Lawrence Brothers Return Home

Tom Vialle to make a return to the GP paddock in 2026 – MXGP?

After conquering the American Supercross scene, Tom Vialle could be on the verge of a sensational return to the MXGP World Championship in 2026.

The Frenchman made the bold decision to leave the Grand Prix paddock at the end of the 2022 season, swapping familiar European circuits for the stadiums of America. It turned out to be a masterstroke, with Vialle going on to win back-to-back 250SX East titles in 2024 and 2025 – a huge achievement considering his lack of experience before making the switch to America.

With that second Supercross title, Vialle is now no longer eligible to race the 250SX class in 2026. The expectation was that he would step up to the 450cc class in America with the KTM team, forming a three-rider line-up alongside Aaron Plessinger and the soon-to-be-confirmed Eli Tomac. Tomac, previously linked with Ducati, is expected to make the move to KTM after reportedly receiving a better financial package.

However, there could be a dramatic twist in Vialle’s career path. Credit to Italian source, MxNews.net, who first broke the story, and backed up by Lewis Phillips, Vialle has received an offer to return to the MXGP series for the 2026 season. We also heard whispers of the deal last week, and it’s understood that talks with HRC Honda have significantly progressed over the weekend – though a contract has not yet been signed.

Before leaving for his American adventure, Vialle had a clause in his contract that would have seen him move to the MXGP class for the 2023 season but instead chose to pursue his Supercross dream. If the deal with HRC Honda goes through, it would mark a major shift – not only geographically but also in terms of machinery. Having spent the entirety of his professional career with the KTM Group, a move to Honda would see Vialle line up on Japanese equipment for the first time.

Such a move would also raise significant questions about the current HRC line-up. If Vialle joins the team, it means that at least one of the current riders – Tim Gajser or Ruben Fernandez – will be on the move. It’s not out of the question that HRC Honda could head into 2026 with an entirely new line-up to chase MXGP glory but it still remains to be seen what direction they’ll go in.

There had been previous links between the Coenen brothers and HRC Honda, but the latest indications suggest both Lucas and Sacha are more likely to remain with the KTM structure – though in the ever-changing world of motocross, nothing can be ruled out.

This potential move for Vialle is yet another indication that the 2026 MXGP season could see a major shake-up. With top riders switching teams and manufacturers reshuffling their priorities, expect more big news in the coming weeks.

'I expect to be closer to winning' – Tomac

Four-time 450MX champion yet to win an overall in 2025.

Image: Octopi Media.

Decorated four-time 450MX champion Eli Tomac has admitted that he’d ‘expect to be closer to winning’ after the opening five rounds of Pro Motocross 2025, with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider yet to claim an overall victory this year.

While the 32-year-old has been the only rider other than Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) to have won individual motos this year with an opening moto win at Hangtown and a second race victory at High Point, he’s yet to take home the round winner’s trophy.

Having entered the series expressing ample preparation time due to an injury sustained early in Monster Energy Supercross, Tomac has largely fallen short of red plate-holder Lawrence, who holds a sizeable 38-point margin over the number three with six rounds remaining.

“I mean, this season is okay – I’m still getting podiums, but I expect to be closer to winning,” commented Tomac post-race. “In my mind, I still want to be going for and getting wins, so I’m not going home super-stoked, so we’re just trying to get better.

“I’ve lasted this long because I still want to win and try to get better, [but] I just didn’t quite have the pace today, that’s all I can really say. I got beat, and we’ll try to get better next time.”

Currently holding P2 in the 2025 450MX standings, Tomac will target this weekend’s Redbud National to chase down a season-first overall round win and close the points gap at the head of the field.

That Day in Red Bud

Johnny O' on the Lawrence Boys

Johnny "O’Show" O’Mara had a successful career in his day, with an AMA 125 National Motocross Championship and am AMA 250 Supercross Championship to his name. These days he can be found under the Honda HRC Progressive tent helping Jett and Hunter Lawrence. Steve Matthes caught up with Johnny after Southwick where Jett and Hunter went one-two. Steve also wanted to talk about old-school Southwick with O'Show, though!

Matthes: Alright. Johnny, O’Show here we are at Southwick. Your riders went one-two. They had a great day. I don't really want to make it about them, but let's talk about them first. Got to be really rewarding. They've done it a lot. They've won both classes, all of that. But when you see today, Hunter catches Eli, who we know one of the baddest dudes ever and gets second overall. And Jett is gone. It's got to make you feel pretty good.
Johnny O’Mara: Yeah, it's definitely good to watch because that's my job with them. And it's been my job for six years now. So, to do what they did today, we're just always pinching ourselves. It's just a lot of hard work. Obviously, everyone would know at this level. It's exactly what we kind of all work for and to achieve it, it's definitely something that for me, I'll feel it a little bit more tomorrow. I'll be like, "Wow." I don't want to say I'm numb to it because we all work so hard and stuff, but I'll think about it a little bit during the week when I keep track of them, what they're doing on a daily basis. I know exactly what everyone's doing every hour of the day. Like literally, that's how we operate with the Lawrence team, with HRC, Honda and myself. It's just a well-oiled machine. A lot of people use that term, it's literally that, but with a lot of work behind it.

 

Johnny O'Mara and Darren "Dazzy" LawrenceAlign Media

Are you surprised that Jett's ACL recovery?
Yeah, it's pretty amazing. But does it surprise me? I have to be pretty frank. No. I have the best medical team on our side. Warren Kramer [Kramer Orthopedics] is the one who did his knee surgery and, and I never had a doubt in my mind. Like, nothing really even surprised me. I mean, maybe a little bit, like, “Hey, when do you think we can just maybe jump on the motorcycle a little bit?” And the fact that I got the answer really quick, I was like, “Really that quick?” That would be something. where I'm like, “Wow, okay.” I just have to have full trust in him. But I never thought we wouldn't be ready for Pala, Fox Raceway.

I was talking to Ian Harrison [Red Bull KTM team manager] in the tower, and obviously, Chase [Sexton] had a rough Pala and just kind of decided to take some weeks off. Jett missed some of supercross, comes back for nationals. Last year Jett got hurt, comes back for SMX. The point being is, I think we're entering an era where the Dungey's and Ricky's, the guys that win indoors and out all year, guys that didn't get hurt, did all the races at handled the pressure and the level that those guys are at, we're thinking it's either over or it will be pretty rare going forward from here. For all the reasons we just said. Do you agree? Do you disagree?
So, I just want to make sure I'm understanding what you're saying. Just meaning the longevity type deal? Like is that basically what you've asked me?

Well, injuries happen in our sport a lot. And to stay healthy for 31 races or even in Chase's situation, which we believe isn't as much of an injury but more of, “Hey, I just need a break after a long supercross season,” those days of doing all 31 rounds and winning both the supercross and motocross titles, are going to be rarer.
Yeah, it's almost a difficult question, but I totally know where you're coming from on it. I've always, even if you go back as far as I go back to [when I raced] in the 80s, I think all athletes thought about that ten-year deal. Like, if you can keep that flame going for ten years, that's pretty amazing. We're seeing it happen more regularly now, Eli and all that. So yeah, I just would say that literally the science and everything, the knowledge and what we talked about just earlier with our medical teams, I just think the science of the sport, it looks like they can recover quicker and go a little longer. But I think I'm kind of walking all over here with my answer. I do see some wear and tear on my guys and I mean, Hunter and Jett were two years ago, three years ago, they're like thinking they're Superman, can do everything. So, when I hear anything about the Paris supercross, like Bercy and all that stuff, I kind of go, “Well, we'll see how long you want to continue that,” because I've been around so long, I did all that even in my day. So, I do see that coming into play now. Like, okay, we're doing Aussie Open. So, I do see that part.

And then, like we talked about earlier, it's just people are hard on everyone, at every level now. But I do kind of look at it like I feel like our team, we've built something really strong here. And you're seeing a lot of the strength, and that could be [measured in] wins or longevity, is what we built. The foundation has really been really set with both Lawrence brothers and the team, obviously. So yeah, I think we're probably midway [through the career] or something like that.  I really can't say because, you know how things can change overnight. And I think I probably stress that more during the week, just making sure they're okay, like, “Okay, you guys got through your motos” and all that and whatever they're doing, testing and all that. I will go out on the limb and say the race is almost the easiest part. It's all the other stuff, the wear and tear and all that we were just talking about. So, for us to go one-one, two-two with Jett and Hunter, I don't know. It's just amazing. But it's kind of just what we've been like aiming for the whole time. Like literally.

 

I watched an ‘86 Southwick clip on Instagram. You and RJ [Rick Johnson] battling, you were leading for a little bit. When you go to High Point or Southwick or RedBud, do you look at the track and be like, “Oh man, I passed RJ there.” Do you think like that or is that just so long ago?
Yeah, I guess I do. It's still in my blood. So, I know the race you're talking about. It's in me, so when I see Jett do his stuff, that one off technique over everybody else, or Hunter with his technique, I mean, they're so technically sound. It's really nice to watch, especially in my position because I was a technical guy, too. So, when I see these little things, like Jett’s the ballerina on the motorcycle and stuff, I mean, I kind of feel like I was that too. I kinda helped change the sport and supercross and all that. David Bailey and myself. I remember all that stuff.

I definitely can relate, but the way the tracks develop now is quite a bit different than they used to be. They were rough in our day, too, especially when we didn't have machinery [track prep] like they have today. So, I think all that stuff, it kind of comes back naturally, but it's not about me anymore. Like, it's literally just about them. I had a great career, and I was blessed to be in the position I am to even stay in it as long as I have. Right now, people still want me in their corner. So, I just feel really blessed.

Yeah, interesting. And how come you never won Southwick?
Yeah, it's like Southwick… and it always really bums me out I never won Daytona. That was one that I got second like five times or something like that. But yeah, like usually the tougher guys win those and I think I was kind of known as that. There are some venues I just wasn't able to win. But I was a multi-time champion in the sport, and I just have to live with that. I would have thought I would have won here a few times. I raced in a time period when there was quite a few guys (up front), not just me. Even now, I mean, there's just so many good guys. Just one of those  things with the sport.

Ryan Villopoto 'beat' after Vet Weekend at Mammoth Motocross

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Mystery Man...Where's Chase?

 Is he really hurt, just mad at KTM, waiting for his Kawasaki, who knows?

Red Bull KTM rider & defending 450 class Pro Motocross Champion Chase Sexton had a rough start to the year at Fox Raceway. He had goggle problems early leading to him throwing them, shortly thereafter he crashed over the finish line after hitting false neutral. Since then he has been kinda missing in action... Very quiet on social media and not many press releases from KTM themselves. Rumor has it he will be returning to racing at the upcoming Red Bud National on July 4th weekend. This week he got back on the bike after sitting out a few races to "recover" from the round 1 crash. In this video we go through all of this and show you the first clips of him back on the bike.

Cairoli Back In the USA!

“I think I’ll go until my body can’t anymore.” | Antonio Cairoli Talks U.S. Return

Jett Talks Records!

MX Large Inteviews Jett

Aussie sensation, Jett Lawrence did something very special on the weekend, equalling the overall 450 motocross win tally of the great, James Stewart.

The MXoN winner, now sits on 20 overall wins in the AMA 450 motocross championship, and the only riders ahead of him in the records books are Ricky Johnson with 22, Bob Hannah with 27, Eli Tomac with 32, Ryan Dungey with 39, and the GOAT, Ricky Carmichael with 76. Expect Lawrence to pass at least Johnson this season and he will edge close to Hannah in fourth spot.

The four-time AMA champion is now on 47 overall wins in SX and MX combined, having passed another AMA great in Broc Glover and two time AMA 450 motocross champion, Ken Roczen, who are both on 45 wins. Next up for Lawrence is fellow Aussie, Chad Reed, who has 55 overall wins and do not be surprised if that tally isn’t broken early next year or even before this season is up.

Reed is 10th in the all-time list, and at just 21 years of age, Jett Lawrence is still creeping towards the seemingly untouchable tally of 150 overall wins, set by Ricky Carmichael between 1997 and 2007.

In the all-time combined class list for motocross, so 450/250, 250/125 and 500cc classes, Lawrence is now on 34 wins, which places him ahead of Jeff Emig 29, Ryan Villopoto 31 and Ricky Johnson 33. Ahead of him are Broc Glover on 35, Jeff Ward on 36, Bob Hannah on 37, who are seventh, sixth and fifth in the top ten all-time list. In fourth place is Eli Tomac on 44 wins.

Hard to not see Lawrence pass Glover, Ward and Hannah in the coming weeks and move into fifth place on the all-time list, which is just sensational. If he was to go undefeated in motocross this year, then that 44 tally of Tomac should be broken in 2026, at just 22 years of age.

Probably the fastest man on the planet, Jett Lawrence sat down and spoke to the media and below is what he told us all. As always, such a cool kid, with a positive mentality and brimming with confidence.

MXLarge: You joined James on 20 overall wins in 450 motocross, but what does it mean getting up in these records list mean to you?

Lawrence: It is really cool. This early in my career as well, it is really cool and an honour to be with those names. James is a very well-known name in our sport. I have talked some smack with him on the golf course, because he sends me text messages about it. It is an honour to be tied with him, but hopefully I am still not tied with him after a few weekends, hopefully we can keep chipping away. As long as I just focus on my racing, I think that will take care of itself. It is very cool.

MXLarge: Another win in the premier class. What was different about the race today?

Lawrence: I didn’t worry too much about managing the gap, I just had a good flow and with sand, it is harder to try and ride with less energy. So, whatever flow you have, you just stick with it. So, I just tried to stick to that flow and not use a lot of energy. Both starts were good, so super happy.

MXLarge: How important is it to win at this point?

Lawrence: I just have to focus on each race. That is all I can do. You cannot go forward and start thinking championships and stuff. Take each race as it comes and just focus on that. A good day and it (Southwick) definitely isn’t a highway, and it keeps your legs moving. Hunter second with a 2-2, so that is awesome for Honda.

MXlarge: You have tied James Stewart for wins, so do you have a word for James in the booth?

Lawrence: I am not only coming for you in scores (overalls), James, but I am coming for you on the golf course as well brother. I will be happy when I beat him there. On the course, those numbers count, so see you on the course James.

MXLarge: How does Redbud look for you?

Lawrence: Buying fireworks and drinking beers, although I don’t like the taste, but that would be the proper way to prepare for Redbud. We will just go back to the other stuff, like the last weeks. Just ride our bike and try and replicate.