Ricky Carmichael talks broadcasting SuperMotocross League: ‘Everything is live action happening so fast

Ahead of this week’s announcement of the 2023 schedule and broadcasters for the new SuperMotocross League, one of those broadcasters took the time to talk to AA about what he expects to see this coming year. That would be Ricky Carmichael, who has a long history in both motocross (outdoor offroad circuits) and supercross (circuits, usually in stadiums, with steeper jumps and obstacles).

Ricky Carmichael.© Provided by Awful AnnouncingSuper

As a competitor, Carmichael initially set a ton of amateur records, including nine AMA amateur national championship titles and 67 overall amateur motocross titles. He then turned pro in 1996, earning the AMA Motocross Rookie of the Year award that year, and won his first of 15 AMA national championships (motocross and supercross) in 1997. Carmichael’s 150 combined motocross and supercross wins remain a record.

Following his 2007 retirement from motocross and supercross, Carmichael then moved into NASCAR competition in various series from 2008-2011. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2015. Since then, he’s been doing lots of broadcasting. That includes joining the AMA supercross broadcast team in 2018 as a part-time trackside analyst and color analyst and then moving into the broadcast booth full-time as an analyst in 2019 when those broadcasts moved from Fox Sports to NBC Sports. He told AA he’s loved his time in broadcasting to date.

“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been an incredible journey so far. And the growth that I’ve been able to make alongside some great play-by-play guys, Leigh Diffey and Todd Harris just to name a couple, it’s been fun. I love sharing my knowledge with all of our viewers and sharing stories. Every year I continue to grow, and I have goals where I want to improve, and share more and more of my knowledge with the viewers that may not know so much about supercross and motocross and the disciplines and what comes along with that. It’s been fun, it’s been a really fun challenge, and I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

Carmichael said broadcasting is sometimes even more challenging than racing, though, particularly with the speed required to get insights out while other action is still happening.

“I will say sometimes it’s a lot harder on this side of the handlebars than it was behind the handlebars. I think the biggest thing is, in our sport, everything happens so fast, and [you need] to be able to get out what you need to get out in a short amount of time before something else happens. I would say for me that is always the biggest challenge, telling the story, hitting the points so our viewer knows exactly what I’m talking about and can relate and parallel that with real-life situations, whatever that might be, giving examples of ‘Hey, this is what this guy is thinking,’ or ‘Imagine driving your car in this kind of situation,’ paralleling situations for our viewers and doing that really, really quick.”

“That is the challenging thing about our sport; we don’t have much time for replays because everything is live action happening so fast. A comparison would be like football, they do a play, the play-by-play guy calls the play and the analyst goes over how the play happened and what happened while they’re getting ready for the next down. So that’s the challenge. But it’s a fun challenge, and it keeps you sharp, man.”

Carmichael has dabbled in stock car broadcasting too, and has enjoyed that. But he said calling motocross and supercross feels natural for him given his longer experience in the sport.

“I did an Xfinity race on NBC Sports at Darlington in 2021, so that was a great opportunity, and I really had fun. It was fun to work with different producers and how they do things on the NASCAR side of things. That was a great experience, and I’m really thankful for that opportunity. But I think [supercross and motocross] was just a natural flow, especially at the beginning. It was the most natural opportunity that I could get, a natural segue, being able to be an analyst in the sport that I competed at the highest level in and have the most knowledge in compared to, say, four wheels.”

He said he’s particularly thrilled about this new SuperMotocross League and World Championship, which will combine motocross and supercross in a new season-long way.

“I really, really am excited about the SuperMotocross World Championship for several reasons. Number one, it’s bringing motocross and supercross all in one. I love the two organizations, Feld Motorsports and AMA Sports, coming together, the unity. And I love our media package; all the events, both supercross and motocross, being live on Peacock, live streaming, I think that is huge for supercross, motocross, and the SuperMotocross World Championship, the three playoff rounds. I love the integration and the two owners coming together making it as one, I think that is a great opportunity for growth.”

Carmichael said the playoff setup (two playoff rounds at the end of the season, then the championship, with seedings based on both supercross and motocross performance) is particularly exciting. He thinks it fits with what’s worked well in other sports, and will also reward versatile riders and teams.

“And forming a playoff system, you look back at baseball, football, basketball, they all have playoffs; all these racers, now instead of the segregation between supercross and motocross, it’s all in one, it’s one championship, it’s just two disciplines within that championship. And that’s what I love about it, it really makes the riders have to perform in both supercross and motocross. In the past, some guys would do much better in supercross and kind of lay down into the series in motocross.”

“Now, because of the three-race playoff system at the end of the series, the better you do in supercross and that championship, the better you do in motocross and that championship, it gives you a better-seeded position going into those three playoff rounds. So it forces those guys to really have to be good and perform at the highest level so they go through these playoff races in the best position possible.”

Carmichael competed in both disciplines, but won even more in motocross than he did in supercross. But he said he thinks it’s a great idea to combine the two and reward the riders and teams who can do both well.

“I’m a supercross and a motocross guy, but I had a lot more success in motocross. I love the hybrid system, the hybrid-style tracks that we’re going to see in the playoffs, the SuperMotocross World Championship, those three rounds there. I think it’s something new, it’s exciting. I love how it’s going to challenge not only the riders, but the teams. And what I mean by that is because it’s a hybrid track, maybe 50 percent supercross, 50 percent motocross, the bikes are going to have to be different. They’re going to have to have somewhat of an intermediate setup, something that works good enough in supercross and good enough in the motocross portion of the track.”

“It’s exciting, it’s certainly something to talk about. And what I think you’re going to see is you’re going to see some adjustments going on. I really do believe that from round one to round two of the playoffs, and then obviously for the final round, that championship round at the L.A. Coliseum [on Saturday, Oct. 14], it’s going to be a lot of fun to see just which program can adapt to this new style racing with the hybrid supercross/motocross track. There’s a lot to talk about, and I’m excited for it. It’s going to be interesting.”

Carmichael said the consistent broadcasting setup this year, where every race will be streamed live on Peacock in the U.S. (with some airing live on linear NBC networks as well, and next-day encore showings of all races on CNBC) will also help this take off further.

“And from the media package, I think it gives our fans, and potential new viewers and fans, the opportunity to watch this whole season go on and then a three-round playoff system. It’s a 31-race series, and it is the most prestigious form of offroad racing in the world, and I’m glad that we get to broadcast it live, with every single event on Peacock.”

He thinks the consistent streaming (on Peacock in the U.S., and on a full consistent SuperMotocross Video Pass package in partnership with Endeavor Streaming for international viewers) is one of the new league’s greatest assets.

“I just keep going back to our media package and being able to stream all of these events live on Peacock. I think with our demographics and what this sport brings, the age group and what it’s about, I think it really fits in nicely to the streaming world. And make no mistake about it, I think we all know streaming is the future, and I’m glad that we are on the better side of it. I’m really excited, I think it’s a great partnership, and I’m so happy that I get to be a part of it.”

2022 SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP FLASHBACK: THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS

By Trevor Nelson  Photos By Trevor Nelson & Brian Converse

The 2022 Supercross season was one for the books, as it returned to normal after two hectic years of canceled races, no fans and COVID tests every weekend. Oh, there was still the occasional COVID-19 test, but, for the most part, the stadiums were filled with fans, the riders lined up behind the gate, and the series didn’t visit the same venue three times in a row or have to race in the middle of the week. It was a by-the-book Supercross season—starting in Anaheim and ending in Salt Lake City 17 races later. 

Hopes were high at the start of the 2022 season, and if you told us how it would play out before it began, we would’ve called you crazy. How could anyone predict what would happen during a season of massive change? Before it even started at round one, riders jumped ship, often swapping factory rides. Jason Anderson, Aaron Plessinger, Malcolm Stewart and the most pivotal rider of the 2022 season, Eli Tomac, all changed teams for the 2022 Supercross season. You couldn’t tell the players by the color of their bikes anymore—Tomac from green to blue, Anderson from white to green, Stewart from blue to white, and Plessinger from blue to orange. It was a whole new ballgame. Everything was looking fresh for 2022. 

The premier 450 class was awaited with eager anticipation as some of the old hands, who had been plying the trade for a decade or more, were suddenly under pressure to perform as a handful of younger riders were trying to break through to the big time; one of them was Honda’s Chase Sexton. There was no doubt that the 450 class was getting a little geriatric, and after the first round, the top five in the 450 ranks were filled with 30-plus-year-old athletes. And that was just the tip of the iceberg, because as you went back in the places you could find 14 riders who were or would be 30 years old before the season ended—and one who was 38 years old. For a sport built on wild and crazy 16-year-olds, this was a very uncommon rider demographic.

Typically, the young guns can perform exceedingly well because of their age and health. But, in 2022, wisdom and experience dominated throughout the series, while the younger riders found creative ways of getting injured. After the halfway point of the season, the 450 class was looking like the survival of the fittest, or maybe just the oldest.

For the complete story go to www.motocrossactionmag.com

SMX title challenge not in Tomac plans at this point

Section: Competition Post: Alex Gobert

Supercross-only arrangement still the focus for season 2023.

Image: Octopi Media.

Current Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross champion Eli Tomac has no plans to challenge for the new SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) title at the end of the 2023 season.

Tomac, who recently celebrated his 30th birthday, has signed a Supercross-only extension with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing for the new year, but is unlikely to defend his 450MX crown.

While the now two-time 450SX champion will almost certainly qualify for the three-event SMX playoffs and finals, at this point Tomac isn’t intending on competing beyond the Supercross series. It’s yet to be determined if it will be his final campaign altogether.

“I wish I could say yes right now, but more than likely, it’s a no for now,” admitted Tomac when questioned by Leigh Diffey for Motorsports on NBC. “Winning never really gets old and I want to keep doing it for at least one more season of Supercross, so that’s where I’m at. When I originally signed this Monster Energy Yamaha contract, at the time it was a one-year deal and I did think that was gonna be it, but I had fun doing it, so I signed up another year…”

Tomac delivered a remarkable first year with Star Racing this season, winning both he 450SX and 450MX championships, as well as the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) at RedBud with Team USA.

At this point, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s premier class outdoor program with the new YZ450F will only feature former champion Dylan Ferrandis when Pro Motocross commences in May.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christams to all! I hope everyone enjoys the holidays.

Great time of the year to get out for a ride if you live somewhere  warm if not get to work on the bike and be ready to ride come spring. Thanks for reading and I hope to bring you more good stuff in 2023.

MX43

2023 Dakar Rally...Saudi Arabia

The 2023 Dakar Rally heads back to Saudi Arabia for its fourth edition on December 31 with the world's best off-road racers facing 5,000 racing kilometres spread over 14 timed special stages before the chequered flag finally falls at Dammam on January 15. Here is all you need to know:

About the Dakar Rally

- The Dakar Rally is the pinnacle of the Rally Raid calendar. Rally raid, also known as cross-country rallying, is a form of long-distance off-road racing that takes place over several days.

- The Dakar Rally adventure has its origins in 1977 when French motorcycle racer Thierry Sabine got lost on his motorbike in the Libyan desert during the Abidjan-Nice Rally. After navigating his way out of the desert, the Frenchman was determined to design a race that drew on his experience with a route starting in Europe, continuing to Algiers and crossing Agadez before eventually finishing at Dakar. Since that time, the Dakar Rally has evolved from racing in Africa to South America and now to Saudi Arabia.

- The race consists of one stage per day comprising at least one "special" stage each (several hundred kilometres long), which may be on or off-road. The total distance covered is several thousand kilometres. The event takes place over a period of ten to fifteen days.

- The classification of the stage is made up of the times set in the special stage plus any sporting penalties. The race requires precise navigation, which is done via a roadbook provided by the organisers and handed out at the start of each stage.

- The starting order of each special will be based on the times set in the timed sector of the previous stage, including any sporting penalties (e.g. for speeding in link sectors or missing waypoints) incurred during the stage.

- The 2023 Dakar Rally will be the longest route since 2014 participants will tackle 5,000 kilometres of specials into a prologue and 14 stages. The Prologue Stage launches on December 31, 2022, in Yanbu by the Red Sea with the field looking to make it all the way across - loaded with more dunes and potential pitfalls than ever before - to Dammam on the Arabian Gulf for a January 15 finish.

The 2023 Dakar Rally Red Bull Athletes

- Motorsport's toughest test of endurance racing sees the Red Bull Desert Wings squad of champions and fresh-faced talents preparing to push themselves to the limit over the gruelling sands of Saudi Arabia.

- In the T1 Car Class, Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel (FRA) return to Saudi Arabia behind the wheel of a Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+ with the Qatari driver aiming for a fourth Dakar title. The 51-year-old said: "We're ready to defend our title. It would be incredible to win again."

- Also using the Toyota Hilux T1+ will be Giniel De Villiers (ZAF)/Dennis Murphy (ZAF) and Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Timo Gottschalk (DEU), while Sébastien Loeb (FRA) returns in his BRX Prodrive Hunter alongside co-driver Fabian Lurquin (BEL) after being runner-up to Al-Attiyah in 2022.

- Three-time Dakar winner Carlos Sainz (ESP) and co-driver Lucas Cruz (ESP) will compete in their Audi RS Q e-tron E2 with Monsieur Dakar himself Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) and co-driver Edouard Boulanger (FRA) also joining Mattias Ekström (SWE)/ Emil Bergkvist (SWE) in Audi's three-pronged assault while Dakar stalwart Kuba Przygoński (POL) competes for MINI with co-driver Armand Monleon (ESP).

- Defending Dakar and FIM World Rally-Raid Championship bike champion Sam Sunderland (GBR) will represent Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing as he targets a third Dakar victory. He declared: "The 2023 race is looking to be one of the toughest ever. I'm under no illusion as to what that means."

- Also riding with Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing is Daniel Sanders (AUS) who scored fourth in 2021 with two-time Dakar winner Toby Price back on his KTM 450 Rally bike. The Australian said: "The terrain in Saudi Arabia makes the rally very fast. Some stages are a sprint to the finish."

- Red Bull KTM Factory Racing also boast former champions Matthias Walkner (AUT) and Kevin Benavides (ARG), while Štefan Svitko (SVK), Mohammed Balooshi (ARE) and Camille Chapelière (FRA) line up too.

- In the side-by-side category, a new collaboration between the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team and Can-Am sees 20-year-old Seth Quintero (USA) racing a Can-Am Maverick T3 alongside co-driver Dennis Zenz (GER). He said: "I think we've got a really good base and shot at winning Dakar." Seth Quintero holds the record for the most stages won in the Dakar Rally, with 12 stage wins 2022.

- Austin 'AJ' Jones (USA)/Gustavo Gugelmin (BRA) and Mitch Guthrie (USA)/Kellon Walch (USA) also line up with Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP) and co-driver Pablo Moreno (ESP) taking charge of a Can-Am Maverick for the first Dakar time. She enthused: "We're going to have some fun for sure."

- Reigning Dakar T3 champions Chaleco López (CHL) and Juan Pablo Latrach (CHL) are now team-mates of Gutiérrez with Rokas Baciuška (LTU)/Oriol Vidal (ESP), Guillaume De Mevius (BEL)/François Cazalet (FRA) and three-time quad race winner Ignacio Casale (CHL) and navigator Alvaro León (CHL) also on the start line as the motorsport world gets set for another titanic tussle over the sand dunes to start the New Year.

West Michigan man named to Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30′ list for motocross parts business

NEWAYGO COUNTY, MI — A professional motocross rider from West Michigan is finding a new type of success in the sport as a businessman.

Nick Tomasunas, of Newaygo, and his business MX Locker were recently named as one of Forbes Magazine’s 2023 “30 Under 30″ retail and E-commerce businesses.

Tomasunas has been racing professionally for the last four years and started MX Locker with his friends Ryan Amolis and Andrew Samole.

MX Locker serves as an online marketplace to buy new and used motocross gear and bike parts. The MX Locker app launched in the spring of 2021 and has since grown to service over 100,000 users.

“Ryan started this as his little side project in college and he’d go to us riders and ask to buy our old gear,” said Tomasunas, who serves as the company’s chief marketing officer. “I caught wind of that and I helped him out, becoming his first team rider.”

Motocross can be a high-stakes sport, from the risk for serious injuries to some seriously large price tags. A higher-end helmet for the sport can run between $700-$800, not to mention the actual bikes.

“It really depends on how involved you want to get, but for suspension, that can run $10,000,” Tomasunas said. “If you’re to go out and buy a wheel set, that’s $1,500. There’s a ton of money in motocross. Even race fuel is $50-$75 a gallon. It’s gnarly.”

Those costs can be particularly inhibitive to new riders just getting into the sport who are unsure if they want to shell out thousands of dollars yet.

“What’s so great about this app is that we’re a marketplace for new and used stuff,” Tomasunas said. “So for people looking into getting into this sport, they can find used deals to somewhat get into this sport.”

MX Locker serves as a specialized marketplace for riders to sell their used items directly to others interested in the sport. Tomasunas said the most popular items for sale are bike suspensions and boots.

“Motocrossers love their boots and you go through them fairly quickly,” he said.

Other items for sale on the app include graphics, brakes, tires, fuel systems, gloves, goggles, engine parts and other apparel.

Tomasunas said it was his business partners’ idea to apply for the Forbes “30 Under 30″ list, but he didn’t think they would actually be selected.

“What are the chances of us making that list?” he said. “I woke up at 6:30 a.m. (the day the list came out) and Ryan texted me a like to it with no context. It was unreal.”

According to the business’s Forbes profile, MX Locker is on track to pass over $3 million in sales by the end of 2022.

“It’s my entire life now,” Tomasunas said. “I love it. I wake up and I’m excited to work and be surrounded by it. I don’t really race as much anymore, but this is the most important to me. A pro racer doesn’t really make that much money unless you’re in the top five, so now I’m chasing this business and riding for fun.”

Tomasunas said he and his business partners hope to be able to expand the user base of their marketplace to over 1 million people.

“Honestly, we’re taking things day by day, but I want this thing to grow into the seven figures,” he said.

MX Locker is available for download on smartphones or can be accessed at its website, mxlocker.com.

SuperMotocross World Championship

SuperMotocross League’s Dave Prater talks new world championship, broadcast team, NBC/Peacock deal, and more

"It's action-packed. It's kind of modern-day Evel Knievel. They're the best in the world at what they do. "

 

NBCOriginalsPeacockRacingStreamingBy Andrew Bucholtz on 12/20/2022

2023 will mark the 50th year of the AMA Supercross Championship, and that championship will now be part of a year-long SuperMotocross League unifying the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. There will be 31 races across supercross and pro motocross, with all of those available live on Peacock. 23 will stream live exclusively on Peacock, with eight also broadcast live on other NBC platforms, and next-day encores for all races on CNBC.

The SuperMotocross League announced its schedule and broadcasting team Tuesday. It will start with the supercross season opener from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., live on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 10 p.m. ET on Peacock and USA Network. An encore presentation will air the following day on Sunday, Jan. 8, on NBC at 2 p.m. ET and on CNBC at 1 a.m. ET. The 2023 pro motocross season begins with the Fox Raceway National in Pala, Calif., on Saturday, May 27, at 4 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock. There are still going to be individual supercross and motocross championships, but the overall season will end with two playoff events and then the SuperMotocross World Championship Final, which will air live on Saturday, Oct. 14 on USA and Peacock. And they’ve put together quite a lineup of broadcasters; here’s more from a release on that.

The 2023 SuperMotocross commentary team will consist of Leigh Diffey, Todd Harris, Daniel Blair, and Jason Weigandt as play-by-play announcers across all 31 events. 15-time AMA champion Ricky Carmichael and seven-time AMA champion James Stewart will serve as analysts throughout the year while Blair, Will Christien, and former veteran racer Jason Thomas will provide on-track reports.

Race Day Live will expand in 2023 to cover all 31 races of the SuperMotocross World Championship series exclusively on Peacock. Dan Hubbard and Daniel Blair will serve as hosts of the pre-race program, which will feature 2.5 hours of coverage for each Supercross event, one hour for each Pro Motocross event, and 2.5 hours for both SuperMotocross Playoff events and the SuperMotocross World Championship Final.

Ahead of Tuesday’s schedule release, Dave Prater, vice president for supercross at Feld Entertainment, Inc (the SuperMotocross League parent company) spoke to AA on this new league launch and on their schedule. He said the combined league seemed like a logical evolution for these competitions:

“I think it was just the natural next step. Pro motocross is really where supercross gets its roots, 1974 when supercross was invented, it was first out of pro motocross. And it’s been really the same athletes, the same race teams that have been doing both championships for 50 years now, so it really was just the next step to bring the two sports together and collectively try to grow the sport as a whole.”

Prater said the combined season will be helpful from a storytelling perspective.

“There’s the storyline that we can now follow from January all the way through to October. It’s going to be continuous, and there’s obviously going to be twists and turns along the way, with the supercross championship being first and the motocross championship being second. There are going to be stories that overlap those two championships, and there will be riders who are unfortunately injured and have to come back, and that type of thing.”

“In the past, we really told the stories in two separate chunks, very siloed. We would tell the supercross story and then when that was done, we closed the book, put it away and waited until next year, and then we’d start with the motocross story. This is really going to continue a story that fans can follow for the entire year. So that’s what I’m most excited about.”

Back in October, Feld Entertainment and NBC announced the creation of this league and that all races would be available live on Peacock. Prater said the consistency there will be be a boost for fans.

“It’s definitely easier. Obviously the fans know now that there’s one platform where they can go and watch all the races, all 31. In the past, that hasn’t been the case. …I think the unification under one network and one streaming platform, I think that’s just great for the fans. It’s going to make it easy. People will know where to go and when to watch it and how to watch it.”

And Prater said he’s thrilled with the announcing team they’ve put together.

“You can’t really get any better than Leigh Diffey and Ricky Carmichael. When it comes to supercross and motocross, Ricky is the GOAT. He’s been doing not only supercross but at least four or five motocross broadcasts. And then we’ve also got James Stewart, who’s an AMA Hall of Fame member just recently. We’ve got Jason Weigandt, who’s a long-time motocross play-by-play guy. So we really have a strong collective team that’s going to be used.”

Prater said it’s another benefit of the new league to combine some of that talent across the different events.

“And it’s not only now in supercross and then we have another team that does motocross. We’re going to cross-pollinate, for lack of a better term, some of that announcing talent throughout supercross and motocross, and then obviously the playoffs and the Supermotocross World Championship finals.”

For those new to supercross or motocross, Prater said both competitions are worth checking out, and this combined league may provide a way in for new fans.

“It’s the world’s most elite dirt bike racers. It’s action-packed. It’s kind of modern-day Evel Knievel. They’re the best in the world at what they do. And the two separate disciplines, one (supercross) inside a stadium, it’s tight, they have to be precise. And then one outside, it’s wide open, it’s endurance, and speed, and pure guts. It’s a spectacle, it’s the 20 best riders in the world.”

RJ...Intensity

KR Why He Switched to Suzuki

Ken Roczen spoke to Steve Matthes and Micheal Lindsay on the Pulp MX show about his switch to Suzuki, and the German says he loves the bike and believes he can win races on the yellow machine!

Roczen also talked about riding the Stark Varg and the drug test drama at WSX that he took that he says was blown out of proportion. Roczen also confirmed that he has the option to race outdoors or WSX after the AMA indoor season.

“It did something for me,” said Roczen on riding the Suzuki for the first time. “I have been on that bike a lot, although it is a lot different than 2016 but my goal… I had been with Honda for so many years. I loved the whole team (Firepower Honda team he raced Paris and WSX). I loved working with them and they did a really good job with the bike but ultimately, I’m like, man, I’m in this position and my biggest goal was to expand my horizons and try something different and spark it up in my career.

“I was pretty sold (on staying with his private Honda team), but at the same time I wanted to give this a legit shot, I didn’t want go up there and make pre decisions on how it was going to be, I just wanted to go up there and ride it. I rode it for a couple of days, and I ended up going with those guys (HEP), and I am really stoked that I did. I enjoyed it, I was going for something new and I just had a good feeling about it. It felt familiar, I really like the size of the bike – it felt bigger to me than the Honda. I’m excited to tinker with it a little bit more, but for the base they gave me I was really impressed with it.”

Sexton on the New Season

 With a new teammate and added direction at Team Honda HRC, the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross season is shaping up to be a strong one for Chase Sexton. Alongside Colt Nichols at Honda now and coming off one of his best campaigns yet, the 23-year-old is on the verge of piecing it altogether for a run at the 450SX championship and he spoke to us at length for this latest Inside Line interview.