Swapmoto Live Podcast

Presented by Pro Taper The pass. You know; the pass everyone is talking about. What did you think of Jett Lawrence letting Ken Roczen pass him for the second moto win at last weekend's final Supermotocross Supermorocross moto? We cover that and a whole lot more in this week's Kickstart Podcast presented by Pro Taper

Presented by Yoshimura On this installment of the Yoshimura Midweek Podcast, we invited our SoCal neighbor Tag Gasparian of Tagger Designs to stop by and share his story, From his early days as a professional surfer to his current role as one of motocross' most popular helmet painters, Chances are that you have either admired some of Tag's work, owned some of it, or have something he designed on your Christmas wish list. Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper Well, the Supermotocross Playoffs are finally here, and for the SML staff, the new series is everything we had hoped it would be and more! The racing in Charlotte was insane, and the results were mixed up, and that's more than we could have ever wished for. 250 winner Jo Shimoda joined us for this morning's show and added some insight and humor, too! Enjoy! What did you think of the first SMX playoff? Comment below!

After a tumultuous few weeks with rumors of race cancellations, boardroom negotiations with financial backers, and a press release that promised "positive future developments" to support the FIM World Supercross Championship, SX Global has announced the sale of its business to a new investment group. The organization, led by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori, will work alongside longtime WSX principal Adam Bailey, who will maintain his role as CEO of the series as it continues its second year. Kyril is the son of Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who served as CEO of advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi and sporting giant adidas, while his great-great-grandfather Léopold Louis-Dreyfus established the family's businesses in agriculture, shipping, energy, raw materials, and finance that, according to its 2022 financial report, operates in more than 100 countries with 21.6 billion dollars in total assets. Sartori is known for forming the Union Group immediately after graduating from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and through his increasing political influence with the National Party, the oldest active political group in the South American country. Louis-Dreyfus and Sartori have been close friends and business partners for some time. Both are on the board of directors at Sunderland AFC and will join Adam Bailey in similar roles at SX Global.

Presented by Pro Taper Last weekend, Chase Curtis made the trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to experience his first-ever Mammoth Mountain Motocross. We recap that, share some Mammoth memories, talk silly season rumors, and what's up with the upcoming SMX finals this weekend!

Presented by Pro Taper Well, he did it! Jett Lawrence wrapped up the 2023 450 National MX Championship a couple of weeks ago, but last weekend at Ironman Raceway the Australian wonderboy completed the third perfect season our sport has ever seen...as a rookie! Meanwhile, big brother Hunter Lawrence wrapped up the 250 National MX Championship with solid finishes, and Jo Shimoda went out in grand style with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team with a perfect 1-1 sweep for the brand's only win of the series. We recap all of this and a lot more, on this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast.

The Pro Motocross Championship is about to close out at the 2023 Ironman Motocross, an action-packed weekend that will kick off with the announcement of Team USA for the Motocross of Nations. Although the Americans are the defending champions of the Chamberlain Cup and will run numbers one, two, and three when they go to France in October, putting the team together has been a challenge. Yes, interest in the race is at an all-time high after last year's victory on home soil at RedBud, and multiple OEMs have pledged their time and resources, but sending the exact same lineup as last year is not possible due to Eli Tomac's ongoing recovery from an Achilles injury, Justin Cooper's long-planned wedding which lands on the same weekend, and Chase Sexton's upcoming switch from Honda to KTM. And that's why AMA Director of Racing Mike Pelletier had to push the team's lineup declaration from its usual date at Unadilla, to the finale at Ironman. He and managing partner Roger DeCoster have spent the better part of the summer working out scenarios for Ernee, a complicated matter considering the time some candidates were missing with injuries, the extended season for SuperMotocross, and the numerous rider-team changes that will happen in October. Here's what we do know ahead of the official announcement. Aaron Plessinger is a lock. At third place, the Red Bull KTM rider is the highest-ranking American in the 450 Class championship standings, and he has not finished outside the top ten once this summer. Eager for redemption after the RedBud mud in 2018, expect AP to be the Open Class pick. Chase Sexton, the only available rider from last year's lineup, is down to go, and could use the race as his debut on the Red Bull KTM. Team Honda HRC has offered support to Sexton through the race, as they'll be backing the Lawrence brothers for Team Australia, but we've been told that Sexton would like to get on the orange bike as soon as possible. Sexton's involvement was said to motivate and determine Haiden Deegan's participation. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider has been impressive as a rookie, and making the MXON his first race overseas would be a big draw for both the team and the event, but we've learned that the teenager and the group around him may opt-out after a long year that started in the Supercross Futures class. The MX2 rider is often crucial to a team's overall score, and this year, it sounds like the group favors dropping a willing and experienced 450 Class rider down to the small-bore bike, rather than picking among the other Americans in the 250 Class. Justin Barcia is the most likely candidate. The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing rider has been on Team USA a few times already, including 2015 in Ernee. Cooper Webb is another possibility, but it sounds like his current focus is getting up to speed on the YZ450F ahead of the SMX rounds. An added benefit of these two is that if Chase Sexton decides not to go after all, either Barcia or Webb could step up to the MXGP spot and run the number one plate. Here's my interview with Mike Pelletier from last Friday at Budds Creek, where he explained some of the obstacles faced this summer and the importance of unifying Team USA.

The Budds Creek MX marked the penultimate stop of the 2023 National MX Championship and though Chase Sexton made it interesting in the final 40 moto, it was yet another Jett Lawrence 1-1 romp to victory. We discuss that, the MXoN USA team, rumors, hurricanes, and more, on this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast!

Presented by Yoshimura At the age of 18, Steve Piatonni made the mature decision to leave behind a potential professional motocross career to start a business for himself: Shock Therapy Racing, a SoCal-based suspension, and mechanic service specializing in dirt bikes. With 40 years of experience behind him, Piatonni is a go-to for SoCal racers looking for help with their machines, and he joined us for this week's Yoshimura Midweek Podcast!

Presented by Pro Taper The Jett Lawrence Train rolled through Utica, New York, last weekend and the 20-year-old wrapped up his first 450 National MX Championship in grand style with. 1-1 performance that kept his perfect season intact. We talk about that and a whole lot more on this week's Kickstart Podcast by Pro Taper.

This week marks the first Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast without good ole Alex Ray in-house as we record. Unless you've been living in a cave for the past few months, you know that ARay hung up his helmet for good and has joined the working force with a job at O'Neal USA. With one week in his new career under his belt, ARay phoned in, and along with Michael Antonovich, we cover the wet and sloppy Loretta Lynn's AMA Amateur Nationals.

Presented by Pro Taper The first of two off-weekends has passed and a lot was still going on for the SML staff; ARay had his bachelor party in Havasu and Chase and Donn headed to Whistler, B.C. for Crankworx with the King of Supercross. We had a nice bench-racing session about the newest rumors floating around, what to look for at Loretta Lynns next weekend, and more!

Presented by Yoshimura Rob Salcedo has enjoyed a three-decade career in the motocross industry, and we are lucky to have known him for most of it. From his early days in the Fox Racing warehouse to his current position with Leatt, Salcedo has gotten to work around great personalities in our sport throughout. We caught up with "Chuchacabra" at the Crankworx MTB Festival in Whistler, B.C. this week to get the Cliff Notes version of his long journey in the two-wheeled world.

We are in Whistler, B.C. Canada for the Crankworx MTB festival with the King of Supercross, Jeremy McGrath, for the second time ever. Following up with our first installment in 2019m we got together this evening for our (now) traditional Live Tequila Podcast. Both McGrath and swap went live on Instagram to field some questions from viewers, and it was a good time - albeit somewhat more controlled and in control than the second installment (which was never aired and archived, by the way). Jeremy and Donn talk about everything from Jett Lawerence's dominance to two-strokes making a comeback, to MC dislocating his hip on his KTM, to nearly dying in an off-road truck, and more! Enjoy!

The Pro Motocross Championship made its annual trip to the Pacific Northwest for the Washougal Motocross, a busy and exciting weekend that gave Anton and ARay plenty to talk about. In this episode of the Kickstart Podcast, we'll cover Haiden Deegan's 1-1, Jett's perfect season continued, Eli Tomac's appearance at the Alpinestars MX24 launch, and Thursday night's action at PIR.

Presented by Pro Taper The second half of the 2023 MX Nationals started last weekend at Spring Creek MX in Millville, Minnesota, and fans were treated to some great racing in both classes. While the results columns may not have seemed exciting per se, there was plenty to see on the legendary track, and we discuss all the best stuff in today's show..

A lot went down at round six of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship! Last weekend's Southwick National saw some entertaining racing, championship heartbreak, and resulted in Haiden Deegan holding the red plate. Press play as we cover everything that Michael Antonovich saw in-person, as well as everything Alex Ray and Chase Curtis learned over the weekend.

We spent the better part of an hour during Friday afternoon's downtime at the RedBud Motocross talking stickers with Matt Davis, co-creator and co-owner of Throttle Jockey. The Indiana print house has made its share of iconic graphic kits since starting in 1992, and for the past twenty years, they've handled everything for Team Honda HRC's motocross operation in America. It's a role that Davis takes pride in, and as you'll hear, his appreciation for motocross stretches back to the family's very first visit to RedBud in the 1970s.

Presented by Yoshimura Wes Smith is a behind-the-scenes guy who has done business with many of the sport's top racers and freestyle riders over the past few decades. A lifelong motocross rider and enthusiast, Smith fine-tuned his craft working for Planet Hollywood before branching out on his own as Smithline Industries, a custom memorabilia framing, and mounting shop. Through the years, he's done work for the likes of Robbie Maddison, Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg, Justin Cooper, Nate Adams, and more. Most notably, however, Smith had a goal to work with his favorite rider, Jeremy McGrath, when he started out and has been largely responsible for the personal museum known as Jeremy McGrath's Attic. We asked Wes to stop by so he could tell us his motocross story!

Presented by Pro Taper Is there a bigger motocross race than Red Bud? We think not! Last weekend's MX National in Buchanan, Michigan, saw some amazing racing, some big surprises, and the first of many Haiden Deegan wins. We cover everything that we saw and learned and Alex Ray also makes a big announcement in this week's show!

Presented by Pro Taper The first break in the MX National Championship Series gave riders, mechanics, and everyone involved in the racing side of our sport a much-needed break. Some used the time to regroup and reset, while others kept their noses to the grindstone in search of more speed, more fitness, or simply a better bike setting. This week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast has no rhyme or reason, but we sure had a great time flapping our lips about moto and more!

Presented by Pro Taper We thought that Thunder Valley was Rut City, but last weekend's High Point MX National was on a whole different level of gnarly! There was lots to talk about after round four of the 2023 MX Nationals: Ken Roczen's return to action, Hunter Lawrence's seven-point penalty, RJ Hampshire's first moto win, Jett Lawrence finishing both motos in Red Bullet helmet mode, and more!

Presented by Yoshimura We've known Todd Ford for over three decades since we first met him when he was a young, enthusiastic salesman at a popular graphics company. These days, Ford owns and operates Custom Upfits, a NorCal-based vehicle upfitter that has built moto vans for the likes of Chad Reed, Justin Barcia, Andrew Short, Ryder DiFrancisco, Jett Reynolds, and more! Todd is also a huge supporter of Road to Recovery, and has donated complete vehicles, trailers, motorcycles, and more, to help injured motocross racers.

Presented by Pro Taper Brutal. That's the word that best describes the track that greeted racers at round three of the MX Nationals last weekend at Thunder Valley MX, just outside of Denver, Colorado. We talk about the whos, whats, wheres, and whys, of last weekend's race!

Presented by Pro Taper Round two of the MX Nationals went off last weekend at Prarie City OHV Park in Rancho Cordova, California, and the Dirt Diggers MC did a fine job of promoting one of our favorite events of the year. The Lawrence Brothers swept the 250 and 450 classes again, but Hangtown saw the arrival of Haiden Deegan as the 17-year-old earned his first professional moto win in convincing fashion aboard his Yamaha YZ250F. We talk about everything that we saw and heard at Hangtown...this is a good one!

Last week's kick off for the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship gave us a glimpse of what's to come through the summer, as the motos at Fox Raceway had a who's who of names cycle through the top-10 in the 250 Class and the first of many head-to-head battles for the win in the 450 Class. For this episode of the Midweek Podcast presented by Yoshimura R&D, we'll go over race day for the top-three finishers in both classes, from the way it played out on track to what they said in the post-race press conference hosted by Broc Glover.

Presented by Pro Taper Man what a way to kickoff the 2023 Monster Energy MX Nationals! The Fox Raceway track was challenging and unforgiving for the racers who lined up at yesterday's first National MX of the summer, and there was some great racing in both classes. The Lawrence brothers left with both red plates, but there was a lot that happened that the result sheets don't reveal. Enjoy this special Sunday edition of the Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast and enjoy Memorial Day with your loved ones!

Presented by Pro Taper We enjoyed an off weekend as the dirt bike circus took a one-week hiatus between the conclusion of the Monster Energy Supercross and the National Motocross Championship Series. ARay drove to Kentucky to pick up his bride-to-be, we did a lot of tire testing, and all of us are really looking forward to the Fox Raceway National MX kickoff this weekend!

The Salt Lake City Supercross went off last weekend in Rice-Eccles Stadium and although there were no real surprises, the racing did provide some excitement worth talking about! After a fun-filled five days in Utah, the SML crew reconvened at our SoCal office and went over everything that we saw and heard at the series finale.

Presented by Pro Taper There are almost no words to describe what went down in Denver at the penultimate round of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship! From Eli Tomac's shocking injury while leading, to RJ Hampshire's gritty, come-from-behind win, the Denver Supercross left all of us with our mouths wide open. On this week's Kickstart Podcast presented by Pro Taper, we recap all that we know about the race that went down inside Empower Field.

Nick Wey stopped by the Swapmoto Live HQ today to sit down for a new installment of the Yoshimura Midweek Podcast. A few months ago we sat down with the guys from Hammer Nutrition to learn more about their philosophy on sports supplements, and this is a follow-up of sorts as Wey is a partner in ARMA Sport, the fastest-growing supplement company in our sport. We picked Wey's brain about the benefits of supplements, his personal experience, his business partners, and much more. It gets really good at the end!

Presented by Pro Taper The Nashville Supercross was, for all intents and purposes, the end of the excitement that has built up around the 450 Championship championship battle between Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb. Treacherous track conditions and hard racing took several riders out for the remainder of the series and sadly, one of them was Red Bull KTM's Cooper Webb. We recap the carnage, the rumors, and the results in this week's Kickstart Podcast presented by Pro Taper. Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper What a race the East Rutherford Supercross turned out to be! Two new winners this late in the series? too good to be true! When the skies in New Jersey opened up and drenched the track, we all wondered what the outcome would be after the lightning-induced delay in the program, and we were rewarded with some of the best racing of the year! From Max Anstie's amazing first-career Supercross win to Eli Tomac's awesome performance after his practice crash, we cover it all in this week's Pro Taper Kickstart podcast.

Presented by Yoshimura This week, we are joined on the Yoshimura Midweek Podcast by Charles Dao, founder of ICON Fitness Studio, a gym in Murrieta, California, that has played an integral role in the success of many motocross, Supercross, and freestyle motocross riders' careers. From the early days with Ronnie Faisst and Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg, to the present with racers like Austin Forkner, Vince Friese, Josh Hill and more, Dao has a history in the sport that dates back to the early 2000s.

Presented by Pro Taper Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted the Monster Energy Supercross Series last weekend and the racing was fast and furious, for sure! The track was brutally rough and challenged racers every step of the way. We go over what we saw and learned at Atlanta, and also cover some other activities that we've been up to in this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast.

Presented by Pro Taper Last weekend was full of action as the Monster Energy Supercross Championship visited Glendale, Arizona, for the final Triple Crown of the year, while in SoCal the premix crowd gathered at Glen Helen Raceway for the Fasthouse Two-Stroke World Championships. We cover it all in this episode of the Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast!

Presented by Yoshimura The crossover between motocross and mountain biking has existed for decades, and Intense Cycles is one of the first brands to get involved with motocross, dating back to the Jeff Emig era. Jeff Steber is a mad scientist of sorts, and the brand's founder has conceptualized frame geometries, suspension systems, and more, throughout its 30-year history. Steber was gracious enough to take some time away from his fab shop to join us for a sit down to talk the moto/MTB crossover, new trends in bicycling, business models, and more! Enjoy.

Presented by Pro Taper It's been four years since we launched Swapmoto Live and it has been an absolute blast! With no race last weekend to shoot the breeze about, our content team sat down to reminisce about all of the great times we've had. Thanks for joining us on our journey! Enjoy!

Presented by Yoshimura Ever wonder what goes into developing a new motocross bike? Takeshi Katsuya is one of Kawasaki's most important pre-production test riders, and he also serves as the official Kawasaki MXGP team test rider too. That's right; in addition to working on next year's KX models, he helps set up the race bikes for Romain Febvre and Mitch Evans! A four-time All Japan IA2 Champion himself, "Taka" is one of the coolest guys we've sat down to do a podcast with. Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper Seattle produced some great racing last weekend and while it was good to see Eli Tomac back on the top step of the podium, it was painful to see Chase Sexton again fall victim to a front-end crash while leading. We cover that and a whole lot more in this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast.

Mike Emery is responsible for many of the images you see posted after every round of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Born in Pennsylvania, hardened by years of work as a mechanic on the West Coast, and now leading the charge with Align Media, Emery has a perspective on the sport that's all his own.

Presented by Pro Taper The Detroit Supercross had it all: a runaway leader, a heartbreaking last-lap crash, nail-biting battles for second- through fifth place, teammate drama...you name it, and we got it in Motor City USA. We recap all that, and more, on this week's Kickstart Podcast presented by Pro Taper.

Presented by Yoshimura If you're an eagle-eyed race fan, you've already spotted the Loma Linda University Health logos on the side panels of the Red Bull KTM factory race bikes. A hospital sponsoring a dirt bike race team? Well, that's a first! We were fortunate to have Loma Linda Health's CEO Trevor Wright and Director of Business Development John Level in our office for this installment of the Yoshimura Midweek Podcast, and we found out exactly why a hospital would want to sponsor a race team, and lots more!

Presented by Pro Taper Without a doubt, the Indianapolis Supercross inside Lucas Oil Stadium produced the most popular results in recent memory, with Progressive Insurance/Ecstar/Suzuki rider Ken Roczen scoring the win over a hard-charging Justin Barcia and giving Suzuki its first 450 Supercross win since 2016. Our very own Alex Ray returned to action after a few weeks off with a broken thumb, and he had some great first-hand insight about the super-challenging track conditions. Tune in for a great time!

Presented by Pro Taper The Daytona Supercross was a wild one with some great racing and some big crashes. Typically the toughest race of the year, Daytona treated us to spectacular performances by Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb, while Hunter Lawrence topped all comers in the 250 class. We recap all of that and a lot more in this week's Kickstart Podcast!

Presented by Yoshimura Jay Clark is one of those behind-the-scenes players in the motocross industry that everyone knows, and he's represented multiple brands over the past three decades. I first met Clark in 1992 when he began representing Wiseco Piston, and I was an assistant editor at Cycle News. These days, Clark's client list is extensive and he also runs a popular YouTube channel, Dirt Bike TV. We had a great time discussing our 30-year friendship in this installment of the Yoshimura Mid-week Podcast.

Presented by Pro Taper The Arlington Supercross marked the second Triple Crown of the year and as did the first, this one yielded some exciting racing and new results. Our man on the scene Michael Antonovich was joined in the pits by our injured cohost Alex Ray and the two bring an interesting set of insights to this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast!

Presented by Pro Taper The rain-delayed Oakland Supercross went off in Ring Central Coliseum last weekend and the track was amazing! Big ruts, huge combos....it had it all. Eli Tomac bounced back from his "off" fifth-place finish with his fourth win of the series aboard his Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha, and Jett Lawrence scored another seemingly effortless win in the 250 West Coast main. Join us as we recap the second round of Supercross and even chat about last weekend's Mini Major by Seven MX.

Presented by Pro Taper The Tampa Supercross was one for the record books with a challenging track, crazy racing action, hit-and-miss weather conditions, and more! Join the SML team as we recap the whos, whats, wheres, and whys of round six of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship Series.

Presented by Yoshimura The Eighth Annual Mini Major West by Seven MX is upon us, and next weekend hundreds of minibike racers will converge at Glen Helen Raceway to compete on a special track, designed just for kids. In this week's Mid-Week Podcast, we invited CMXRS President Aaron Cooke and his son, Reegan, to join us to talk about everything racers and parents need to know about the upcoming race weekend. Lots of information in his podcast if you're a SoCal mini racer or parent, as well as some big, breaking news about the Mini Major franchise in general!