MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT
#WHIPITWEDNESDAY
Rider: Blake Wharton
Blake was another one of the amateur phenoms who had a successful professional career. He raced Loretta Lynns eight years consecutively starting in the 65 classes all the way up until the pro class in 2008. Over the years he was able to collect two championships from the Ranch, a few podiums, and multiple top-five finishes. Later into 2008 after the Ranch, he raced the last few outdoor motocross nationals for Gieco Honda where his career started. He was picked up by Geico Honda and raced and was able to grab a win in St. Louis during his rookie Supercross season. He didn’t grab a win for some years later when he moved to the Rockstar Suzuki team where he picked up two more wins. He raced from 2008 to 2014 never moving up to the 450 class. After 2014 he took a four-year break before returning to action and making a few more appearances. Blake now is enjoying his time in Texas and creating some awesome bike builds.
LAST TO FIRST
Chase Sexton took the points lead at Hangtown.
Chase Sexton had a ride for the record books this past weekend in Hangtown. After going down in just the third corner of the race, Chase found himself in the 40th spot behind the entire field of motocross racers, As he picked himself up off the ground a fire was lit, and Chase immediately went to work. Within just a couple of laps, he found himself already inside the top 20. Around the halfway point of the race, Chase was already in the top six and he could see his championship competition in front of him. He quickly made passes asserting himself into the positions. For a moment Chase seemed to be riding beyond the bike’s ability almost crashing hard multiple times, but his strength and determination held him up. By the final lap, he was in second behind his teammate Aaron Plessinger and with just a couple of corners to go, made the pass into the lead. Chase went 1-1 on the day and his ride resembled that of James Stewart when he went from last to first, back in 2003.
DOWN BUT NOT OUT
Jett Lawrence had a scary crash in Moto One at Hangtown.
In qualifying practice, Jett Lawrence had discovered a triple down the hill at Hangtown. He was the only rider to jump it all day long and it significantly brought his lap times down giving him the fastest qualifier position but this would come to haunt him in the first moto. As Jett grabbed the holeshot, it seemed we’d be having a repeat of what we saw from him last year, another win. But as Jett came down the hill he attempted the same triple which had become whooped out with breaking bumps and was significantly different than he had seen in practice. As he attempted to preload the suspension and jump down the hill he did not get the lift he had hoped for, sending him forward on the bike and compressing into the landing. He then rebounded off the top, pulling his legs off the bike in the process and sending him to the ground. He slowly remounted and made his way back to 24th but would score no points on the moto. Visibly in pain, Jett remounted for moto two where he put in a strong effort, showing his physical and mental toughness. We will see him in Thunder Valley next weekend and see his progress from injury.
TWO-STROKE SPOTLIGHT: ROBIN JOHAN RAMSØ BIKE BUILD NORWAY
“Hi MXA, first of let me thank you for a great magazine! I’m still ol school and really enjoy holding a magazine in my hands and flip through the pages. And when the pages are filled with great pictures and interesting writing it sure makes an evening great. I’m writing to you because I have an old RM85, or actually 2, that I really like the history of and it’s fun to be able to take care of these bikes and let my 11-year-old boy race them. The first one I restored and had it done for last season. It’s an 08 RM85 that Atle Heggen from Norway raced in the junior World Championship in Heerde, Holland. I found it worn out and left to die at an old farm by my place here in Norway. I rebuilt it and my son raced it all last year.”
“The other RM85 is a 2006 that Niklas Løken raced in the Jr World Championship in Vaanta, Finland, in 2006. Niklas is still active in the Norwegian Motocross scene, and he’s the coach for the Polaris Nordmøre Motocross team. This bike I built so it would be a lot like how it was when Niklas rode it. It still had a lot of the cool parts from back in the days. And I opted to take care of and use those parts as they have a lot of history. The RIWA cylinder is one example of that. My son is really starting to like this bike too. Not bad for an 11-year-old kid to have two bikes with World Championship history. Niklas old bike was just finished I’m really satisfied with the result. It was great to meet Niklas.”
“As he and his team had a weekend of training at our local track, he and a lot of the team came to my place to see the bike. Niklas had a lot of stories and memories about this bike and his racing days. It was so fun to let him try it after not seeing it for 18 years. The day after we brought it to the track so he had a couple of laps of it. So much fun for me to see him enjoying it after so many years. I’m attaching some pictures of the bikes and it would have been awesome if you’d consider making an article on the bike/bikes.”
THE TRACK CHANGED A LOT! HANGTOWN NATIONAL PRESS DAY TRACK PREVIEW
MXA PHOTO TRIVIA
Who is this rider? Answer at the bottom of the article.
MOTO 4 KIDS RACING RETURNS THIS WEEKEND
On Track School Summer Series – Scholarship Race. We are now in our second year of this successful program where community support for education through racing continues to provide racers with an opportunity to earn financial support to continue their educational endeavors. Yes! That is right, thanks to the AMA and our partners, earning scholarships through motorcycle racing is for real. Funds must be used toward education; a private K-12 school, vocational school or college tuition. Through each round of racing, we are focused on raising money to support the On Track School Summer Series and present awards at our series end banquet for the overall winners. In addition to funds raised, we have vowed to donate $5.00 from each first-class entry in our efforts to maximize the number of rider/classes we can honor for series end scholarship funds.
“I DIDN’T THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE” – CHASE SEXTON & MORE TALK HANGTOWN NATIONAL
UPDATES AVAILABLE FOR THE MXA FANTASY: SIGN UP TODAY
We are headed into motocross for the continuation of the 2024 season. With all new prizes, play weekly for a chance to win.
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Dive into an unparalleled motocross Fantasy experience with MXA’s cutting-edge app, meticulously crafted to deliver all the action directly to your fingertips. Our sophisticated, seamless, and completely free platform allows you to engage in intense competitions, even if you join mid-season. With opportunities to win prizes every weekend based on the most points gained from each race, you’re never out of the running. The season is already in full swing, but you can still challenge your friends, create groups, and immerse yourself in the competition by joining private parties. Enter at any point in the 2024 Supercross series, and stay tuned for our 2024 AMA Motocross Fantasy game. If you’re using Apple click here and if you’re on Android click here
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: JUSTIN COOPER PODIUMS AT HANGTOWN
“It was a good day, going 4-3 for fourth. I just missed the podium, but I gave it all I had. Chase (Sexton) was riding really well and was definitely putting in a charge and came from really far back. I tried to fight him off, but I didn’t have much else to give with two laps to go. I think there are a lot of positives to take away from today. We’ll keep working and move on to next weekend.”
“WE COULDN’T FIND THE TRACK…” HANGTOWN NATIONAL PRESS DAY INTERVIEWS
ASK THE MXPERTS: “SHOULD I UPGRADE FROM MY 300 TO A 300?”
Fix your one-year-old KTM 300SX before trying to jump ship to the next big thing.
GOING NEW OR STAYING PUT
Dear MXA,
I currently have a 2022 KTM 250SX set up with the 300SX kit. It has a Twisted Development head, Lectron carb and Pro Circuit exhaust. I recently discovered that the cylinder plating was coming off. I have two choices, buy a new 300cc kit or purchase a 2023 KTM 300SX. My math tells me that I might be better off saving the $1000 for the 300cc kit and applying it to buying a 2023 300SX. In MXA’s opinion, which option would get me a better race bike? The 2022 platform converted to a 300SX or the 2023 KTM 300SX?
If it were us, we’d send the old 300cc kit cylinder to Millennium Technologies to have it re-plated with their Nickel Silicon Carbide plating. They’ve repaired lots of cylinders for MXA and do a great job. By sticking with your existing 2022 300SX engine kit, you save a lot of money over buying a $9200 2023 KTM 300SX—not to mention that your Pro Circuit exhaust, Lectron Carb and Twisted Development head will not work on the 2023 KTM 300SX. Plus, your 2022 KTM 250SX (converted to 300cc) is 7 pounds lighter than the electric-start, fuel-injected, first-year-model, 2023 KTM 300SX.
If you’d like to read more articles from the MXPERTS, Click here.
MXA FANTASY LEAGUE: THE WINNER OF HANGTOWN MOTOCROSS SCORED 292 POINTS
The Hangtown National was one for the record books. Jett Lawrence made a mistake early in Moto One which sent him to the ground hard, hurting his leg in the process. Jett would remount and finish both motos but was visibly injured from the incident. Chase Sexton made sure to grab the win and maximize the amount of points available. In moto two Sexton found himself on the ground at the very beginning of the race. Chase quickly went to work making passes through the pack and by the midway point of the race was up to sixth position. By the end of the race, Chase was looking to take the lead and was able to complete the pass with just a few corners left. Sexton would go 1-1 on the day gain 24 points on Jett Lawrence and be the red plate holder in Thunder Valley.
THE WINNER OF THE HANGTOWN FANTASY LEAGUE “MXMAC21″
MXMAC21 was able to make the best predictions this weekend for the Hangtown National and gets the $1500 shopping spree courtesy of ADS Suspension.
250 CLASS PREDICTIONS
For the 250 class, the predictions were nearly spot on. They picked Haiden Deegan to win, which he did, and was able to grab a maximum points of 36 including the ten-point bonus. In second they chose Tom Vialle who did finish in second giving 33 fantasy points including the ten-point bonus. In third Levi Kitchen was selected and he finished in third giving 31 fantasy points including the ten-point bonus. In fourth, they chose Chance Hymas which was another correct pick giving 29 fantasy points including the ten-point bonus. In fifth they chose Jo Shimoda who did get fifth overall giving 28 fantasy points including the ten-point bonus. And finally, in sixth they chose Jordon Smith, this was the only prediction that was not in the correct spot nor in the top six giving no fantasy points. Haiden Deegan was the number one rider picked to win this weekend.
450 CLASS PREDICTIONS
In the 450 class predictions were also good. In first, they chose Jett Lawrence who had a scary crash in Moto One and collected no points overall. In second they chose Chase Sexton who would end up winning the weekend giving 26 fantasy points. In third, they chose Aaron Plessinger who did finish in third overall and would give 31 fantasy points including the ten-point bonus for this pick. In fourth they chose Hunter Lawrence who finished second on the weekend giving 23 fantasy points with no bonus. In fifth they chose Jason Anderson who did in fact grab fifth on the weekend and would give 28 fantasy points including the ten-point bonus. And finally, in sixth they chose Dylan Ferrandis who did finish in the correct position giving 27 fantasy points including the ten-point bonus. Jett Lawrence was the number-one pick to win this weekend.
MXA PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Casey Cochran was able to grab top qualifier at the Hangtown National last weekend. It was the first time he was able to grab the pole position and this early in his career Casey is definitely a rider to keep an eye on throughout the season.
CLASSIC MXA PHOTO
Josh Grant racing at Red Bud as a rookie back in 2004.
MXA PHOTO TRIVIA ANSWER: Bobby Moore who won the 125 West Coast championship in 1985. That was the first year 125’s raced in Supercross.
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