Swapmoto Live Podcast

Presented by Monster Energy In the third installment of The King and I Podcast, we decided to relocate to Jeremy McGrath's home in Encinitas, California. And you know what that means...a trip down memory lane in his massive garage and man cave! Getting to sit down and chat with the King of Supercross about old memories, what's going on these days. and more, is something that we will never grow tired of. So grab a cold beverage, sit back, and enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper The Daytona Supercross is regarded as the toughest and most challenging stop on the Monster Energy Supercross circuit, and last weekend's race surely did not disappoint when it came to great action and excitement. We gathered this morning to recap and bench race about everything that went down at the start of Bike Week 2022.

We spent an hour talking with Bruce Stjernstrom about the changes made by Monster Energy Kawasaki ahead of the 2022 season and the current state of the sport. A lifelong race fan who's held his executive positions in the industry, including four terms with Kawasaki, Stjernstrom's explanations and outlook leave little to misinterpret.Although Eli Tomac's departure from the green team was one of the most significant developments of the last year, the group's decision to put Jason Anderson alongside Adam Cianciarulo has yielded immediate success. To date, Anderson has claimed three Main Event wins, has outdueled the sport's best on multiple occasions, and is ranked second overall in the 450 Class championship standings.Is Stjernstrom surprised? Less by the results and more by Anderson's personality. Part of Bruce's role as Director of all racing operations at Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A is finding the right people for the job and seeing how they work together as a group, something he says Anderson has been excellent at.Another topic discussed at length was the perception that Monster Energy Kawasaki is very strict regarding bike setup. Over the last few years, we've heard repeated comments by former racers that the group prefers the KX450SR to be tuned and ridden a certain way, and this was said to be a factor in Tomac's decision. Stjernstrom says this is not exactly the case; yes, the team has lots of data to show what the motorcycle does on the track and what it's capable of, but they're still more than willing to try parts or settings if a rider is interested.Because our call came hours after announcements for the FIM World Supercross Championship, I asked Stjernstrom if the series is something Kawasaki is interested in following. In recent years, the Monster Energy Kawasaki team has turned away from international events to instead focus on the American-based series, and Stjernstrom outlined some of the reasons for their absence at things like the Motocross of Nations. Simply put, racing in America is where Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A wants its efforts to be directed, thanks to the largest off-road bike-buying market in the world and the two established series that travel the country.

Presented by Pro Taper Can you say WILD? The Arlington Triple Crown was full of great racing, takeouts, collisions, and crashes! We got together this morning to do some super-fun bench racing about everything that went down in Texas!

Presented by Monster Energy With 72 Supercross wins to his credit, Jeremy McGrath is the undeniable King of Supercross, and he has a lifetime's worth of stories, memories, and anecdotes to share with his fans. With a friendship that spans three decades, MC and swap sit down for the second installment of the King and I Podcast to do some good old-fashioned bench racing. Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper The Monster Energy Supercross Championship headed east after six weeks on the West Coast, and US Bank Stadium played host to round seven and. the kickoff of the Eastern Region 250 Supercross Championship last weekend. There was a ton to talk about, so hit play and hear what we have to say!

Andrew Bocarossa is a fast 20 something and aspiring videographer from the Northeast. We were introduced to Andrew last summer at the Southwick National by mutual friend Jared Conley, the man behind In A World Of Echo, and we sat down for a Privateer Power interview that you can find on our site. What sets Andrew apart from other video guys is that all of his footage is shot on film, a medium that while expensive and time consuming, remains a favorite for creative types. His latest project, Extended Vacation, is from time spent in Southern California, a trip he made on a whim while waiting out the winter up north.Bocarossa is true to his word when he says he wants to make videos like the ones he grew up watching, as Extended Vacation's nine-minute runtime shows Darryn Durham and Patrick Evan in the hills of Reche Canyon and then transitions to a slew of fast pros like Josh Hill, Hunter Yoder, Logan Karnow, Dylan Woodcock and more at Lake Elsinore's SX track, all cut to tunes by Turbonegro and Deftones.All of the work is funded by Andrew full-time job of cleanup and reconstruction of dilapidated homes. While there is no corporate check covering the costs of film development or travel, Andrew has completely control of the look and edit. It's cool to hear a guy take on a passion project like this, with no expectations or direction, and hopefully see more from him in the coming months.

Presented by Pro Taper The Monster Energy Supercross Series has officially left SoCal and we'd be lying if we didn't admit to being a bit sad about it. It's always nice when the racing is happening in our backyards and man...things went out with a bang at the third and final Anaheim Supercross! We apologize for the one-day delay on this week's Kickstart Podcast...swap forgot to bring the audio recorder to the office yesterday and blamed a Supercross hangover! Enjoy.

Presented by Monster Energy Having the world's fastest and most accomplished landlord is pretty dang cool, and if we didn't take advantage of the days when Jeremy McGrath was in the shop, we'd be fools! Welcome to The King and I podcast, where swap gets to sit down with MC and reminisce about their three-decade friendship and bench race about everything from the good ole days, to what's going on with The King of Supercross nowadays!

Presented by Pro Taper The first Monster Energy Triple Crown went off inside State Farm Stadium last weekend in Glendale, Arizona, and there was PLENTY for us to bench race about today on the Kickstart Podcast. We have Anton in town today and it was great to have a full house. Enjoy!

Dave Prater has been part of Supercross for decades and his current role as Senior Director of Operations for Two-Wheels at Feld Entertainment means he's involved in almost every aspect of the series, from team relations and tour scheduling to television broadcasting and social media strategy.Prater's input is especially important now, as Supercross is beginning a new era. The organization has experienced its share of setbacks and successes since 2020, a chain of events that made Feld Entertainment reassess plans for future growth, improved their connection to the paddock, and gave them chance to try things with Tuesday night races. Ultimately, Feld Entertainment decided it'd be in the series' best interest to end their working agreement with the FIM and return to a 17-stop tour of venues exclusively in the United States, with races managed by the AMA and happening in the usual Saturday evening time slot.

Presented by Pro Taper Round four of the Monster Energy Supercross Series returned to Anaheim this weekend for the second of three stops at Angels Stadium, and the racing proved to be everything we have been hoping for, and more! Chase, Anton, ARay and swap recap everything that went down at Anaheim Two, and more!

Presented by Pro Taper The San Diego Supercross was a barn burner full of great racing, big crashes, retaliation takeouts, and of course, wild moves by our very own Alex Ray. With Anton in town it was a great time today with a full house for this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast!

Presented by Yoshimura R&DFor the first episode of the Midweek Podcast presented by Yoshimura R&D, we got in touch with Carey Hart to discuss his ambassadorship role with helmet technology company MIPS, how improvements in protection and equipment have been accepted by other disciplines of motorcycling, and what he sees from his place in the industry.

Presented by Pro Taper Round two of the Monster Energy Supercross Series headed to NorCal's RingCentral Coliseum, and the results in the premier division were surprising, to say the least! The track was big, rough, and claimed many competitors throughout the weekend, including our co-host Alex Ray who is still on a quest to qualify for a 450 main event. We recap the event's happenings from four different locations on today's Kickstart Podcast presented by Pro Taper.

Presented by Pro Taper Well, we made it through Hell Week. Between parties, press conferences, photo shoots, and more, the week leading up to Anaheim One is always as taxing as it is exciting. And what a race it was! The action in both classes was amazing and we don't think anyone could have predicted the things that transpired on the track inside Angel's Stadium. With Michael Antonovich in town, Alex Ray, swap, and Chase Curtis, all break down the ins and outs of the race that was A1.

Presented by Pro Taper We're less than a week away from the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship Series kickoff at Angel's Stadium in Anaheim, California, and things couldn't be more exciting as teams and riders wrap up their final preparations for the season opener. We spent the morning at State Fair SX checking out some riders in action - including our very own Alex Ray - and things are gonna be good this weekend!

Presented by Pro Taper It's the Monday after Christmas and all of us seem to be a little hungover from the holiday. Still - as usual - we had a ton to talk about as the 2022 Supercross Season is rapidly approaching. We posted a $500 main event bounty for our boy Alex Ray in order to motivate him at A1. Anyone wanna pitch in? DM us on Instagram!

Earlier this week, the FIM announced it entered a partnership with promotion group SX Global to create a new racing series, the FIM Supercross World Championship. Although SX Global is a new endeavor by Adam Bailey, Ryan Sanderson, and Tony Cochrane, the Australian group has a history of holding on Supercross races, has been involved with the FIM, and is experienced in motorsports. Bailey and Sanderson were behind the AUS-X Open in Australia and the S-X Open in New Zealand, events that boosted the sport in the Southern Hemisphere and acted as the FIM Oceania International Supercross Championship. Cochrane, meanwhile, served as the founding chairman of the V8 Supercars Championship and helped it become the premier motorsport series in Australia. We rang up Adam Bailey to learn more about the new series for this installment of the Midweek Podcast.

The countdown is on and Anaheim One is only a few days away. And you know what that means....dudes are slamming the mat! Sadly, we were on hand at State Fair MX this morning and a couple of guys went down big. Thankfully both are okay, but man it was scary for a minute there. We talk about that and a whole lot more in this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast. Enjoy!

On Tuesday, another OEM entered the off-road motorcycle segment, this time with an all-new electric-powered machine. STARK Future, an independent brand created by industry executives, has presented the VARG as its initial offering. The VARG is a high-performance bike that produces up to 80hp, weighs 242 pounds, offers wide adjustability to the power curve, and can run between one to six hours on a single charge.STARK Future says it made several advancements in electric-powered technology with the VARG motorcycle, including creating what they say is the most energy-dense production system in the world. The honeycomb magnesium case-structure battery produces 6kWh while weighing 32kg, roughly equating to the same power output as a 450cc bike. A complete recharge cycle can take as little as an hour, depending on the power source and charger used.Josh Hill was involved in the VARG's test and launch, so we called him to discuss the ride and his attraction to electric bikes.

Presented by Pro Taper Can you believe there are only a few weeks until the gate drops at Angel's Stadium for the first Supercross of the year? Tracks are abuzz in SoCal with riders fine-tuning their Supercross skills and bike setups, and we're lucky enough to get to see lots of them in action. We also got to test the 2022 Kawasaki KX450SR this morning, but we can't talk about it yet...haha!

If you've been following along this offseason, then you've heard about the moves made by riders and mechanics in the pit area. We cannot remember a time for mechanics as hectic as this one because, in addition to the usual moves from one rig to the next, a handful of guys have decided to leave their positions entirely.Matt Winters is one of the few that decided to call time on his wrenching career. Paired with Colt Nichols at Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha in 2021, the duo scored three Main Events wins, finished on the podium in every race, and claimed the 250 East Coast Region title, a career-first championship for both the racer and mechanic.It was a massive moment for Winters, a Maryland native who had worked for three high-profile teams. During our call, Winters went over almost everything that happened during the past decade, like his early aspirations shadowing local tuner Shane Sneft, how he became Cooper Webb's legal guardian, what it was like to build a bike from scratch at Red Bull KTM, the chassis changes he and Shane McElrath made to a Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM, and how he returned to Star Racing for a second stint.So, given all that success, what would make a guy want to stop? Matt was very forthcoming in his reasons and said that finally accomplishing a lifelong dream was one of the things that made him reconsider his priorities. Fortunately, fellow former mechanic Kristian Ortiz helped Winters get lined up with a new gig at SpaceX, with a position at the aerospace group's Florida facility.

Presented by Pro Taper It's crunch time and there are only 33 days until the Anaheim Supercross season opener! There was a lot to talk about on today's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast, including some mysterious news with ARay's SGB Racing team that we tried to get to the bottom of. We even had a couple of callers that made things even more fun. Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper We hope everyone had an amazing holiday with family and friends last week! After the Turkey was gobbled, the SML crew loaded up and headed to Glen Helen Raceway for the Red Bull Day in the Dirt Motocross Grand Prix. We've been to well over a dozen of the events, which is now in it's 24th running, and it is always fun to race, bench race afterward, and party in the pits. We chat about that and a lot more, in this week's KSP. Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper It's hard to believe that the holidays are already here, but alas, Thanksgiving is this Thursday and we are about to enter the crunch time portion of the off-season with Anaheim 1 only a few short weeks away. The SML staff got together a day late this week to put together the Kickstart podcast, but the mood was high, the laughs were plenty, and the info was thick. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Presented by Pro Taper Can you believe that we're already halfway through November? Before you know it, we'll be waiting for our passes at Angel's Stadium at Anaheim One! This week on the Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast, co-host Alex Ray phones in from the California high desert, where he's three weeks deep into pre-season boot camp with Carson Mumford, Derek Drake, and. their trainer, Davi Millsaps. Anton talks about the Hoosier Arenacross he attended last weekend, Chase and Donn discuss last week's grueling 250 shootout, and we all predict how many hours (or minutes) ARay's new Honda CR250R two-stroke build will last before he blows it up.

Presented by Pro Taper Last weekend, we were all at the 2021 Mini Major West, the largest all-minis motocross race of the year. With nearly 1000 mini racers signed up, it was a wild four days of action that never seemed to end. With Alex Ray in boot camp in the high dez, big Dominig Gaytan filled in on this week's show!

Presented by Pro Taper Man, this off-season stuff is getting old! We are ready to go racing...how about you? ARay's dad Ronnie is in town and he sat on the couch and watched today's podcast recording with a smile on his face, but he was also shaking his head quite a bit, too! Haha!

Presented by Pro Taper The off-season is in full effect but we have still been busy regardless of whether or not there are races to attend. Anton about drowned at Ironman Raceway last weekend swap got his butt kicked at LACR, and ARay ruined one of our brand-new test bikes in 30 minutes of riding last week. See? Always a lot to talk about with our cast of characters! Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper Another off-season weekend has passed but just because there was no racing to bench race about, that doesn't mean we didn't have a good time! Chase Curtis was busy working on our 2022 450 Shootout video, so Bar X Motorsports/Ecstar/Chaparral/Suzuki's Derek Drake filled in for him, joining Michael Antonovich, Donn Maeda, and Alex Ray on the mic today. We had a good time. Enjoy!

Presented by O'Neal It's been a few weeks since Malcolm Stewart was announced as a full-time member of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team through 2023, and Mookie has been so busy getting ready for the new season that it has taken us this long to track him down! We finally got Malc on the phone today for a quick podcast, to see how he's liking his new FC 450, adapting to the Bakers Factory program, and much more! Above is a video version for those who prefer YouTube, and below is the podcast player. Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper It's another off-season Monday, but this one is special because we have our whole SML family under one roof as Michael Antonovich is in town for a wedding. Furthermore, ARay's big team news has finally dropped so we get to hear about all of that, plus a whole lot more in this installment of the Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast!

Presented by Pro Taper In spite of there being no racing last weekend, there was a lot to talk about on today's Kickstart Podcast presented by Pro Taper. Our very own Michael Antonovich got to the bottom of the Supercross Vaccine Mandate rumors over the weekend so we discuss the ins and outs of that, as well as cover all of the surprising silly season switches and empty slots that we know about. ARay went home to Tennessee over the weekend so we got to hear about home cooking and all the weight he's put on in the off-season, and swap talks about the rope between two trees that he got taken out by last week. Haha!

This is the audio-only version of the SML Show starring Jo Shimoda, following his excellent 2021 season with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team!

Presented by Pro Taper We had fun this morning recapping what we saw at the 2021 Motocross of Nations, but more than that; we had an awesome time sharing stories with each other about our individual motocross experiences. Why do we love it? How did we get started? What do dirt bikes mean to each of us? Please drop us a DM or comment on social media to give us your feedback or ideas about future show talking points!

Presented by Pro Taper The off-season is in full swing, and you'd think we had nothing to talk about in this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast, but the non-racing shit is arguably even more fun to shoot! Anton was in Kansas last week for the Red Bull Imagination 2.0 event with 12 of the gnarliest free riders in the world on hand and had lots of stories to tell. ARay, meanwhile, spent last week in Punta Cana on vacation with two other couples. If you saw any of the Instagram stories last week, you'll wanna hear his stories, too.

Presented by Pro Taper Well, that's a wrap! The 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Nationals came to a close at Prarie City OHV Park in Sacramento this weekend, and we go over all of the exciting things that went down on the track and behind the scenes. We also had the Seven MX Mini Major East at Monster Mountain MX in Alabama this weekend, and we touch on that as well; including Chad Reed and his three kids coming out for their first big motocross race!

The big news in the hours leading up to last weekend's Fox Raceway Two MX National was that the FXR/Chaparral/Honda team would cease to operate following this weekend's Hangtown series finale, leaving team riders Carson Mumford and Coty Shock without rides. There are multiple sides to every story, of course, but we asked team owner Michael Lindsay to give us his reasons for shutting down the team after two successful seasons of competition.

Presented by Pro Taper The Fox Raceway Two National went off this weekend and the whole Kickstart Podcast crew was on hand to see what went down. With Michael Antonovich in town, we had the whole team together for this morning's recording, and it was a great time! Listen in for some things we saw and learned at the penultimate race of the season!

This is the audio file from the SML Show, presented by OGIO Powersports and Yamaha Motorsports, with Ryan Hughes. This is part one of two.

Presented by Pro Taper The heat was on at Ironman Raceway in Indiana last weekend! Michael Antonovich and Alex Ray spent the day sweating their asses off in the infield and had plenty of insight about what went down on today's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast. COVID-19 absences, big crashes, spectacular rides...you name it. Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper The staff of SML was all over the map today and we were so conflicted with scheduling that Alex Ray couldn't even come on as he was kidnapped in Las Vegas. swap is on vacation in Whistler, Canada, and called in between downhill runs, joining Michael Antonovich and Chase Curtis for some good ole bench racing about last weekend's race!

Presented by Pro Taper Technica difficulties prevented us from bringing you the Kickstart Podcast on Monday, but we got the crew together today from four different locations to get the deed done today! Unadilla was a wild one and there was plenty to talk about. Join swap, Anton, ARay, and Chase as we bench race about the who, what, why, and where of Unadilla!

The Mini Major East presented by Seven MX is only a few weeks away. The September 10-12 event will be held at Monster Mountain MX in Alabama, and it's one of my favorite events of the year. I got CMXRS Race Director Aaron Cooke on the phone to find out more about the Mini Major East, and also to chat about the AMSOIL Swapmoto Race Series.

Presented by OGIO Powersports and Yamaha This is the audio-only version of today's SML Show for all you podcasters out there! Wil Hahn is the new Team Trainer of the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/Gas Gas Factory Racing team. We speak to the little guy about his big career change and lots more!

Presented by Pro Taper Anton was in Hurrican Mills, Tennessee, all of last week at the annual AMA Amateur National Championships. We shoot to poop about everything that he saw down at the ranch and more, on this week's Kickstart Podcast presented by Pro Taper. Our show is actually early today because swap had to get home to wait for a refrigerator repairman. Lol!

Presented by Pro Taper This week's installment of the Pro taper Kickstart Podcast is a few days late because we were all spread across the United States on Monday for different reasons. Even now, Anton is at Loretta Lynn' with zero cell service, so we invited SML Senior Test Rider Pat Foster to fill in. This week we get the lowdown on all of Alex Rays surgeries and he talks about pooping a lot, and then we cover the 2022 Honda CRF250R media launch that we attended this past Sunday through Tuesday. Not a lot of pro racing talk, but still a good time!

Brady Sheren is a former professional motocross racer who wanted to give back to the sport that he loves most. In addition to helping launch Matrix, the popular motorcycle stand, and accessory brand, Sheren was the leader in the development and production of the Atlas Air Brace, which was largely regarded as the easiest neck brace to grow accustomed to. Sheren and Atlas Brace dropped a big one on the motocross industry a few weeks ago when they introduced the Vision Anti-Compression Collar, which is by far, the most comfortable and least restrictive protective device for the neck that we've ever ridden in.

Presented by OGIO Powersports and FMF Racing Josh Hansen joined us for a second time on the SML Show, and this is the audio-only version for our friends who listen on the road!