversely, this also means that if a factory team is to compete in 2027, Suzuki would have to appear in Europe with test prototypes by 2026 at the latest. And many are talking about exactly that.

The perfect time for a comeback? Actually, yes.

Motocross is currently undergoing a transformation. Triumph and Ducati have entered the field in recent years, and Beta and Fantic are investing. MXGP is regaining manufacturer interest as a platform – and Suzuki could seize this moment to reposition itself without being directly overshadowed by the Japanese manufacturers remaining in MXGP.

Furthermore, HEP Suzuki's US project demonstrates that racing program structures can work when implemented correctly. The success of riders like Ken Roczen has further boosted the brand's profile. This is momentum that shouldn't be allowed to stagnate.

How likely is a comeback really?

It seems like one of those rare projects where many puzzle pieces suddenly fall into place – without anyone saying it out loud. And that's precisely what makes the situation so exciting.

That's for sure:
Nothing will happen in 2026.
Suzuki is reconsidering motocross.
– Several insiders report consistent activity.
Geboers plays a role – at least in an advisory capacity.

It is likely that:
– a new RM-Z model is already in development,
Test drives are scheduled to begin in 2026,
– 2027 would be the most realistic comeback window in years.

The following remains open:
– who would lead the team,
– which drivers are eligible,
– and how deeply Suzuki intends to invest financially.

A comeback with history – and with a future?

Nothing is official yet. But this time the rumors seem different – ​​more substantial, more coordinated, and above all: unchallenged. Suzuki is making progress, albeit slowly, but noticeably. And perhaps in a few years we will indeed see yellow factory bikes back on the MXGP starting grid.

Until then, only one thing remains certain: this issue will be with us for a long time to come. And perhaps that is a good sign.