2023 High Point Motocross | Kickstart Recap & Gallery

The weekend was Phil Nicoletti's return to action after months on the sidelines with a broken arm and the debut of FTA, a subdivision of FXR. Things took a turn for the Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX/Yamaha rider a few moments after this photo, as his bike let go on the sighting lap of the first practice session and didn't register a time, but Filthy pulled together a "heater" in session two for 36th overall in the Timed Qualifying results and turned his attention toward the motos.

Haiden Deegan's great day at High Point started in practice. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider mastered the muddy conditions in the first session and clicked off a 2:20.801 on the last lap, going 1.213 seconds quicker than Jo Shimoda's best effort. A slower pace in the final outing kept the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider's time from being bested, and the new graduate went to the starting line for 250 Moto One with first gate pick.

Fox Racing re-released Strafer, one its best-known gear sets in the early 2000s, as part of an ongoing tribute to Ricky Carmichael earlier this year. You can still get the pants and jerseys in red or navy through the Fox website or local dealers, but there's no chance of getting this bubblegum blue and pink look that was made for Ken Roczen; it's an exact copy of what he wore during his first trip to the Mini O's in 2005.

More mulch than the garden sections at Home Depot and Lowe's, combined. The organic material has been dumped onto the downhill rollers to soften the soil and control the mud a lot over the last few years, but this was the most we've ever seen at any outdoor National.

We saw Jerry Robin at the hotel on Friday night and quickly chatted about his program with Estenson Racing, a group best known in American Flat Track racing as Yamaha's official factory team and its four-rider roster that includes Dallas Daniels and JD Beach. An honest-to-goodness electrical issue (water in the killswitch) caused Robin to crash out of 450 Moto One, but things were fixed in time for him to finish 17th in 450 Moto Two and 19th overall on the day.

Justin Cooper's weekend ended a few minutes after this shot, as the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider crashed in the rollers, was smashed in the chest by the YZ250F, and then sent to a local hospital for breathing difficulties caused by a swollen throat. Cooper was kept overnight as a precautionary measure and started the trip back to Flordia on Sunday morning. The double DNF dropped Cooper to fifth place in the championship standings, and he trails Hunter Lawrence by 54 points in what's to be his final attempt at the 250 Class MX title.

We've enjoyed meeting fans and catching up with friends like Rick Trunzo at this year's races. Our rapid growth since 2019 wouldn't be possible without your support or page clicks, so if you see us, say hey! We'd love to have a quick bench racing session.

Mud ruts over slick clay. This is High Point at its High Pointest.

Our Pre-Race interviews include a one-on-one with Nick Fratz-Orr, a Maryland racer turned real estate salesman. Poor times in qualifying kept the privateer from making the motos, but he'll give it another go at Budds Creek. If you're looking for property in the Northeast, Nick works with Railey Realty in Deep Creek Lake.

Calm before the storm.

The storm. Multiple riders commented about the heavy conditions they encountered in the first lanes of track at the start of their motos, especially into and out of turn two.

Jalek Swoll's build-back from a tough start to the year continued in Moto One, as the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider ran third for most of the race before getting passed by Hunter Lawrence and finishing fourth. That result and eleventh in Moto Two put Swoll eighth overall. Jalek kept it a buck in his HWYW interview, saying that this was a reasonable effort but that he needs to work on the quote, "fuck it mentality," which is crucial for quick early laps in 250 Class.

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Tom Vialle was someone we watched closely over the weekend, as High Point was an entirely new track to the Red Bull KTM rider but is one of the most Euro-feeling on the series. Vialle had only Saturday to learn the layout, a challenge he said he's up for after MXGP's one-day format in 2020, and figured out the flow for 11-2 results for fifth overall. The result was a bounce-back after crashes in Colorado damaged the motorcycle and his wrist, and Vialle is currently ranked tenth in the championship standings.

We'll re-watch the Hampshire-Deegan battle in 250 Moto One during the weekend because both riders were teetering near the edge and ready to do whatever for the checkered flag. The 36-minute duel was decided in the final moments and ended with Hampshire earning the win (his second of the season) and the most laps led (eight to Deegan's seven, all thanks to the final lap). Hampshire having two more years in 250 Class and Deegan's progression in the pro ranks will make the coming seasons very exciting, and we expect to see these two bang bars often.

Romain Pape and Dylan Ferrandis, French riders from opposite sides of the country and with very different career paths, battled for ninth place in 450 Moto One. Pape, who hails from the Brittany region in the north, plans to follow the complete series with a spot in the TPJ pit area and a GASGAS backed by Berryli4ni. He went 10-13 for eleventh overall at High Point and is currently twelfth in series points.

1898 - Roczen hinted through the weekend that he might be on the line for more Nationals, and now that there's talk of WSX's second two getting moved to a different venue later in the year, he'll have plenty of time for motos in the US.

Geninune question: Does this man know what SML is and that his photo would be in Kickstart for throwing up the horns? Or did he see a guy with a camera and get excited? Either way, hope you had a fun weekend at the track.

Can we call Garrett Marchbanks the most consistent finisher in 450 Moto One? The Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX/Yamaha rider got in with the lead group early, and after Lawrence and Roczen went down at different points in the race, the Manchild moved into second place. High Point has been good and bad for Marchbanks, as his memories include the back-to-back years crashed in the same spot he had during his PC days to career-best results like this one and a 10-10 for ninth overall last year.

Whaddup, slime?

The next few shots are of the Roczen-Lawrence battle for the win in 450 Moto One. Yeah, these could have been added to the larger gallery at the bottom of the page, but we didn't think you'd see'em.

Doc Bodnar's face says it all. Seeing the sport's best go at it never gets old and when you know the shared history of the competitors, like how the Lawrence family spent plenty of time with Roczen's father in Germany during their time on the GP scene, it makes the action even better.

We've gotten to know Vincent Luhovey over the last few years and did a quick interview during Friday's scrum to catch up with the PA racer. A full-time concrete laborer, Luhovey told us that another year of working alongside his father had given him more appreciation for racing, a less distracted mindset, plus a tougher body, and that's he's switched to Honda for 2023. The worker was just out of the points in 450 Moto One and finished 21st, then had to scramble to get an Eject device in his helmet for 450 Moto Two (he was told it was missing on the starting line) and joined the race after the pack had already set off. A 37th-place finish in race two put Luhovey 33rd overall.

ooper Webb and Ty Masterpool went at it again in 450 Moto One over a spot in the top five. The privateer hounded the factory rider, but a late-race mistake in the central valley put Masterpool on the ground and took the pressure off Webb...

...Who picked up another position moments later when he went by the down and stalled Roczen. The two nearly collided because the RM-Z was parked in the preferred line, but Webb skirted by and finished in third place.

One way to keep count.

Another holeshot, nine more laps led, and the checkered flag.

Chance Hymas continues to show why Team Honda HRC has tapped him to be the next contender in its small-bore program. The rookie got into the lead on lap one in 250 Moto Two and gradually increased his gap over the pack, getting it up to 5.800 on lap three. Pressure from teammate Hunter Lawrence in the middle of the race caused Hymas to admittedly come unraveled, and he crossed the finish line in fifth place.

Something about the muds, ruts, and hardpack excited us about Levi Kitchen's chances at High Point, but a tough first moto and a twelfth-place result put the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider on the backfoot early. He bounced back to finish fourth in the second gate drop and was placed ninth overall.

Remember what we said about Deegan-Hampshire in the future? Their run through the pack in 250 Moto Two was another example of what they'll do to get a good result after an early blunder, as Deegan charged back to sixth and Hampshire was one spot further back in seventh, which was enough for Hampshire to finish second and Deegan third overall.

One of the hardest working people in Pro Motocross. If you want to see a different view of the action at the track, follow @postatrandom.

Future teammates.

Hunter Lawrence is a force this summer. The Team Honda HRC rider has won all four overalls with oddly similar results (3-1 at Fox Raceway, 3-1 at Hangtown, 2-1 at Thunder Valley, 3-1 at High Point) and is now more than a moto's worth of points ahead of Deegan in the championship. Want to really see how consistent Lawrence has been in 2023? Here's every finish in the combined SMX results: 1-1-3-1-1-1-1-3-1-3-1-3-1-2-1-3-1.

Tom Vialle, Jo Shimoda, and Levi Kitchen were within feet of each other at the finish line in 250 Moto Two, a 1.66-second difference that saw Vialle get third, Shimoda fourth (0.705 behind Vialle), and Kitchen fifth (0.955 behind Shimoda).

Crystal and champagne

Cockpits of the 250 Class podium. RJ Hampshire has a large bump underneath a ribbed GUTS Racing seat cover, grip take on the frame and airbox, and what appear to be stock but sharper footpegs.

Hunter Lawrence has a flat seat with a ribbed Throttle Jockey cover wrapped over the top, traction tape on the frame and side panels, a custom extension that goes over the rear brake master cylinder for a bigger contact patch, and razor-sharp titanium cleats.

Haiden Deegan's setup is somewhere in-between but still unique, as he has a smaller seat bump under a ribbed D'COR Visuals cover, grip tape on the lower frame rails, and titanium footpegs, with a set of StegPegz mounted over the exhaust to keep him locked in position.

The wooden wall turn is different from what it used to be, but we're glad it was reintroduced after the High Point layout underwent extensive changes a few years ago.

Our condolences and sympathies to anyone that had to line up on the far outside (left in the image) for 450 Moto One, because the ruts, holes, and mud that waited for riders a few feet out of the gate looked just as intimidating as any jump on the track.

Grant Harlan's commitment to racing WSX with CDR Yamaha means he will miss RedBud. The independent rider told us that his first day on the SX-spec YZ450F will happen during Friday's practice session in England and that he'll take his suspension over so that the bike doesn't feel completely foreign. Missing two motos shouldn't impact Harlan's place in the SMX standings too much; Fredrik Noren is the only rider with a chance to make up enough points to hop him, as Kyle Chisholm and Shane McElrath will both be at the WSX race.

Ken on an RM-Z just looks right.

We only saw two guys launch from the tunnel into the rollers: Jett Lawrence...

And Ty Masterpool.

Matt Burkeen had a hell of a go at High Point. The two-stroke hero pulled off in 450 Moto One after he heard the engine detonating and figured the day was over, but a band of supporters ripped the cylinder off and rebuilt the engine during the halftime intermission. Their hurried efforts were appreciated, as it got Burkeen back on the line for 450 Moto Two, but it might also be why dirt got lodged in the carb and caused the bike to go wide-open when the rider landed from a tabletop. 39-39 finishes put Matty B 40th overall.

Jared Lesher added a little Blud Lubricants premix to the air at High Point, riding his YZ250 to 24-31 finishes for 27th overall. Motosport.com, Moto Memess, and Jettson Donuts have put in 5K each/15K total for the top finishing 250 two-stroke at the Washougal National and it sounds like a lot of privateers are already eyeing up the money.

We've heard a lot of "Who's Chandler Baker?" this summer. Here's your answer: he's from Oklahoma, cut his teeth over the last few years in the A Class at Loretta's/Hoosier-General Tire Arenacross series/regional races in the midwest and is aboard a Kawasaki with support from AJAX Motorsports and Redline Oil.

Two generations of Albrechts. Longtime mechanic turned AMA official Jeremy "JBone" Albrecht was joined by his teenaged sons at High Point, and the boys took on flagging roles with the race series.

Tire choices of the 450 Class podium: Adam Ciancarulo stayed with the directional tread pattern all day.

Jett Lawrence went with the hybrid knobby with strategically placed scoops.

And Ken Roczen did the same. Maybe it's just us, but the alternating center knobs on Roczen's tire look a bit different than Lawrence's.

Roczen's RM-Z was finished with KYB suspension components, not the Showa parts the rider used during Supercross. Kyle Chisholm was the first to shakedown the setting, which consists of a production shock body and PSF forks, and its somewhat similar to what Roczen used during his 2016 title with RCH. Stay tuned to see what's on the bike in the UK for WSX.

Happy Father's Day to all of the moto days that took us to the track, put us on bikes, and shared their love of two-wheels with another generation.

Thanks for reading Kickstart. Enjoy the weekend off, because the coming stretch of races (RedBud-Southwick-Spring Creek-Washougal) will be here and gone before you know it.