Is Moto Slipping?

“Motocross is going downhill” – Tabea Zimmermann speaks plainly

 Ralph Marzahn

Tabea Zimmermann, herself a passionate motocross rider and owner of the company founded in 2021 TZ Designs It doesn't beat around the bush. No scripted pathos, no influencer platitudes – just an honest, uncomfortable statement from the scene, for the scene. The trigger is several career endings that are currently causing consternation: that of Sarah Andersen and that of Tanja Schlosser, who had to explain their retirement from competitive sports despite their athletic prowess and even European Championship titles. The reason is the same – and it hurts: money.

Not talent. Not speed. But the system.

Motocross is expensive. That's nothing new. But according to Zimmermann, a point has now been reached where even ambitious competitive sport is simply no longer feasible with a normal income. At the national top level, at the latest, costs explode: engines, travel, spare parts, entry fees. Anyone who takes this seriously needs more than passion – they need a stable financial foundation.

And that's precisely where the problem lies.

Sponsorship is no longer what many believe it to be.

Zimmermann dispels one of the biggest myths: Sponsorship no longer simply means "slap a logo on the bike, and you're done." Anyone seeking support today must offer something in return – reach, content, creativity, reliability. Percentage deals and equipment discounts alone won't sustain a season.

She speaks openly about how much invisible work goes into seemingly "free" helmets, clothing, or parts. Years of building a network, social media, video production, constant availability. Sponsorship is work – not a gift.

The scene is devouring itself.

One of the toughest, but most important points of their statement: The money must not come from within the scene itself. If motocross companies finance motocross riders who in turn spend their money there, no growth occurs – only a closed cycle that bleeds itself dry.

Zimmermann advises approaching external sponsors – brands that have nothing to do with motocross but can benefit from its image. That's precisely where the real potential lies to make the sport bigger, more professional, and more sustainable.

Success alone is no longer enough

One sentence sticks in your mind: Riding a motorcycle fast is no longer enough. Successes are hardly impressive anymore if they aren't told, showcased, and emotionally charged. Content beats trophies – as harsh as that sounds. Those who ignore this remain invisible.

Not an attack – but a wake-up call

Important: This statement is not an attack on any individual riders. On the contrary. Zimmermann expressly emphasizes her respect and closeness to the athletes mentioned. Her concern is not about blame, but about awareness, responsibility, and the question of how motocross can even have a future in German-speaking countries.

Honest, uncomfortable – but necessary

Tabea Zimmermann voices what many think but few say. Her conclusion is clear: Motocross isn't in a sporting crisis – it's in a structural one. Those who love the sport need to start rethinking their approach. They need to become more creative. They need to become more professional. And they need to accept that passion alone won't pay the bills.

Or, to sum it up in her words: Nothing comes from nothing. And those who stand still get overtaken – not just on the track. You can find Tabea's video on her Youtube channel.

The Range, Homebase and wilko CEO Chris Dawson extends support for Vets MX epics

Since first coming on board as title sponsors of the VMXdN back in 2023, The Range, wilko and Homebase have steadily strengthened their commitment to UK motocross. That support was extended to the Farleigh Castle Vets MX in 2024 and, heading into 2026, the retail trio will mark their third consecutive year as title sponsors of both events.

Spearheaded by motocross superfan Chris Dawson, The Range, wilko and Homebase are once again backing the VMXdN at Hawkstone Park and the Farleigh Castle Vets MX. Having previously supported the Foxhill event, the move to Hawkstone was embraced enthusiastically – and with good reason. Few venues can rival Hawkstone’s heritage, with the Shropshire circuit standing tall as one of the most historic and respected tracks on the UK calendar.

Fans won’t miss the now-familiar Arctic trailer either, which will be in attendance at both events and loaded with just about everything you didn’t know you needed. From camping essentials and spectator must-haves like airbeds and umbrellas, through to garden furniture and kids’ toys, it’s well worth a wander. And if you’re lucky, you may even catch Dawson reliving his market-trader days on the mic – an experience in itself.

“We are really pleased to be part of this new era, with VMXdN moving to Hawkstone – the real home of motocross,” said Dawson. “We’re building on improved marketing and have a few big surprises planned for later in the year to make the event even better.”

The VMXdN has long been renowned for bringing together the very best motocross riders – past and present – from across the globe. This year’s Hawkstone Park event, scheduled for August 27-30, promises to raise the bar once again, with two-stroke racing that harks back to the golden era of ’90s motocross, hard racing and an atmosphere that bridges generations.

Meanwhile, Farleigh Castle Vets MX remains the undisputed OG of veterans’ motocross. Taking place on September 10-13, 2026, the event has been a cornerstone of the UK motocross calendar since its inception in 2009. Set against the dramatic Somerset backdrop, Farleigh consistently delivers bar-to-bar racing, with full gates of riders young, not-so-young and everything in between, all attacking the hills like it’s still 1995.

Two iconic events. Two legendary venues. And the unmistakable sight and sound of two-strokes doing what they do best.

Lucky' Tomac details Houston Triple Crown crash scare

Current 450SX points-leader Eli Tomac has detailed his ‘lucky’ escape in that Houston Triple Crown crash scare, where the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider recorded 3-13-1 scores to salvage a P4 result.

The 33-year-old was in form from the outset at round four of Monster Energy Supercross 2026, posting a 46.684s qualifying time that was almost half a second faster than Chase Sexton (Monster Energy Kawasaki) behind him.

Tomac then finished third in the opening encounter of the three-race format before advancing toward the front in race two, only to accidentally engage his rear brake on the face of an up-ramp, which sent him spectacularly over the handlebars – remounting for 13th in the race.

“Houston was eventful,” Tomac recalled. “The crash through the ’bars was obviously a big moment, and I am very lucky to get out of that crash. I ended up just catching my rear brake in that transition – it was super high-speed.

“Sometimes those things get you – my brake barely dragged up the ramp, and of course, I went over the ’bars. [I managed] to get through there, but if I am going to throw something away, this is the night to do it, in a Triple Crown race.

“It was tough to rebound [in race two] because my front-end was a little tweaked, but I just know how crucial it is to get points, period. I know in a Triple Crown, anything can happen, so I was just digging and doing what I could with a twisted front-end.

“But yeah, I’m really just thankful to come out of this with fourth overall, rebound and ride well in the third race to get a win.”

Tomac holds 88 points to start the 2026 season, following 1-1-3-4 results across the first four rounds. The two-time champion carries a four-point advantage at the head of the 450SX standings over Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive).

Coenen Takes Sardinia

MXLarge.com

In front of a huge crowd, Red Bull KTM factory rider Lucas Coenen has put down the first marker with victory in the opening international race of the 2026 season, held in Sardinia today.

The Belgian teenager scored 1-1 results and was in a class of his own. Second overall was five-time world champion Tim Gajser didn’t look comfortable on his Yamaha and picked up 5-2 results and Oliver Oriol with 3-4 scores was third overall.

Coenen Pases Gajser

Lucas Coenen: I mean, the pass was big and you need to show who is the boss and I showed him I put in some intensity. It was difficult with the lap riders, one hit me and the track was difficult. It was a good test.

Tim Gajser: I mean, first race I was a bit tight, and I had a bad start. Also got some arm pump, but I was happy, the second one I was okay, riding with the guys at the front. Still, some work to do, but we are going the right way.

The final race of the day was the second MX1 race and it was on a perfect track and under sunshine that Adamo with the holeshot and Geerts and Bonacorsi down in the first corner and both struggling to get going. Adamo led Gajser, Pancar, Forato, and Coenen.

Adamo not able to shake Gajser, with Pancar and Coenen fighting for third place after the Belgian had passed Forato. Coenen also passed Pancar to move into third place and is charging towards Gajser.

Coenen dived around Gajser and then in a while ride also passed Adamo for the lead. The young Belgian was pushing very hard. Gajser all over the Italian for second place. Coenen just riding off into the distance as Adamo and Gajser fight over the scraps.

Gajser looking in all sorts of trouble on his new machine and it seems clear he still has some work to do to get comfortable on the Yamaha. It is a tough circuit, so maybe Mantova next week will be a little easier.

Adamo was six seconds behind Coenen, with Gajser another five seconds back in third place, then came Oriol, Forato, Guadagnini, Pancar. With laps running out, Gajser passed Adamo for second place as the Italian dropped out of the results and was seen pushing his bike back to the mechanics area.

Coenen just clicked off the laps and won easily from Gajser and Forato with Oriol fourth, then Guadagnini and Pancar. A perfect start for the world number two, although he did have some wild moments throughout the day.

Can Webb Rebound...Yes He Can!

Houston Triple Crown

1. Cooper Webb

2. Hunter Lawernce

3. Ken Roczen

4. Eli Tomac

Consistency pays for Cooper Webb at Houston AMA Supercross

Cooper Webb secured his first AMA Supercross victory of 2026 in a dramatic Houston Triple Crown

Yamaha’s Cooper Webb took the overall win at the Houston AMA Supercross round, despite not winning any of the three race .

Webb started sixth in the first race, but made his way quietly up to fourth, passing Jorge Prado and Jason Anderson, and benefitting from a Hunter Lawrence crash, although he was passed by a charging Eli Tomac.

KTM’s Tomac had been the fastest rider in qualifying and seemed to carry that speed into the night show, but bad starts meant he had to cut through the pack in both of the first two races. That resulted in a third place in Race 1, but the second race saw him crash after climbing up to fourth. It seemed Tomac hit neutral in a transition towards the end of the track’s longest rhythm section and the result was him falling forwards off the next jump and cartwheeling with the bike as they hit the ground out of control.

Tomac was able to remount and finish the second race 13th, but even a win in the final race wasn’t enough then to keep him in podium contention, but a fourth place on the night meant he made ground in the points over Chase Sexton, who had a muted night, going 2-9-6 (including a second-race crash in the final corner) for fifth.

As for Webb, he took second in Race 2, finishing behind Lawrence after they both passed the holeshotting Jorge Prado. 

In Race 3, Webb hit Joey Savatgy on the take-off of the finish jump on the first lap and was fortunate not to be landed on when he came up hugely short on the landing. The Yamaha rider recovered, though, finishing third after a lengthy battle with Ken Roczen towards the end.

Roczen himself was one of the fastest riders on the night and took the victory in the first race, holding Sexton at bay for the majority of the 12 minutes. Race 2 saw a bad start for the Suzuki rider, but he was able to get back to fifth; before, in Race 3, a number of mistakes prevented him from getting close enough to make an impression on Webb in the closing stages in what was the battle for the overall victory.

Had Roczen made the pass, he’d have won the overall, but failing to pass Webb left him third, behind Webb and Lawrence, the Australian recovering after his Race 1 crash to take his first win in a 450SX Triple Crown race in the second moto before finishing second in Race 3 to secure the middle step on the overall podium. 

Lawrence’s P2 overall finish is his third in succession and leaves him now four points behind Tomac at the top of the championship. Roczen is a further eight points off the points lead in third, while Sexton is one point further away (14) than he was after his Anaheim 2 win a week ago. Webb’s victory moves him to within 17 points of the championship lead.

Houston Supercross

Exciting night in Houston, great racing in the 450 class.

Can Webb Rebound?

Challenging start to 2026 for reigning premier class champion.

Reigning 450SX champion Cooper Webb cut a dejected figure following Saturday’s Anaheim 2 main event, with his season-high P5 adding to what has been a largely challenging opening three rounds. He labelled the night as potentially a ‘nail in the coffin’ for his title defense, but with 14 rounds remaining, plenty of points are still on the table.

In a season where uncertainty surrounded both Eli Tomac – now at Red Bull KTM – and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton amid major program overhauls, Webb stood out as the known commodity. The three-time number one was even granted the green light to line up aboard last year’s title-winning YZ450F, signaling all systems go for the Monster Energy Supercross champion.

The signs suggested this could be the best version of Webb to date, yet three rounds into the new season, the North Carolinian has recorded 7-8-5 finishes and finds himself sixth overall, already 24 points down on series leader Tomac.

While not ideal, the situation is far from disastrous, with Webb’s post-race commentary inside Angel Stadium likely the product of a microphone being placed in front of him while emotions were running at their highest. And, it’s understood he thought the deficit was in fact larger than 24 at the time.

The ever-outspoken Webb also took a shot in the direction of Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) following a start-straight handlebar tangle that appeared to be a run-of-the-mill incident when riders are in such proximity. The point is, Webb was fired up and didn’t mince his words when the opportunity to speak presented itself.

“It’s been hell to be honest, to start the beginning of the year, but it’s part of the sport,” Webb admitted. “You do everything right, and sometimes you just get your teeth kicked in. I was happy with tonight, I was riding well – you know, it’s rare when I’m right there with the number three, and if anything, [he’s] kind of holding me back a little bit.

“With that being said, I can’t be too mad at myself. I was just trying to go ahead and get a pass lined up in the sand, and I made a mistake and went down. It’s just a bummer, like I said, I feel like tonight may or may not have put a nail in the coffin for a title defense, so it’s bittersweet, but in this sport, nothing is over until it is over.

“We’ll keep training – keep working hard, I felt like I made a big stride tonight, I think I was one of the better guys out there, I just..with [Jorge] Prado on the start, and Hunter [Lawrence], that was an unfortunate thing that we all have to deal with I guess when we are next to Prado, so, just, yeah.

“It’s racing, I’m bummed, pissed, not good results, but it’s not for a lack of effort, and the heart is there, it’s just getting on the same pony that kicks you off, and riding it out. We’ll be back next week, that’s for sure.”

There’s promise in not being too hard on himself, as the speed has been typically solid from the outset. At A1, if it weren’t for a serious multi-rider incident that brought out a red flag on the opening lap of the main event, we could very easily be talking about a Cooper Webb season-opening victory, having already established a couple of bike lengths’ advantage before the restart.

San Diego was a mixed outing, not helped by an aggressive move from Sexton that resulted in a crash, while a failed pass attempt on Tomac last weekend also proved costly, ending in a fall where a podium was on offer. Combine potential 1-7-3 results, and that could have equated to as many as 59 points – just 11 shy of Tomac as the series departs California.

While that is now purely hypothetical, it serves to underline Webb’s genuine pace, with minor mistakes proving costly in the opening rounds of the 2026 season. That said, his title challenge is far from over, even if he’s questioned it himself.

Three moments come to mind to support this. In 2002, Ricky Carmichael crashed out of the Supercross season-opener in Anaheim, surrendering 25 points to title rival David Vuillemin. Carmichael would then record 4-4 finishes across the next two rounds before returning to the top step by round four in Phoenix, ultimately claiming 11 wins from the 16-round series to secure the championship.

A similar scenario unfolded for James Stewart in 2009, with a DNF at A1 followed by seven consecutive premier class victories and a composed run to ultimately claim the championship. Likewise, Ryan Villopoto finished a lowly P16 at the 2013 season-opener, before a five-race win streak between rounds nine and 13 proved decisive in securing a successful 450SX title defense.

The point is that the deficit Webb faces can be overcome, as history has shown on multiple occasions. A hallmark of success remains straightforward – race victories. Win as many as possible, and steadily claw back points as the series progresses, as demonstrated by the examples outlined.

What comes into question is Webb’s ability to deliver, as he is better known for strategic management across a 17-round championship than outright pace. That approach is largely off the table now, with multiple race wins required to reduce the points gap to a rider like Tomac – a two-time 450SX champion in his own right.

Is Webb’s title defense over? Not at this point. But, he must be prepared to work outside of his comfort zone and target victories from here on out. That’s what it will take for the three-time 450SX champion to make it four this year, joining the likes of Carmichael, Villopoto, Jeremy McGrath, and Ryan Dungey in the elite group of riders to lift the crown on at least four occasions.

Austin Forkner (Hand Injury) is Out for Houston Supercross After Press Day Crash Friday

On Friday during the press day riding session ahead of round four of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, Austin Forkner crashed at the end of the long rhythm section.

This morning, Triumph Racing announced Forkner will miss today's race, due to a hand injury from said crash.

Triumph's post said the following:

"Unfortunately @AustinForkner sustained a hand injury during a crash on press day and will not take part in today’s proceedings. Heal up fast Austin!"

Forkner missed the San Diego SX main event after a crash earlier in the afternoon during qualifying resulted in a trip to the hospital. Luckily, he was not injured and competed last weekend at the Anaheim 2 SX. In Forkner's first 450SX starts this season (and the first two 450cc races of his pro career), he finished 15th (A1) and 17th (A2). 

RC on Winning!

Given that Ricky Carmichael always found a way to win, even against other legends of the sport in his era, we asked the GOAT if he thought he could do the same now against the new generation in 2026.

A humble RC told us that while he would like to think he would figure it out, the current generation have more skill than him!

“Well, I like to think that I would find a way to win. At the end of the day, I feel like the best guys do find a way and that’s what makes those guys special. Cooper Webb is a perfect example. It’s not always about being the fastest guy. You know, you don’t have to be the fastest guy to win championships at this level. You have to be the most well-rounded guy. You got to be consistent. You got to risk management. You got to have some decent speed, but you just don’t. Being the fastest isn’t everything. And I think Cooper is really good at realizing that. He’s an ace on the mental game as well and a lot of the championship guys have to be really mentally astute. So, I’d like to think that I could find a way, but these guys have a lot more skill, I will say, than I ever did. I think the skill level from these riders is just absolutely exceptional.”