2023 Los Angeles SuperMotocross | Kickstart Recap & Photo Gallery

Troy Lee Designs partnered with LA sneaker boutique turned streetwear brand Undefeated for a run of gear, helmets, and merch now at undefeated.com. Collabs with big brands are common for TLD and UNDFTD; Troy's group has done projects with adidas, Puma, Oakley, Nissan, and many others, while Undefeated's lines with Nike, New Balance, Bape, and Champion have been big sellers at its retail locations in California, Las Vegas, and Japan.

Good for you, Pierce.

Seeing Dean with the Chest Mount for his GoPro made us do a double take, as it looked a little like a baby carrier wrapped around his chest. You know, Dean, wearing a fake baby for a moto around a public track would get massive video views...

A busy Friday at the stadium concluded with Kawasaki's formal introduction of the 2024 KX450, an all-new motorcycle that we've seen around for much of the year through Romain Febvre's wins on the MXGP circuit and Broc Tickle's testing in Southern California. Getting the Coliseum and the track for a few hours was a big deal for the OEM, and it goes back to their partnership with Feld Entertainment; the two groups work together to make Kawasaki's Fan Fest activation possible, and Feld trucks carry the displays from round to round.

We were told a special guest would debut the special edition machine, but our wildest guesses never thought it would be Jeff Matiasevich. If you're a diehard Chicken fan, then you've seen our past content with the 90s moto icon, including the unboxing video of the Fox Racing gearset he's wearing during this wheelie.

Dad's Club

Black rims have been all the rage over the last decade or so, but Monster Energy Kawasaki's decision to lace up silver hoops for the retro KX SRs has us thinking that shiny wheels could make a comeback very soon.

Getting the Coliseum for the SMX finale was a monumental effort that took years of planning and even a schedule adjustment to work with the PAC 12's 2023 football season. Simply put, Feld Entertainment needed the building to be open two weekends in a row so they could lay down tarps and plywood over the grass playing field, build/race/teardown the track, and re-sod the turf before USC's next home game (October 7th against Arizona). Laborers started to disassemble everything shortly after the checkered flag flew on Saturday night, and by Tuesday, any sign of dirt was gone, and the bright green field was back.

Aaron Canard had one of the best seats in the house. The cameraman gets tagged in by NBC for all of California's Supercross and motocross action, and on Saturday, we spotted him at the base of the Peristyle and then capturing the celebrations by the podium.

FLY Racing always has a special set of gear ready for big races, and the SMX finale was no exception, as the Boise brand debuted its EVO LE Podium look. The red and white look is on the company's high-end line of jerseys and pants (offered in small to 2XL/28 to 38) and can be purchased through FLYRacing.com and WPS retailers.

Justin Starling had quite the weekend on Alex Ray's YZ450F. Rather than send his own bike and van cross-country, the privateer borrowed ARay's idle machine, had it race-prepped by MotoWhips, and got familiar with the blue bike during Friday's Free Practice, which included a crash and ride out of the stadium on the Alpinestars Mobile Medical mule. Largely unscathed but still willing to send it, Starling returned for the second session, raced on Saturday, and ended the weekend with a sixth in the LCQ.

Since we're cool with everyone at the AMA and about to spend a week with them in France, we'll leave this shot of everyone gathered around the sound testing equipment uncaptioned. MotoMemess, whatchu got?

Red North Carolina clay, black Illinois silt, and brown California adobe. Riders and teams faced three very different track designs and soil types at the SMX rounds, with the finale being almost identical to what their private practice tracks in the hills above Corona are like.

Another start-to-finish run to the LCQ win for Phil Nicoletti. The FXR/Muc-Off/CLUBMX rider was three for three in the SMX playoffs, and after advancing into all of the point-paying motos, he earned an impressive 76 points and just under 46,000 dollars (10,900 from race purses and 35,000 from the series bonus).

Jeremy Hand and his father, Carl, decided going to California would be an excellent way to end the year and celebrate Carl's birthday. After a spar with Jerry Robin in the opening laps, Hand claimed the last transfer spot out of the LCQ and finished 20th overall in the 450 Class. Making the cross-country drive turned out to be a great idea, as it netted Hand 2600 bucks in event purse money and boosted him to 22nd in the championship standings, which came with a 25K bonus.

We're pretty sure Drew Adams did the triple fist-pump over the finish line after his run to the win in the 250 All Stars moto. We first met the Team Green prospect in 2020 at the Mini Major in Georgia, where he impressed everyone with massive whips on a KX85. Adams has moved up to the big bike and spent 2023 racing the B Class and training with the Lawrences at the Dog Pound in Florida.

Did you see our report that Supercross will start earlier in 2024? In an effort to capture at-home audiences in the Eastern and Central time zones that are watching NBC's coverage, Feld Entertainment has decided to adjust the start time of every round next year. For example, Anaheim One's opening ceremonies will kick off at 4:30 PM PST, and the first gate will drop at 5 PM PST. Events on the East Coast will be less impacted, as Daytona/Indy/Foxborough/Nashville will stay in the traditional 7 PM slot, but Detroit and Philadelphia are day races. Hit the homepage to see the complete details.

Hot Lap style check with Chase Sexton.

Jett Lawrence

Ken Roczen

Aaron Plessinger

Dylan Ferrandis

Cooper Webb

Justin Barcia

Garrett Marcbanks

Adam Cianciarulo

And Jason Anderson.

The advent of the metal grids has changed a mechanic's sighting lap responsibilities, as they now have to scrub the grate and set the starting blocks instead of kicking out ruts and packing dirt to make perfectly level launch points.

Mitchell Oldenburg only did one SMX round, but the MotoConcepts rider made the most of it, literally and financially. Not committing to the series meant Freckle had to go the LCQ, where a five-lap sprint resulted in a third place, and he followed that up with 13-14 finishes for 13th overall. The triple points earned from the night (27 total) shot Oldenburg to 18th in the championship standings, and he pocketed another seven grand from the end-of-season bonus fund. 9090 for a day of work? Not bad.

himoda's push and pass on Deegan in Moto One almost took all of our attention off the leaders, and it wasn't until we re-watched the race that we really saw Jordon Smith's rush to take the top spot and RJ Hampshire's determined effort in the final laps to wrestle it away (we had no idea that Smith leaped into title contention with that win, either). Neither rider is making changes to their program in 2024, and although we've gotten excited about the next generation in recent weeks, these two will be in the mix for race wins and maybe even the titles.

The last lap, two turns from the finish pass attempt. Hampshire set up the move well and had the chance to make a very aggressive move, but Smith smartly cut through the center of the corner and blocked the shot at taking the top spot.

As we said two photos ago, we had no idea Smith's win put him back into the mix for the championship. This checkered flag was his first since Daytona 2018, when Smith was part of the TLD KTM crew, and caps off a long year that saw the Star Racing rider earn five podiums in Supercross but be absent with injury for most of Pro Motocross.

Here's to a smooth and quick recovery for Justin Barcia, who confirmed the damage from the crash included busted ribs, another broken collarbone, and air in his chest and required an overnight stay in the hospital. To see how fast things can change in racing, re-watch two minutes into 450 Moto One: Barcia launched down the Peristyle when the clock on the screen hit 18:00 and crashed fifteen seconds later, which slowed Ken Roczen and Adam Cianciarulo, allowed Jason Anderson to take over the lead, and set up Cianciarulo's run-in with Roczen and eventual crash over the wall jump that happened fifteen seconds later.

What's that on Johnny O'Mara's hand? KOMs to beat? Ideal blends for post-race supplements? Splits for sectors? Nope, just the times that Hunter and Jett were on the track for their practice and races.

Throwing the red flag after three laps and going for a staggered restart proved the better decision for 450 Moto One, as re-racking the entire field and dropping the gate again would have been hectic and time-consuming. That doesn't mean it was the simplest, though, and we noticed the Red Bull KTM guys talking with the AMA officials to determine precisely where Aaron Plessinger should have been in the single-file line.

Twenty riders took part in 450 Moto One's restart, as Justin Barcia was out with injury after causing the red flag and Dylan Ferrandis was prevented from rejoining after exiting the stadium flooring during opening green flag laps and attempting to return for the restart. Neither rider returned for Moto Two, which meant Jerry Robin and Jace Kessler were allowed to line up as alternates.

Wavin'. Ken Roczen apologized on the track and the television broadcast for running it in on Jason Anderson soon after the restart, saying that he meant to make a close move but that he carried more speed than expected into the bowl corner.

Alpinestars celebrated its sixtieth anniversary over the weekend and around the world in every major motorsport, including SMX/MXGP/MotoGP/F1. Designers used the Italian company's original spiral logo as the zero in the "60" that was printed on moto boots, driving shoes, road race leathers, and motocross gear.

Props to Fredrik Noren for making it all the way through 2023 season, first with Bubba Pauli's MADD Parts team in Supercross and then with Dustin Pipes' HEP Suzuki squad during the outdoors and SMX. Noren had the most race attempts of anyone in the 450 Class with 30 total event signups in the 31 rounds SX-MX-SMX season, and he lined up for 37 of the 42 total point-paying gate drops (Noren didn't make five Supercross Main Events). Only Adam Cianciarulo and Aaron Plessinger have more race starts than Noren (39 each), but both missed three rounds of Supercross due to injury.

Offseason project: come up with a nickname for Jeremy Hand, who has a full-time job as groundskeeper for the cemetery in his Ohio town.

Chase Sexton's move from Honda to KTM is imminent, and details about how the deal will look are starting to get out, including plans to make number four his new permanent digit and mechanic Brandon Zimmerman's move to the orange team.

First Look. The all-new Triumph 250 made its proper debut during intermission on Saturday night with Ricky Carmichael and Jeff Stanton, a brief ride-around that gave fans a chance to see the bike in action and us a moment to snap photos of the aluminum frame, black bodywork, and early graphic kit. We expect to hear more at the Motocross of Nations and over the coming weeks as the two separate factory teams, one in the US and one in Europe, declare their lineups for 2024.

Out with a win. Levi Kitchen ended his years with Star Racing by getting the checkered flag in 250 Moto Two, a start-to-finish run that made up for a tenth-place finish in Moto One and put him sixth overall on the night. Kitchen and Smith actually had the same results at the SMX finale, first in one race and tenth in the other, but Kitchen's better Moto Two served as the tiebreaker and bumped Smith to seventh overall. Staying ahead of teammate Haiden Deegan when the title was on the line may have stressed some on the squad, but Kitchen looked like he was out to prove a point ahead of 2024.

The radiator cap on Cullin Park's Phoenix Racing Honda popped off with a few laps to go and shot steaming hot coolant out and all over the rider during a battle with Coty Schock over fifteenth place. Despite the distraction and damaged bike, Park was ahead of his teammate at the finish line.

Ryder DiFrancesco had an up-and-down night at the SMX finale, as 21-12 scores put the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider sixteenth on the night. Ryder D came off the track just as the chaos around longtime amateur rival Haiden Deegan hit another level, and he parked his bike at the end of the crowd to cool down...

And then congratulated the new champion for his success in their rookie year. If you haven't heard, DiFrancesco will be part of Troy Lee's GASGAS team in 2024.

Another big moment for the Deegan family at the Coliseum. Brain's legacy at the venue was a talking point all weekend, and on Friday, we grabbed a big interview with The General that covered coming back to LA, what he expected of Haiden's first year as a pro, and if DangerBoy could be a freestyle rider. Watch the Pre-Race News Break to see the nine-minute chat.

Respect. These two netted $925,000 from the SMX payout. Don't spend it all on sneakers, dudes.

Haiden didn't get the neck burn from the finish line flame, but he did have some hot sparkles from the podium pyro go down the back of his jersey and hit bare skin. Ouch.

Less than a hundred days til Anaheim One. How motivated will these four champions be to beat the guys next to them, plus the rest of the 450 Class, in 2023? We expect things to get very, very intense next year.

These six riders took more than half a mil from the 4.6 million SMX payout: Aaron Plessinger - $167,400, Garrett Marchbanks - $131,200, Ty Masterpool - $85,800, Grant Harlan -$41,000, Kyle Chisholm - $38,700, Dean Wilson - $36,500.

Jace Kessler didn't score championship points in SMX, but his LCQ appearances and finish as an alternate in the final moto meant he pocketed more than six grand. The Michigan privateer lined up for 23 gate drops in 2023, including all but two outdoor National motos.

This shot of the Hills in front of the Peristyle was cool to get, as the brothers followed their own programs through the year and still found each other on the track during the final laps of the season.

We don't know if the TV cameras caught what Jett said after clinching the championship, but we heard it. His first words to Team Honda HRC were, quote, "One plus one equals a million, bitch." Was that a reference to last week's big brain math, or Ken Roczen's 1+1=3 butt patch?

Jett followed that up by immediately asking how Chase was after his crash. There were a few eyebrow raising statements by the three title rivals during the weekend, but knowing the risk that come with racing, they genuinely seem to care about each other.

One-finger T-handle spin. Christien Ducharme is getting good at the number one plate installs.

That's a wrap. It was a great, long year at the races, and one that we'll reflect on fully when we've had a chance to unpack our bags during the "offseason." But first, we have MXON in France to follow, plus a trip back to Paris for the 40th running of the offseason Supercross, maybe two rounds of WSX, the Mini Major finals in Texas, and whatever else falls our way. Thanks for reading Kickstart.