MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT
#WHIPITWEDNESDAY
Hailing from Suzuka, Japan, Jo Shimoda came to the States to compete on the amateur scene on 65’s. While his father stayed in Japan, his mom and he met with a trainer in Northern California where they could begin learning the ropes of how racing went in the States. By the time he was on 85’s, Jo was a Loretta Lynn Champion and had a jump-start to a career as a professional ahead of him. When he moved to the big bikes, he was offered an opportunity from Amsoil Honda, the feeder team for the pro-level Geico Honda. Only racing a couple of motocross races to start he did not have the results he wished for was able to earn 20 AMA points that first year, when Geico Honda switched over to Supercross, Jo again struggled at the beginning, but began to shine at the end, grabbing two top-five finishes and a third overall on the season. When Geico Honda folded, Jo moved to the Pro Circuit Kawasaki team and finished second in the Super Motocross series last year. With Hunter Lawrence moving to the 450 class for 2024, Jo took his spot at Team Honda, and after a rough start in the 250 West Supercross series, he has now been a consistent podium guy.
RETAKING THE POINTS LEAD
Jett Lawrence was able to have a flawless day in Nashville—fastest qualifier, heat race winner, 450 holeshot and main event win. This is a huge step in building momentum as we go into the final three races of the year. Jett’s 5-point lead over Cooper Webb isn’t all that secure, but after a couple of poor races, he showed that he could perform when it counted. If he had lost the points lead last weekend, the momentum might have been on Webb’s side.
TROUBLE IN NASHVILLE
Cameron McAdoo watched his championship chances slip away in Nashville. His day started off bad and got worse. McAdoo had a run-in with another rider in timed qualifying which resulted in a shoulder injury. Battered and bruised he raced through the evening to collect as many points as possible. In the 250 East /West main event, he collided with Pro Circuit teammate Levi Kitchen which ended up with both riders hitting the ground. McAdoo remounted only to pull off the track a few laps later as he did not feel he could ride safely. Cameron lost two positions in the 250 championship as Tom Vialle and Haiden Deegan moved in front of him.
TRUE GRIT
Caught up in a crash with his teammate, Levi Kitchen was slow to remount his KX250. It appeared that he may have been out of the race as the first couple of laps around he was in noticeable pain. But, as he clicked off laps his speed became faster and faster. He was able to charge up into 14th and thanks to his determination he is now only 2 points behind new leader R.J. Hampshire. The 250 class heads to Denver this coming weekend and then to another East/West showdown at the Salt Lake City Finale—where it will be winner-take-all.
2024 TWO-STROKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AT GLEN HELEN
MXA PHOTO TRIVIA
Who is this rider? Answer at the bottom of the article.
IN FOCUS EPISODE 02: AARON PLESSINGER
MXA FANTASY LEAGUE: THE WINNER OF THE NASHVILLE SUPERCROSS SCORED 272 POINTS
The race in Nashville this past weekend was one of the more action-packed races we’ve seen this year. A lot of key riders crashed out causing the overall total points to be much lower this weekend. Ken Roczen had one of the wildest events happen as his shock completely exploded on one of the triples leading into the whoops. With this shock failure Ken hit the whoops with no rear damping. He was pitched out of the saddle and down to the ground. Chase Sexton also had a bike malfunction when his throttle was struck by a rock, which stuck his throttle wide open. He over jumped the next jump and went down hard. The 250 points leaders, Levi Kitchen and Cameron McAdoo also had a heck of a night as they collided at the start of the 250 main, causing both riders to go down. McAdoo was already nursing an injury from qualifying and the crash resulted in a DNF. Levi Kitchen was slow to get back on his bike and slow to get up to speed but he did recover with a 14th place finish.
Given the circumstances in Nashville, Dgeno222 scored an amazing 272 points.
The 250 class saw quite the shake up because of the East/West shootout. R.J. Hampshire took the combined class victory. Dgeno222 selected R.J. Hampshire as the winner and the Husky rider came through and gave a total of 36 points including a ten-point bonus. In second place, Dgeno222 selected Levi Kitchen, who was one of the riders who crashed early and finished 14th giving no fantasy points. In third, he selected Tom Vialle, who did in fact get third which gave 31 points including the ten bonus points. In fourth, he selected Jordon Smith who finished in fifth spot for 29 points including the ten bonus points. In fifth place Jo Shimoda was selected and Jo finished in the second spot giving 23 points, but no bonus and in sixth Dgeno222 chose Haiden Deegan who ended up in sixth spot in the race giving 27 points including the ten bonus points.
In the 450 class, Dgeno222 also had some great picks. He put Jett Lawrence first place for 36 points including the ten bonus. In second he chose Cooper Webb who ended up third in the race so that earned him 21 points but no bonus point. In third hey selected Eli Tomac who finished second in the race, this paid 23 points but no bonus points. In fourth, he chose Chase Sexton who crashed hard in the race and received no points. iIn fifth place he chose Jason Anderson who ended up fourth overall on the night and gave 19 points but no bonus points, and in sixth he chose Justin Cooper who finished in sixth on the night giving 27 points including the ten point bonus. Next weekend the series travels to Philadelphia and be sure to get your picks in before racing starts to have a chance to win a $500 shopping spree prize to Boyesen Racing.
ASK THE MXPERTS: WHY CAN’T THEY MAKE LEAKPROOF FORK SEALS
WHY CAN’T THEY MAKE A LEAK-PROOF FORK SEAL?
Dear MXperts,
Perhaps it is because I race mostly at sand tracks, but I blow fork seals once a month. It has gotten to the point where if the leaking fork seal is on the right fork leg, away from the front brake rotor, I ignore it. This is a messy solution, but why can’t they make a leak-proof fork seal?
We know you won’t believe us, but the problem is not the fork seals, it is you. The next time you think your seals failed too soon, remember that state-of-the-art seals rarely wear out from use. They wear out from outside contaminants egressing the seal’s territory, and the most common cause of seal failure can be found by running your fingers up the back of your fork leg. We bet you’ll find a ding in the chrome that nicked the seal’s lip.
Every hardcore motocross racer hates his fork seals. Of all the things that can go wrong on a motocross bike, fork seals are the most devastating—not just because fixing them is a giant pain, but because after you put brand-new seals in your forks, there is no guarantee that they won’t blow 15 minutes into your next ride.
Fork seals have failed for as long as forks have been on race bikes. So, why doesn’t some enterprising company make one that works? Surprise! The fork seals on your bike are incredible. They are self-lubricating. They work in both directions. They have specialized chemistry that makes them tough and resilient. Best of all, modern fork seals are rated for millions of cycles. Millions! Fork seals don’t leak without a reason.
As racers, we expect our fork seals not to leak, yet we also require them to move with minimal “stiction.” In other words, they can’t fit tightly against the fork legs. Why not? Stiction is the enemy of the fluid movement of the forks in bumps. Reduce stiction and your forks will glide through the clatter of a race track’s terrain; however, reducing stiction increases the potential for a fork seal leak, because the seals aren’t as tight. Paradoxically, we are asking the fork seal manufacturers to build lightweight, long-lasting, UV light-resistant, tear-proof, flexible, compact fork seals that barely touch the fork legs. A few years ago, it couldn’t be done. Today, under the right circumstances, it can be done.
If you’d like to read more articles from the MXPERTS, Click here.
NASHVILLE QUALIFIER RAW
WEEKLY PRIZES IN THE SUPERCROSS MXA FANTASY LEAGUE
Even though the season has started, you can still join for an opportunity to win weekly prizes!
Android app download: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mxa.fantasyleague&pcampaignid=web_share
Dive into an unparalleled Supercross 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.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: JORDON SMITH MAKES UP GROUND AT EAST/WEST SHOWDOWN IN NASHVILLE
“IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD DAY. THE TRACK CONDITIONS WERE TOUGH. IT KEPT CHANGING. AT FIRST IT WAS MUDDY, THEN IT WAS DRY, SO IT MADE IT TOUGH TO GET USED TO THE TRACK. OVERALL THOUGH, I HAD SOME GOOD STARTS AND WAS RUNNING WELL. I JUST HAD THAT ONE LITTLE MISTAKE IN THE MAIN EVENT THAT COST ME A PODIUM. WE’LL KEEP WORKING AND COME BACK IN DENVER.”
FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 3, A DOUBLE WIN AND THE RED PLATE FOR BUD RACING’S MATHIS VALIN
Team Bud Racing Kawasaki enjoyed another great weekend in the French championship, with a double win for Mathis Valin and a solid race for Benjamin Garib. The series is at mid-way and Mathis is the new leader while Benjamin consolidates his third position in the standings.
New track and new conditions for our riders! Mathis raced at Romagne in the past, but Benjamin discovered the sunny but cold layout due to heavy wind. During the timed practice sessions Mathis posted the fastest lap in the first group, while Benjamin just lost the pole of the other group in the last minute; however, with a second position, he did his best qualification so far.
Starting the first race in second position, Mathis only needed three laps to take the lead and go to another moto win while Benjamin came back from sixth to third. The second moto was similar for Mathis who took the lead after two laps, to get another moto win and of course the overall! Benjamin didn’t start so well this moto but came back to fifth, too far to expect a better result as the top four had made a break.
Thanks to this double win Mathis is the new leader of the MX2 Elite, while Benjamin is in third position. There are three more races on the calendar, but our riders will miss the next one (Bitche) which is scheduled for the same day as a European Championship round. But both riders keep all their chances, as they will get points credit (average points of all the races they attend) for this round.
No race next weekend, we’ll be back on track on May 4/5 in Portugal for the third round of the European EMX250 Championship.
Mathis Valin: “Everything went well this weekend, I won both motos and got the red plate, a perfect weekend we’ll say! Romagne has always succeeded for me since I was a kid, last year I also got a double win. I feel comfortable in all conditions and on all types of terrain, we try to show that we are there everywhere like this weekend against good riders. The club worked hard, it’s a shame they redid everything before the rounds but we still had some big holes and some good ruts so it was good preparation for the rest of the season.”
Benjamin Garib: “The weekend was not what I wanted, but was not so bad. In the first moto, I got a third position which was good, so close to second! In the second moto, I didn’t get the best start and it was hard as I was alone during all the moto, the guys in front were ten seconds ahead. It was a boring moto for me, I need to get better at the start and we’ll continue to work before Portugal.”
MXA PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Ezra Lewis is all smiles after top ten finishes the Open Pro and 125 Pro classes at the 2024 Wiseco/Fasthouse World Two-Stroke Championships.
CLASSIC MXA PHOTO
This is the start of the 2003 Glen Helen National where Kevin Windham (14) would lead the majority of the moto before going down and surrendering the lead to Ricky Carmichael.
MXA PHOTO TRIVIA ANSWER: DRD’s Doug Dubach racing in a flashback from 1990.
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