MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT
SUPERMOTOCROSS RETURNS THIS WEEKEND IN CHARLOTTE
Track map of the first round of the SMX Series in Charlotte.
SMX Playoff 1 opens the SuperMotocross postseason on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at zMAX Dragway in the Charlotte-Concord area. It brings the top riders from Supercross and Pro Motocross onto a custom hybrid of stadium and motocross. The round uses a two-moto format for both 450 SMX and 250 SMX, each 20 minutes plus 1 lap with Olympic scoring deciding the overall, so consistency across both races matters. Riders are seeded by combined regular-season points, then championship points are reset for the playoffs, with the top seed beginning at 25 points, second at 22, third at 20, and so on, which makes the opener high stakes from the first gate drop. The three-round postseason continues in St. Louis and concludes in Las Vegas.
CLUBMX SMX WITH COTY SCHOCK AND MAX VOHLAND
Coty Schock moved to the 450 class for the motocross season, and that is where he will stay for the upcoming SMX three-race series.
The race this weekend is just over an hour from our facility, so naturally, there are hundreds of people wanting to attend to see what our team is all about. As the sport continues to grow – now into NASCAR country, race fans of all kinds who have heard of ClubMX are now wanting to get a glimpse of how exciting our sport is. The closest races for fans in our area this season were Birmingham, Daytona and Budds Creek. Each venue is just far enough away to make it difficult for casual fans to attend. Charlotte and the surrounding area are heavily populated and love their motorsports, creating an atmosphere and excitement that they will only see once a year. There is an added level of excitement with Coty in the 450 class.
Optimism alone did not get Coty into the top 20 in SMX points, falling short by just three points. Heart-wrenching? Yes, but we all knew the gamble of switching from the 250 to the 450 could be. Coty had a very strong season in Supercross, scoring eight top ten finishes with a second-place podium in Arlington. He continued his consistency with the move to the 450 outdoors, scoring five more top ten finishes with a few holeshots. All things considered, a very impressive season overall. Add to that – Coty entered every moto all season without missing a beat. A testament to our health and wellness program off the bike. Going into the SMX final three rounds, Coty has to go through the LCQ process, something we are very familiar with, as Phil earned his way doing the same thing with excellent results. Coty is a great starter, and with the LCQ (now called Wildcard) races only being five minutes plus one lap, it should be the equivalent of a warm-up to the main event. The main event is nearly three hours after the Wildcard race, so getting ready will not be a problem. In true ClubMX form, it will be exciting to watch.
Max Vohland will be racing in the 250 class for the ClubMX Team.
Let’s not forget the beginning of the season, as we were developing the rear hand brake for Max to return to racing. Something that had never been done before at the top level of Supercross. Then, to see how competitive he was going to be was icing on the cake. Max had seven top tens in Supercross, with the highlight of a podium third place in Pittsburgh. In motocross, he continued on with eight top tens, with eighth place being his best finish three times. Apparently, eight is his number because he finished eighth overall on the season in SMX points. Max also participated in every moto of the entire season with no motor failures and no health issues. That consistency and durability are reflective of the rider and team doing their job on and off the bike. With a seeded position going into the final three rounds, Max returns to tracks more to his liking and style, which will make for some exciting races.
GRAND PRIX RACING ON A SKI RESORT | 2025 BIG BEAR MX
MXA PHOTO TRIVIA
Who is this rider? The answer can be found at the bottom of the article.
OHV AND CONSERVATION GROUPS CHALLENGE SOLAR PROJECT SITE LOCATION
On August 28, representatives from the powersports industry, motorcycle dealers, OHV, and conservation organizations gathered at the Wilton Community Center to voice strong concerns regarding the siting of a 2,704 acre solar project directly adjacent to the California State Parks Prairie City Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Area (SVRA) near Folsom, CA. The public meeting was hosted by D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI), an energy development firm. DESRI highlighted several proposed mitigation measures developed in response to concerns raised during the public comment period that ended on May 5 for the Coyote Creek Agrivoltaic Ranch Project Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) to address significant and unmitigatible impacts to national powersports events such as the Hangtown MX Classic and Ultra4 Racing and to public access, scenic vistas, wildlife corridors, destruction of oak woodlands, well water supply, and park operations.
With new energy projects being proposed adjacent to other State Park units such as Ocotillo Wells and Heber Dunes SVRAs, a question was raised about an apparent policy change by State Parks to shift away from its historic strategy of protecting SVRAs and other parks units with open-space buffers vs. to accepting energy facilities or solar farms becoming the Department of Parks and Recreation’s new industrial facility buffer strategy. An environmental group representative with decades of CEQA experience reviewing solar and other industrial projects said this is the 1st solar project the conservation community at large has opposed in the state because it is in the top 1 or 2 of the worst projects they have ever seen. Don Amador, former Chair of the CA State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Commission, states, “I think Sacramento County Planning made a huge mistake by failing to notify the OHMVR Commission about this solar project sited next to Prairie City SVRA per Public Resources Code Section 5090.24 that requires the commission to (a) Be fully informed regarding all governmental activities affecting the program.” “In addition, the project proponents committed a major planning error by not reaching out to the OHV community and competition organizations in 2021 pre-scoping efforts and during the 30-day public scoping comment period that started on January 19, 2022. That omission of outreach continued until late April of this year when OHV organizations got an alert by a 3 rd party about this project just a few days before the DEIR May 5 public comment deadline,” Amador continues. The next step in this process is for OHV groups, local businesses, conservation, and competition organizations to attend in-person or virtually the September 4, 2025 OHMVR Commission meeting in Redding, CA where this issue is on the agenda as an ACTION ITEM.
“It is important for the OHMVR Commissioners to hear from the greater OHV stakeholder community about their concerns regarding the project’s short and long-term impacts to public access, park operations, and even questions about the SVRA’s future,” Amador concludes. If this project is withdrawn by the county, it will be because they failed to do the initial pre-scoping of key stakeholder groups who would have most likely supported the project at a more suitable site away from this deeply treasured State Park unit with its high quality off-road trail and track network, safety training programs, nationally recognized powersports competition events, and scenic views of nearby oak forests and native grasslands. SEPTEMBER 4, 2025 OHMVR COMMISSION MEETING
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MINI TESTER REVIEW: FULLY-BUILT 105CC SUPERMINI VS. STOCK 85CC
CLASSIC MXA PHOTO
James Stewart in 2009 at the U.S Open, coming over the finish after a win.
MXA Photo Trivia Answer: Jessy Nelson riding in the 450 class for a few round during outdoors in his rookie season.
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