MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT

#WHIPITWEDNESDAY

Rider: Chad Reed
Bike: 2008 FACTORY YAMAHA YZ450F
Event: 2008 Anaheim 1
Photographer: MXA Archives
Lens: 200mm f/2.8
Focal length: 185mm
Exposure: 1/1000sec
F-stop: f/4.5
ISO: 800

TWO-STROKE SPOTLIGHT: STUART TRANTER’S REPLICA JEFF MATIASEVICH 1997 KX250

Editors Note: Please keep those submissions coming. If you would like your bike to be featured in the “Two-Stroke Spotlight,” please email me at [email protected]. All I ask is that you give a breakdown of your bike and a detailed description of the build. Please also send a few photos of your steed. By submitting your bike for the “Two-Stroke Spotlight,” you agree to release all ownership rights to the images and copy to MXA.

MOTO | TRIVIA

Who is this rider? Answer at the bottom of the page.

MXA MX FANTASY LEAGUE// WIN A BETA 300RX SMOKER & OTHER PRIZES

MXA is doing a 11-round Pro Motocross Fantasy League where the fan with the most points at the end of the season will win a 2023 Beta 300 two-stroke! To add to that, we will be giving out prizes each round to the fan who scores the most points! We have prizes from Nue Tech, O’Neal, Maxxis, Wiseco, MotoMuck, Boxo Tools, Ride Engineering, Acerbis, Viral Goggles, FMF, Guts, Blud and Funnel Web Filter. As an added bonus just for signing up, we will send you a 25% discount code to BLUD lubricants. Click HERE to sign up now.

FORGOTTEN BIKES: THE ITALIAN WRM 450

The WRM 450 was a unique bike that was only developed as a prototype and never put into production. 

Underneath the hood were some interesting features. 

THE GREATEST DEAL IN MOTOCROSS! SUBSCRIBE TO MXA & GET $25 ROCKY MOUNTAIN CREDIT

This is the cover of the June 2023 issue of  MXA. Inside are full-length tests of the  2023 Kawasaki KX450SR Special Racer, 2023-1/2 KTM 450SXF Factory Edition, 2023-1/2 Husqvarna FC450 Rockstar Edition, plus a retro test of the 2007 Honda CR125 and a total remake of a 20-year-old 2003 Suzuki RM250 two-stroke . You’ll also find an interview with Harry Everts, where he explains why he signed a factory contract that said if he won a World Championship the brand would pull out of racing., plus a look back at a night that will be talked about for years to come when “Kickstart Kenny” won an AMA Supercross on a Suzuki RM-Z450 (and brought his bike’s kickstarter to the podium with him). Also inside,; Alex Martin explains the relationship between lifting weights and getting am pump, Twisted Development’s Jamie Ellis explains what it’s like to build Ken Rozen’s engines and a close-up look at Bob Hannah’s 1976 Yamaha OW27 (the one with the radiator on the triple clamps). There is so much more inside. You’ll never know how much you have missed if you don’t subscribe? Plus, you can subscribe without costing you anything!

Did you know that you can subscribe to MXA at absolutely no cost to you—because when you subscribe you receive a Rocky Mountain ATV/MC credit for $25 towards anything in their massive inventory. Plus, you will get all the content in the 12 monthly issues of Motocross Action magazine delivered to you home by a uniformed U.S. government employee. Don’t miss any more four-stroke tests, two-stroke tests, retro tests, race coverage, new tech or product tests….most of which never appear on the internet. And, don’t forget, the $25 credit from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC that will more than cover the cost of your subscription. To subscribe call (800) 767-0345 or Click Here

KURT CASELLI FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER AT MOTO DOFFO WINERY ON JUNE 10

For more info go to  www.kurtcaselli.com

MXA TESTS A PROJECT YAMAHA YZ250

SUPERCROSS WRAP-UP // By Ben Bridges

• Chase Sexton became the 24^th different rider in SX history to win the SX Championship.
• Chase Sexton is the 9^th different rider to win an SX title on a Honda.
• It was Honda’s 16^th SX title.
• It was the first SX title for the Honda CRF450R.
• Chase Sexton becomes the 10^th rider to win an SX regional championship and the 450SX championship.
• Sexton and McGrath are the only 2 riders to do this on a Honda.

• Since ’03, Honda has been a runner up 6 times.  The drought is over.
• Chase Sexton now has 7 SX wins for his career.
• Eli Tomac finished 2^nd in the points.
• After a record-breaking season, Tomac’s 3^rd title was ended with the injury at Denver.
• Eli Tomac, after the ’23 season, has 163 starts, 51 wins, 95 podiums and 120 Top 5’s.
• For the 9^th consecutive season Tomac would finish in the Top 4 in points, four of those were runner ups.
• For the 3^rd time in his career Tomac would win the most races but wouldn’t win the title.

• For the 1^st time in their history, Kawasaki failed to win a SX race in the 450 and 250 classes.
• For 18 consecutive years Kawasaki won at least one 450SX.  That streak has been stopped.
• Ken Roczen gets 4^th in the points.
• For the 6^th time in his career Ken Roczen would finish in the Top 4 in the final points standings.

• Justin Barcia gave Gas Gas a win during the season.
• Cooper Webb held the red plate, but the crash in Nashville ended his title hopes.
• Only 4 riders scored points in all 17 rounds

LAWRENCE BROTHERS SWEEP THE 250 CLASSES

• Thanks to the Lawrence brothers and Chase Sexton, Honda won the East and the West and the 450SX.  That has only happened 3 times.
• Honda now has 20 regional titles.
• Honda set the record for most 250 wins in a season at 14.
• The Lawrence brothers became the 1^st brothers to win the regional titles in the same season.
• Honda now has 152 250SX wins, 2^nd only to Kawasaki.
• Since 2000 Kawasaki has only gone winless 3 seasons, ’01, ’15 and ’23.

WANTED // 2024 KTM 450 SMR

This bike is on MXA’s wish list to play around on. 

Here are some highlights:

// Purposeful orange, black, white and purple race trim livery with black coated frame and menacing black wheels

// SOHC engine package weighing less than 59.9 lb (27 kg) and prioritizing centralization thanks to altered positioning in the frame. Easily serviceable

// Two engine map options, launch control, traction control and Quickshifter as well as SUTER slipper clutch for maximum control

// Compact, light and innovative chassis for the best feeling, traction and handling

// First class WP XACT fork with AER technology and XACT shock: small, condensed and fully adjustable hardware to quickly refine track set-up

// High-quality Brembo brakes with 4-piston radially mounted caliper and 310 mm front and 220 mm rear discs for potent stopping power

// READY TO RACE details for a pure track-based machine: 16.5/17” wheels, Metzeler tires, ODI lock-on grips, tool-less air filter access, light and optimized footpegs

// Unbeatable ergonomics that place all the stability and poise of the 2024 KTM 450 SMR at the rider’s fingertips for both front-end grip and rear-end confidence

The 2024 KTM 450 SMR will be sliding through Authorized KTM dealer showrooms from May 2023 onward.

MOTO TIP OF THE WEEK: SLOW CAN BE FASTER

MOTO TIP: We know that “slow down” is not what you want to hear. It is hard for any of us to swallow our pride and slow the pace down, but it’s often better to be patient than foolhardy. It might be true that if you brake late and come up the inside you will be faster to the turn, but if you went a little wider and set up to sweep through the same turn, you might be 10 miles per hour faster up the next straight. Slowing down allows you to focus on the goal at hand. Tracks don’t have to have “flow,” but good riders do.

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: MXA’S OG LOGO TRUCKERS HAT

Elevate your status as a classic motocross fan with MXA’s OG Logo Truckers Hat in Black, Red, Khaki, Black/White and other colors.  The retail price is $25. See more color options or order by Clicking Here.

2023 INSIDE THE PRO BIKES 

CLASSIC PHOTO

Travis Pastrana raced three Supercross races in 2005 aboard this Suzuki RM250 two-stroke.

Moto Trivia answer: Mark Barnett.