THANK YOU TO THE MEN WHO MAKE MOTOCROSS ACTION HAPPEN

MXA test crew in 1977: 47 years ago Paul Boudreau (back row), Jody Weisel, Cherry Stockton and mechanic Alan Hahn, along with (front row) Kurt Evans, Pete Maly and Al Baker were the MXA gang.

We don’t say thank you nearly enough, but every MXA test rider has a lot to be thankful for. Jody, Josh, Dennis, Daryl and Trevor have the greatest jobs in the world. They ride, race, and write. They indeed gripe about their jobs and the misery of having to test brand-new motorcycles in the hot sun—but that is just normal men-at-work talk. They love what they do—and it shows in the dedication they put into testing bikes.

When you read an MXA bike test, you might be tempted to think of it as the sole product of one MXA editor. Not true. While the five main MXA guys are the nucleus of Motocross Action, MXA also has a loyal crew of racers who help us out immensely on a weekly basis. MXA provides the bikes, gear, helmets and parts to a select crew of Pro, Vet, Intermediate and Novice motocross racers. Their job is to provide feedback to the testing process by racing every week.

MXA test crew in 1982: 42 years ago (left to right) Ketchup Cox, Lance Moorewood, Gary Jones and Jody Weisel were the core of MXA.

The MXA wrecking crew is a weird mix. It has aggressive young riders; Former AMA Pros, Vet Experts with solid credentials; crazy local amateurs; and old-line racers from the 1960s and ’70s. We couldn’t do the job of testing motorcycles without the help of the complete crew—the young for their enthusiasm, the experienced for their mechanical skill and the old hands for their amazing knowledge.

The MXA test crew in 1985: 39 years ago David Gerig, Gary Jones and Jody Weisel (back row), along with Lance Moorewood (front row) were the MXA wrecking crew.

The MXA test crew in 1992: 32 years ago Gary Jones, Alan Olson, Jody Weisel and George Kohler were the official Team Peak Honda Vet team (with works bikes and fancy gear).

To all of these test riders (and the families that supported them when they were gone to the races) we say thank you for your help. And a special thanks to the old school MXA test riders from the past like Doug Dubach, Larry Brooks, Paul Boudreau, Kurt Evans, Pete Maly, Bill Keefe, David Gerig, Mike Basher, Ed Arnet, Gary Jones, Clark Jones, Tim Olson, Lance Moorewood, Ketchup Cox, Dick Miller, John Minert, John Basher, Billy and Willy Musgrave, Mike Hooker and the late Al Baker, Rich Eierstedt and Feets Minert. And especially, Jeremy McGrath, Mike Craig, Roger DeCoster, Mike Chamberlain and Cole Seely.

The MXA test crew in 2012: 12 years ago Jody Weisel, John Basher, Dennis Stapleton and John Minert were hard at work — this photo was shot at the Suzuki Supercross test track and Daryl Ecklund was busy riding when the photo was shot.

MXA’S BIG FIVE: THE MEN YOU SEE IN THE MAGAZINE

Jody Weisel: Jody started racing motocross in 1968 and has logged thousands of races in pursuit of test info. He was the 1984 CMC #1 Vet Pro, 1998 REM #1 rider and the 2018 Edison Dye Lifetime Achievement Award winner. He has tested more vintage bikes than any man alive, but he did it by riding them when they were brand-new. His Jody’s Box columns are classics.

Josh Mosiman: Josh Mosiman, has raced in a host of countries and in the AMA 250/450 Nationals and 250 Supercross series before coming to work at Motocross Action. Josh’s younger brother Michael raced for the factory Husqvarna and GasGas teams in the Supercross and Motocross series.

Dennis Stapleton: MXA has a calendar on the wall that attempts to keep track of where Dennis is on any given day. Dennis is one of the busiest men in motocross and has raced in over 40 different countries..

Daryl Ecklund: Not every AMA Pro racer has what it takes to be a test rider—but Daryl made the transition from AMA Pro to physical trainer to MXA test rider with ease. He is now MXA’s advertising manager, and he still does a lot of leg work for the magazine as well.

Brian Medeiros. Everybody needs to have friends in Hawaii and even though Brian lives in SoCal now, we know that his family back in Kauai would greet us with open arms if we showed up at their doorstep. Brian owns his own suspension company, Ekolu Suspension, but spends an inordinate amount of time with the MXA gang testing bikes.

THE MEN BEHIND THE SCENES

Roland Hinz: Roland Hinz passed away in 2023 and leaves a giant hole in Motocross Action’s hierarchy. He owned both MXA and Dirt Bike and was instrumental in making MXA into a powerful force for the sport. Roland will be missed, not just for his guidance and bringing Roger DeCoster to work at the magazines for two years (between Roger’s gigs and Team Honda and Suzuki), but also for his insistence on maintaining the integrity of the magazine and keeping it family-friendly.

Tom Hinz: Tom is the son of MXA owner Roland Hinz, who also owns Mountain Bike Action, Dirt Wheels and Dirt Bike. Although Roland was an avid off-road rider, he didn’t want his son to race motocross. So, of course, Tommy took up racing. Tom helps run MXA’s website.

The late Tom White: An AMA Grand National dirt tracker, White Brothers’ founder, museum owner, AMA Hall of Famer, announcer/emcee and motocross racer Tom White was also the long-time Vintage Editor at MXA. Thankfully, Tom left a museum full of vintage motocross bikes and a vault full of stories about them to keep old bikes alive. We miss him.

Jamie Ellis: As motorcycle electronics and hardware got more complicated, MXA asked Twisted Development tuner Jamie Ellis to share his incredible understanding of engines, electronics and design in his “Twisted Logic “column every month.

Mark Johnson. Mark was the WP suspension technician at Red Bull KTM for 10 years. He has earned championships with his teams in Supercross, motocross and off-road racing. Today, Mark owns Research Engineering Performance (REP) and is partnered with AEO Powersports. Mark writes MXA’s “Suspension Simplified” column and is a valuable source of tech info.

Alex Martin: Alex Martin raced on the AMA Pro circuit for 15 years. He has won Nationals and has over 20 podium finishes under his belt. After Alex retired, he started a training company called “Troll Training.” MXA is proud to have his expertise in every issue in his “Troll Training” column. Visit him at www.trolltraining.com.

Trevor Nelson. Trevor is MXA’s go-to-guy for everything from studio photography, to bike test shooting, to designing covers, to editing videos, to AMA National coverage to prowling the Supercross pits.

Justin Lee: Justin is the newest addition to the MXA wrecking crew, he’s our assistant editor and app developer. He helps run the website and created our 2024 MXA Fantasy App from the ground up. 

John Ker: John has been shooting photos at MXA for over 30 years, but he is more famous for his BMX, mountain bike and surfing photos (although we love his Supercross, National, Grand Prix and test bikes shots). In fact, John has been inducted into both the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and the BMX Hall of Fame.

Debbi Tamietti: MXA’s ace race photographer (with Josh Mosiman) is the hardest working member of the MXA wrecking crew.

OUR THANKS TO MXA’S UNSUNG HEROES

It takes a village to produce MXA…and our village if filled with hardcore motocross racers from every skill level and age bracket .

These four guys began as our go-to riders for photo and video shoots, now they’re quite the test riders too. From left to right: Ezra Lewis, Cole Zeller, Michael Del Fante and Conner Styers. 

Josh Fout races motocross and off-road events every week and in his spare time is Josh Mosiman’s AMA National race mechanic.

When he’s not racing WORCS or NGPC off-road events, Cole Zeller is a big help at MXA.

Connor Styers is working his way up to the Pro ranks and it doesn’t hurt to get to ride a lot of different bikes.

Josh Holley, here with Josh Mosiman, is one of three Joshes on the MXA crew, helping with test riding and some photography as well.

Dan Alamangos is MXA’s resident Aussie. He races every week, shoots race photos and translates what every other Aussie says.

Justin Muscutt know how to hang it out.

Marc Crosby (53) is the “Dentist of the Stars” in his spare time, but racing and riding could be considered his real job.

Randel Fout is MXA’s most helpful teammate. He is Mr. Fix-it at the track, can change a tire in ten minutes and even at 65 is still fast—as his 2023 Over-65 Expert World Vet Championship proves.

Ezra Lewis  is one of the four MXA test riders that race the AMA 450 Nationals—is is joined by Josh Mosiman, Dennis Stapleton and Brian Medeiros.

Ernie Becker was a former Pro Circuit Husqvarna racer, but today he is a sports car race, test driver and racing instructor. He races whenever he doesn’t have to be at the car races.

Lars Larsson helped MXA in its formative years back in the 1970s as a test rider and out of gratitude, we vowed to help him keep racing. Lars, who was the Swedish GP rider that Edison Dye hired to demonstrate Husqvarna motorcycle to America, is still racing MXA test bikes today at 82 years old.

Jon Ortner is a former Indian Dunes Pro, who never gave up. Jon switches back and forth between off-road races, Baja and motocross. He was the 2022 Over-50 and Over-60 class champion in the National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) series and won the Over-60 Championship in 2023, even though he broke his femur and had to nurse his leg through the end of the season..

John Perry moved from SoCal to Durango, Colorado, but that didn’t stop him from hitting the big races back in SoCal. His brother Jim was the Yamaha team manager for years and now works for the SMX organization..

Mark Hall has worked at the White Brothers, VP fuels, 6D helmets, Pro Circuit and is now at WPS/Fly. He is another long distance MXA test rider.

George Kohler was a full-time racer until he retired and moved to Carson City, Nevada. He makes the seven-hour drive when the motocross bug bites him.

Randy Skinner can not be easily explained, but this photo of him on the starting line at Glen Helen on his speedway bike pretty much sums him up.

Luc De Ley was a former Saddleback Pro, who took a couple decades off before joining the MXA wrecking crew. He is most famous for his metal work and coach building. Luc has made custom, hand-pounded, aluminum  bodies for Boyd Coddington, Chip Foose and many other famous car builders.

THANK YOU TO EVERY MXA TEST RIDER OVER THE YEARS…AND HAPPY NEW YEARS