MXA’S WEEKEND NEWS ROUND-UP: THE 2024 SEASON OPENER WAS GREAT FOR ONE GUY, BUT A MIXED BAG FOR THE REST

• DEAN WILSON JOINS THE FACTORY RIDE PREMIUM OPTICS RACE PROGRAM

Factory Ride goggles are pleased to announce the addition of Dean Wilson to the Factory Ride Premium Optics race program. Top athlete, jokester. world-class racer, and all-around dedicated ambassador to his sponsors, Dean brings a rich history to the sport at the highest level of competition and a rapport that is second-to-none with his fans across the globe.

Dean carries that professionalism on and off the track and we know Wilson’s tenacity and character will be a great fit with the Factory Ride family. We will be partnering with Dean for the 2024 AMA 450 Supercross series and 2024 FIM 450 World Supercross Championship (SMX). We look forward to the continued success that comes with an athlete of Dean Wilson’s caliber. Welcome to the team Dean!To learn more about Factory Ride goggles go to www.fxrracing.com/pages/factory-ride

• LEST WE FORGET! LAST WEEK’S SUPERCROSS TOP TENS & OTHER NOTABLES

With the West Coast rounds starting at 5:00 p.m., the fans were able to filter into their seats, while the sun was still out.

Much like during the dominant days of Ricky Carmichael, if Jett Lawrence gets the holeshot, “that’s all she wrote.”

Chase Sexton says he is still adjusting to his new KTM ride, but he put it on the podium.

Cooper Webb (2) kept a low-profile during the off-season, so when he came out firing on all cylinders at A1, the crowd was shocked by his speed. He kept Jett honest until he flipped it over the hip jump. But remounted to finished sixth.

We will never know how well Ken Roczen could have done at Anaheim 1 because he got taken out in a multi-bike pile-up off the start of the main. He got up at the back of the pack and raced up to tenth place.

2023 FIM 450 World Champion Jorge Prado is trying out the first three AMA Supercross rounds to see if he wants to move to America for the bright lights of the stadiums in 2025. In his first-ever AMA Supercross Jorge impressed a lot of people with his speed. If it hadn’t been for his troubles in the double set of whoops, he would have been in the top ten. Instead the whoops whipped him late in the race. Jorge ended up 13th, right behind Adam Cianciarulo (12th), Malcolm Stewart (11th) and Ken Roczen (10th).

Adam Cianciarulo has the speed and the playful nature to have a large cheering section.

Eli Tomac finished 9th, but never fear, he has a repuation as a slow starter at the first round of each season. Although he won the opening round last year, he was 6th in 2022, 13th in 2021,  7th in 2020, 3rd in 2019, 18th in 2018 and 5th in 2017.

Hunter Lawrence’s move to the 450 class did not have a happy beginning. He was involved in a first turn crash in his heat race and had to go to the 450 Last Chance, where he came up short on an attempted last lap, last corner pass of Cade Clason. Hunter watched the 450 Main.. 

2024 ANAHEIM 1 SUPERCROSS: 450 POINTS
1. Jett Lawrence (Hon)…25
2. Jason Anderson (Kaw)…22
3. Chase Sexton (KTM)…20
4. Aaron Plessinger (KTM)…18
5. Dylan Ferrandis (Hon)…17
6. Cooper Webb (Yam)…16
7. Justin Barcia (Gas)…15
8. Justin Cooper (Yam)…14
9. Eli Tomac (Yam)…13
10. Ken Roczen (Suz)…12
Other notables: 11. Malcolm Stewart (Hus); 12. Adam Cianciarulo (Kaw); 13. Jorge Prado (Gas); 14, Justin Hill (KTM); 16. Dean Wilson (Hon); 17. Shane McElrath (Suz); 20. Christian Craig (Hus); 21 Fredrik Noren (Kaw).

R.J. Hampshire has been racing the AMA 250 East/West Supercross series for ten years. His 2024 Anaheim 1 victory was his third 250 Supercross win (following Denver in 2023 and St. Louis in 2022).

Star Yamaha only sent two of their multitude of 250 East/West racers to Anaheim. Jordon Smith (31) got second behind Hampshire, while teammate Nate Thrasher crashed out over the same hip jump that claimed Cooper Webb.

Levi Kitchen jumped from Star Yamaha to the Pro Circuit Kawasaki team for 2024 and made the podium in his first race on green.

Max Vohland moved from the KTM team to the Pro Circuit team for 2024. Max won his A1 heat race and was in contention in the main, but ended up fifth behind Hampshire, Smith, Kitchen and Shimoda. Max’s dad, Tallon Vohland, raced for the Pro Circuit team in 2000 and 2001 and , in fact, won the 125 West class at the 2000 Anaheim 2  Supercross.

Julien Beaumer’s 250 West Supercross debut was a big success for a rider straight out of the amateur ranks. Julien finished sixth, but holeshot the 250 main and led the first lap.

2024 ANAHEIM 1 SUPERCROSS: 250 WEST POINTS
1. R.J. Hampshire (Hus)…25
2. Jordon Smith (Yam)…22
3. Levi Kitchen (Kaw)…20
4. Jo Shimoda (Hon)…18
5. Max Vohland (Kaw)…17
6. Julien Beaumer (KTM)…16
7. Garrett Marchbanks (Yam)…15
8. Mitchell Oldenburg (Hon)…14
9. Ryder DiFrancesco (Gas)…13
10. Carson Mumford (Hon)…12
Other notables: 11.Anthony Bourdon (Suz); 12. Cole Thompson (Yam); 13. Hunter Yoder (Kaw); 14. Robbie Wageman (Yam); 21.Nate Thrasher (Yam); 22. Phil Nicolett (Yam).

• TAKE A LAP OF THE SATURDAY’S SAN FRANCISO SUPERCROSS TRACK

• THE GREATEST DEAL IN MOTOCROSS! SUBSCRIBE TO MXA & GET $25 ROCKY MOUNTAIN CREDIT & A YEAR OF MX FUN

Did you know that you can subscribe to MXA at absolutely no cost to you—because when you subscribe you receive a Rocky Mountain ATV/MC credit for $25 towards anything in their massive inventory. Plus, you will get all the content in the 12 monthly issues of Motocross Action magazine delivered to your home by a uniformed U.S. government employee. Don’t miss any more four-stroke tests, two-stroke tests, retro tests, race coverage, new tech or product tests….most of which never appear on the internet. And, don’t forget, the $25 credit from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC that will more than cover the cost of your subscription. To subscribe call (800) 767-0345 or Click Here

• STARK VARG MAKES HISTORY! WINS A BRITISH ARENACROSS RACE

If they could get Jett Lawrence to race one, he could be the first British Arenacross rookie to win in his first race and do it on an electric bike.

• 2024 TV SCHEDULE: AMA 250 EAST/WEST SUPERCROSS & 450 SUPERCROSS

Saturday night’s San Francisco Supercross track only has one whoop section and a short and straight sand section. The layout crosses the starting line three times and is mostly made up of long rhythm sections and seven bowl turns.

• GODSPEED! WEBCO FOUNDER TOM HEININGER (1927-2004)

Tom Heininger with Willie G. Davidson at the 2003 AMA Hall of Fame induction. Every motocross racer of the 1960s and 1970s owes a thanks to Tom for supplying riders of that era with readily available hop-up parts.

Motorcycle industry titan, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and Webco co-founderTom Heininger passed away on Monday, January 8, 2024, at the age of 97. If you raced in the 1960s and 1970s you bought your motorcycle accessories and hop-up parts from Webco, which was the leading parts supplier of the trickest aftermarket parts to enhance the performance and this

This 1971 Hodaka Super Rat featured a Webco head, Webco footpegs, Rickman Micro-Metisse frame, Ceriani forks, Koni shocks and most importantly, a big-bore Webco 125cc cylinder, piston, cylinder head, 26mm Mikuni and low-slung Torque Engineering expansion chamber.

A few years after its creation, Webco began sponsoring local racers from Southern California, which helped the brand grow to global markets. Heininger and Hughes also opened a pair of Honda dealerships in Los Angeles during the 1960s. During the decade, Heininger and Hughes also formed a nightly radio show during Daytona Bike Week with AMA announcer Roxy Rockwood.

Along with Webco and a couple SoCal Honda dealership Heininger also helped form the MIC (Motorcycle Industry Council) in 1969. The MIC was an important entity in the fight for motorcycle rights. Heininger was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2003 and remained involved in motorcycling for the rest of his life.

• 2024 TV SCHEDULE: AMA 250/450 NATIONALS AND THE THREE-ROUND SMX PLAYOFFS

Jett Lawrence (18) won the Pala 450 National last year, but then he won every 450 National last year. Pala will be held on May 25, 2024.

NBC Sports, Peacock, NBC, USA & CNBC  have announced the 2024 AMA Supercross Championship, AMA Outdoor National Championship and the SuperMotocross Playoffs (SMX) broadcast and streaming schedule. All 31 rounds across the series, including exclusive live coverage of qualifiers, heats, Main Events and Motos will be presented on Peacock, NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and NBC Sports digital platforms.

Peacock will provide comprehensive live coverage of all qualifying, heats, Main Events and Motos across both AMA Supercross and the AMA Nationals, spanning 31 rounds from January to September 2024. Plus, 17 races will livestream exclusively on Peacock. The platform will also provide on-demand replays of every race. Qualifiers and heats will be available exclusively on Peacock for every race throughout the season.

“Race Day Live” will cover all 31 rounds of the Supercross, National and SMX Playoffs exclusively on Peacock. Dan Hubbard and Justin Brayton will serve as hosts of the pre-race program, along with Steven “Lurch” Scott, Haley Shanley, and Zach Osborne as reporters.

• MXA PHOTO OF THE WEEK: THE PROTOTYPE DUCATI MOTOCROSS BIKE

The man in the sunglasses is Fabio Taglioni, the inventor of Ducati’s proprietary Desmodromic valve system—which just happened to be in this 1971 prototype of the bike that would eventually be sold in the USA as the all-yellow 1971 Ducati 450R/T.  Only 450 bikes were made. The 450 R/T was a sales failure, but not because of the engine, but because the frame geometry was all wrong.The actual 1971 production Ducati 450R/T.

• GRAND PRIX OF CHINA HAS BEEN ADDED TO 2024 MXGP CALENDAR

The 2020 Grand Prix of China never happened.

MXGP Press release: “The MXGP of China will make a thrilling return to the MXGP calendar on the 15th and 16th September 2024. As in 2019, the event will be held in Shanghai. The organizer is Shanghai Hehui Sports Culture Development Co., Ltd, part of the same Group owning the Just1 brand.

“The group is dedicated to develop sport in the country as well as aiming to boost the local social and economic landscape through the hosting of globally acclaimed events. The much-awaited event is scheduled to take place on September 15 and 16 which coincide with the popular Moon Festival holiday, offering locals a thrilling weekend of motocross action along with a traditional festival.

“In 2019, the MXGP of China amassed 25,000 fans who witnessed the spectacular races. Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado emerged victorious in the MXGP and MX2 categories, respectively, delivering an unforgettable show for everyone present. The addition of the MXGP of China in Shanghai to the 2024 MXGP calendar is an exciting new date and venue that will further expand the influence of motocross worldwide.”

The 2019 Shanghai GP track was the typical MXGP Fly-Away race track—which means a flat field that was an empty lot a week earlier. Additionally, there were only 20 riders in the 450 class in Shanghai in 2019—and that’s only if you counted the five local Chinese riders (Peng Tianwei, Nakpane Madjade, Romphan Chaiyan, Deng Liansong and Xu Jianhao) drafted to fill the gate—well, at least half of the gate. The Chinese riders all earned Grand Prix points

2024 FIM WORLD MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Mar. 10…Argentina
Mar. 24…TBA
Apr. 7…Sardinia
Apr. 14…Italy #1
May 5…Portugal
May 12…Spain
May 19…France
Jun. 2…Germany
Jun. 9…Latvia
June 16…Italy #2
June 30…Indonesia #1
July 7…Indonesia #2
July 21…Czech Republic
July. 28..Belgium
Aug. 11…Sweden
Aug. 18…Holland
Aug 25…Switzerland
Sept. 8… Turkey
Sept. 16…China
Sept. 29….Italy #3

• SEE THE COMPLETE 2024 RACE SCHEDULES