Main image by Mitch Kendra

Welcome to Racerhead and the first off-weekend for AMA Pro Motocross. After four solid rounds to kick off the 11-race championship, everyone gets a break this weekend following High Point. Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan are right about where most expected them to be, while Chase Sexton and Jorge Prado are not. Sexton remains sidelined with an unclear issue, but is hopefully back soon, while Prado continues to struggle adapting to the U.S. way of moto. Hopefully, he can find his footing at the next round next Saturday at Southwick. Prado is from Spain but moved to the Belgium/Holland area when he was young, and spent years riding and training in the sand of Lommel. He knows his way around a beach.

Prado won't be the only multi-time FIM World Motocross Champion at Southwick next week; Antonio Cairoli will be there, though not racing. Cairoli is coming over early to set up the Ducati Desmo450 MX, which will make its AMA debut at RedBud in two weeks. The nine-time world champion will be honored as the Grand Marshal of the Southwick National. When he rolls out on the #222 Ducati the following weekend, it will mean 10 different motorcycle brands will be represented at the starting gate: Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, KTM, Husqvarna, GasGas, Triumph, Beta, and Ducati. The last time that many brands participated was in 1976 at the Daytona Supercross, featuring Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha, Husqvarna, Can-Am, Maico, Bultaco, Harley-Davidson, and Gary Jones' Amex/Islo. (There may have been a Penton as well, but it didn't make it into the main races.)

Pro Motocross and the SMX League may have a weekend off, but MXGP will be running at Matterley-Basin in Great Britain, home of last year's Motocross of Nations. Cairoli will be there as well, and he will competing, which puts him against his old rival, the revitalized Jeffrey Herlings, as well as 18-year-old Belgian prodigy Lucas Coenen and current MXGP points leader Romain Febvre. The GNCC series will also race this weekend, gathering at Snowshoe Ski Resort for the centerpiece round. Additionally, an ISDE fundraiser for Team USA will take place today in the form of a golf tournament.

Hopefully the rain stays away all weekend at Snowshoe, but that hasn't been the case for races in the Northeast this season. Remember its impact on the swing through Foxborough, Philly, East Rutherford, and Pittsburgh? We were fortunate at High Point the rain held off until after the final moto started. It was the lightning that prompted the red flag seven minutes before the two-lap board, causing an immediate stoppage. It wasn't ideal, but thankfully no one was hurt by the lightning or rain. Tragically, eight people lost their lives in flash flooding in nearby West Virginia shortly thereafter.

Before we recap the week, let’s return to Hangtown for an important update…

In morning practice at the Hangtown National, 250 privateer Trevor Colip collided with a bike that had just gone down in front of him in a blind spot coming out of the second turn. The rider had slid out while ascending the rolling mound, leaving the bike in the middle of the track at the top. Colip hit the downed bike, crashed, and suffered a broken femur. That was just the beginning of his troubles. After being treated at the track by the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit, Colip was taken to a nearby hospital for surgery. While being placed into traction with an invasive procedure, he became unresponsive. Doctors discovered that bone marrow containing fatty emboli (small fat particles) had entered his bloodstream and reached his brain, causing several strokes. They removed him from traction and scheduled surgery to repair what they thought was a hole in his heart, which they believed allowed the fatty emboli to travel through his body. When the hole couldn't be found, they scheduled another operation to check for a hole in his lungs. That also proved inconclusive, making the insertion of a rod into his femur too risky. Finally, two weeks after the crash, the doctors operated on his leg, opting for plating instead of a rod.

According to a post on Road2Recovery.com, "As of now, Trevor's full condition is still unknown. What we do know from all the procedures and testing is that there is a leak path to the brain that is bypassing his body's normal filtering. Trevor has been alert and responsive since his most recent surgery but is in immense pain. His full neurological condition remains unknown due to so many contributing factors such as medications coming into play."

"Trevor's road to recovery the last few weeks has been extremely unique. His family, although being away from work to be with their son across the country the past 19 days, has waited to ask the community for help until they truly felt they needed to. The goal to get Trevor home to Indiana is a big one. The medical flight needed is estimated to be around a minimum of $65,000. The intense physical, occupational, and neurological therapy needed to treat his brain damage is estimated at $60,000. They are asking for donations that will go directly to these two costs."

The full story of Trevor Colip's situation and how you can help is available on the Road 2 Recovery page.

Roy Janson of MX Sports Pro Racing and the SMX League has been in touch with Trevor's mother, assisting them in securing the secondary insurance that AMA Pro Racing provides for all licensed riders, called AMAP Rider Medical, which will cover up to $50,000 in medical bills. The family was unaware of these funds, making this the first piece of good news they received since the accident. While it will help get Trevor home and treated, it won't cover everything in what has become a very complicated medical situation. Please contribute if you can—Trevor Colip's Road 2 Recovery will unfortunately be a long one.

A weekend off—what’s been happening? Some riders probably welcome the break; others have missed significant time and need this time to catch up to the competition. I’ve heard Jorge Prado and the Monster Energy Kawasaki team are working tirelessly to dial in settings, with the four-time MXGP World Champion grinding it out at ClubMX in South Carolina this week. More riding is planned for today. Prado’s struggles in Pro Motocross so far have been the most puzzling story of 2025, I believe. A slow start was to be expected, as he recovers from shoulder surgery while also adapting to a new bike, team, tracks, format, and more. So, he wasn’t expecting to win right off the bat, but this is worse than that. Consider that Prado was battling Cooper Webb around 6-7 spots in some early-season motos, but has since regressed, with finishes of 8-39-12-23 over the last four motos. And that brief glimmer of hope when he posted the fastest lap time at High Point in the first session was dashed by a glitch that errantly read their transponders at the wrong spot, causing many riders to lose their second laps, dropping Prado from first to the thirties.

Regarding the adjustment period, keep in mind other MXGP racers are here this summer on new bikes and teams as well. They’re also learning new formats and tracks, but also achieving results closer to their usual performance. Benoit Paturel has consistently hovered around the top 10 on his Twisted Tea Suzuki. He caught and passed Prado at High Point. I asked him on our Twisted Tea Best Post Race Show Ever how often he’s beaten Prado on a 450 before. Paturel’s answer? “Never.”

Can Prado and the team get it sorted soon? Southwick, after the break, offers the next best chance. The sport will benefit if Prado can get into the podium mix sooner or later.

Meanwhile, I’ve also heard defending Pro Motocross Champion Chase Sexton is back on the bike and testing with his Red Bull KTM team, but it seems RedBud will likely mark his return, not Southwick. This mirrors his 2023 season, where he crashed at round one, crashed again the week before Hangtown, and returned at RedBud. It will be very interesting to have Sexton back in the mix.

On the changes front, Yamaha revealed the 2026 YZ450F this week, featuring frame and engine updates, and a great idea to integrate theft prevention into the bike’s ECU. I hope other manufacturers follow suit soon, as bike theft is as significant a threat to the sport as noise. By the way, Yamaha also made the ’26 450 quieter.

Honda and Kawasaki have also revealed their 2026 motocross bikes, but there are no changes for the new year. Honda revamped all its competition bikes for 2025, while Kawasaki updated the KX450 for 2024 and the KX250 for 2025, so these bikes remain fresh. However, one thing missing from any announcement is a Kawasaki two-stroke. Remember when the brand hinted at a new model back in January? We’re still waiting!

If you're gonna watch this weekend's Snowshoe round of the Progressive Grand National Cross Country Series this Sunday (Racer TV on youtube, 1:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday) here's the big info you need to know: The series championship is boiling down to KTM racers Ben Kelley and Grant Davis, but with a twist. Kelley races a 350 XC-F in the XC1 class, starting on the first row every weekend. Davis is on a 250 XC-F, and starts in row two. These two have been battling each other in the adjusted time sheets weekly, but this weekend they will be head to head right from the start, because Snowshoe has a unique start that lines the riders up by points, instead of by class. So how will it turn out when they're bar to bar? Is someone else going to beat them both? It will be interesting!

Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas announced a fully torn ACL in his right knee, which will end his 2025 season. He will undergo surgery next week and will shift his focus to 2026. Check out the video Hymas posted, as well as the detailed press release from Honda.

After a gnarly crash Saturday that involved a handlebar to the chin, Malcolm Stewart said, “Still got all my teeth (somehow).” Read the update from the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider.

Other things to note:

Drew Adams DNF’s Second Moto at High Point National with Finger Injury

Jalek Swoll Scores Top Ten, Top Triumph Finish in 2025 Season Debut

Jorge Prado Notes Arm Pump For High Point First Moto Fade

Eli Tomac and Levi Kitchen both unhappy with their motos, Tomac saying, “It was like I just had two different days,” and Kitchen noting, “Definitely wasn't the second moto that I wanted.”

Trevor Colip’s family provided another update over the weekend. 

Watch Mikkel Harrup’s near swapout and saved, followed by Julien Beaumer who was not as lucky…

The legendary 2001 125 National Motocross Champion Mike Brown was injured in practice crash earlier this month. He underwent surgery and is on the mend. Read the latest update from Road 2 Recovery.

Chad Reed, Dana Bell, Chris Carter, Colin Edwards, Joe Kopp, and Ryan Young complete the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Read the full press release on the Class of 2025. Reed was of course considered a shoe-in for the vote in our eyes, he's one of the all-time legends of the supercross and motocross side, but he had to wait five years after his retirement to be eligible for the Hall, as per the rules. Chad is still as involved with racing as ever, though, as he's just qualified for the AMA Amateur National Championship at Loretta Lynn's and this weekend he and his family are at Unadilla for a Loretta's Regional. Chad's son Tate is hoping to punch his ticket to the Ranch. Congrats Chad on a Hall of Fame career!

Yamaha announced its full 2026 off-road lineup, which is set to hit dealerships in July. The lineup is highlighted by changes to the flagship YZ450F.

Read about the entire ’26 lineup.

Tune into the Snowshoe GNCC, round nine of the 2025 Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Racing season on Saturday and Sunday. The Snowshoe GNCC will have Saturday’s pro quads and Sunday’s pro bikes both starting at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST, and you can watch the broadcasted live (and for free) via the RacerTV crew, for free. Tune in to watch as riders navigate the tricky, rocky course. 

• GNCC

  • June 21 - 1:00 PM

    

  • June 22 - 1:00 PM

    

The FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) takes over Great Britain this weekend for the Round-12 MXGP of Great Britain. Follow along there on MXGP-TV.com both Saturday (qualifying) and Sunday (motos). 

• MXGP

  • June 21 - 8:35 AM

    

  • June 21 - 9:10 AM

    

  • MX2 Qualifying Race  

    Live

    June 21 - 11:25 AM

    

  • MXGP Qualifying Race 

    Live

    June 21 - 12:15 PM

    

  • June 22 - 8:00 AM

    

  • June 22 - 9:00 AM

    

  • June 22 - 11:00 AM

    

  • June 22 - 12:00 PM

    

It’s unfortunate for Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas, who has suffered yet another knee injury. The Thunder Valley National overall winner is the only rider to beat Haiden Deegan this summer in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Unfortunately, his title hopes and the rest of 2025 are now over, as he will have surgery next week to fix his damaged right knee (his previous ACL injuries were both to his left knee). Check out the video Hymas posted, as well as the detailed press release from Honda. Those counting at home know this marks three consecutive years with a knee injury. Hymas said in an Instagram video Wednesday evening, "It's gut-wrenching.”

This is a tough blow for Hymas, HRC, and the series in general. As Jason Weigandt and I discussed on our Best Post-Race Show Ever video after High Point Raceway on Saturday, this is the time of the season when Hymas typically heats up. Two years ago, he led laps for the first time at High Point, only to get injured the following week. Last year, he was solid again, then went on to win the RedBud National overall. This year, he seemed poised for more strong rides in the rutted East Coast rounds, only for one of those ruts to catch him the wrong way. He had moved into a tie with Garrett Marchbanks for third place in the championship behind Deegan and his Honda teammate Jo Shimoda, but that was short-lived as he will be sidelined for the rest of 2025.

We are now 20 races into Jett Lawrence's 450 Pro Motocross career, and he has won an astonishing 19 of them. That's a 95% winning percentage, an unprecedented rate, even compared to the GOAT. In Ricky Carmichael's first 20 outdoor nationals in the premier class (then 250), RC took 14 overall wins, which is an impressive 70% win ratio, better than anyone except Jett.

Digging deeper, we can compare RC's first 20 outdoor nationals on a 450 four-stroke motorcycle, which is the bike Jett has competed on. Carmichael began his career on 250cc two-strokes and then moved over to 450s in 2004. In this category, Ricky outshines Jett: Carmichael won the first 24 outdoor nationals he entered on 450s—all 12 in 2004 (and all 24 motos) on a Honda CRF450, followed by all 12 rounds in 2005 (though not every moto) on a Suzuki RM-Z450. RC finally lost an overall at the 2006 opener at Hangtown when he crashed off the start in the first moto.

Speaking of Ricky Carmichael, he and Ryan Villopoto did a cool bench racing session with Clinton Fowler on the Title 24 podcast, discussing Jett's chances of catching up to RC's 76 wins in the premier class, as well as all-time win percentages. I had no idea that RV's SX winning percentage of 45% was the highest ever, followed by RC and Jeremy McGrath's 42% and James Stewart's 41%—and currently, Jett sits at 43%!

These weekends off are welcomed by all, but sentiments can vary widely. For those with momentum, they will put in a solid week and likely check out for a moto-free weekend. Jett Lawrence, for example, plans to visit his actor/singer girlfriend Dylan Conrique in Nashville. Disconnecting from the pressure and relentless SMX schedule is essential for mental and physical recovery.

On the other hand, when things aren't going well, there simply is no time to waste. Instead of disconnecting and refreshing, most will feel compelled to work harder during this time. A good example is Jorge Prado. These first four races have not gone as planned. Whether it's a return from injury, a new motorcycle, a new team, or new tracks, I honestly don’t know what the issue is, but it’s likely a combination of all these factors. One thing’s for sure: his confidence is absolutely shot. All of Prado's typical traits are missing: fast qualifying laps, holeshots, sprint speed in the early laps... they’re gone. Missing one or two? Okay, get to work. Missing them all? Something is very wrong. This is a rider who has never really ridden anywhere but the front throughout his entire career. This weekend off will be an interesting time for him and the team to do some soul-searching.

The SMX schedule is long and grueling, starting in January and extending into late September. This duration necessitates downtime for riders; it's impossible to relentlessly hammer 9-10 months of training, travel, and racing without facing performance dips and potential burnout. Scheduled time off is essential and beneficial, even for those who feel cornered. While problem-solving is important, it shouldn't come at the expense of future performance.

If you're not listening to the Fox Re-Raceables podcast, you're missing out. Each week Matthes, myself and Seth Rarick give an old race the podcast review treatment it deserved back in day (before podcasts existed). This week we covered the awesome 1996 High Point National, which hosted a great 250 class battle between Jeremy McGrath, Mike LaRocco, Greg Albertyn, Doug Henry and eventual winner Jeff Emig. The biggest story from that weekend, though, was full privateer Scott Sheak winning the first 125cc moto that day. Sadly, Sheak is no longer with us, so instead we called his mechanic Kenny Watson for some perspective on that win, and privateer box van life in the '90s. You know Kenny is always good for some wild stories! Type in Re-Raceables where you get your podcasts!

Red Bull KTM's Tom Vialle's career in the USA is far from over, so we can't analyze it completely yet, but for now, he's definitely bucking the trend of what was expected of him. The two-time MX2 champion came to the USA with, by his own admission, limited SX experience, despite France having a strong SX championship. Naturally, one might expect him to be a title contender in MX while learning SX along the way, right?

Well, not quite! Vialle won the 250SX East title the last two years and has claimed two MX overall victories. That's three 250SX wins to his name compared to two 250MX wins. The 2025 MX season isn't over yet; he just achieved a season-best second overall at High Point after four races. However, it's a curious start to Vialle's career here. He holds the record for the fewest wins among any two-time 250SX champion in the sport's history, and with his mandatory bump up to the 450SX class in 2026, he faces a challenging transition. While his MX results have been solid, they don't suggest he is ready to contend for the MX title, especially this year with Deegs crushing it. Tom Vialle = SX Specialist?

He's returning to KTM next year and moving to the 450, making this summer his last chance to get the 250MX title. Although his time in America is just getting started, so far it's been a bit off from what many, including Vialle himself, may have anticipated.

At High Point, I was shooting photos of the riders just before practice began. I snagged a photo of the back of Avery Long’s jersey, showing off his rookie AMA Supercross and Motocross number, #134, and remembered I had a similar shot of him from last year’s Loretta Lynn’s Regional from High Point Raceway. A year and about a month ago, the Minnesota native was #263 riding for the NSA Factory Yamaha Team as a top A rider in the 250 and open pro sport classes. I knew right away I had taken a similar shot of Long last year nearly in the same spot last year,  so I dug up that photo this week to show him.

I grabbed the two similar photos of Long and photoshopped them together into a side-by-side image stitch. Too funny how one of his legs was up in both photos and his head was turned! 

Okay, that turned out pretty cool. So, I pulled some photos of now rookies Drew Adams and Alexander Fedortsov and threw those into photoshop as well. 

Then I went back to the 2022 regional here as well. Haiden Deegan won the 250 Class overall Saturday with another 1-1 day, and I remember him hauling ass that bright day a few years ago in what would be his final go at a Loretta Lynn’s Regional race. Boom, another stitch came together!

I even asked Deegan about his quick turn from the amateur ranks to the pro scene in the post-race press conference. He is fighting for race wins and championships, but does he realize how quickly things have happened?

“Yeah, it definitely it's crazy, especially, I mean, how quick it’s happened, definitely,” he said. “I mean, I'm only 19, so to have obviously four championships on a 250 and now this many moto wins in a row this, or not in a row, but this many moto wins this season. It's pretty wild to think, you know, I was racing amateurs here a little over two years ago, so, it's definitely cool, you know. Hard work and having some pretty gnarly talent on a dirt bike get you far.”

Sometimes, you have to pump the brakes and take it all in. I am sure there are a bunch of other photographers who could do this with riders they have covered from their earlier amateur days to their last race as a pro. Things like this remind you of not only how far the riders themselves have gone, but also how much oneself has grown as well. 

Same sections of the track at High Point Raceway, the 2022 Loretta Lynn's Regional vs the Pro Motocross National.

Align Media’s Mike Emery, Adam Merrow—and this weekend Anthony Carcaramo as well—makes sure Racer X's photo needs are covered. That being said, it is fun to get out and shoot photos of my own. With Mike and Adam and his crew knocking out incredible shots they do, I have more freedom to try (and sometimes fail) when it comes to what I shoot. I zag when others zig and try to get a chance of perspective when possible. Sometimes it is fun to think outside of the box—or inside of the dozer if you will. ….

Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan are keeping the sponsors happy with their wins. On the off-road side, Liam Draper and Grant Davis got some ink for wrapping up U.S. Spring Enduro Championships.

The new PulpMX Gives Back, a 501C non-profit started to help raise money for injured riders, is stoked to announce the first recipient of some cash. Privateer hero Jerry Robin was injured badly in a crash during the SX season. Our first campaign was to raise $7,700  (based on his racing #77) for Jerry and if we got that amount, Kyle Chisholm was going to race the Pulpmx LCQ Challenge with Jerry’s name and number on his RM-Z450. Well, thanks to you people not only did we get the $7700.00 needed, we raised just over $13,000 for Robin to help with his recovery!

The latest fundraising effort is a chance to win a 2025 Yamaha YZ450F, which we’ll do the draw at the end of the SMX season. 100% of the money will go to injured riders. Get a ticket now and stay turned for more experiences you can bid on to help riders who have fallen. https://pulpmxgivesback.com/ for more info.

With a 1-2 at High Point, we have to start with This is Lawrence, where they.... Golf?

Yes Chef is back: Levi Kitchen's vlog:

Broc Tickle talks to Gypsy about Jorge Prado coming to America: