2021 Fox Raceway One Motocross | Race Preview

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2021 FOX RACEWAY ONE MOTOCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

Ready for the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship? The twelve-round series will start with the 2021 Fox Raceway One Motocross, the first of two events at the Southern California facility on the schedule. This summer is set to be another instant classic, for all the same reasons that we’ve said the same about every season over the last few years: dozens of riders capable of top-20/10/podiums/wins, all on good equipment, and for the most part healthy. There is no clear-cut favorite in either class, as every past champion has some slight lingering issue or “what if” that has to be factored in. How they do through the next few months, starting with today’s opening round, will say a lot about what’s going on in the sport.

THE COMPETITION

The playing field seems completely even for today’s race. Tuesday’s preseason test session gave us a chance to watch almost all of the riders on the exact track that they’ll battle it out on today, and there was no shortage of speed or skill. The opening round is a good chance for an unexpected guy to grab a win, and after seeing some of the guys put in laps at race-pace, there are a handful that could win straight-up.

The 250 Class is its usual mix of mid-20s “veterans” against up-and-coming talents. There are a handful of former moto winners in the group, but only one past champion, and everyone is riding for a chance to move to the 450 Class in a few years. There will be plenty of things to watch for when the small-bore bikes take to the track, from personal rivalries (Forkner-Lawrence Brothers-Cooper), clear differences in performance between motorcycle brands, and each riders attempt to blend youthful speed-aggression with consistency through an entire series.

The 450 Class is the same, but different. The guys in this group are already established as some of the best on two-wheels, and they’re all fighting for a place in the hierarchy or against the clock in the last few years of their careers. There’s no shortage of potential victors (practically every rider on a factory-supported bike has won a moto or overall at some point in their career) or intriguing career notes (Tomac’s pursuit of a fourth title, Roczen’s overall state after SX, Webb’s desire to win two titles in one year, Cianciarulo-Sexton-Ferrandis-Plessinger all trying to step up to the next level, Anderson and Musquin’s wild card status).

THE LAYOUT

To say that Fox Raceway is familiar for riders would be an understatement: it’s becoming the preferred testing ground during the weekly SoCal practice routine. For the most part, the overall flow of the track for the opening round will be much like it was during their spring training sessions and will stretch the full length of the property. The facility recently closed the National track to get it ready for the race, a revamp that included refaced jumps, some subtle tweaks to lanes in the middle of the track, and loads of a sand-silt to fluff up the topsoil. The last detail might end up being the most important today, because it’s incredibly deep and has the potential to stop a rider in their tracks if they get off of the main line.

250 CLASS | PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST

6. Jeremy Martin | The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider will race the MX season with a shoulder and wrist injury.
18. Jett Lawrence
24. RJ Hampshire | The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider will return to action in MX after missing much of the SX season with a wrist injury.
26. Alex Martin | The Manluk/Rock River Yamaha/Merge Racing rider will return to the starting line after sitting out part of the SX season with a wrist injury.
30. Jo Shimoda
31. Cameron McAdoo
32. Justin Cooper
33. Derek Drake
38. Austin Forkner | The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider is back on the bike after missing much of SX with a broken collarbone.
39. Carson Mumford | The FXR/Chaparral/Honda rider will race MX after missing part of SX with a shoulder issue.
41. Hunter Lawrence
42. Michael Mosiman
45. Pierce Brown
47. Jalek Swoll
48. Garrett Marchbanks
59. Jarrett Frye
64. Colt Nichols
67. Stilez Robertson | The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider will line up for MX after missing part of SX with a dislocated knee.
73. Derek Kelley | The privateer is on the entry list but is questionable after crashing during Tuesday’s media session.
75. Ty Masterpool | The privateer is back on the track after missing the last part of SX with an ankle injury.
77. Jerry Robin
90. Dilan Schwartz
91. Nate Thrasher
112. Xylian Ramella
115. Max Vohland | The Red Bull KTM rider has fully recovered from a dislocated hip and will contest his rookie season in MX.
124. Lane Shaw
127. Jacob Bork
150. Seth Hammaker
158. Tre Fierro
159. Tyson Johnson
162. Maxwell Sanford
165. Jorge Rubalcava
168. Cale Kuchnicki
182. Mason Olson
195. Blake Ashley
198. Cole Bailey
212. Daniel Ramirez
220. Ramyller Alves
286. Brandon Sussman
299. Konnor Visger
310. Kia Aiello
387. Joshua Varize
402. Samuel Greenawalt
458. Brent Burkhart
554. Wade Brommel
604. Max Miller
610. Nicolas Gonzales
622. Zac Maley
667. Jesse Flock
671. Tyler Ducray
718. Grant Taylor
726. Gared Steinke
742. TJ Uselman
778. James Harrington
811. Christopher Williams
819. Blake Hoag
888. Burg Gillomee
901. Brayden Lessler
924. Gage Hulsey
934. Brian Medeiros
959. Max Groom
995. Christopher Prebula

MISSING FROM THE LIST

61. Joey Crown | The CLUBMX rider suffered a concussion at Daytona and has not raced since. He is hopeful for a return to action at High Point.

80. Jordon Smith | The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider underwent surgery to repair a shoulder injury will sit out the Pro Motocross season.

450 CLASS | PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST

1. Zach Osborne | The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider is nursing a back injury, but will line up to defend his 450 MX championship.
2. Cooper Webb
3. Eli Tomac
7. Aaron Plessinger
9. Adam Cianciarulo | The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider returns to action after missing much of the SX season with a collarbone injury.
14. Dylan Ferrandis
15. Dean Wilson
17. Joey Savatgy
19. Justin Bogle | The Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM rider is back on the track after missing the last part of the SX season with a shoulder injury.
21. Jason Anderson
23. Chase Sexton
25. Marvin Musquin
28. Brandon Hartranft
29. Christian Craig | The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider is back on the bike after a broken leg at the final SX rounds.
34. Max Anstie
43. Fredrik Noren
51. Justin Barcia
57. Justin Rodbell
58. Jacob Hayes
70. Henry Miller
72. Coty Schock
74. Mitchell Falk
83. Alex Ray
94. Ken Roczen
97. Ben LaMay
135. Robert Fitch
169. Dylan Kappeler
177. Alessandro Lupino
178. Clayton Tucker
179. Cole Thompson
193. Hunter Schlosser
225. Brett Stralo
245. Andrew Barros
250. Brandon Kallberg
254. Cody Briner
259. Corbin Hayes
267. Robert Nalezny
274. Jared Struebing
284. Dennis Stapleton
309. Jeremy Smith
314. Tyler Stepek
319. Devon Bates
326. Rafael Chao
354. Jason Lutton
427. Deegan Vonlossberg
441. Scott Meshey
446. Blaine Silveira
447. Deven Raper
450. Brad Burkhart
515. Tyler Medaglia
538. Addison Emory
559. Dylan Merriam
565. Dominic DeSimone
600. Connor Olson
645. Colby Copp
647. Matthew Hubert
672. Brandon Pederson
715. Phil Nicoletti
774. Bradley Denton
845. Bryan O’Neil
951. Ryan Surratt