MXA RIDES COTY SCHOCK’S YAMAHA YZ125 AT CLUBMX

Coty Shock finished third in the 250SX East Coast standings, and he built this YZ125 in between races.

Coty Schock’s story is inspiring. He wasn’t touted as “the next big thing” as an amateur, and he’s had to fight for everything he’s earned. As with nearly every motocrosser, Coty’s roots are in two-strokes, and even more so than most, because he raced YZ250 two-strokes from a young age instead of going straight to 250 four-strokes when advancing from the mini-bike ranks. 

COTY BEGAN WORKING WITH BOYESEN IN HIS EARLY YEARS ON YZ125S AND YZ250S, AND HE HELPED THEM DEVELOP THEIR CURRENT-GENERATION YZ REED VALVES FOR THOSE BIKES. IN RETURN, BOYESEN HAS SUPPORTED COTY’S RACING ENDEAVORS ALONG THE WAY.

Coty began working with Boyesen in his early years on YZ125s and YZ250s, and he helped them develop their current-generation YZ reed valves for those bikes. In return, Boyesen has supported Coty’s racing endeavors along the way. They helped him get to California to race the Two-Stroke World Championships in 2018, and helped him earn his rides on the Phoenix Honda and Chaparral Honda teams. It was during the 2021 Pro Motocross series on the Chaparral Honda team that Coty truly put his name on the map as a serious player in the big leagues. He raced the 450 class and scored 174 points for the season, with multiple top-10 finishes, including a sixth overall at Ironman and a seventh overall at the Fox Raceway 2 National.

We tested Coty’s YZ125 in South Carolina at the ClubMX training facility.

THE HIGHS & LOWS OF COTY SCHOCK

Since then, Coty has had his fair share of highs and lows, but injuries have been his biggest hurdles. Coming into the 2024 Supercross season, Coty had signed a letter of intent with Phoenix Honda and was committed to their team when they told him he no longer had a ride with them—this was in late November of 2023. Coty called all the B-level privateer teams he could think of, but everyone was full. While putting together plans to go racing as a privateer, he showed up at ClubMX to train on a bike he owned, and they questioned him on what happened with Phoenix Honda. 

Coty bought his own wheels (with a discount) from Dubya.

ClubMX already had a full team, but they also have a knack for finding riders with untapped potential. They were familiar with Coty’s skills because of all the training and riding he has done at their facility over the years. They didn’t have the budget for an extra rider, but they gave him bikes and a Supercross-only deal that allowed him to go racing with good equipment. Coty made the most of the opportunity and hit the ball out of the park. 

Coty installed a Phathead Racing cylinder head and a new Boyesen Rad Valve to boost power. The custom-engraved Luxon MX ignition cover improved aesthetics.

When Jeremy Martin and Jett Reynolds got hurt, Coty was there to represent the team in the 250SX East region. And, he not only represented them, he put the team on his back. At the Detroit opener, Coty came out strong with a career-best fourth-place finish in the 250 main event. He was eighth at Arlington, sixth at Daytona and eighth again at Birmingham after grabbing his first-ever Heat race win—and then got taken out by Haiden Deegan in the final corner. Unfortunately, the take-out sent him over the berm and snapped his collarbone, which already had a slight fracture from a crash at Daytona, in half. Somehow, someway, Coty flew to California, got surgery, and was able to race at Indianapolis the next weekend, finishing fifth in the 250 East main event with a freshly plated collarbone. Thankfully, the series took one of its rare breaks in the race schedule, giving him some more recovery time. Coty then finished sixth at Foxborough, 12th at the Nashville East/West Shootout and sixth in Philadelphia. His consistency paid off, and Coty was tied for third in the Championship going into the finale.

YAMAHA YZ125 HIMSELF. NOT ONLY THAT, HE DID IT ALL IN BETWEEN RIDING AND TRAINING DURING THE WEEK AND RACING SUPERCROSS ON THE WEEKENDS, BUT HE LET THE MXA WRECKING CREW RIDE HIS PRIDE AND JOY.

MXA flew to South Carolina to the ClubMX training facility on Monday before the Salt Lake City Supercross, and Coty spent the entire day on Tuesday shooting and testing with us on his new 2024 Yamaha YZ125. We planned the test before we knew that Coty would be tied for third in the Championship. You would think that Coty would’ve been anxious all week, riding Supercross each day and focusing 100 percent on Salt Lake, but he wasn’t. Coty made sure to stick to his guns, not overthink it, and have fun on his YZ125 two-stroke with MXA like he had planned to do weeks before. With fourth and fifth right on him in the standings, Coty was proud of his journey. He proved his Supercross skills and earned a three-year contract with ClubMX that extended his deal to race outdoors through 2027.

The white Guts seat cover works great with ClubMX’s white plastic.

You might be surprised to learn that Coty bought and built this Yamaha YZ125 himself. Not only that, he did it all in between riding and training during the week and racing Supercross on the weekends! As far as the engine goes, Coty kept things simple. He installed a Phathead Racing cylinder head and FMF pipe and shorty silencer. Keeping in mind this bike wasn’t built to be raced, Coty liked the idea of simple and cost-effective mods to make the bike fun to ride without the stress of competing against other 125s or 250s. Coty also used a prototype version of Boyesen’s YZ125 Rad Valve as he continues his partnership with the company. It helped him find more power on his YZ125, and his feedback is helping Boyesen develop their newest Rad Valve spec. 

Coty did use ClubMX resources for parts, but he purchased most of the items himself. He bought an old set of Kayaba YZ250F forks from the team because they were already coated and compatible with the new-style four-stroke front fender and number plate, and they worked with the baby-blue triple clamps that Luxon custom makes for the ClubMX team.

Ty Rayfield is the suspension technician for the ClubMX Yamaha team, and his story is unique as well. Coming from Australia, he moved to the U.S. with his wife and two young kids, and they live at the ClubMx facility now. Ty’s wife is one of the chefs who cooks lunches for the full-time training riders enrolled in the meal program at the facility, and Ty works full-time for the race team doing suspension for their race and practice bikes. He also does stuff on the side for other riders training at the facility. 

The Boyesen Supercooler boosts the coolant flow, and the FMF pipe optimizes the exhaust flow.

The bike had a custom Phathead Racing fuel cap (with Schock’s name and number custom engraved to match the head), and he had Luxon’s custom ignition cover with “ClubMX” custom engraved on it. There was also a Boyesen Supercooler water pump, Hinson clutch cover, Guts seat, Tamer holeshot device and FCP head stays. Mika Metals handled the handlebars, grips, rear sprocket and chain. Coty bought the Dubya wheels, and he ran Dunlop’s MX34 tires.

PUTTING THE YZ125 THROUGH ITS CLUBMX PACES

Of course, we rode Coty’s YZ125 at the ClubMX training facility, which was a torture test for his new play bike. ClubMX is a 200-acre facility with multiple tracks, garages, houses, cabins and RV parking spots. The ClubMX crew prides itself on having great training tracks, and they certainly aren’t easy! It also rained before our YZ125 test day, so we spent time in the sand and on one of the ultra-rough outdoor tracks that hadn’t been groomed in a few days. 

Coty’s YZ125 sounded like an angry bumblebee buzzing around the track.

Riding the 2024 Yamaha YZ125 in soft conditions meant that we were wide open all the time. The wheels felt glued to the ground. The combination of Coty’s outdoor suspension setup, Luxon triple clamps and tough tracks made for a unique 125 experience. Our test riders didn’t have the soft 125 valving they are used to when riding 125s, and they weren’t getting as much wheelspin as normal, either. The tires were hooked up, and the engine was working hard in the South Carolina sand. 

We had a blast riding at ClubMX, and all of the pro and amateur riders who live and train there were excited to see Coty’s magnificent project bike get dirty. FMF music was orchestrated inside the little small-bore engine, echoing off the trees. Coty and our test riders gained confidence as they relearned the art of 125 two-stroke riding in soft conditions. At the end of it all, Coty had spent a whole day’s worth of riding and training away from his normal routine. But he didn’t regret it, because track time on the 125 helped take his mind off the idea of being tied for third in the AMA 250 East Supercross Championship going into the Supercross finale. It also gave him more confidence to push harder on his YZ250F when it came time to race the outdoor Nationals. 

Coty chose an FMF Shorty silencer to mate to the FMF pipe.

Coty helped Boyesen develop its latest Rad Valve.

Coty went on to finish 11th in the Salt Lake City East/West Showdown and secured third place in the Championship, rewarding the team who made a last-minute spot for him with an admirable achievement at the highest level. He also went above and beyond with this YZ125 project, building it himself as a thank you to the companies and people who support the ClubMX team and equip him to go racing on the weekends.