RJ Talks with MXLarge

 

American legend, Ricky Johnson was without question one of the all-time great American riders and a rider who loved travelling to race. I remember him telling me once, he did enough international races in one off-season, that he made more in the off-season, than his Honda factory contract.

He raced for Team USA in several occasions and won every single time he lined up for the American's and his victories at places like Fastcross, Bercy and all over the World set him apart from many others.

A seven time AMA supercross and motocross champion and without question, and along with Marty Smith, Jeremy McGrath and Jett Lawrence, one of the most charasmatic riders in the sports history.

MXlarge: What races stood out for you in your career?

Johnson: There are so many. I raced with the best racers in the world, and some days I beat them. The Motocross des Nations events really stand out. Also, racing in Texas, where it was over 100 degrees outside, and passing Jeff Ward with two laps to go, was satisfying. Winning the Carlsbad USGP on ABC’s Wide World of Sports program for millions to see was awesome. There were a lot of great moments. And because of a great career, I’m fortunate to be recognized with those racers I hold in such high esteem.

MXlarge: What about countries you visited?

Johnson: I liked every place that I travelled to. I love Italy for a lot of reasons. The food is amazing, and the people are passionate. They don’t pull any punches. If an Italian person doesn’t like you, then you’ll know. If they like you, then they are very welcoming. I love Paris, because it’s so crazy and foreign to me, and also because of the history. I’ve enjoyed going to Belgium and Holland to see all of the castles. England was cool, because it’s like the light version of Europe. They speak English, and though it’s different, it’s not too different from what I’ve known. Japan has such deep history, and the fans are very polite. The fans in America wanted everything from me, but in Japan, the fans actually brought me gifts!

MXLarge: What makes somebody great?

Johnson: That’s a tough question to answer. It all depends on how you measure greatness. For me, you can’t just measure greatness based on duration. The day that Jeff Ward won the Motocross des Nations in Sweden in 1984, everyone that was there still talks about how perfectly he rode that day. I had days, such as Daytona or Seattle, where I felt out of body. Everything felt amazing. No one was going to touch me. To be in the top 10 is great, but I know that I would take on anybody from any time when I was in my prime and healthy. For me, if I’m considered one of the 10 best, then I’m happy.

MXLarge: Is Ricky Carmichael the greatest of all time?

Johnson: I don’t believe that Ricky Carmichael is the greatest of all time. He is awesome. He is a great champion. But to say that he’s the best of all time. I don’t think that he would have survived had he raced in an earlier era. He was too small. He could not ride in the 1960s with Roger DeCoster and Joel Robert, because his style would have broken the bike. He would have been injured. Yes, he’s the greatest of his time, but not all time. I’m not saying that I’m better, but to put that label on him isn’t quite right with me.

MXLarge: What do you think of the current era?

Johnson: Where it’s at now is good, but it should be better. It would be better if the riders cared more about the sport than themselves. Many of the racers might not like what I have to say, but it is their job to make the sport a better place for the next generation. Roger DeCoster, Torsten Hallman, Joel Robert and Brad Lackey worked hard to make motocross a better place so that guys like Danny LaPorte and I could have a better living. The sport started with riders in the backs of vans. It wasn’t about the money. They were good spokesmen and represented their sport. Now a lot of these racers think that they are superstars.

Roczen re-signs for third term with HEP and Suzuki

Image: Octopi Media.

Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki has officially extended Ken Roczen for a third term entering the 2025 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) season.

Roczen has been with the HEP Motorsports-owned team since 2023 and will continue with the RM-Z450 next season.

“I am very excited to continue my relationship with Suzuki and the team,” said Roczen. “We have had a pretty successful last couple of years and we are eager to continue chasing our dreams of wins and podiums.” 

Dustin Pipes, team principal at HEP Motorsports, added: “Very happy to have Ken back for another year with the team. He is the ultimate professional on and off the racetrack.

“Ken is an exceptional talent, capable of winning any race he shows up to and keeping him on the very capable RM-Z450 brings a sense of excitement to every race day for the team. We will be working hard to once again reach the top step of the podium.”

Jorge Prado on Monster Energy Kawasaki | Full-Time USA Ride

Bear Mountain Hare Scrambles

2024 Polka Dots MC Bare Mountain Hare Scrambles

Magoo 1982 MXDN

 Chandler stuns the Moto world!

A local NorCal legend with a penchant for going absolutely all-out everywhere (and with a catalog of massive crashes to go with it) Chandler was everyone’s favorite underdog in the late 1970s and early ‘80s. Known as something of a wild man, he rode Maicos way past their sell-by dates, and also spent time on a RM125 Suzuki with LOP Racing. After showing real promise in the fall of ’81 during the Trans-USA Series in the 500cc Support class, riding an LOP-backed Honda CR480s, Honda afforded him support for 1982.

At the start of the ’82 season Chandler had never won a major race. After crashing his way out of the AMA Supercross Series, it was starting to look like he may never win. But something remarkable began happening later that summer. It began at the Datsun 500cc U.S. Grand Prix at Carlsbad. Chandler shocked pretty much everyone by winning with 1-5 moto scores, despite being stung by a bee in the second moto, which Chandler was deathly allergic to. One week later (on July 4th, fittingly enough, and at RedBud, coincidentally) Chandler won his first outdoor national, topping Mike “Too Tall” Bell and full Honda factory rider Darrell Shultz to win the 500 class. That span right there—winning the USGP and the RedBud 500 National, back-to-back—seemed like it was as good as it gets for Magoo, especially after he finished 12^th and sixth in the only other races he rode that summer, his season cut short by injuries.

But then things started happening that affected Team USA’s plans for the upcoming Motocross and Trophee des Nations, which they would be defending for the first time, and again with all Honda riders, just like in ’81. First Shultz, the newly crowned 500 National Champion, was so beat up that he had to pull out (and would never race again). Chuck Sun, a member of the winning ’81 team, also had to scratch. And then Donnie Hansen, the ’82 AMA Supercross and 250 Pro Motocross Champion, got a terrible concussion hurt the week before the Nations were to begin. (He too would never race again.)

Team USA manager Roger DeCoster had lost three key riders and only had one man left from the ’81 team—Johnny O’Mara—as Danny Laporte had moved on to Yamaha and a contract in Europe. First, Roger called third-year Honda Support rider Jim Gibson, then came Chandler, and finally David Bailey would be the last-minute substitute for Hansen. Once again, Team USA would go into the Nations as total underdogs, despite the fact that they were the defending champions.

1982 Team USA riders (from left) Jim Gibson, Danny Chandler, Johnny O’Mara and David Bailey.Racer X Archives

The 250cc race in Germany came first, then the 500cc race. The vast majority of the fans at those two tracks (Gairldorf and Wohlen, respectively) had probably never even heard of anyone on Team USA other than O’Mara, and only because of what he had done the year before. By the time the races were over, Danny “Magoo” Chandler was a motocross god. In the first moto in Germany, he overcame early leader O’Mara and ended up winning the 40-minutes-plus-2-laps race by some 10 seconds over British rider David Thorpe, the future multi-time world champion. In the second moto Chandler again overtook O’Mara for the lead, and again rode away from everyone. When it was all over, Chandler was 30 seconds ahead of second-place Andre Vromans of Belgium and Team USA teammate O’Mara. And with all four Americans in the top ten in every moto, Team USA won easily.

The following week in Switzerland was even an even more emphatic statement by Chandler, as he holeshot both motos and simply disappeared, this time on 500cc equipment. And despite an ankle injury for O’Mara, Team USA won again as all four riders again finished in the top ten, Bailey second best with 4-2 finishes.

In the history of the Nations, let alone Team USA, there has never been a single performance as dominant and unexpected as what Magoo did in 1982. Over the course of two weeks, in four motos, on two different sized motorcycles, Chandler swept all four races in what was arguably, the greatest individual performance in all of motocross history—not just Nations history, but the entire sport’s history. Of course, one could argue that future stars like Jeff Stanton, Stefan Everts, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto, Antonio Cairoli, Ryan Dungey and Jeffrey Herlings never got a chance to match Magoo since they combined the two races into one, but it doesn’t change what Magoo actually did, and no one else matched, over nearly 25 years.

And while there have been perfect seasons by Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart, double- and even triple Grand Prix wins by Stefan Everts, 10-year winning streaks like Roger DeCoster’s in the old Trophee events, 13-straight AMA Supercross wins like Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael, as remarkable as those accomplishments have all been, Chandler’s performance in 1982 still stands out.

Maybe it’s because of the way the rest of Danny’s career and life played out, first by never again matching the successes of that season, and never being picked for Team USA again after it was opened up to all U.S. riders, and not just Team Honda. Then came the tragic ending to his career, which happened with one of his patented finish-line cross-ups gone-wrong at a European Supercross in late 1985 while he was on a KTM. He would be wheelchair-bound and in pain for the rest of his life, which ended in 2010 when Danny Chandler was still only 50 years old. He will, however, be a motocross legend forever.

Can Vince Friese Find Respect?

 

Vince Friese is arguably one of the most underrated riders in supercross. He races hard, he never backs out of a fight, and by their own admission, his opponents are afraid to overtake him. He rarely gets the credit he deserves, but thanks to his uncompromising, and at times, controversial, racing style, Friese has also become one of the most polarising figures of the sport.

After contending for consecutive championship titles, Friese is back in the FIM World Supercross Championship for 2024, and has his sights locked on his ultimate goal: becoming a WSX World Supercross champion.

The journey has been long for the Missouri-born racer, but in every high and in the face of every low, his determination, commitment to riding, and competitive drive have been unquestionable.

But when a divisive figure rises to prominence in sport, myth and legend blur with fact and reality. A person becomes a persona – no more than a character in a play. That leaves us questioning who a person truly is away from the spotlight. So, who is the real Vince Friese?

“I avoid social media and the limelight a little bit, but I’m a different person with the helmet on, that’s for sure,” Friese tells Laurette Nicoll in WSX’s exclusive YouTube series, The Inside Line. I’m competitive off the bike, but I’m not a killer off the bike like I am when I’m on the bike. The few people who get to know me get to see me in a different light, but I’m pretty mean when I get on a motorcycle.”

Truly understanding the mind of any sportsperson is a rare prospect, but in Friese, his focus and desire to win are more than mere personality traits. He has a naturally competitive attitude – it’s instinctual.

“I’ve always had that focus when it comes to race time,” he explains. “I think in WSX, it’s been magnified a little bit because I’m racing for wins every weekend. In the American supercross, I’ve had that same mindset and caught a lot of people by surprise by beating riders that are maybe paid 10-times more than what I am, and beating them consistently on what people think is lesser equipment, even though I believe I have the best motorcycle in the sport. I’ve always had that, but it’s been magnified in WSX which is awesome for me and my team, but I haven’t been in the limelight that much for people to see the personal side of me – they just see me on the bike. I’m competitive pretty much everywhere I go and in everything that I do, but on a motorcycle is the most competitive you’re going to see me.”

Friese started his third season in WSX in October and put his racing style on full display at the WSX Canadian GP in Vancouver, securing good starts, bagging holeshots, and racing every single lap like it’s his last. In 2024 his goal is the same as it was in 2023, and even in 2022. He wants to come out on top in the series’ premier WSX 450cc class by winning a World Championship title.

“I believe in WSX as a rider,” continues Friese, who has represented MotoConcepts Racing in the championship since 2022. “I like the way WSX takes care of the riders, the team likes the way they take care of the teams, and we’re putting our effort in there. MotoConcepts have told us that WSX is the main focus, and for me, it’s been awesome. I make more money at WSX than I ever have in the American supercross, so we’re going to keep focusing on that and try to win a championship. Right now, my main focus is on weekend wins but doing that will mean being in the title fight at the end. In the last two seasons we’ve been right there coming into the last race, and it would be awesome to get it done. I’ve dreamed about that, and it’s a big goal of mine and the team. We came up a little short [in 2022 and 2023] but we’ve been close every time. If we keep sticking it in there, keep fighting hard and with the team giving me their best, I think we’re going to get it done.”

By his own admission, Friese acknowledges that he can turn almost anything into a source of motivation, be it on the practice track between events, or in the heat of a WSX SuperFinal. But why does he do it? What does he have to prove?

“I don’t feel like I need to prove myself to anybody else, but to myself, I do,” he states. “I feel like I’m capable of getting it done in the premier class, so I feel like there’s more to prove to myself. I don’t care too much about anybody else – I’ve done this for so long now that I don’t think I have much to prove.”

Friese is right. While he’s regularly viewed as the underdog in WSX, time and time again, he has beaten some of the best riders in the world, including two-time series champion, Ken Roczen.

It’s with this dedication that Friese puts himself in the fight and ensures that he ends up in title contention coming into the final race of the season.

“I know that people are surprised that I’m there [at the front] and able to battle with Kenny [Roczen] and Eli [Tomac] at these races,” admits Friese. “Any other team, any other rider, they don’t expect me to compete at that level, and you would think that they would because it’s been years now.

“I would understand if it was five years or so ago, but for the last three years I’ve been a consistently top guy and they all seem to think that they’re going to beat me, but I enjoy coming out and proving them wrong.

"I think a lot of people still see me as that guy who couldn’t make a main event from 10 or 15 years ago, and they just don’t want to believe that I’m better than them now. And that’s been cool for me – there’s not been many riders in the sport who have progressed in that way, from not being a main event guy to a podium guy, and I’ve bridged that gap slowly but surely over a lot of years. A lot of them still don’t want to believe it, but we’re here and we’re a threat every time we’re out there.”

But alongside being the underdog, Friese has also become a polarising figure. His will to win has sometimes spilled over, leading some of WSX’s more controversial moments in recent seasons.

Friese is aware of his reputation. He knows that while many love him, just as many hate him, and that’s something he doesn’t read into. It just doesn’t bother him, and outside of the paddock, that shows.

The difference between Vince Friese, father, husband, and recreational golfer, to Vince Friese, supercross rider and stadium warrior, is stark. The transition is jarring to see.

“Everything I do, I want to do it to the best that I can, and racing is the main thing that I’m focused on,” he says. “I’m super competitive, and I know that if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it right. I think my reputation is fair. The way that I ride is going to bring opinions out of the fans, and there are a lot of ways you can say that I’m polarising, but it is what it is, I guess. I’m not unaware of my reputation. I know it, and I don’t read too much into it.”

“I like to think that’s what you would want out of a professional athlete that you’re paying to go to battle every weekend,” continues Friese. “Do you want to have a guy who will roll over for the guys behind him, or do you want him to fight for every position?

“I’ve been lucky to have the team behind me for a long time, and I’m naturally that guy when I put a helmet on. I’m competitive, but I’m lucky to have those guys supporting me. They like the fact that I’m competitive, and that I race hard. Why would I not fight for every position and try my hardest when I’m on the track?

“I know a lot of riders don’t like it – they like to use me as a crutch or an excuse if they have a bad night, and like I said earlier they don’t think I’m as good as them. If I beat them, they like to find an excuse. It’s definitely earned me a reputation, but that doesn’t phase me at all. I just like racing dirt bikes.”

Maximus Vohland's Long Road Back

"That [Pain Medication] Addiction Kicks In...."

Maximus Vohland describes the pain and the comeback from a devastating hip injury suffered early in the 2024 season, plus other drama revolving his sister and her road back from a Traumatic Brain Injury suffered while riding a horse. The Vohland family has been through it, but they don't give up! Maximus is now with Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha and looks to overcome nerve issues in his leg and foot and still walk up to the podium in 2025.

Webb – Jett is who I have to beat to be champion again

Cooper Webb spoke about his off season races, switching to Fly gear and the upcoming 2025 season.

Webb said: “I could go there and get served a very nice slice of humble pie but I do feel I am in a much better spot. This off-season so far I haven’t even touched my bike at all. I feel like the bike is in a great spot..I feel good. I feel pace-wise I am a lot better off (than this time last year). I have done so many boot camps, for me it’s getting a gate-drop, when I go this Saturday and Sunday, I am going to leave there with some knowledge of what you need to work on, and that is the stuff you can’t replace at a test track in my opinion.”

And Webb is eyeing these pre-season races in Paris and Australia as a measuring stick to try and beat Jett Lawrence in 2025. Webb said: “In my eyes, Jett Lawrence is who I have to beat to be champion again, and I have to race him three times in a month, a month before we go racing (AMA supercross), you can’t beat that in my opinion, right? And Hunter as well. You want to know all these weaknesses and what you have to work on, well, the guy who ahs the number one plate is racing the same races, what more can you ask for?”

Paris supercross media day – first laps

See Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, Cooper Webb and Dylan Ferrandis get their first laps in on the Paris supercross track ahead of two days of intense racing! Andy McKinstry with the footage:

https://gatedrop.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Snapinsta.app_video_AQNPlfS8rC3THN_u5i3w4YxnP7egUWUT7ahqypraF6xmVEHsqRJLuj980zKo2qcaCOh0k6FsBTRGH790Dc4Ip9Je.mp4

Pierer Mobility in Crisis – KTM Path to Recovery Under Pressure!

As expected, turning around the challenging situation  for motorcycle manufacturer KTM is a long-term effort. Last night, Pierer Mobility AG, the holding company, announced an urgent need for a financial boost of “a nine-figure sum in dollars.”

At the end of last month, we highlighted the difficulties that KTM, along with its sister brands Husqvarna and GasGas, are currently facing.

Two days ago, Pierer Mobility AG issued an emergency statement, revealing the need for fresh funds to support KTM AG’s liquidity planning for the 2025 financial year. As of June 30, 2024, the KTM AG Group accounted for more than 95% of Pierer Mobility AG’s revenue.

 

This urgent financial restructuring is being discussed with core shareholder Pierer Bajaj AG and KTM AG’s key financial creditors, though the identities of these creditors remain undisclosed.

Over 100 Million Euros Needed

The Board of Management is currently working on securing bridge financing for KTM AG, estimated in the “nine-figure” range. While an exact amount hasn’t been specified, sources suggest it involves at least 100 million euros. The goal is to reach a standstill agreement with creditors during negotiations as a foundation for the financial restructuring process.

Negotiations are still in the early stages, so no specific details about the outcome, conditions, or the scale of the additional financing are available at this time.

Cold Response from the Stock Market

In addition to addressing liquidity, the Board of Directors must re-establish a solid operational and financial footing for KTM AG. A significant restructuring plan has already been put into motion, with Pierer Mobility announcing a reduction in production to help clear dealer inventories. The primary objective is to align costs and sales by the 2025 financial year.

No additional layoffs were mentioned. To say that Pierer Mobility’s stock, listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, has struggled would be an understatement. Following three consecutive profit warnings, the stock is facing severe pressure.

At the recent EICMA trade fair in Milan, the company made a strong showing with a large booth and the announcement of several new models.

A Battle for Survival

Today, Pierer Mobility AG’s share price dropped by over 30% (down to CHF 7.77 just before the market closed). Compared to its all-time high of CHF 95.00 on January 14, 2022, the stock has plummeted by 86.27%.

Coverage of KTM in the Austrian media underscores the gravity of the situation. Despite the past successes of industrialist Stefan Pierer, the upcoming months are critical for the  motorcycle manufacturer’s future.

For some longtime KTM dealers and former distributors, the current crisis is reminiscent of the creditor takeover and restructuring of KTM Sportmotorcycle GmbH back in 1991—struggles that preceded KTM’s most prosperous era.

Now, all eyes are on Pierer Mobility AG’s next crucial quarterly report, set to be released on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.