2023 Budds Creek Motocross | Kickstart Recap & Gallery

On the way to the line with Fredrik Noren and Alex Faith. The Twisted Tea/Progressive/HEP/Suzuki rider's summer continued at Budds Creek with 13-10 finishes for eleventh overall and helped cement his eighth-place rank in the 450 Class standings. It's been a solid year for Noren, and points scored in 22 of the 27 SMX races run so far (he missed the Houston-Tampa-Arlington-Daytona-Nashville Supercross rounds) have put him eleventh in the combined league.

Another photo for the Hand family. It's been great getting to know the Ohio father and son over the summer, as they've raced 14 of the 20 Motos so far and have tallied 55 points. Everyone's definition of "privateer" is different, but Hand is one of only two guys in the top 20 who drives the van from race to race each weekend. The other rider, Jerry Robin, is sidelined with an elbow injury. If Hand scores 15 points at Ironman, he'll pass Robin and take the "Top True Privateer" title.

Something good came from getting caught in traffic on the way into the track Friday: it gave us a chance to watch Cameron Durow and his girlfriend put together their campsite, which consisted of the smallest Class C rig offered by rental company Cruise America and an even smaller enclosed U-Haul trailer. Durow is a South African who rides for KTM's factory team in the region, and he recently claimed both the MX1 and MX2 titles in the South African National Motocross Championship. Check back soon for an interview.

Our Friday walk sent us by Luke Renzland's pit area, where we stopped for a quick catch-up with the popular East Coaster to discuss his new status as a "weekend warrior," what it is that draws him to the starting line when the Pro Motocross Championship comes through his part of the country, and how things are going in his early adaption from professional racer to working man. Hit the homepage to watch the five-minute interview.

There's a backstory to the 6Days Prospect Goggle that SCOTT Sports has put out over the past three years. The eyewear brand is in the middle of a multi-year agreement with the FIM to be the exclusive sponsor for sunglasses and goggles at the famed off-road test, and that includes trademark licensing for special edition products to celebrate the event and its host country, like this year's take on the triband of Argentina's flag. Past looks include red and green for Portugal, all blue for Italy, and blue-white-red for France.

How many lines do you see? Remember, some of the ruts on Henry Hill hook and shoot off in different directions.

WildCat Racing has helped Jakub Teresak compete at recent rounds of Pro Motocross in the 450 Class, and the Czech Republic rider went 25-20 for 21st overall at Budds Creek.

We've got an entire write-up about the possible swings that could happen in the Pro Motocross and SMX point standings at Ironman, but the action between Max Vohland and Tom Vialle is one of the most noteworthy. It is the only tight battle with legit potential for change in the 250 MX championship going into the finale, as Vohland is seventh with 269 and Vialle is eighth with 264. Over the last four motos, Vialle has scored 54 points (14-14-12-15), and Vohland has scored 50 (18-15-12-5). However, the five-point difference would have been reduced to one had Vialle not been docked four points in 250 Moto One at Budds Creek. There's a seven-point split between sixth-ranked Vohland (390) and seventh-ranked Vialle (383) in the combined SMX standings to keep track of, too, as this will determine their position in the upcoming reseeding. Did that make sense?

Twelve OEM-supported motorcycles, from factory-backed to the most basic affiliation possible, blasting off the line in 250 Moto One.

Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha fielded five riders at the Budds Creek Motocross, all of whom scored points and finished among the top twenty in the overall results, with Stilez Robertson going 10-13 for 12th, Justin Cooper 1-2 for 2nd, Daxton Bennick 4-11 for 7th, Haiden Deegan 16-5 for 11th, and Levi Kitchen 14-10 for 13th. Yamaha clinched the Manufacturer's Championship in the 250 Class at Budds Creek, as they have an insurmountable 62-point lead over Honda with two motos to go.

Preston Kilroy, Casey Cochran, and Levi Kitchen, duking it out for spots 16-18 on Lap Two of 250 Moto One.

Industry Section

Hardy Munoz's hard slam near the halfway point of 250 Moto One brought out the red flag and sparked confusion among the masses, as it wasn't possible to see where the incident happened from the other side of the hill, and then it took a few moments for all of the riders to get the signal to slow down and head back to the starting line.

pen Red. Riders instinctively pulled back to the line and waited for further instructions from officials, who then explained how they would all go back to the wall, pick new gates based on where they were ranked when the incident occurred, and have a full restart to complete the last fifteen minutes of the moto. The process took about fifteen to seventeen minutes, evident in the long times recorded by the AMA on Lap 7 of 250 Moto One.

Shove-off. Teams can have one crew member stationed in the first turn for each moto to assist with the potential carnage of a pile-up. Star Racing's Trevor Carmichael helped Haiden Deegan get the bike up and knocked dirt away from the footpegs before the rider got going.

Manluk/Rock River Yamaha added Keegan Rowley to their lineup at Budds Creek, and the Illinois rider raced his way in with a win in the LCQ and went 33-35 for 36th overall. Not bad for a first-ever National.

The restart gave Jalek Swoll a much-needed chance to show his speed against the best in the 250 Class. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider finished third in 250 Moto One, his second top-five of the summer, and the points scored put him ninth in the championship standings, fourteen ahead of Ryder DiFrancesco.

Notice something missing in the background of some TV shots? The big barn that was located at the top of the property (near the old starting gate) caught fire last Christmas Eve after strong winds knocked over an electrical line. The blaze was responded to by ten local fire departments, who had to contend with frozen hoses in the cold weather, and the 100-year-old structure and everything inside was lost, but luckily no one was injured.

Fox Racing always goes the extra mile with the personality patches sewn onto their rider's pants. Seth Hammaker repped his Southern PA set with "717 Boyz..."

Carson Mumford's "Dream Job" at Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki continued for another week at Budds Creek...

Austin Forkner's vicious first-turn crash and charge back to the checkered flag got him the nickname "Bloody Guy."

"MAX"

And a skeleton Shaka for Ryder DiFrancesco.

The start straightaway at Budds Creek is the closest we've ever come to stepping in quicksand. The long lane is meticulously worked between motos, as it's hit with hoses to retain moisture, repeatedly plowed to eliminate ruts, and then gets drug smooth by a massive metal beam that's drug behind the tractor.

ustin Cooper confirmed he's at the end of his 250 Class career to us during a Friday interview, then led six laps on his way to the win in 250 Moto One and a second place in 250 Moto Two for second overall on Saturday afternoon. We're eager to see what the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider's stat line is when his time on the small bike wraps up after Ironman, as he's got to be among the top ten all-time in moto podiums, overall podiums, laps led, pole positions, etc.

We're trying to figure out how good the current crop of rookies and recent amateur graduates are. Recent trends in the 250 Class make it seem like experience through motos is more important than youthful and naive speed, but when guys like Daxton Bennick earn top-five/top-ten finishes, we're shown how good the next generation coming in already is. 2024 is going to be good...

Dude, where are you guys getting these power tools turned noisemakers? Is it a kit they sell at the hardware store, or did some hooligan upload a hose and horn diagram to the internet?

Budds Creek Coordinator Cody Grooves. The Maryland man had quite the weekend, as he made sure all of the East Side Dogs got camera time during Friday's media scrum, went down hard during the afternoon riding session, and was back on the track for Saturday's motos. The Camp Carmichael "Class of 2025" pit board is a perfect touch.

Same, but different.

Jose Burton is another guy we have listed in the possible SMX point standings scenario write-up. The Wild Cat Racing rider could bump Josh Hill from 20th overall if he scores 11 points at Ironman, but there's a big catch: he's only scored 10 total points in the past four motos.

Dylan Wright celebrated claiming every overall win on his way to a fifth Canadian MX championship by coming to Budds Creek. The GDR Honda rider looked poised for a good day, as he was 12th overall in Timed Qualifying, but things came to a quick end when his chain derailed and wound around the countershaft sprocket in 450 Moto One, causing a DNF. Wright will try again at Ironman.

Can't believe the summer is almost over. There are just a few gate drops before a short break and three consecutive weeks of SMX in Charlotte, Joliet, and Los Angeles.

How To: Make A Braking Bump A Jump with Jett Lawrence.

The early laps of 450 Moto One had us wondering what Jett Lawrence was thinking, as this was the first time the rookie had been behind notoriously fast and aggressive guys like Anderson-Barcia this summer. What did he think of their line choices? Was there anything he could learn from the veteran riders? Did following their wild styles make him want to rev the CRF450R a little more, just to see what it'd do, or did it make him want to get by even faster?

It's rare to capture the top five of the 450 Class in one frame, let alone on the same lane, three laps into a race. Yeah, 450 Moto One will be rewatched a few times this winter.

They always seem to find each other.

Estonia, Canada, France, Japan, Spain, Brazil, Zamunda... The entry list for Budds Creek was indeed an international affair, as the 250 Class had riders from twelve different countries while the 450 Class had fourteen.

Dylan Ferrandis was under the weather at Budds Creek and said in the team press release that the adrenaline helped his riding improve in 450 Moto One. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider refueled immediately after coming off the track with a mini can of Coca-Cola; the sugar and caffeine content make it one of the most popular drinks of the peloton in the Tour de France.

Mark Fineis was among the many young riders making his pro debut at Budds Creek. The GASGAS-backed teenager and his family drove to the race in their motorhome, pitted among the privateers in the grass, then scored a respectable 20th in 250 Moto One. The day had a hiccup in 250 Moto Two, as Fineis pulled out after eight laps and was credited with 38th. Fineis is eager for Ironman, a track 45 minutes from his Indiana home, but it's one that he's raced at only a few times.

The Ryder D-Dangerboy link-up in 250 Moto Two had our full attention. Just because they haven't battled much this year doesn't mean it won't happen again, or a lot, in the future.

Another weekend, another capacity crowd at the track. We heard so many people showed up for Budds Creek that they had to send cars to park on pieces of the property that had never been used before. Thanks to this crew for the shoutout as we walked uphill.

Two rookies. One is a two-time FIM MX world champion, and the other has eight AMA amateur motocross titles to his credit.

Grant Harlan is going to end the summer ranked 10th overall in the 450 Class championship, an impressive feat for any rider, but especially so for a guy who's doing it as an independent as part of the Manluk/Rock River Yamaha team with help from his father, a mechanic, and some sponsors like FXR.

Riders know the small floater tabletop in the back, before they bomb through the rutted valley to Henry Hill, is a perfect place to pull a tear-off.

The National layout isn't the only track at Budds Creek; the infield of the dirt track features a small Supercross-style course for riders to rip around under the lights on Friday night (or in the middle of a 450 Moto on Saturday afternoon).

"One Corner, Four Euros" with Dylan Ferrandis...

Stephen Rubini

Anton Gole

And Romain Pape, who opted for a low rut instead of the wall ride.

Aaron Plessinger's love of "anything American" will be useful when he helps Team USA take on the world at the Motocross of Nations this October. The official lineup will be announced on Friday at Ironman, but we've been told the Red Bull KTM rider is going to Ernee.

Crockett Myers is a name we've heard for years at amateur races. The Texan has done five motos in the 450 Class this summer, with 35-33-36-26-34 results to his credit. We'll be on the lookout for him at Ironman for a Privateer Power piece.

To wrap this up, we'd like to give Ezra Beasley and the Budds Creek crew a quick shoutout for all of their work over the past year. The Maryland property looked like a golf course throughout the weekend, and we've heard from locals that it's an ongoing effort by the third-generation property owner.