#WHIPITWEDNESDAY

Rider: Broc Tickle

Broc Tickle built a solid career as one of those riders who could quietly put in the work and stay relevant across different generations of Supercross and motocross. He earned the 2011 AMA Supercross 250 West Championship with Pro Circuit Kawasaki, moved into the 450 class, and spent years racing against the best in the sport while collecting strong finishes, podiums and factory rides along the way. After stepping away from full-time racing, Tickle found a new role that fits his experience perfectly as a Monster Energy Kawasaki test rider, where he helps develop the KX450SR through chassis, suspension, engine delivery and race-setting feedback. He even returned to select Pro Motocross rounds in 2024 to give Kawasaki real race-condition testing, showing that his value now goes beyond results and into helping make the factory race bike better for the riders under the tent.

HUNTER LAWRENCE WINS AT HIGH POINT

Hunter Lawrence dominated at High Point, going 1-1 on the day.

Hunter Lawrence was the rider to beat at High Point, putting together his strongest ride of the season with a perfect 1-1 score in the 450 class. In the first moto, Hunter grabbed the holeshot and quickly settled into the lead while the rest of the field battled behind him. Jett Lawrence eventually worked his way into second, but Hunter had already built a comfortable gap and controlled the moto all the way to the checkered flag. He backed it up again in Moto 2, once again leading the way and keeping Jett behind him to secure the overall win. After Jett had been the rider carrying momentum the previous rounds, High Point was Hunter’s turn to answer back, and he did it in the best way possible with a clean sweep.

TENSION IS BUILDING UP

Haiden Deegan adds fuel to the fire as he and Jett Lawrence got into it during qualifying at High Point.

The tension between Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan continues to build, and High Point qualifying only added more fuel to the fire. Deegan came out strong in the first session, laying down the fastest lap and showing that he had the speed to put himself right in the middle of the 450 conversation. But things got heated when Deegan and Jett crossed paths on track, with Deegan taking the preferred line while Jett was trying to put in a fast lap. Jett later responded by getting back by and sending a little roost Deegan’s way, making it clear that neither rider is backing down. Jett would eventually answer on the stopwatch with the fastest overall time of the day, but the bigger story was the growing edge between the two. What started as lap times is quickly turning into one of the most interesting battles to watch in the 450 class.

CHAMPIONSHIP SHAKE UP

Seth Hammaker went town hard in the second moto and injured his shoulder in the process. He would give up the points lead and drop back to fifth.

Seth Hammaker’s day at High Point turned from damage control into a major championship hit in Moto 2. Coming into the weekend tied with Levi Kitchen for the 250 points lead, Hammaker was still in position to leave High Point near the front of the title fight after finishing fifth in the opening moto. But in the second moto, everything changed when he looped out in a hard crash and was unable to continue. The DNF dropped him to a 5-40 moto score on the day, pushed him back to 13th overall and cost him the red plate. With Kitchen salvaging points and Jo Shimoda, Julien Beaumer and Cole Davies all closing in, Hammaker now sits fifth in the standings, turning what looked like a strong start to his outdoor season into a tough reminder of how quickly the 250 championship can change.

MXA PHOTO TRIVIA

Who is this rider? The answer can be found at the bottom of this article.

JEREMY MCGRATH ON DEEGAN VS. JETT, WHITE HOUSE JUMP & HOLESHOT KING

BENDING THE RULES? TM’S UNIQUE WAY OF RACING A MOD BIKE IN THE STOCK CLASS

MXA FANTASY LEAGUE: THE WINNER OF THE HIGH POINT NATIONAL SCORED 300 POINTS

This week, we did things a little differently by rewarding the top three players with the highest scores with prizes courtesy of Magic Motorsports. HoldMyTaco had the best picks of the round, taking home the grand prize after scoring 300 championship points. ZCOLLINS913 finished second, while YamahaRider38 rounded out the podium in third.

It was a difficult week to predict the overall winners. Early in the morning, Haiden Deegan set the fastest lap time, but Jett Lawrence ultimately came out on top in overall qualifying. Once the motos began, Hunter Lawrence delivered when it mattered and secured the overall win. In the 250 class, Cole Davies made a statement by going 1-1 on the day, while Julien Beaumer stayed up front and finished second overall. For championship leader Seth Hammaker, a scary crash brought his day to an early end, forcing him out of moto two and keeping him outside the top six overall.

2026 HIGH POINT NATIONAL // FULL COVERAGE

WEEKLY TOP TEN

We will miss having Chase Sexton at the remaining rounds. Unfortunately, his crash at press day for the Thunder Valley left him with an ACL tear.

Pos Username Points

1	HoldMyTaco	300
2	zcollins913	290
3	YamahaRider38	287
4	ridemx24	280
5	Motobane	280
6	yamaha322	278
7	brooky1	278
8	ctaustin108	277
9	Speedy14	275
10	cmxer910	273

450 CLASS PREDICTIONS

Aaron Plessinger picked up the pace this weekend. He finished fifth overall with 6-4 moto scores.

For High Point, the 450 class came down to one small swap at the top of the order. This user selected Jett Lawrence as the overall winner and Hunter Lawrence in second, but Hunter was the one who came out on top with the overall win, while Jett finished second. Even though the Lawrence brothers were flipped from the original picks, both riders still delivered strong points at the front of the field.

From there, the rest of the picks lined up perfectly. Haiden Deegan matched the third-place pick, Jorge Prado finished exactly where he was selected in fourth, Aaron Plessinger landed right in fifth, and Garrett Marchbanks completed the top six just as the user had him picked. Outside of the top two switching spots, this was a strong 450 class score with four exact-position bonuses and all six riders finishing inside the top six.

Pick Rider Actual Finish Base Points Bonus Total Points

1	Jett Lawrence	2	23	0	23
2	Hunter Lawrence	1	26	0	26
3	Haiden Deegan	3	21	10	31
4	Jorge Prado	4	19	10	29
5	Aaron Plessinger	5	18	10	28
6	Garrett Marchbanks	6	17	10	27

250 CLASS PREDICTIONS

Tough weekend for Seth Hammaker, who had a crash that took him out for the day. In the process, he lost the points lead.

For High Point, the 250 class was a strong score, but Cole Davies changed the order at the top. This user had Levi Kitchen picked to win, but Kitchen finished fourth overall, while Davies took control of the day and went 1-1 for the overall win. Julien Beaumer and Jo Shimoda both landed exactly where they were picked in second and third, giving the user two straight exact-position bonuses.

The back half of the picks had one more exact match with Ryder DiFrancesco finishing sixth, exactly where the user had him selected. Seth Hammaker was picked fifth, but after a tough day, he finished outside the top six. Kayden Minear was the rider who made the difference, finishing fifth overall but not being selected. Even with that miss, this was still a solid 250 score with three exact-position bonuses.

Pick Rider Actual Finish Base Points Bonus Total Points

1	Levi Kitchen	4	19	0	19
2	Julien Beaumer	2	23	10	33
3	Jo Shimoda	3	21	10	31
4	Cole Davies	1	26	0	26
5	Seth Hammaker	13	0	0	0
6	Ryder DiFrancesco	6	17	10	27

MXA FANTASY LEAGUE: WIN A STARK VARG, GIANT BICYCLES MOUNTAIN BIKE & MORE

MXA Fantasy Apple app download: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mxa-fantasy-league/id6473468112
MXA Fantasy Android app download: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mxa.fantasyleague&pcampaignid=web_share

We are proud to have our own app, built in-house by MXA’s Justin Lee. We love the camaraderie that is created amongst family and friends who play it, and we believe in it so much that we decided to throw some extra motivation into the pot for 2026. This Grand Prize will be randomly selected after the Las Vegas SMX Finale from a list of names of the people who were consistent and diligent enough to enter their picks on time for every race, all season long.

The Giant Bicycles Trance X2 mountain bike will go to the player who has the most points at the end of the 31-round 2026 SuperMotocross season.

As usual, the MXA Fantasy League app is free to download and free to play. In addition to the Stark Varg, we will still be rewarding the top finishing players with weekly prizes, and with a brand new Giant Bicycles Trance X2 Mountain Bike, going to the player with the most points at the end of the 31-race season. Find your flow on the mountain with the Giant Trance X2 (the one we’re giving away is Metallic Black, as pictured). This bike has adjustable geometry, the option to change rear wheel size, and it comes with a new 140mm Maestro rear suspension setup. This versatile trail bike is ready to conquer single-track with confidence and control, and it is perfect for cross-training for motocross.

NIHILO CONCEPTS HOLESHOT HERO

How to Win

Think you’ve got the fastest reaction time on the gate? Drop the clutch, nail the timing, and put your name at the top of the leaderboard.

Pin it to win it: react faster than the rest and lock in your best score.

Don’t forget: enter your email after your run so your time hits the leaderboard.

Play by clicking here!!

RED WHITE AND READY FOR THE 4TH OF JULY

Bring some red, white, and blue swagger to the paddock, just like fan favorite Aaron Plessinger! Introducing the all-new KTM USA Flag Cowboy Hat.

Inspired by the grit and determination of riders like AP, this hat is a loud-and-proud statement piece. Keep the sun out of your eyes and your American pride front and center. Featuring an unmistakable stars-and-stripes brim alongside iconic KTM styling, it’s the ultimate gear for summer track days, weekend tailgates, and everyday wear. Shop now by clicking here!

ASK THE MXPERTS: QUICK SUSPENSION FIX FOR KX450 OWNERS

While pros may need extra tuning, the 2025 Kawasaki forks are ready to ride for vet and novice riders.

KX450 SUSPENSION TRICK FOR 2025
Dear MXperts,
I just bought a 2025 KX450 and wanted to get stiffer fork springs because the forks are soft as they come off the showroom floor. The owner’s manual says that there are 0.50 springs in both legs, and I tried 0.52 springs in both legs, but it was too stiff. Showa doesn’t offer a spring rate between 0.50 and 0.52kg/mm. Could I put spacers in the forks to increase the preload on the stock springs so it works better with my weight and speed? What do you say?

The 49mm Showa coil-spring forks are used on the KX450, RM-Z450 and CRF450. They have never reached their full potential on any of the three brands spec’ing them, but for 2025, Kawasaki has come the closest to spec’ing valving and internal changes that allow the forks to roll off the assembly line ready to race—maybe not by fast intermediates or pros, but certainly by Kawasaki’s target audience of vets and novices. What you actually need are 0.51 kg/mm fork springs, which, as you found out, are not available, but here is a simple trick to jerry-rig your own 0.51 kg/mm fork springs.

Take one of the 0.52 forks springs that you already bought and put it in one fork leg with the stock 0.50kg/mm spring in the other fork leg. Voila! That will give your forks a 0.51 kg/mm spring rate.

Here’s the math. Add the two spring rates together and divide by two to select the spring rate you want: 0.50 + 0.52 = 10.2/2 = 0.51. As a rule of thumb, we put the stiffer spring in the brake-side fork leg because the brake side is torqued more under hard braking.

CATCH UP ON MORE MXPERTS ARTICLES BY CLICKING HERE.

CLASSIC MXA PHOTO

Things have changed drastically since the 1990’s. From gear with less and less padding and more mobility. Updated boots and gloves and helmets that have been tested and developed for more safety. As for the bikes, things have changed but not as drastically as the gear.

MXA PHOTO TRIVIA: Broc Hepler who was one of those riders who had all the speed to be a championship threat every time he lined up. After a strong amateur career, Hepler jumped into the pro ranks and quickly made a name for himself in the 125 class, finishing second in the 2004 outdoor championship and becoming one of Suzuki’s top young riders. He was smooth, fast and especially strong outdoors, grabbing multiple MX Lites wins and building momentum through the mid-2000s. His best stretch came in 2006 when he won three straight outdoor nationals, but injuries and concussions eventually slowed down what looked like a career headed for even bigger results. Even though his time at the front was cut short, Hepler is still remembered as one of the most naturally talented riders of that era and a guy who had the speed to run with anyone when he was healthy.