Plessinger Talks MXoN

Upbeat Plessinger details mixed bag in first European MXoN

 Competition Post: Troy Guenther

Red Bull KTM racer concludes extensive season with outing at Ernee.

Image: Supplied.

An upbeat Aaron Plessinger completed his first showing overseas with a ninth-place finish in the MXGP category at the weekend’s Motocross of Nations (MXoN), the outing in France bringing an end to his extensive 2023 season.

Plessinger raced to an P8 result during Saturday’s qualifying race after a minor fall in the opening laps, with the American captain – in his maiden trip to Europe – working overtime to establish a familiar feeling on the unique slopes of Ernee.

After securing a top 10 start during the opening MXGP and MX2 combined moto, Plessinger progressively powered his way into third position by the halfway mark, setting a strong pace to see out the moto. A couple of untimely mistakes on the technical circuit saw the number one finish the race in an encouraging fifth position, adding a consistent score toward Team USA’s tally.

Shadows dawned on the Ernee track as riders lined up for the third and final outing of the weekend, which combined both the MXGP and Open categories for a stacked field of 450s. Plessinger finished with an 18th-place result, which ultimately resulted in ninth overall in the MXGP Class, and forming an important part of USA finishing eighth overall in the Nations classification.

“Today, Sunday, was feeling really good, honestly,” recalled Plessinger. “Went out and got fifth the first moto and I was a little tight, but felt really good, then not sure what happened the second moto… I got a mid-pack start, then just kind of faded back halfway,” Plessinger said. “It was not a good ending, but 32 races in a season, and I’d say we did pretty good.

“Track was… I can’t really compare it to anything other than a local, dry track with the sun in your eyes just about everywhere, but yeah, it was gnarly! These guys are gnarly for riding it that fast and it was crazy. Couldn’t see half the ruts and there were some unorthodox lines, but I couldn’t find the right line on the track.

“Overall, we’re alright, came out in one piece. It’s awesome to represent my country, it’s a shame we didn’t get on the podium, but it’s my first time overseas and it’s pretty wild. It means the world to me to represent the USA over here in France. Now, we’ll go back, have a break, and get ready for Supercross.”

Plessinger was nothing short of an ironman in season 2023, only missing the Nashville and Denver 450SX rounds of the 31-round 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship before representing Team USA in France. He’ll now enter the off-season break before commencing preparations for the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, set to get underway inside Angel Stadium, Anaheim, on 6 January.

Sexton Confirms

Prime Contenders | Motocross of Nations Previews

The 2023 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations has the potential to be one of the most competitive. The home team, France, will enter as the favorites, but that does not mean that it is ludicrous to consider the fact that they could be beaten. Teams from Australia, The Netherlands and the United States have a chance to stop France from executing excellence. Consider them 'the contenders' – they are broken down in this installment of our preview series. Is there a team that has a better shot at success than those listed below?

 

The editorial piece published prior to this put a spotlight on Team France's position of favorites, but quite the case could be made for Team Australia deserving that role. A squad of Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence and Dean Ferris is incredibly capable. The potential for Australia to finally squash their demons and clinch the Chamberlain Trophy is huge: The Lawrence brothers are more than capable of winning their respective classes or at least matching their French counterparts. Romain and Jett will be a competitive duel, as will Tom and Hunter. This leads us to the obvious question mark on the team.

Dean Ferris has been brilliant in Australia's ProMX series, and his achievement should not be understated. It would obviously be beneficial to have an on-form Mitch Evans on the squad rather than someone who's been removed from international competition though. Ferris will be competitive and float around the top ten in each moto, one would imagine, but Renaux's ceiling is undoubtedly much greater. That means that Jett and Hunter will have to be particularly effective to counteract that inevitable loss. The recent form of Renaux is an obvious glimmer of hope though.

 

Whenever The Netherlands enter a squad that does not include Jeffrey Herlings, an automatic reflex is to ignore their title chances. The capabilities of Calvin Vlaanderen, Kay de Wolf and Glenn Coldenhoff should be acknowledged. Each rider has the potential to challenge for a podium in their respective class and, in the same breath, consistency will be their greatest strength. It is so unlikely that Vlaanderen will beat his counterparts from France and Australia – the same should be said about de Wolf in the MX2 division. It's not that they will be far adrift, but a couple of points here and there make all the difference.

It should come as no shock that Coldenhoff is The Netherlands' biggest hope of individual stardom. There is no doubt that Jorge Prado will be the favorite to win the Open division, but Coldenhoff is arguably the next best man based on current form. It would be remise of us to ignore the fact that he has won four of his last eight motos at the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations. Although it is unlikely to happen again, it is relevant. The plan of attack should be obvious: Stay consistent and as close to the 'popular picks' as possible to ensure that it is possible to pick up pieces whenever some sort of mistake is made.

 

In the opinion of this humble scribe, the publicized struggles that were encountered when gathering stars for Team USA have caused people to subconsciously discredit the squad that has been assembled. Aaron Plessinger is a capable captain and was in the running to compete when everyone was 'on the table' – he was not a last resort nor is he a seat filler. Will Plessinger win the MXGP class? No. One would think that Febvre and Lawrence will be far ahead of anyone else in the class, but Plessinger could be in the mix with Seewer and Vlaanderen.

Similarly, RJ Hampshire was one of two contenders for the MX2 berth and is no slouch. Hampshire is the squad's greatest hope of individual success – there is absolutely no reason why he cannot take the overall in the MX2 division and significantly increase the USA's chance of success. Christian Craig is the weak link given his lack of seat time but posting a solid result (think seventh or eighth) in the second moto will not be an issue and that is all that is required from the third rider. Expectations of Craig are so low that there is potential for him to be the most pleasant surprise across the weekend.

Vital MX's Motocross of Nations weekend is presented by 24MX, Europe's largest off-road retailer for all things motocross and enduro. You can find everything that your heart desires at 24MX.com.

Passion for Moto!

89-year-old motocross rider is forever Young

The Lewiston motocross veteran is still riding and has founded family dynasty

Wayne Young of Lewiston entered his first motocross racing event in Orofino at the age of 19.

Seventy years later, he was still at it, competing in an old-timers’ race last month at EC Enterprises Motorsports Park with three generations of his descendants among those in attendance.

In what was hailed as the highlight of the day, the 89-year-old Young rode in 90-plus degree heat, navigated numerous hills and jumps, and successfully recovered from a crash en route to the finish on the track located just outside Lewiston on Albright Grade.

“I know all you ol’ timers remember Wayne,” EC Enterprises founder Eric Christiansen wrote afterward on the motosports park’s Facebook page. “My hat is off to this legend!”

There is much to remember. Over the course of his seven decades of motorsports participation, Young has competed in races across the northwestern states and as far south as California and Nevada. During the 1980s and ‘90s, he served as an event organizer in Orofino and Clarkia, Idaho. As recently as 2016, he won top honors in the 80-plus age division of the Old-Timer Nationals in Fernley, Nev.

“He’s won a lot,” said Young’s grandson Tyson Larsen, who now lives in Meridian, but came to Lewiston with his own children to catch the EC Enterprises program. “He’s done well; a lot of different titles, a lot of places. Good days, bad days — that’s racing, and he knows that better than anybody.”

Young’s motorsports passion has proven infectious within his family. His wife, 84-year-old Carolyn, was a trail rider until the age of 77, and all of their three children and five grandchildren have spent ample time of their own atop motorcycles. Some of Young’s eight great-grandchildren have already been initiated into the family tradition, with three having ridden at the same motocross event he did last month.

“(Young) just enjoys riding, enjoys his family and riding with them, and this became just a huge family activity that everybody enjoys — and it all started with him,” Larsen said.

Larsen recalls having his own interest sparked many years ago when he saw Young come out victorious in a race in Spokane.

“I remember being a kid there, and the feeling of watching him go down the runways and beat guy after guy after guy and eventually win it all was pretty neat,” he said.

When not competing, Young stayed close to the engines he cherished, working at Lewiston’s Ford dealership for some time before eventually buying the Orchards Body Shop, which he operated for more than two decades until he retired in his 70s.

“For those years he owned the body shop — early ’80s to 2000s — every day, he rode his Honda Goldwing 600cc to work and back,” Larsen said.

Even a stalwart such as Young has ultimately had to slow down his motocross participation with the advance of age. The EC Enterprises outing last month was his first in two years, and his first since having knee replacement surgery. Whether he will pass yet another milestone and carry on manning a cycle into his 90s remains to be seen, but either way, his legacy should be present on the track for a long time to come.

“The motorcycle has always been his passion — been his love, his children’s love, his grandchildren’s love, his great-grandchildren’s love,” Larsen said. “He started it, created a tradition. ... It’s just a lot of accomplishment for him, and we’re all pretty proud of him.”

Silly Season 2024

Tusk Billet KTM Radiator Guards

Stefan Everts Reflects

Tony Cairoli's Time

It is easy to look back on the last two decades and forget just how long two decades is, it all goes so quickly. When Antonio Cairoli burst onto the World scene back in 2004, nobody could have imagined he would end up being very, very close to catching “The Man” of that era, Stefan Everts.

Everts was on the crest of his own wave, having wrapped up his seventh World title and was hunting for number eight in 2004. Everts was coming off racing both the MX1 and MX2 championships and came very close to winning both titles. He has scored his triple GP victory at Ernee, and had picked up his 71^st GP win in 2003 and was by far the most successful GP rider of all time. It seemed nobody could match those statistics.

When the 2004 season started, all eyes were of Everts in the MX1 class and Ben Townley in the MX2 class and we all looked forward to the 2005 season when the two would face off. Townley would win that 2004 MX2 championship and in doing so attract a lot of attention around the World, including American. While the New Zealander was fighting off Everts in 2005, that young Italian kid who had shown so much form in 2004, even picking up a GP win at the famous Namur circuit was stamping his own print into the World of Motocross.

A high-tension battle with fellow Yamaha rider Andrew McFarlane, the Sicilian would score GP wins in Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Czech Republic and Germany to take his first World title at the Dutch circuit of Lierop. He was on his way, and despite his impressive 2005 season, we still could not have imagined what was to come. Sure, he was a World champion, but in that 2005 season all eyes were really on Everts and Townley and their fight for the MX1 title. Not to mention guys like Michael Pichon, Joel Smets and Josh Coppins, who also fought hard for GP wins against The King.

Everts would win again in 2006 and of course retire with 10 World title and 101 GP victories and Cairoli would lose out to crafty Frenchman Christophe Pourcel in the MX2 class and scored just three GP wins. Was this little Italian racer just to be a single time World champion we wondered?

With Townley heading to America to race at the end of 2005, Europe was in desperate need of a leader and while names like Coppins, Philippaerts, Ramon and were all eligible for that position, nobody stood out as a future legend.

A year later Cairoli picked up his second World MX2 championship and also scored 11 GP wins. Suddenly it seemed, we had found our replacement for the great Stefan Everts. Cairoli would lose out to Tyla Rattray for the 2008 championship after a knee injury at the South African GP but would come back in 2009 and win his first premier class title and another four GP victories to his name. 

From here on in, it was Cairoli time as the Sicilian picked up loads of GP wins and World titles in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. It was a golden era as he moved from Yamaha to KTM and dominated. Scoring eight GP wins in 2010, six in 2011, 11 in 2012, nine in 2013 and nine again in 2014. By the end of the 2014 season, it seemed nobody could match him and Everts records would be broken.

The 2015 season wasn’t what we had all hoped, as American Ryan Villopoto arrived, and everyone waited for the battle between these two legends. Amazingly, neither really took a hold of the championship with Cairoli starting with 4-3-3-2-11 results, before winning in Spain and Great Britain, but from there on in, injuries played a major part in his championship season as was the case with the American champion. 

In fact, injuries started troubling Cairoli more and more and that domination of the previous seasons was gone. Sure enough, he would lose out in 2016 to young rookie Tim Gajser and it seemed his title reign was over. He did score his ninth World championship in 2017, although mainly due to Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings being injured often, but still, that 2017 championship was a typical victory for the Italian legend where he just gritted his teeth and remained composed.

His final championship battles would be epic as he fought Herlings and Gajser, but came up short in 2018 to Herlings, 2019 and 2020 to Gajser and 2021 to Herlings. The youth had taken over and for our Sicilian friend the writing was on the wall. 

Mid-season he announced his retirement and while he did have stellar moments in his final season of Grand Prix motocross, his sixth-place finish in the series points was well down on what he was capable of. Injuries again playing their part in his performances.

He did take his GP victories to 94, just seven short of Everts and he did leave the sport with a GP victory in Italy in his 274^th GP weekend. While we look back though, over the last 18 years we have seen a man who put everything on the line, rode with great pride and contributed to the Grand Prix series more than most have, more than anyone but Everts.

The legend of Antonio Cairoli will live on forever, that we are assured and while he will continue to work with the De Carli team and his presence in the GP paddock will be long standing, that golden era from 2009 until 2014 will always be remembered as the Cairoli years. 

Just like the golden eras of Robert and De Coster in the early 1970s, Geboers, Malherbe, Jobe and Thorpe in the 1980s and Everts and Smets in the 1990s and early 2000s, Tony Cairoli was the man for his period. 18 years of GP wins, 18 years of blood, sweat and tears and 18 years of high respect from everyone inside the paddock and watching from home.

Reprint from MXLarge.com

Runner-up part of Roczen 'building' process through SMX series

Competition Post: Troy Guenther

Race-by-race mentality paying off for Suzuki racer in post-season.

Image: Octopi Media.

HEP Suzuki racer Ken Roczen climbed to the runner-up position in the 450SMX standings to conclude the 2023 SuperMotocross Championship (SMX), with each of the three post-season events all part of his current ‘building’ process.

Roczen, 29, has battled illness throughout much of his recent career and in making the change to Suzuki this year has come a refreshed mental approach which, along with other factors have seen him revitalized.

The number 94 completed the 450SX season in fourth position and he made a cameo 450MX appearance at High Point, before shifting his attention to the World Supercross Championship (WSX) opener at Birmingham, in which he won.

That event in July marked his last gate-drop before the SMX playoffs, but nonetheless, Roczen was able to open the 450SMX post-season with second overall in Charlotte. He again was second overall at Chicagoland, this time winning in moto two, and entered the final round third in the standings and with a genuine shot at the title.

Roczen rode to second overall again on the night and that, coupled with the misfortune of former red plate-holder Chase Sexton, ensured he concluded the championship in the runner-up position.

“I went from third, now to second, which I’m happy about,” reflected Roczen. “I feel like I have been getting pretty beat down over the last couple of years, so like I said, a win would have been so nice, but I’m at the same time still building. Not the youngest anymore, but it’s nice for me to see in the later stages of my career that I’m kind of coming back toward the other spectrum a little bit.

“That’s nice for me to see and we still have a few races to go before Anaheim. For me, I’m just building every single weekend that I’m racing. Once Anaheim starts, we’ve got a lot of races to go in a row, but I feel like I’m in a completely different mentality and I take it race by race, legitimately. I know we always say that, or in the past or whatnot, but I’m just rolling with it at the moment at that seems to work.”

The attention of Roczen now shifts to the upcoming Motocross of Nations (MXoN) at Ernee, France, on 6-8 October, where he will represent Germany, before the final two rounds of the 2023 World Supercross Championship in Abu Dhabi and Melbourne.

Sexton Confirms Move

450SX title-holder Sexton confirms Team Honda HRC departure

Biggest move of 2024 takes another step closer ahead of October.

Image: Octopi Media.

Defending Monster Energy Supercross champion Chase Sexton has officially confirmed he’s departing Team Honda HRC, entering the 2024 pre-season.

Sexton, 24, has been part of the Honda system since his amateur career and clinched a first-career 450SX title in May at the Salt Lake City finals.

Ongoing speculation has constantly linked Sexton to a high-profile switch to KTM as the effective replacement of Cooper Webb, which would in turn open the door for Hunter Lawrence to join brother Jett to lead Honda’s factory 450 roster.

“Man, it’s been one heck of a ride with the Honda family!” Sexton said. “Lots of ups and downs, two 250SX titles, one 450SX title, and tons of memories that will last a lifetime.

“Riding for Honda HRC was always a dream for me and to make that a reality is really something special. Thank you to each and every one of those team members that made my four-year run there so special.”

The beginning of October is when teams traditionally announce their rider line-ups for the upcoming season, in line with when existing contracts expire leading into off-season testing and preparation ahead of Anaheim 1 in January.