MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT

#WHIPITWEDNESDAY

Rider: Grant Langston

Grant Langston grew up riding and racing in Durban South Africa. He began competing in the world championships in 1998, and by 2000, he had won the F.I.M.125cc world championship as a member of the KTM factory racing team. He moved to the United States in 2001 to compete in the AMA national championships, winning the 2003 AMA 125cc outdoor motocross championship. Grant also won the 125cc supercross championships in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 Grant was an underdog in the 450 class when he went and won the motocross championship riding for Factory Yamaha. Langston’s racing career was cut short due to a cancerous tumor in his eye, diagnosed in early 2008. He made an attempt to return to the sport, but it was short-lived.

HEADING TO LONDON

Aaron Plessinger scrubbing some speed in the 2024 motocross series.

Aaron Plessinger had one of his best years of racing in 2024. A proud American who is not afraid to show his love for the country and although in the final SMX rounds, he suffered a bit of an injury in the first round he still put up respectful results. Now heading to London to race MXDN with teammates, Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb. Aaron had already planned on racing MXDN and the KTM team was able to get all the logistics figured out a few months ago but when Chance Hymas had to pull out due to a knee injury, Star Racing Yamaha had to scramble to get Cooper Webb prepared on Haiden Deegans 250. Well, another shock came when in the final round of SMX Chase Sexton was landed on by Justin Barcia, injuring his shoulder and hand. This put the pressure back on Star Racing Yamaha when Eli Tomac was asked to compete and he accepted the challenge. Now the three-man team is heading to London to compete on the world stage, and based on the rider’s results from last year, they have a good chance to take it.

TEAM USA VS THE WORLD (OFFICIAL SERIES) EP 1

MXA PHOTO TRIVIA

Who is this rider? The answer will be at the bottom of this page.

TEAM USA VS. THE WORLD (OFFICIAL SERIES) EP 2

EVS RIDER SUPPORT SPECIAL

If you make a purchase of $50 or more you will receive a free EVS Waist Pack. The offer is from Oct 1st to Oct 31st.

To sign up for the EVS Rider Support Program be sure to click here.

2025 EVS RIDER SUPPORT IS OPEN!

EVS Sports is passionate about motocross, ATVs, MTB, and Karting and is committed to supporting riders who share our enthusiasm and dedication. Their sponsorship program is designed to fuel talent, promote excellence, and enhance the racing experience.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for a sponsorship with us, you should:
• Demonstrate Passion and Commitment: Show a strong dedication to racing and a track record of participation and performance.
• Align with Our Brand Values: Represent qualities such as sportsmanship, teamwork, and excellence.
• Provide Visibility: Offer opportunities for brand exposure through your racing activities, social media presence, and event participation.

Evaluation Criteria

Our team will evaluate applications based on:
• Performance and Potential: Your past performance and future potential.
• Brand Alignment: How well you align with our brand values and objectives.
• Visibility and Reach: The extent of your exposure and ability to promote our brand effectively.

The Rewards

• Exclusive Rider Support Only Monthly Offers
• Product Discounts
• Social Media Exposure
• Early Access on New Products

ASK THE MXPERTS: THE ALWAYS INEVITABLE FOUR-STROKE CATASTROPHE

 

There are more parts in a modern four-stroke engine than in a Swiss watch. Learning the symptoms of an ailing engine can help find problems before they become catastrophies.

Dear MXperts,
I live in mortal fear of my four-stroke blowing up. I read all the time about brand-new bikes that have broken their connecting rods, cracked a piston, had the auto compression lever fail and all sorts of other mechanical misery. I scraped and saved to buy a 2024 Yamaha YZ450F, and I can’t afford a $3000 repair bill. What can I do to catch problems before they ruin my day and my bank account?

It is a fact of life that engines used for racing are prone to breaking. Every part is stressed and could fail if anything goes wrong. Always run clean oil in the engine, keep the radiators full, and run the highest octane gasoline available from the busiest local gas station. And, it goes without saying that you should check every bolt on your bike at regular intervals, especially your sprocket bolts, because a loose sprocket can break your rear hub, and a derailed chain can damage your engine cases. Here are 10 areas of concern.

“One—Loss of engine torque:” Compression is first to go on a worn-out engine. You will notice this from the saddle as a loss of bottom-end torque. The torque goes when the cranking pressure is lost. Ask yourself every time you ride, “Does the bike pull as hard as it used to up hills or in deep dirt?” As a rule of thumb, the first time it feels funny is the time to investigate.

Two—Compression check: There is a cheap and easy way to test engine compression. Use your human compression checker. Every time you kick-start your bike, note what normal compression resistance feels like when slowly kicking the engine over. As soon as you notice that the bike is easier to kick over, you need to assume that the engine has lost compression.

Three—Valve adjustment: The prime suspects in  compression loss on a four-stroke are the valves. They could be out of adjustment. If the adjustment  is too tight, the valves will hang open and leak compression. Readjust to the manufacturer’s spec and feel for improved low-speed kicking compression. Worn valves will wear out the valve seats in the cylinder head. You should pull your cylinder head every 20 hours to check for valve wear. What should you look for? Look for pitting, grooving on the valve (where it hits against the valve seat) and cupping on the valve seat itself.

Four—Strange sounds: Funny noises that you don’t remember hearing before deserve immediate attention. You might find that it’s something simple, but what if it isn’t?

Five—Oil consumption: A quick way to check engine health is to keep an eye on oil consumption. If you lose more than the difference from the “high” mark to the “low” mark in a day’s worth of riding, there is something wrong.

Six—Only bump-starts: If your bike won’t kickstart yet seems to run fine when bump-started, you have a problem. When pushed, the bike starts because engine speed provides enough cranking pressure to ignite the fuel/air mixture. If it won’t start with the kickstarter, it’s a sign of lost compression due to worn rings or loose valves.

Seven—Piston life: Four-stroke pistons are short. These high-revving engines load the piston with considerable side force. If the piston gets too sloppy, it will rock back and forth in the bore and break a skirt. Replace the piston and rings whenever the top end is serviced. The cost of the piston is cheap compared to the repair bill after the rod bursts through the cases.

Eight—Cam chain: If the cam-chain adjustment suddenly goes out of whack, you have a problem. Most chain tensioners are made of plastic, and they can melt if the engine overheats. If an engine is hot enough to melt the cam-chain adjuster pad, the heat probably did damage elsewhere in the engine.

Nine—Hour meter: It’s not a matter of if your four-stroke will blow but when. With proper service, your four-stroke can easily last three years—or 100 hours, whichever comes first. The key is regular maintenance. Consistently pull the top end down to measure what your rate of wear is. Personalize a maintenance baseline based on your own rate of wear.