January 2020
Racer X Illustrated
January 2020
keep scrolling
For up-to-the-second breaking news, race information, bike tests, and everything moto, check out
For an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the sport of motocross with content you won’t find anywhere else, subscribe to
Racer X Magazine.
Available in print and digital.
Subscribe now at racerxonline.com/subscribe or call (877) 684 0080
Davey Coombs
Reason For Being
By Davey Coombs
Davey Coombs
Reason For Being
By Davey Coombs
W

hen I heard that the Red Bull Straight Rhythm event at Pomona Fairgrounds was going to become a strictly two-stroke affair, my first thought was that they were taking a very big risk with the success of the event. Sure, everyone loves two-strokes, but not everyone has one. But as the event drew closer, it morphed into something very different and special—a mass tribute to the nineties and early 2000s. And rather than prevent a lot of top guys and their teams from participating, it inspired them to join the retro vibe of it all.

RacerX January 2020 Racer in air
Red Bull Straight Rhythm is as much a competition as a costumed tribute to those halcyon days when the sport was as much about play as work.
Jason Weigandt once made a really good point to me: even in polarizing times, everyone loves retro. We were discussing the various gimmicks that riders and gear companies often come up with for the fans, like wearing the local NFL team’s jersey for opening ceremonies to endear themselves to the fanbase, race promoters trying to organize a “pink race” for breast-cancer awareness, or even military salutes. It sometimes works, like when Monster Energy AMA Supercross goes to San Diego, where there’s a large military presence, but those successes are few and far between.
Jason Weigandt
Voice Box

By JASON WEIGANDT   Racer X Twitter  @JASONWEIGANDT

Jason Weigandt
Voice Box

By JASON WEIGANDT   Racer X Twitter  @JASONWEIGANDT

I

didn’t attend the Monster Energy Cup. Instead, I handed the keys to the city (or at least the media passes) to noob Racer X Online associate editor Mitch Kendra and our West Coast advertising master, Trent Lopez. You can read their The Odd Couple-meets-The Hangover story on page 92.

In contrast, I try to spend the off-season doing off-season things, but the racing is never far away. So while practice was taking place in Las Vegas, I was attending a baby shower for my friend Jonny Oler and his wife, Heather, who are expecting their first child. Oler spent 12 years as the suspension man for Joe Gibbs Racing MX but recently stepped down to spend more time with his family. Monster Cup was supposed to mark his first race on the wagon, but just as quickly as Jonny was out, he was pulled back in via Chad Reed’s late entry to the race. Oler worked with Reed at JGR last year, so when Reed needed suspension help fast, Oler pitched in with his new company, Art of War. Jonny helped Chad with some testing, built some settings, and shipped it off to Sam Boyd Stadium.

Underneath the costumes and retro bikes, the riders at Red Bull Straight Rhythm couldn’t help but take everything seriously. Because they’re racers!
WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS
PHOTOS: Spencer Owens
Opening Spread: Octopi Media/Red Bull Photo Files
THE WORLD HAS SEEN so much of Travis Pastrana over the last 20-some years, but his real essence could only be seen here—where most of the world couldn’t see him. The riders were trying to dissect a particularly difficult rhythm lane on Friday night during practice at the sixth edition of Red Bull Straight Rhythm. The event is designed as the anti-serious anti-race, eschewing the basic principles of corner speed and fitness and replacing them with only the fun stuff. Instagram as opposed to Facebook.

Straight Savages
Underneath the costumes and retro bikes, the riders at Red Bull Straight Rhythm couldn’t help but take everything seriously. Because they’re racers!
WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS
PHOTOS: Spencer Owens
Opening Spread: Octopi Media/Red Bull Photo Files
THE WORLD HAS SEEN so much of Travis Pastrana over the last 20-some years, but his real essence could only be seen here—where most of the world couldn’t see him. The riders were trying to dissect a particularly difficult rhythm lane on Friday night during practice at the sixth edition of Red Bull Straight Rhythm. The event is designed as the anti-serious anti-race, eschewing the basic principles of corner speed and fitness and replacing them with only the fun stuff. Instagram as opposed to Facebook.
We follow privateer Marshal Weltin on his one-man tour of the one-off races that comprise the fall American motocross season
WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS
Summer is over. The days may be getting shorter, the evenings a little chillier, the time off from work and school stretched to the limits, but moto is still calling. It’s all part of a new trend in American motocross, and it’s picking up speed. All over the country, season-ending destination and theme races are popping up, almost like homecoming events to cap the season. These races throw back to a simpler, easier time in motocross, when the sport was about simply racing on the weekend, not just putting in endless laps at training facilities and endless hours in the gym. Though the general recipe is similar—healthy doses of premix and vintage, pit bikes and pizza, live music and local moto celebrities, with maybe a best-whip contest to top it all off—each has a unique flavor of its own. Whether it’s a big-name bounty race, pit-bike rave-up, freestyle demo, or even a full-blown costume party, these one-off events are meant to be easygoing get-togethers with the emphasis as much on fun as on racing. Welcome to a small but sweet slice of the American motocross pie.
Motocross
We follow privateer Marshal Weltin on his one-man tour of the one-off races that comprise the fall American motocross season
WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS
Summer is over. The days may be getting shorter, the evenings a little chillier, the time off from work and school stretched to the limits, but moto is still calling. It’s all part of a new trend in American motocross, and it’s picking up speed. All over the country, season-ending destination and theme races are popping up, almost like homecoming events to cap the season. These races throw back to a simpler, easier time in motocross, when the sport was about simply racing on the weekend, not just putting in endless laps at training facilities and endless hours in the gym. Though the general recipe is similar—healthy doses of premix and vintage, pit bikes and pizza, live music and local moto celebrities, with maybe a best-whip contest to top it all off—each has a unique flavor of its own. Whether it’s a big-name bounty race, pit-bike rave-up, freestyle demo, or even a full-blown costume party, these one-off events are meant to be easygoing get-togethers with the emphasis as much on fun as on racing. Welcome to a small but sweet slice of the American motocross pie.
We sent our youngest, greenest staff member to Las Vegas to cover the Monster Energy Cup. And they also have parties there, we hear?
WORDS: MITCH KENDRA
PHOTOS: JEFF KARDAS & RICH SHEPHERD
Like AC on his KX450, I was making my Sin City debut during the 2019 Monster Energy Cup. We were both neon rookies—Adam quite literally in his bright throwback gear—but we all know how his weekend went. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how it all played out.
Neon Rookies
We sent our youngest, greenest staff member to Las Vegas to cover the Monster Energy Cup. And they also have parties there, we hear?
WORDS: MITCH KENDRA
PHOTOS: JEFF KARDAS & RICH SHEPHERD
Like AC on his KX450, I was making my Sin City debut during the 2019 Monster Energy Cup. We were both neon rookies—Adam quite literally in his bright throwback gear—but we all know how his weekend went. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how it all played out.
yellow, orange, blue circles
A buyer’s guide for your little one’s first dirt bike
By Aaron Hansel
If you’ve been considering purchasing a motorcycle for your little one, there’s no better time than Christmas. What kid hasn’t dreamed of waking up Christmas morning and finding a motorcycle under the tree, and what parent hasn’t wanted to put one there? The only problem is, what to buy? There are so many choices, especially with the growing electric market, that shopping for a kid’s bike can be overwhelming. Well, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re looking for a fire-breathing beast or a silent electric bike to ride around the cul-de-sac, you’ll find it here.
young child sitting on bike
yellow, orange, blue circles
A buyer’s guide for your little one’s first dirt bike
By Aaron Hansel
If you’ve been considering purchasing a motorcycle for your little one, there’s no better time than Christmas. What kid hasn’t dreamed of waking up Christmas morning and finding a motorcycle under the tree, and what parent hasn’t wanted to put one there? The only problem is, what to buy? There are so many choices, especially with the growing electric market, that shopping for a kid’s bike can be overwhelming. Well, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re looking for a fire-breathing beast or a silent electric bike to ride around the cul-de-sac, you’ll find it here.
TEN MINUTES WITH
BY AARON HANSEL
TEN MINUTES WITH
BY AARON HANSEL
Courtney
Duncan
After exploding onto the scene by winning her first GP in 2016, New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan quickly became a sure bet to bring home a WMX Championship. Unfortunately, a long string of injuries kept Duncan from bringing home that elusive championship, but after making the switch to Bike It DRT Kawasaki, she was finally able to wrap up the title. We spoke with her to get her thoughts on finally becoming a champion.
Courtney Duncan
Racer X Illustrated
Thanks for previewing 10% of our January 2020 issue!