MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT

#WHIPITWEDNESDAY

Rider: Mike Alessi 

Young Mike Alessi was an amateur phenomenon. He is tied for the most championship wins at Loretta Lynn’s amateur nationals with eleven first-overall finishes. He holds the crown alongside the likes of James Stewart and Adam Cianciarulo. Moving into professional racing, Mike was one that everyone believed would dominate the 125 class to which he was headed, even wearing “Believe the hype” merchandise. Instead of jumping into the 125 class immediately after Loretta Lynn’s, he raced 250 (modern-day 450) for the last two motocross races of the year. At Spring Creek, his first pro national Mike struggled putting up a 25-27 moto results. In the very next race however at Steel City Mike was able to put himself on the podium in third overall, the hype was real. Following that year Mike had linked a deal with KTM where his battles with the Pro Circuit riders would begin. He would stay with KTM for three years before moving to the Factory Suzuki team. Injuries played a big role in Mike’s success, he was always a top rider and may have deserved a championship, but injuries or crashes always led to a runner-up position. That is amazing and an accomplishment, but I’m sure he wanted more. That is why Mike was so entertaining, he didn’t care about the politics of racing, and no matter what the circumstance, he was going for the win.

TWO-STROKE SPOTLIGHT

Kincade Pavich has been buying old forgotten two-strokes for the last few years and building them into works of art. Here we display his latest CR250 which he’s actually giving away and a winner will be selected for that bike on December 15th. A link to enter can be found here.

“This CR250 project began with a blown up and neglected 2002 Honda CR250. I paid $700 for the bike, and set out to build the greatest CR250 I was capable of. A big goal in this project was to completely modernize the bike to make it not only look but actually feel like a CR250 built in 2023. The most notable upgrades that made this goal a reality were the SmartCarb, Magura hydraulic clutch, revalved and coated suspension by DSC Motorsports, Ride Engineering triple clamps, Phathead cylinder head, and Hygge performance cone pipe.”

“The bike also received a 2009 CRF swingarm to help with handling characteristics and weight as well as a 2023 CRF front brake for improved stopping power. DeCal Works and MX Plastics helped tie it all together with a Polisport restyle kit and fresh graphics. After riding this bike, I can honestly say mission accomplished. Having ridden quite a few CR250s over the years, the power delivery of this one was unlike any Honda 2-stroke I’ve ridden. The SmartCarb in conjunction with a fully rebuilt motor, race gas, and a Phathead with the high compression dome resulted in a smooth yet explosive power that pulls hard from bottom to top. Additionally, the suspension made a world of difference in the way this bike rides and handles. Countless other amazing parts went into this build with no stone left unturned, and a more expansive list can be found here.“

CR250 TWO-STROKE REBUILD FROM START TO FINISH

MXA PHOTO TRIVIA

Who is this rider? The slight look at the jersey may give it away, can you figure it out? Answer at the bottom of the page.

THIS WEEK IN MXA

NEW FACES, NEW NUMBERS ON PRO CIRCUIT

Over the last year, injuries have come down on the Pro Circuit tent. Because of this, some of the familiar faces are running a higher than usual number. If you’re not in the race collecting points or have a secured number, you end up getting surpassed by the rest of the field who made it through without problems or injuries. This does not take away from the speed of these riders, and we can expect to see the (64) of Austin Forkner the (63) of Cameron McAdoo and the (43) Seth Hammaker battling for wins this coming season. New to the team and definitely not to be left out in the pool of winners is (47) of Levi Kitchen coming over from Star Racing Yamaha, as well as (20) Max Vohland who came from Factory KTM.

Austin Forkner (64) is a veteran on the Pro Circuit team and seems to be getting very comfortable with the 2024 model.

FLY BY NIGHT, FLY BY WIRE, FLY BLIND

When are motocross bikes going to get fly-by-wire throttles so we can get rid of the foolish push/pull throttle cams?

Be careful what you wish for. During the height of the 1960s space race, legend has it that NASA scientists realized that ballpoint ink pens would not function in zero gravity. So, NASA spent taxpayer dollars on the Fisher Space Pen, which could write upside down, in frigid cold or scorching heat, underwater, and in zero gravity. Conversely, the Russians simply handed each Cosmonaut an inexpensive pencil.

Technology seems like the human race’s friend, but is it really? Modern motocross bikes have enough computer glitches as it is without having to depend on your bike’s computer at the end of a long straight to get you slowed down. On a side note, fly-by-wire throttles are banned in MXGP.

FIRE POLICE MX

Over the weekend the racing community and the Fire Police community lost a great friend. Apple Valley Fire District Engineer Jared Shepard had an unfortunate accident at Lake Elsinore MX park. Today we took a lap in his name as many showed up to support.

Our very own Brian Medeiros was there in support and also raced a 45-minute moto on an extended Elsinore track.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: DON KUDALSKI MOVING TO THE PRO RANKS