Stefan Everts is known for his impressive accomplishments in the World Motocross arena. He holds 10 World Championships and has won 101 Grand Prix races. He was also the second man to win world titles in the 125cc, MXGP, and Open class. Additionally, Stefan is the only GP racer to have won titles on all four Japanese brands: Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, and Yamaha. He has also won five MXoN victories and has been successful in other races as well. As shown in the photo, Stefan Everts is a skilled sand rider.
Photos Red Bull Content Pool
Billy Bolt took the Romaniacs Prologue win, but says his fitness is off and it will be tough to hang with Lettenbichler.
The 2023 Red Bull Romaniacs kicked off with Billy Bolt leading the race. He was followed closely by Mani Lettenbichler and Alfredo Gomez. Bolt and Lettenbichler battled for the lead throughout the race, with Bolt eventually crossing the finish line after 10 laps, 20 seconds ahead of Lettenbichler. Gomez finished in third place, 25 seconds behind Lettenbichler.
Alfredo Gomez and his Rieju fight to keep Letti in touch. They finished 2-3.Trystan Hart, FMF KTM FACTORY RACING team and Sherco’s Mario Roman dual during the wild street prologue.
Follow along as NEPG rider Paddy Holloway captures footage of the sixth round of the AMA National Enduro series on his GoPro. He provides a unique perspective of what it was like at the race.
Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt performs at the incredible street prologue on day one at the Red Bull Romaniacs. Photo: Mihai Stetcu / Red Bull Content Pool
The Nihilo Concepts Throttle Position Sensor setting tool is a must-have for all KTM, Husqvarna, and GASGAS dirt bikes with a throttle position sensor. It allows for precise setting of the TPS, which is important for optimal performance. The tool is made of durable materials and is designed for easy installation. Price: $249.99
NEW TM DESIGNWORKS FRONT CHAIN SLIDER KTM – HUSKY – GAS GAS
The new TM Designworks HD front chain slider is designed to replace the stock slider on KTM, Husqvarna, and GASGAS dirt bikes. It offers improved wear resistance and chain control, with added material in critical wear spots. The side backplate keeps the chain centered for increased power and reduced drag. The slider comes in different colors and includes updated dampening pads for reduced chain slap noises. Price: $64.95
In 1982, in Texas Canyon with Bouquet Reservoir as the backdrop, a Maico 490 Alpha E was being set up for racing in the western rounds of the National Enduro series. The rider had high hopes for the bike but found that the rear end (the first time featuring a single shock) was not great and difficult to set up. The power of the bike was also lacking in terms of bottom flow, which is important for technical enduros.
What is the actual top speed of a modern 450 motocross bike? I’ve read on websites and YouTube comments claiming a KTM 450SXF is capable of 123 mph in stock form. I can’t see that being possible, as these bikes are geared to race on an MX or SX track, not drag raced. Could you please clarify? Ken via [email protected]
Well, Ken, while I don’t have the exact numbers, around the 120-mph mark is in the hunt for a top-speed run on a properly geared 450. The real issue comes with the gearing, setup and traction. About 10 years ago we were out with Robby Bell, who was testing his Precision Concepts KX450 for an upcoming Baja race. He and his mechanics had a radar gun and shot Robby, who was doing flat out in fifth-gear runs on a very long dirt road that had a slight rise going one of the directions. After a dozen runs, with each stint pushing the 103–104-mph mark, one of the tuners gave Robby a backpack full of rocks. His next run was 4 or 5 mph quicker both ways. I was informed that the rear tire was actually spinning rather than gripping at over 100 mph. The additional weight put more load on the rear tire, enhancing the grip, and therefore the top speed improved.
If you don’t mind displaying your ignorance for the world to see, who are we to deny the opportunity? Send evidence of your failures to [email protected] or Mr. Know-It-All Dirt Bike P.O. Box 957 Valencia, CA 91380-9057
Round eight of the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross series took place in Washougal, Washington. Jett Lawrence continued his pursuit of a perfect season by winning both motos in the 450 class. However, he faced tough competition from Dylan Ferrandis in the first race and Aaron Plessinger in the second race. Chase Sexton was also a strong contender, especially in the second race, but a minor crash prevented him from challenging Jett. In the 250 class, Haiden Deegan dominated with a convincing two-moto sweep. Hunter Lawrence still holds the overall point lead with three rounds remaining. To get more coverage of the 2023 Pro Motocross season, click here.
450 RESULTS
1 Jett Lawrence 1 / 1 2 Chase Sexton 2 / 2 3 Jason Anderson 4 / 4 4 Dylan Ferrandis 3 / 5 5 Aaron Plessinger 7 / 3 6 Adam Cianciarulo 5 / 7 7 Garrett Marchbanks 8 / 6 8 Ty Masterpool 6 / 8 9 Phillip Nicoletti 11 / 9 10 Colt Nichols 10 / 10 11 Fredrik Noren 9 / 11 12 Jose Butron 12 / 13 13 Kyle Chisholm 17 / 12 14 Shane McElrath 15 / 14 15 Grant Harlan 14 / 15 16 Romain Pape 16 / 18 17 Jed Beaton 13 / 37 18 Max Miller 19 / 16 19 Joshua Hill 26 / 17 20 Anton Gole 20 / 19 21 Carson Brown 18 / 21 22 Anthony Rodriguez 21 / 20 23 Luca Marsalisi 22 / 23 24 Hamish Harwood 24 / 22 25 RJ Wageman 27 / 25 26 Kevin Moranz 28 / 26 27 Dominique Thury 33 / 27 28 Collin Jurin 32 / 28 29 Justin Rodbell 31 / 29 30 Gared Steinke 37 / 24 31 Trevor Schmidt 29 / 33 32 Jeremy Hand 23 / 39 33 Hayden Cordell 34 / 30 34 Jace Kessler 30 / 35 35 Ryder Floyd 25 / 40 36 Robert Martin 35 / 31 37 Scott Meshey 36 / 32 38 Brandon Ray 39 / 34 39 Derek Drake 38 / 36 40 Jerry Robin 40 / 38
We now have our first official 2024 motocross bike in the garage. It’s the KTM 450SX-F and we already love it. That’s a little odd because this is an unchanged bike for 2024, and we didn’t especially love it last year. Not at first, anyway. It was new at that time–very new. The frame had different flex characteristics and the motor was relocated with a lower output shaft in order to provide an anti-squat characteristic. The motor–which didn’t look that different–had significant differences in the head and throttle body. A new map switch on the left side of the bar had dedicated buttons for the aggressive and mild maps, as well as traction control and Quickshift. The shock was completely new, while the fork was still a WP Xact air fork with new valving. Along the way, the bike gained weight–around 6 pounds.
KTM is a leader in the MX market in every way, including price. The MSRP for the 450SX-F is $11,099.
The problem was that we were big fans of the previous version. The new frame felt stiffer and we had a hard time getting past that. We thought it was a concession to the Cooper Webbs of the world for Supercross. Then it came out that Cooper Webb wasn’t a big fan, either. Now, we have a very different perspective. In our 2023 450 Shootout, we had the 2023 GasGas MC450F, which had the old frame that we thought we loved so much. It was flexy and squatty compared to the new KTM. It turned out that we had to come to terms with the new rigidity and learn to use it. We also learned to give the bike some time. Both the frame and the fork needed break-in before feeling comfortable. Cooper Webb obviously came to terms with the new chassis as well, but at that level, his issues were more or less irrelevant to the rest of us. It was interesting that when Tony Cairoli came to America, he was forced to use the frame because of the AMA’s production rule. He was shocked at how flexy it was compared to his European works frame. To each his own.
Cornering is still a KTM strength. The frame changes that came last year contribute to level, predictable manners.
In that same shootout, the KTM was the king of the dyno, with 59.94 horsepower at 9360 rpm. What really sets the KTM apart isn’t the peak output as much as the smooth, controllable nature of the power delivery. The build-up is linear and the peak comes fairly early. You don’t have to rev it, but you do have to respect it. The 450SX-F has excellent low-end torque, so you can short shift and keep it clear of the crazy zone if you like, but it isn’t stall-proof. If you brake hard or yank open the throttle at low rpm, you run the risk of stalling out.
Pete Murray on the 2024 KTM 450SX-F.
KTM gives you two maps that can be selected on the left side of the handlebar. The white map is smoother and the green map revs a little more freely. The same control cluster gives you the option of traction control, which some riders find useful. Most are indifferent to it. And then there’s the Quickshift on/off button, which interrupts the ignition when you shift. This can be very useful, but you have to be on top of your game. If you have a clear run to the end of the straight, it allows clean up-shifts at full throttle. In the real world, you don’t often find conditions where you want that. Most of the time, your front wheel is coming up or you’re struggling for traction. Full throttle, as it turns out, isn’t attained that often on a 60-horsepower motorcycle.
The KTM still ranks on top of the charts when it comes to cornering. It’s super easy to initiate a turn and once established, it holds a level, even attitude throughout the corner. It’s still a very light motorcycle; 229 pounds without fuel. That might be heavier than the old version, but it’s lighter than anything else in the 450 class. The KTM still uses the WP Xact air fork on its motocross models. It is an excellent fork in many regards including adjustability and light weight. In terms of outright performance, however, there are more comfortable units on the market. The KTM delivers some feedback to rider’s hands on square-edge bumps that’s hard to eliminate through normal fork tuning. It’s interesting that KTM’s XC cross-country models now have a coil-spring version of the Xact fork. Our initial testing with those forks in an off-road environment has been encouraging. We can’t wait to try one set up for motocross; we understand it performs like the air fork equipped with the WP drop-in spring kit, which has become very popular. We have a lot of testing to do and we are just getting started. The full test will appear in the October, 2023 print edition of Dirt Bike.
RETRO STAR YAMAHAS AT WASHOUGAL
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA kicking-off of a year-long celebration of the YZ and its 50 years of production. Commemorating the occasion on track this weekend, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team will be sporting a special throwback livery from the ’90s era at the Pro Motocross Washougal National. The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP and MX2 Teams will also be donning the 1993 purple and white colorway at the MXGP of Flanders in Lommel, Belgium, as part of the global celebration of the iconic off-road model line.
OLD BIKE CORNER
We have a couple of older bikes in the DB studio right now. This one is particularly close to my heart because I’m old and I raced the hell out of this particular machine. It’s a 1980 RM250, which has to be considered the end of an era. It was the last truly competitive air-cooled, Japanese two-shocker. Next year came the single-shock Full-Floater and then liquid-cooling came to the 250 in 1982. Interestingly enough, Suzuki was the only one that actually had a good single-shock design in 1981 and it got them in big trouble. Don Richardson was the inventor and he successfully sued for patent infringement and breach of contract. The 1980 two-shock RM250 actually had much better suspension than any of the single shocks system from Kawasaki (in 1980), Honda (1981) and Yamaha (which had evolved continuously since 1975). This particular bike is owned by Mark Dooley of DG Performance. It turns out that DG doesn’t make a pipe for this particular model.
Another older bike that will appear in Dirt Bike is this 1995 Yamaha YZ250 owned by Rick Doughty of Vintage Iron. There wasn’t anything especially memorable about the 1995 YZ, but it did win the Dirt Bike Shootout that year (which was written by Roger DeCoster). We think he might have been a little mad at Honda in 1995, but that’s another story. The reason Doughty’s bike is special is because it presents what we think is a great restoration project. You can still get a lot of parts for bikes of this vintage and it’s the newest bike allowed to race in the “Revo” class. The story will be called “Restore It” and it will be in the October 2023 issue.
The “RDx5” image on the cover of the January 1995 issue of Dirt Bike was created before Photoshop was used in publishing. It was set up at El Mirage dry lake. A twin-lens reflex camera was set up on a tripod and Roger DeCoster changed clothes five times while I shot the five images. The images were merged at our film stripping house Valley Color. The image was used to illustrate our 250 Shootout that year, which was written by RD. The Yamaha YZ250 was the winner.
ROAD TO RECOVERY
The Road 2 Recovery Foundation (R2R), the official charity of the Pro Motocross Championship, is excited to announce the second wave of the historic Brian Barnes Moto Museum Collection Auction, which is slated to begin at 9 a.m. PDT / 12 p.m. EDT this Saturday, July 22, at MXLocker.com. This unprecedented auction will be held concurrently with Round 8 of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, the MotoSport.com Washougal National, where the majority of the items listed hold historical significance linked to the storied history of iconic Washougal MX Park and come with confirmed race-worn provenance. With over 110 unique items, including some extremely rare autographed jerseys with verified authenticity and added commentary directly from the riders to the ever-popular “buy it now” items, this auction demands attention. To ensure enthusiasts have ample time to study the extensive inventory, MXLocker.com is offering an early access “preview only,” beginning Friday, July 21. This will allow bidders the opportunity to create or update their MXLocker account, familiarize themselves with the listed items, and plan their bidding strategy.
MXA FANTASY
Our buddies at Motocross Action are in the fantasy sports business, but it’s not gambling and won’t cost you anything. Round 8 of the AMA Pro National Series will take place in Washougal this weekend! The winning prize for this round will be a $150 shopping spree on the Blud Lubricant website.
Ken Zahrt was a So Cal hero, who made waves on the National motocross level. This is 1976 Mammoth Mountain motocross and KZ is Mid Valley Ossa Phantom mounted. And another superb bit of history preserved by Mark Kiel’s camera.
TULSA, OK (July 11, 2023) – Cycle City Promotions announced today changes to the 2023 EnduroCross Series schedule. The first round will take place on October 7th in Everett, Washington and the final round will be in Reno, Nevada on November 18th. (The initial schedule started in Loveland, Colorado on September 23.)
This vid has some great footage with Jonny Walker, Trystan Hart, Ryder LeBlond and Cody Webb battling the rolling rocks at the Shotgun Hard Scramble. The event was brutal.
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THIS IS BIG STINKING AIR!
Pol Tarres is a complete madman launching his 400-plus pound Yamaha Tenure 700 at the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo. Pol is the nephew of Jordi Tarrés, a seven-time Trial World Champion. Photo: Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool
WORKS CONNECTION ’23 YZ450F FORK ADJUSTERS (YZF)
Works Connections’s all-new Fork Adjusters for the ’23 YZ450F are machined from aircraft grade aluminum and replace the stock plastic adjusters. They use a 4-flute design and made them slightly taller to allow for easier adjustments with a more solid detent. Factory look with magnesium color and laser etched +/- markings for reference. The 4-flute design is much easier to use with or without gloves on. It is also easier to gain access to the fork bleeder screw due to the smaller size adjuster. $39.95
Moose Racing’s Professional Wheel Truing Stand eliminates the guess work of truing a wheel. It includes two digital indicators to true side- to-side and up-down truing simultaneously providing more precise results. Lightweight, yet rigid, the aluminum frame and axle fits wheels from 16” to 21” with 20mm-30mm axles. Unlike other wheel truing stands using index screws, this Professional Wheel Truing Stand uses unique threaded cones on the axle to keep the wheel more secure. This stands base includes adjustable rubber feet to maintain level axel on any surface. MSRP is listed at $259.95. www.mooseracing.com
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DUNLOP TRAILMAX RAID ADV TIRE
The all-new Dunlop Trailmax Raid is designed for 40% on-road and 60% off-road use, combining expertise and technology from Dunlop’s extensive line of tires. The Trailmax Raid is suitable for a wide range of bikes from mid-size dual sports to large adventure bikes, offering exceptional off-road capabilities paired with outstanding wet weather grip and adventure touring performance.
The Trailmax Raid’s design was inspired by Dunlop’s popular D908RR Rally Raid, a tire designed for aggressive adventure and cross-country conditions. The unmistakable block design on the D908RR tread is a key part of the Trailmax Raid’s tread design. The Raid utilizes tie-bars between the tread blocks to improve handling and stability for heavier bikes, while grip at higher lean angles when riding on the road is ensured by smaller gaps between the shoulder blocks. The large center blocks on the rear tire are designed to cope with road riding and the high-power output of adventure motorcycles.
As temperatures are hitting 105-degrees this weekend, I relish winter riding in So Cal. This is Texas Canyon, 1982. For a short while I raced a big Maico 490 Alpha E in local enduros. I really wanted to love this bike, but it was a handful for me, both heavy and heavy handed power wise.
The 2023 Southwick National MX took place at The Wick 338 in Massachusetts and marked the halfway point of the AMA Pro Motocross season. The Lawrence brothers, Jett and Hunter, have been dominant in the 450 and 250 classes respectively. However, there was a break in their streak in the last race when Hunter crashed in the first turn of moto two, resulting in a win for Haiden Deegan and shaking up the championship standings.
In the 250 qualifying, there was an unexpected turn of events as James DeCotis set the fastest time in his first attempt of the entire season, outpacing the A session riders Justin Cooper and Hunter Lawrence. Jett Lawrence continued his impressive performance in the 450 class, setting a time over 2 seconds faster than Chase Sexton in second place.
Motocross had been exclusive territory to 2-stroke motorcycles much before the 1950s. In 1952, an individual European Championship that allowed the use of 500cc engine displacements was set up by the FIM and would, later on, be upgraded to World Championship status in 1957. However, in 1963, a significant moment in motocross history occurred that allowed 250cc 2-stroke moto-crossers to compete in the 500cc category fielded with 4-strokers.
Fast-forward to the early nineties in a competition of changing rules, the AMA, relaxed its rules that allowed 450cc 4-strokes to compete in the same class as the 250cc 2-strokes. Yamaha took advantage of the rule and developed the Yamaha YZ400F specifically for the category giving it a 5-valve head, liquid cooling, and a 12.5:1 compression ratio. In 1997, with the introduction of the YZ400M, Doug Henry rode it to victory at the Las Vegas Supercross, a first for a 4-stroker in an AMA event, and Yamaha has not looked back since then. With the introduction of the Yamaha YZ450F in 2003, and in its 13th generation, the Yamahahas clinched just about every major FIM Motocross and US Supercross title there is to win with 2-stroke and 4-stroke technology, ever since they won their first World Motocross Championship 50 years ago. Having put all their focus on the new 2023 Yamaha YZ450F, Yamaha has developed a motocross machine that is not only lighter, faster, and easier to ride but has been designed to live up to its heritage.
A left hand-side view of the Yamaha’s YZ450F’s engine
Yamaha has redesigned the YZ450F’s engine which has remained unchanged since the introduction of the original reversed-head layout in 2010. With the usual head layout reversed instead of exhaust cams facing the engine forward, Yamaha’s tricks-in-the-bag has enabled them to keep the bulk of the YZS450F’s air-box, fuel tank, exhaust, and the slanting rear cylinder towards the bike’s center of mass. With a lighter and more durable engine designed to linearly deliver more output with better drivability, the Yamaha YZ450F is easy to ride throughout the rev range.
9Redesigned Piston And Crankshaft
Yamaha
A Yamaha YZ450F’s piston and crankshaft.
The YZ450F gets a newly designed piston and an optimized combustion chamber thanks to the reversed-head layout, as well as a lighter cylinder block that changes its power characteristics in the powerband to an extra 500 revs. The new engine is also equipped with a low-friction camshaft chain, re-designed crank and connecting rod assembly, lighter plain bearings, and a new balancer weight and hollow balancer shaft that negates out any engine vibrations
8Improved Air-Intake And Routing With Vortex Airbox
The YZ450F has a newly routed air-intake path between the fuel tank, frame, seat, and side panels that prevent the ingression of water, dust, and mud from entering the air-box. For 2023, YZ450F also gets a newly designed airbox that separates incoming dust centrifugally before reaching a new round three-dimensional air filter.
With the YZ450F’s power up 5%, the transmission has had to be redesigned to compensate for this increase. The distance between the new transmission’s drive shafts has been widened, while each gear’s diameter has been increased to reduce weight and increase the overall strength of the 5-speed gear-box.
The clutch previously a two-piece steel aluminum component (coil spring) is now replaced with a light-weight one-piece steel clutch with disc springs. The 450F’s new clutch is 0.75 kg lighter, and slimmer providing a more direct feel and lighter pull at the clutch.
6Redesigned Aluminum Frame
Yamaha
A right hand-side view of the Yamaha YZ450F frame.
The 2023 Yamaha YZ450F’s aluminum beam frame has been improved to feel lighter while providing agility and stability at the same time. Yamaha’s engineers have relocated the joint between the tank rails and head pipe, which is now 15mm lower than its predecessor while the downtube, cross tube, and swingarm pivot area have been stiffened ensuring a high level of stability and precise cornering. The YZ450F’s chassis which originally had an 8mm aluminum front engine mount utilizing three through bolts, now gets a 4mm thick steel mount with one bolt.
5Next Generation Bodywork
Yamaha
A right hand-side view of a Yamaha YZ450F.
Every exterior panel of the Yamaha YZ450F has been redesigned to provide a slimmer body, making it more compact and sleek while allowing the rider to rapidly shift body weight. Because of the elimination of the front air-ducts, thanks to the newly routed air supply path, this has allowed more compact shrouds with a width reduction of 50mm to be fitted, as well as a narrower new fuel tank that makes the center section of the YZ450F slimmer. The YZ450F also gets a compact fender with a shorter rear fender to match, making the YZ’s overall length appear shorter.
4Improved Ergonomics
Yamaha
A view of the Yamaha YZ450F’s ergonomics.
The Yamaha YZ450F’s riding ergonomics, i.e., the connection between the seat, handlebars, and foot-rests has been revised to accommodate varying physiques. The seat height has been increased by 5mm while making the seat surface flatter and the rounded profiles of the left and right seat edges have been contoured better making lateral movement easier and more comfortable. The footrests are 5mm lower giving 10mm of more legroom (taking the seat changes into account) for taller riders while a 4-position adjustable rubber-mounted handlebar can be moved according to the size of the rider to provide a more neutral riding position.
The Yamaha YZ450F’s KYB suspension valving has been upgraded to absorb high and low-speed bumps by simply hand-tweaking the adjustable compression damping adjuster which in turn has helped with the 450F’s cornering precision and straight-line stability. For more information on suspension setup, the rider can also access information and recommendations on suspension settings via the Power Tuner app on his or her smartphone.
2An advanced Launch Control System
Yamaha
Launch Control button on the Yamaha YZ450F.
The YZ450F now has the ability to gain the holeshot at full throttle, thanks to a new Rev Limit feature in the Launch Control System that can set a maximum rpm between 6000 and 11,000 rpm in 500rpm increments. The Rev Limit feature automatically disengages once the LCS recognizes that the start has been completed and the bike has reached 3rd gear.
1Power Tuner App
Yamaha
A rider making engine adjustments via the Power Tuner app.
The Power Tuner app has been updated in an intuitive way that makes it easier to understand and use while selecting different levels of power, traction, and launch control just by scrolling a slider horizontally from Smooth through Aggressive – of course, this is only possible once the rider has downloaded the app and paired his phone to the YZ450F. Additional functions also include RPM, fuel consumption, a lap timer, speed, battery voltage, and a host of other data. An FAQ section also provides a guide on how to maximize the suspension setup. The Power Tuner app can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple Store, depending on the rider’s smartphone’s operating system.
Prior to Chuck Sun’s epic Motocross des Nations heroics in 1981 while racing for Factory Honda, he was a Husqvarna star out of Oregon. This shot is from the 1976 Saddleback Trans Am and Chuck’s Husqvarna machine is Fox Air Shock equipped, which the Husky team ran on all of their machines. In 1978 he won the 250 class at the Trans-AMA and then got signed by Honda and went on to win the 1980 500cc National Championship, along with a GP win at Carlsbad in 1981.
NEWS
SOCIAL DISTORTION
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VIDEO JUKEBOX
THESE ENDURO GP GUYS ARE FLAT ON IT!
AND FROM OUR SIDE OF THE POND: ANGUS, BARNES AND GIRROIR HAULING THE MAIL
GLEN HELEN USGP 2016- EPIC TOMAC CAIROLI BATTLE
SHOT OF THE WEEK
Bummer.
GEAR BAG
Billet Kickstand for ’23 YAMAHA YZ450F
No need to lay down your new YZ! The Fastway Billet Kickstand is machined in-house with the same features you’ve come to trust in a Fastway stand! Internal Spring never gets lost, and keeps tension in the Up or Down position. Simple bolt-on installation!
This is Sunrise Cycle Park in Adelanto in 1981. It was my first big test with Yamaha and Ed Scheidler, who I worked with for years until he retired. Ed was the first person I worked with who shot video of the testing, and then we’d review it in his box van. He was a stickler, always asking us what the bike was doing. He’d make suspension changes, and then would again cross examine our explanation. Half the time he wouldn’t change anything and if you claimed you felt a difference he’d crucify you…all in a good way. He taught us how to test, evaluate and think about what the motorcycle was doing. This is the 1981 Yamaha YZ465.
The 2023 Pro Motocross season made a stop in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania on Father’s Day weekend, bringing a different vibe to the races. The 450 class featured a showdown between Ken Roczen and Jet Lawrence, as Roczen aimed to challenge Lawrence’s path to the championship. However, heavy rainfall before practice caused complications, making it crucial for riders to set a good lap time in the first qualifying session. Roczen seized this opportunity by setting a blazing time, while Lawrence struggled with minor crashes interrupting his session. In the 250 class, Justin Cooper experienced a crash during qualifying, while his teammate Haiden Deegan secured the fastest time. For more extensive coverage of the 2023 Pro Motocross season, click here.
250 MOTO 1
In the first 250 moto, the track was a muddy and rutted nightmare. RJ Hampshire took the lead initially, with Jo Shimoda in second. However, Shimoda went down in the second turn, causing a massive pile-up that also affected series point leader Hunter Lawrence. Haiden Deegan and Jalek Swoll battled for a few laps, but Deegan eventually broke free. As the race progressed, Lawrence made impressive progress through the pack, while Deegan kept a close eye on Hampshire. In a dramatic finish, Hampshire managed to retake the lead on the last lap. Lawrence also passed Swoll for third place at the very end.
1 RJ Hampshire 2 Haiden Deegan 3 Hunter Lawrence 4 Jalek Swoll 5 Ryder DiFrancesco 6 Maximus Vohland 7 Jo Shimoda 8 Chance Hymas 9 Caden Braswell 10 Preston Kilroy 11 Tom Vialle 12 Levi Kitchen 13 Talon Hawkins 14 Dilan Schwartz 15 Jordon Smith 16 Derek Kelley 17 Chase Yentzer 18 Maxwell Sanford 19 Slade Smith 20 Jack Rogers 21 Cory Carsten 22 Kyle Murdoch 23 Blaze Cremaldi 24 Mitchell Zaremba 25 Tyson Johnson 26 Joseph Tait 27 Rody Schroyer 28 James Harrington 29 Peyton Jackson 30 Tyler Evans 31 Gerald Lorenz III 32 Evan Haimowitz 33 Gerhard Matamoros 34 Aidan Dickens 35 Cole Jones 36 Skyler Leaf 37 Steve Roman 38 Tyler Conner 39 Matti Jorgensen 40 Ian Kearon
450 MOTO 1
Jett Lawrence took the holeshot in the 450 class with Ken Roczen starting around fifth. Roczen quickly moved up to second place and attempted to catch Lawrence throughout the race. However, every time Roczen made some progress, Lawrence responded and maintained a 4-second lead. Garrett Marchbanks managed to keep up with the front runners, while the rest of the field gradually fell behind. During the race’s midway point, Lawrence had a fall, allowing Roczen and Marchbanks to pass him. Although Lawrence quickly regained his position ahead of Marchbanks, it took several laps for him to catch up to Roczen. The two riders engaged in a thrilling battle, with Lawrence briefly overtaking Roczen, who retaliated and recaptured the lead a few turns later. Eventually, Lawrence secured the lead for good. Roczen stayed within a couple of seconds until he fell on the final lap, struggling to restart his Suzuki and settling for 7th place.
1 Jett Lawrence 2 Garrett Marchbanks 3 Cooper Webb 4 Adam Cianciarulo 5 Ty Masterpool 6 Dylan Ferrandis 7 Ken Roczen 8 Aaron Plessinger 9 Derek Drake 10 Romain Pape 11 Grant Harlan 12 Phillip Nicoletti 13 Lorenzo Locurcio 14 Fredrik Noren 15 Jeremy Hand 16 Kaeden Amerine 17 Trevor Schmidt 18 Brandon Ray 19 Christopher Prebula 20 Bryce Shelly 21 Vincent Luhovey 22 Max Miller 23 Jose Butron 24 Jared Lesher 25 Jeremy Smith 26 Chandler Baker 27 Luca Marsalisi 28 Jeffrey Walker 29 Cody Groves 30 Jace Kessler 31 Scott Meshey 32 Ricci Randanella 33 Ayden Shive 34 Lowell Spangler 35 Alex Ray 36 Billy Ainsworth 37 Bryton Carroll 38 Dakota Kessler 39 Matthew Burkeen 40 Jerry Robin
450 COMBINED QUALIFYING
1 Ken Roczen 2:21.066 2 Jett Lawrence 2:23.675 3 Garrett Marchbanks 2:24.214 4 Dylan Ferrandis 2:24.537 5 Adam Cianciarulo 2:24.858 6 Ty Masterpool 2:25.663 7 Derek Drake 2:25.764 8 Cooper Webb 2:26.264 9 Aaron Plessinger 2:28.969 10 Jerry Robin 2:30.106 11 Cody Groves 2:31.427 12 Grant Harlan 2:31.606 13 Fredrik Noren 2:31.657 14 Jeremy Smith 2:33.120 15 Bryton Carroll 2:33.492 16 Jeremy Hand 2:33.845 17 Kaeden Amerine 2:34.480 18 Luca Marsalisi 2:35.035 19 Chandler Baker 2:35.206 20 Jace Kessler 2:35.303 21 Christopher Prebula 2:35.612 22 Romain Pape 2:36.162 23 Lorenzo Locurcio 2:36.514 24 Jared Lesher 2:36.745 25 Ricci Randanella 2:36.803 26 Matthew Burkeen 2:37.312 27 Trevor Schmidt 2:37.354 28 Vincent Luhovey 2:37.828 29 Bryce Shelly 2:38.871 30 Alex Ray 2:39.387 31 Brandon Ray 2:39.559 32 Lowell Spangler 2:40.401 33 Scott Meshey 2:40.455 34 Max Miller 2:40.975 35 Jose Butron 2:41.277 36 Phillip Nicoletti 2:41.622 37 TJ Albright 2:42.471 38 Zack Williams 2:42.471 39 Gabe Gutierres 2:42.529 40 Ayden Shive 2:43.234 41 Billy Ainsworth 2:45.156 42 Ryan Diezic 2:45.280 43 Jacob Rose 2:45.837 44 Nathan Augustin 2:46.081 45 Felix Lopez 2:46.120 46 Jeffrey Walker 2:46.526 47 Dakota Kessler 2:46.780 48 Nick Fratz-Orr 2:47.299 49 Brandon Hugney 2:49.103 50 Alex Panzarella 2:49.618 51 Derek Leatherman 2:50.037 52 Seamus Sullivan 2:50.460 53 Austin Walker 2:50.785 54 Ezra Lewis 2:52.298 55 Nicholas Hayes 2:52.366 56 Thomas Lanphear 2:53.208 57 Rylan Bly 2:53.509 58 Bryce Hammond 2:54.280 59 Corey Burnett 2:55.091 60 Nick Kraeger 2:56.411 61 Garrett Smith 2:56.556 62 Evan Richard 2:56.879 63 Justin Thompson 2:56.963 64 Brandon Pederson 2:57.101 65 Jakob Rassa 2:57.671 66 Jacob Glenn 3:00.913 67 Brett Greenley 3:01.699 68 Maik Schaller 3:02.122 69 Zach Peters 3:03.616 70 Cole Bradford 3:04.606 71 Liam Langer 3:04.635 72 Anthony Roth 3:05.788 73 Landon Armbruster 3:06.183 74 Evan Talbott 3:08.420 75 Joey DeNeen 3:09.116 76 Ivon Hays 3:10.414 77 Chase Witmer 3:10.744 78 Nicholas Burgess 3:12.973 79 Trent Yoder 3:18.843 80 Devon Bates 3:25.138 81 Kyle Farren 3:25.662 82 Kyle Vidovich 3:29.085 83 William Clark 3:35.666 84 James Cooper 4:06.906 85 Vincent Harrison 4:35.069 86 Nicholas Peccarelli 4:45.895 87 Jimmy Knisley 6:18.230
250 COMBINED QUALIFYING
1 Haiden Deegan 2:20.801 2 Matti Jorgensen 2:21.018 3 Hunter Lawrence 2:21.734 4 Jo Shimoda 2:22.014 5 Steve Roman 2:22.521 6 Justin Cooper 2:22.545 7 RJ Hampshire 2:23.451 8 Chance Hymas 2:23.553 9 Maxwell Sanford 2:23.638 10 Jordon Smith 2:23.723 11 Maximus Vohland 2:23.926 12 Joseph Tait 2:24.912 13 Tom Vialle 2:25.345 14 Jalek Swoll 2:25.489 15 Ryder DiFrancesco 2:27.023 16 Preston Kilroy 2:27.411 17 Kyle Murdoch 2:27.778 18 Rody Schroyer 2:27.788 19 Cory Carsten 2:28.782 20 Peyton Jackson 2:28.820 21 Gerhard Matamoros 2:28.871 22 Skyler Leaf 2:29.229 23 Evan Haimowitz 2:29.578 24 Talon Hawkins 2:30.000 25 Derek Kelley 2:30.068 26 Caden Braswell 2:30.342 27 Slade Smith 2:30.463 28 Ian Kearon 2:30.702 29 Mitchell Zaremba 2:31.229 30 Chase Yentzer 2:31.390 31 Jack Rogers 2:31.697 32 Levi Kitchen 2:32.202 33 Dilan Schwartz 2:32.481 34 Aidan Dickens 2:32.824 35 Tyson Johnson 2:34.354 36 Gerald Lorenz III 2:34.362 37 Max Darling 2:34.713 38 Jason Neidigh 2:35.302 39 Gage Stine 2:35.671 40 Tyler Conner 2:35.996 41 Logan Boye 2:36.619 42 Damian Buccieri 2:37.207 43 Cole Jones 2:37.927 44 Blaze Cremaldi 2:38.002 45 James Harrington 2:38.017 46 Travis Mecking 2:39.076 47 Konnor Visger 2:39.803 48 Cory Gilliam 2:40.240 49 Hunter Cross 2:40.499 50 Ethan Lane 2:40.511 51 Marcus Phelps 2:40.585 52 Bryson Raymond 2:40.817 53 Michael Lennon 2:41.513 54 Braden Gray 2:41.674 55 Christopher Williams 2:41.818 56 Tyler Evans 2:42.411 57 Riley Ripper 2:43.161 58 Charles Tolleson 2:43.680 59 Nicholas Inman 2:44.061 60 Ashton Bloxom 2:44.392 61 Colton Eigenmann 2:44.804 62 Gage Hulsey 2:44.942 63 Robert Bailey 2:46.411 64 Cole Robbins 2:47.076 65 Jason Fichera 2:47.091 66 Brantley Schnell 2:47.406 67 Ryan Quinn 2:47.953 68 Ethan Day 2:47.987 69 Nolan Dickinson 2:49.583 70 Zachary Lahman 2:51.526 71 Gavin Brough 2:52.142 72 James Churn 2:52.639 73 Jordan Jarvis 2:53.133 74 Brian Saunier 2:53.566 75 Steven Keil 2:53.600 76 Ryan Lechien 3:05.763
Even though the results looked the same, the third round of the 2023 AMA National Motocross season had a slightly different flavor. Up front, the Lawrence bothers each made it three in a row, but the 450 class showcased several privateers who are breaking out of their assigned roles to mix it up with the factory guys. Most notably, Ty Masterpool overcame a first turn crash to eventually catch the front runners. The 250 class had yet another first moto winner proving that he can be a threat for the championship. Justin Cooper won the moto and was leading the second when he fell. That gave the overall to Hunter Lawrence, but by no means did he dominate the race. For extended coverage of the 2023 Pro Motocross season, click here.
450 OVERALL RESULTS
1 Jett Lawrence 1 / 1 2 Aaron Plessinger 4 / 2 3 Cooper Webb 2 / 5 4 Adam Cianciarulo 3 / 6 5 Dylan Ferrandis 7 / 3 6 Ty Masterpool 5 / 4 7 Garrett Marchbanks 6 / 8 8 Grant Harlan 8 / 7 9 Fredrik Noren 10 / 10 10 Lorenzo Locurcio 12 / 9 11 Derek Drake 9 / 12 12 Marshal Weltin 11 / 11 13 Romain Pape 14 / 13 14 Luca Marsalisi 15 / 18 15 Tyler Stepek 13 / 38 16 Kyle Chisholm 23 / 14 17 Max Miller 20 / 15 18 Jeremy Hand 19 / 16 19 Jerry Robin 17 / 19 20 Kaeden Amerine 16 / 21 21 Jose Butron 21 / 17 22 Bryce Hammond 18 / 22 23 Brandon Ray 38 / 20 24 Jeremy Smith 24 / 23 25 Jeffrey Walker 26 / 24 26 Mccoy Brough 27 / 25 27 Trevor Schmidt 22 / 30 28 Brandan Leith 28 / 26 29 Zack Williams 30 / 27 30 Dominique Thury 25 / 32 31 Matthew Burkeen 34 / 28 32 RJ Wageman 33 / 31 33 Dawson Draycott 36 / 29 34 Josh Mosiman 31 / 34 35 Bryton Carroll 29 / 39 36 Jace Kessler 32 / 37 37 Terren O’dell 35 / 35 38 Cody Groves 37 / 36 39 Alex Ray 39 / 40 40 Billy Ainsworth – / 33 41 Jacob Runkles 40 / –
