Swapmoto Live Podcast

The Red Bull Straight Rhythm returned after a two-year hiatus and landed smack-dab in the middle of Huntington Beach, California, and we were there for all of the action on the pit lane side of the course. We even fielded Nico Izzi on our 2023 Yamaha YZ250 test bike! Listen in as swap, Chase, Anton, and ARay recap the event and preview this weekend's World Supercross Championship in Australia!

Presented by Yoshimura It's been a few months since the SML crew flew to Barcelona, Spain, to throw our legs over the Stark Varg electric motocross bike, and it's right about now - October 2022 - that we were told that the first machines would begin rolling off the production line and into consumers' garages. It's been relatively quiet on the Stark market (pun intended), but a video released by the factory last week announced a delay in production bike delivery due to unforeseen supply chain issues. That said, we contacted Anton Wass and Benjamin Cobb to catch up, see what was new with the brand, and ultimately find out when we and the rest of our anxious brethren in the Stark Varg owners group could expect to rip some silent motos!

The WSX World Championship kicked off last weekend in Cardiff, Wales, and it proved to be quite a show with great racing, a new format, and breaking news. Our man Michael Antonovich was on hand to cover all the action and we go over all of it in. this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast!

The first time I met Adam LaRoche and Jason Baker was minutes before we recorded these interviews. What little I knew about both, Baker for his years of work with Dream Traxx and Moto Sandbox, LaRoche for his purposeful end to a twelve-year career in Major League Baseball, turned out to be the big reasons behind Red Bull Imagination. LaRoche's interest in motocross expanded when he retired from baseball, and after some research on private tracks, he messaged Baker to build one on the family's Kansas spread. One thing led to another, like the cornfield track for Ryan Dungey's Red Bull video, and soon Baker talked Tyler Bereman into visiting the site for his own project.

Presented by Pro Taper We are only a few days away from the first gate drop on the World Supercross Championship Series, which gets underway in Cardiff, Wales, this Saturday! We've seen several of the players in action recently, and we go over who we've seen and what we think. There's also some big news in the works, and we touch on all of that and more, on this week's Kickstart Podcast, presented by Pro Taper!

Presented by Pro Taper What an amazing weekend it was at the 2022 Motocross of Nations at Red Bud Track N Trail! Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few days, you know that Team USA earned the Chamberlain Trophy for the first time in 11 years with a dominant showing by Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton, and Justin Cooper. Michael Antonovich was there tp soak it all in and we all had plenty to bench race about today!

Negotiations for a new contract between Ken Roczen and Team Honda HRC reached a critical point last week, as the rider's commitment to the World Supercross Championship forced both parties to comment publicly about the stalemate. Roczen shared his side with James Stewart in the latest episode of the Bubba's World Podcast, and Team Honda HRC countered through a press release statement from Brandon Wilson, the Manager of Sports & Experiential at American Honda.

Presented by Pro Taper swap is back in town after his little Italian vacation and it was business as usual today. Anton was at the Red Bull Imagination last weekend and fills us in on that, and we discuss the Ken Roczen and Honda HRC split in detail. Its a great off-season already!

The offseason has already given our guys plenty to talk about. With swap away on a family holiday, Anton, Chase, and ARay linked up to discuss the happenings of the past week, including the mechanical issue Ken Roczen's bike had on day one of SX prep, McGnarl's flipping the tabletop at Perris, surgery in the Rocky Mountains, and what's new with Alex.

Tyler Bereman had just unloaded his latest haul from Walmart into the barn at Adam LaRoche's home when we called. The building, complete with a bunkhouse, kitchen, full-size indoor basketball court, and baseball batting cage, is home base for Red Bull Imagination. And that supply run might have been the last time he goes anywhere other than the barn or the event site, located on a different part of LaRoche's property, in the next week. Being a namesake and a creative force behind an event comes with responsibilities. For Bereman, it means welcoming the nine riders on the entry list, revealing the all-natural course Jason Baker of DreamTraxx carved into the Kansas hillside, and competing during Saturday's final. But no role is more important than that of the guinea pig. TB knows how difficult it is to size up hundred-foot-plus hits and doesn't feel right asking others to jump something he hasn't. The sense of purpose helped Bereman overcome his most recent injury, a compound fracture of the ulna and radius in his right arm, just in time for Imagination. Red Bull Imagination will stream as a one-hour special on ESPN+ in the U.S. on September 25 and later through Red Bull's content channels.

Presented by Pro Taper Man what a weekend! The Fox Raceway Two National MX series finale was scorching hot and full of great racing on the track. We had a full house in the SML offices today as Michael Antonovich is still in SoCal and ARay is back from his courting sessions in Kentucky. Eli, Chase, Jo, Hunter, Jett...we covered it all in this week's extra-long edition of the Kickstart Pod. Enjoy!

Presented by Yoshimura Properly fueling your body for the rigors of motocross riding and racing is just as important as the gasoline that you put into your motorcycle, and there are plenty of misconceptions about what to eat and drink on race day. In part one of a three-part Swapmoto Podcast Series, we sit down with Brian Frank and Victor Sheldon from Hammer Nutrition to learn about the company, its philosophy, and what you should and shouldn't fuel your body with. Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper The penultimate round of the Lucas Oil MX Nationals went off last weekend at Ironman Raceway and can you believe that we are headed into Fox Raceway Two with the same one-point spread between Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton? Anything can happen this weekend, for sure, but let's get into what we saw in Indiana!

What happened with the "official results" from Budds Creek? What happened between Dylan Ferrandis and Justin Barcia? Why did Justin Cooper get the nod for Team USA? Is Ryan Dungey coming back in 2023? Who is Justin Rodbell finishing the season out for? Which K Brand will HEP be on next year? Who will Kenny ride World SX for? All this, and more, is addressed in today's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast!

Presented by Pro Taper Last weekend's Unadilla MX National was a barn burner with tons of great racing, as we saw Chase Sexton retake the series points lead from Eli Tomac with a solid 1-1 victory in the 450 class, and Jo Shimoda earned his second 250 National win in grand style. Justin Cooper also proved that he is determined to earn the 250 spot on Team USA for the Motocross of Nations with his return to form, and we discuss the pros and cons of each cantidate.

After decades of working separately, and even competitively against each other, Feld Entertainment and MX Sports have come together to form the SuperMotocross World Championship. The series, set to launch at the end of 2023, will seed the top finishers from the 250 and 450 Classes at Monster Energy Supercross and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross into a three-race series and crown two overall champions at the LA Coliseum in October. But the added hybrid races are just part of the program, which includes a 10-million dollar yearly purse made possible by a newly renegotiated television package, improved communication between the two series and the motorcycle manufacturers, and a clear pathway from amateur levels to professional competition. Dave Prater of Feld Entertainment and Carrie Coombs-Russell of MX Sports joined me for a conference call to discuss why and how SMX came to be shortly after the news was released, a 30-minute conversation that cleared up current misconceptions. Expect full details for the 2023 race season, including the schedules for Supercross, Pro Motocross, and SuperMotocross, to drop in October.

Presented by Pro Taper Welcome to the special Wednesday edition of the Kickstart Podcast presented by Pro Taper. Some scheduling conflicts have the four of us gathering later in the week than normal, but the conversation was as fun as ever as we recap Antons trip to Loretta Lynn's last week, plus much, much more!

Presented by Pro Taper One weekend down, one to go. The summer break in the Lucas Oil MX Nationals sure feels good, and we took full advantage of the weekend off. Chase Curtis was given the day off today as he turned 23, so Dominic Gaytan sat in on today's Kickstart Podcast. Enjoy!

As we come to the final stretch of races in the 2022 season, riders, federations, and fans around the world have started to prepare for the trip to RedBud for the Motocross of Nations. This year's running of the international event is shaping up to be one of the best in recent history, as there are several teams with legitimate chances at winning the Chamberlain Trophy and a list of racers eager for an opportunity to represent their country. We'll go over some of the confirmed teams, speculated lineups, and details in this SML News Break, presented by FLY Racing.

Presented by Pro Taper Life is back to normal this week as swap is back from vacation and joins Anton, Chase, and ARay in the SML loft to recap the Washougal MX National, Whistler Bike Park, big injuries, and racers who are back from a stint in jail!

Presented by Monster Energy In this episode of the King and I Podcast with Jeremy McGrath, we venture back into the King's hallway of memories and dig up some really cool memorabilia, including a real Ricky Johnson Bell Moto 4 helmet, a couple of custom RS Taichi leather jackets, and more. Even if you're not old enough to remember the glory days of Jeremy McGrath dominating our sport, you want to tune in to learn about the man who helped make Supercross so great today!

Presented by Pro Taper Spring Creek MX, one of the most favored stops on the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross schedule, hosted round seven of the series last weekend and saw some amazing battles and rides from numerous racers. On today's Kicktart Podcast presented by Pro Taper we chat about the well-liked track, incredible battles, the possible Motocross des Nations team, and more. Click play for a really fun podcast

Max Anstie found himself in a tough spot a few months ago. Supercross was a bit of a mess for the likable Brit, as crashes and injuries forced him to miss multiple rounds, but all of that seemed insignificant when BBMX released much of their staff, including Anstie, mid-season. Getting hired as fill-in for a factory team became the immediate goal for Anstie, though that too proved to be a challenge, as former co-workers Joey Savatgy and Shane McElrath were going after the same gigs Monster Energy Kawasaki and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing. Thankfully, things turned positive after Anstie talked to Martin Davalos, and soon the two charted a plan to join the Fire Power Honda team, line up for select rounds of Pro Motocross, and then commit to being a 250 Class rider in 2023. Anstie is one of the best interviews in the pits, and for an hour, he eloquently explained what it's like to join a new team, where the idea to drop to the small-bore bike class came from, and why most pros don't have a motorcycle of their own.

The traditionally roughest track of the year - MX 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts - hosted the Lucas Oil MX Nationals last weekend and we saw some amazing rides from numerous racers. On today's Kicktart Podcast presented by Pro Taper we chat about the sand, the cross-jumps, the yelling, and more. Click play for a really fun podcast.

Presented by Pro Taper Red Bud. What more do we have to say? Anton and ARay were on hand in Buchanan, Michigan, for the renown Independence Day weekend event, and they shared what they saw and heard on today's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast!

Presented by Pro Taper swap and ARay just got back into the country after traveling to the other side of the world last weekend to race the Singapore MX Beach Race on Sentosa Island with the locals. We catch Chase and Anton up on all the wild happenings in Asia, then dive into what we've heard about the World SX Championship, and more!

Most of you know who Evan Ferry is by now. The Florida teenager has made a name for himself through wins on the amateur motocross circuit, a booming presence on social media, and well-deserved factory support. But as much as we've seen "Little Red Dog" rip, we've only had a few one-on-one conversations with him, and always during busy times like Loretta's or the Monster Energy Cup. It's been an eventful year for Ferry. A few weeks back, he and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing mutually agreed to end their contract, a surprise development that made the rider a free agent during the qualifying process for Loretta's. In the weeks that followed, Ferry bought a YZ250F, lined up for a few local races, did a tryout with Star Racing, and then signed with the NSA Yamaha Factory AM Team. The changes provoked plenty of discussions, with conflicting reports online from "those in the know" about what happened and why. With that, we linked with Evan to talk about everything, from his earliest MX memories to the path he's currently on. To say that he is a student of the game would be an understatement. Life at the track has allowed him to watch the sport's best, study their techniques, learn the motorcycle, and see what it takes to reach the top. During the talk, Evan pointed out that the family has tried to maintain a balance of fun and work, but the feeling that comes from winning is still what drives him most.

Presented by Pro Taper Man, if nothing else, the High Point MX National delivered some barn-burning racing action! From Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen battling over the first 450 moto win, to the Lawrence brother's nail-biting race to the checkered flag in the second 250 moto, there was no telling what was gonna happen at round four of the Lucas Oil MX Nationals! Today's show is an international production as co-host Alex Ray is in Sentosa Beach, Singapore, for Pablo Toribio's Singapore Beach Race this weekend! Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper Round three of the Lucas Oil MX Nationals headed to Thunder Valley, Colorado, last weekend and the action was ridiculous! From Levi Kitchen's first career moto win to Ken Roczen's first win of the season, to the crazy plastic barrier incident with Jason Anderson and Eli Tomac, we BSed about it all!

Presented by Fox Racing Journalists and test riders from around the world converged in Barcelona, Spain, last month to take their first rides on the Stark Future Varg electric motocross bike at Golf MX Track. Donn Maeda and Rene Garcia made the trip abroad for Swapmoto Live, and we narrowly missed our former test rider Mike Sleeter, who made the move to Australia with his family last year and is now testing for motoonline.com. We did, however, cross paths with our buddy Dylan Woodcock; the Supercross racer handling the testing duties for Dirt Hub, a UK-based media outlet. We all got together for a tri-continental test rider podcast today, and though we all vary greatly in ages, riding abilities, and locale, we all agreed on many things about the Stark Future Varg. Enjoy!

When the FIM World Supercross Championship was announced a few months ago, we quickly assumed that MotoConcepts Racing would be involved. Mike Genova, the owner of the independent team that's become a mainstay in the paddock, has always been vocal in his beliefs that following the traditional schedule of US SX and MX would only take his team and the sport so far. So we weren't surprised when MotoConcepts Racing was among the first teams awarded a highly sought-after license. MCR will field four riders between the SX1 and SX2 categories during this year's pilot season, which will take place in the final months of 2022, and is confident that their lineup will be championship contenders. According to Genova, the program presented by SX Global checks every box for MCR, including financial support for teams, appearance fees, logistical support for the international tour, and a vested stake in the future of the series. The business side of him sees plenty of positives, too, as the commercial opportunities could bring more money to the team, its partners, and his other ventures.

Presented by Pro Taper The Hangtown Classic went off last weekend and the racing in both classes was insane! Chase and Donn were on hand in NorCal working the event, and teamed up with Anton and ARay for this morning's bench-racing session. Tune in to hear what we saw and learned at Prarie City OHV Park!

Presented by Pro Taper The 2022 Lucas Oil MX Nationals kicked off in grand fashion last weekend at Fox Raceway in Southern California, and it was an all-Honda day at the series opener with Chase Sexton, Ken Roczen, and Jett and Hunter Lawrence sweeping the top spots of the podium in both classes. A lot more went down than you can learn in the results column, though, so we got together this morning to go through it all!

Presented by Pro Taper Can you believe that the Lucas Oil MX Nationals are already upon us? This weekend, the best motocross racers in the world will converge on Fox Raceway and there will be so much to keep our eyes on, that it makes our heads spin. From nine-time World Champion Antonio Cairoli making a guest appearance to the return of Ryan Dungey to Dylan Ferrandis defending his 450 National Championship from teammate Eli Tomac...it's gonna be an incredible weekend. Alex Ray and Michael Antonovich aren't in town, but we still had a great time shooting the sh*t today.

Presented by Pro Taper The Kickstart Podcast is a day late this week because our entire editorial staff was traveling yesterday: Chase and Donn to Red Bud to test the 2023 KTMs, and Anton to Boise, Idaho, for the WPS Dealer Show. ARay is back home in Tennessee playing in the World Series of Love, and we were joined on today's show by our senior test rider at SML, Pat Foster. Lots to BS about and enjoy in this week's show, even with no racing!

For this one, we talk with Alec Gaut, a hard-working member of the logistics teams that handle the on-track appearance and safety processes for Supercross and Pro Motocross. Tour life is a dream for the Kansas native, as he's been able to visit parts of the US, watch the action up close, and become friends with his co-workers and people in the pit area. But it's not the easiest gig. Gaut and the crew spend most of the year on the road, a schedule that puts them in a new city at the start of each week and requires days to get a venue ready. In addition, travel from race to race varies; flights are necessary to get to each Supercross, while Pro Motocross is a summer-long road trip in a van. As good as Gaut is at being a flagger, he's hopeful the time on the road may lead to another position in the industry, preferably something in media. He's done camera work before, both as an aspiring freelancer and as part of the Racer TV production team, and plenty of his shots from Friday's media sessions were shared by riders this SX season. The hour with Alec was fun and motivating, as he's a true fan who's found an essential role for himself in the sport when things were very uncertain. You can find him and more of his work on Instagram, @alecgaut.

Presented by Pro Taper The 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Series is done and dusted, and the series finale at Salt Lake City's Rice-Eccles Stadium was certainly a good one! There was lots to talk about concerning the final round, from the dusty press day and Yamaha LCQ Challenge Privateer Race, to the new West Coast Champ and the Malcolm Stewart/Justin Barcia drame. Click play for a good time!

Presented by Pro Taper The 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship was decided last weekend in Denver as Eli Tomac piloted his Pro Taper-equipped Yamaha YZ450F to the second SX championship of his career, but a lot of other cool stuff went down in Colorado that we cover in this week's show. Sorry if you're a new listener, but we have a few minutes of baby talk at the start, as our man on the scene, Michael Antonovich and his wife Megan, welcomed their first child into the world last Tuesday, too!

Welcome to episode five of the King and I Podcast, where we get together with the King of Supercross, Jeremy McGrath, to bench race about all things old and new, as well as take some fan questions, and more! After a brief hiccup that saw us meet to film in two different places, we were glad to get together and share some laughs and memories! Even if you're not old enough to remember the glory days of Jeremy McGrath dominating our sport, you want to tune in to learn about the man who helped make Supercross so great today!

Presented by Pro Taper Supercross returned to Foxborough, Massachusets, last weekend after a three-year hiatus, and the enthusiastic crowd on hand inside Gillette Stadium was treated to some truly amazing racing. We recap everything we saw and heard from the weekend, and more! Michael Antonovich called in from the delivery room while he and his wife Megan are welcoming their first child into the world!

The largest minis-only race on the West Coast is coming to State Fair MX Park on April 28-May 1, and we got CMXRS Race Director Aaron Cooke in studio to run through everything that is the Mini Major with us. If you have a mini racer and plan to attend, this is a must-listen!

Presented by Pro Taper Atlanta Motor Speedway was host to last weekend's Monster Energy Supercross and the larger field space of the outdoor speedway allowed the Dirt Wurx crew to really go big with the track. The monster triple jump was the talk of the pits during Friday's press day riding sessions. but the leap was cut down significantly when riders and team personnel protested its size and positioning on the track. Our co-host Alex Ray has a first-hand account of what the track was like, and our man on the scene Michael Antonovich was our eyes and ears at the races. Today's bench racing session was all time! Enjoy!

Over the last ten years, we've watched a change in how families have fun on two wheels, thanks partly to Stacyc. Thousands of kids have learned the basics aboard the small battery-powered bikes, while parents have gotten the chance to share their love of riding easier and safer than ever before. These are things that Ryan Ragland hoped to accomplish when he first wired an assortment of RC car parts to a bicycle frame for his son. The popularity of the electric balance bikes, plus support from parent company Harley Davidson, has allowed Stacyc to develop two new models. The bikes will be meant for bigger kids, complete with 18-inch or 20-inch wheels, plus a more robust motor and battery pack to power them, and will land at retailers in the next few weeks. We spent more than an hour with Ragland talking about the company's base, its growth, and what comes next just ahead of the launch. What was the most compelling detail about the project? That Ragland got to work with his original test rider on the new bikes.

Presented by Pro Taper The St. Louis Supercross Triple Crown of Supercross was filled with so many things to talk about - from Dean Wilson's ass-tearing crash, to RJ Hampshire's first win, the Alex-on-Alex Crime that went down between Martin and Ray...we had a great time bench racing this morning!

This episode of the Midweek Podcast is another team manager talk where Michael Antonovich spent an hour on the phone with Dustin Pipes going over the Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports/Suzuki squad of Justin Bogle, Brandon Hartranft, and Adam Enticknap. Dustin does a great job of spreading the praise to everyone involved in the team, including the crew in charge of the RM-Z's setup, the decision-makers at Suzuki who know the importance of racing, and the people who help secure sponsorship agreements from corporations like the Boston Beer Company or Progressive Insurance. He knows their efforts are what allowed HEP Motorsports to get to its current level, and if things continue at this rate, they'll be the ones who benefit the most when the team reaches its competitive goals on the track. Although some use Suzuki as a weekly punchline, Pipes pointed out that the business world does not have the same perception of the company. Instead, he says the OEM's global presence and winning history have helped draw non-industry sponsors to the team.

Presented by Monster Energy In the fourth installment of the Monster Energy King and I Podcast with Jeremy McGrath, we visit the King of Supercross at his home in Encinitas, California, and chat about everything from raising two daughters to coaching current riders, and from his dingleberry helmet to retiring without the fanfare he would have liked...plus a whole lot more! If you are a fan of Jeremy McGrath - and who isn't - this is a show you don't want to miss!

Presented by Pro Taper The Monster Energy Supercross Series returned to the West Coast this weekend and the Seattle Supercross certainly didn't disappoint! In addition to Eli Tomac earning his fifth race win in a row, we had some amazing 250-class action, too! We recap all of that, and more, on today's show!

Presented by Pro Taper Okay, unless you've been living under a rock for the past few days, you already know that our cohost Alex Ray got a lot of attention at the Indianapolis Supercross for his mid-heat race tussle with Deven Raper. We got Raper on the phone today to work through the mess before getting on with our regular Kickstart Podcast bench racing. Indy was amazing, with a brutal track, great racing, and plenty more. You don't want to miss this one!

For this installment of the Midweek Podcast, Michael Antonovich called Jeff Crutcher and talked about his two-week MX Spring Break in Florida, which included seat time at track's around the sunshine state, wrenching for Scotty Wennerstrom at the Daytona Supercross, and lining up for motos at A Day In The Dirt Down South. If you've seen stuff with Jeff and Anton before, you know the back-and-forth can be a bit detailed, and that's exactly how the extended chat went. For those of you looking for a scene report from the Orlando MX area, we cover that in the first few minutes. Jeff absorbed all he could during the day with the 501 privateer and outlined some of the knowledge he aims to make use of when his RR CZ KTM team goes SX racing next year in the middle of the talk. Finally, we cover the weekend of riding at Dade City MX for A Day In The Dirt Down South, an East Coast spin-off of California's Fastest Party In Town.

Presented by Pro Taper The carnage at last weekend's Detroit Supercross was unbelievable! Needless to say, we had plenty to talk about in this morning's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast, including crazy crashes, challenging track conditions, best-ever finishes, and ARay's first main event of the year! Enjoy!