2023 Spring Creek Motocross | Kickstart Recap & Gallery

Jorgen Talviku was one of the nine international riders to line up in the 250 Class at Spring Creek, with the Estonian going 18-40 for 20th overall (a crash in the whoops during the early laps of Moto Two mangled the bike, and forced a DNF). Per his post-race Instagram post (@jmt_261), Talviku went back to Europe on Monday and hopes to line up for an MXGP round or two but will come back to America and run the final leg of Pro Motocross with the SC Sporthomes Husqvarna.

Joshua Varize returned to action at Spring Creek after spending over a month on the sidelines with a broken collarbone. Moto One was a challenge for the AEO Powersports KTM rider, as he went down multiple times, remounted near the back of the pack and out of the points, and pulled off with three laps to go to rest and regroup. Moto Two saw Varize start from the far-inside gate and pass from 24th to 19th, an effort that earned him two championship points and 21st overall.

Sand Turn Style Check, starting with AEO Powersports KTM's Derek Kelley...

Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing rider Pierce Brown... (Look closely at the side panel of Brown's bike; he's got StegPegz.)

Red Bull KTM's Max Vohland...

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Seth Hammaker...

Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider Justin Cooper...

...And wrapping up with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Talon Hawkins.

Alpinestars debuted its 2024 MX gear on Jason Anderson, the Lawrence brothers, and Chase Sexton at Spring Creek. We'll get a look at the complete collection at Washougal, but can already tell that the color palette and patterns will be bold and modern, styled like the automotive race suits Astars makes for Formula 1 and NASCAR.

Retired life is busy for Alex Martin, as the return home to Minnesota has allowed him to coach athletes through Troll Training, help his parents with the day-to-day functions at Spring Creek Motocross Park, and start a family with his wife. 2023 was the first time in 16 years that a Martin wasn't on the gate for the motos; Alex raced every National from 2008 to 2022, while Jeremy has lined up seven times (2013-2017, 2019-2021) for a combined total of 22 starts, three Moto wins, ten podiums, 13 top-fives, and 16 top-10s.

Anton Gole's time in the US has been eventful. The Swedish rider got zapped in Moto One at Southwick and had to seek relief at the Alpinestars Mobile Medical rig, then took a few days to recover, did in a late-week practice moto at Minnesota track Meadow Valley, and put in 17-17 finishes for 18th overall at Spring Creek. We'll try to chat with Gole at Washougal to see what he's thought about the different tracks he got to spin laps on and what it was like to travel through the northern part of the country.

Hi, Otter.

Fox Racing's redesigned V3RS made its Stateside race debut with Adam Cianciarulo. The helmet will be the first in motocross to use the MIPS Integra Split system, which separates the energy-absorbing layers and molds the Low Friction Layer between the EPS pieces to achieve the 10-15 mm of movement that reduces forces to the brain. Modeled on Fox Racing's new universal head form and built for ECE's elevated 22.06 standards for impact and rotation, the V3RS will be available to the public this fall as part of the company's 2024 catalog.

Shane McElrath is now an Arai guy. The Japanese helmet manufacturer commissioned Italian artist Aldo Drudi to create several schemes for their iconic round shells (officially known as the R75 Shape concept), including the Stars & Stripes and Block designs on the VX-Pro4. Drudi and his arthouse, Drudi-Performance, effectively are the Troy Lee and TLD of MotoGP and European road racing.

Tools of the trade at the Dunlop truck: an eight-pound tub of EuroPaste mounting wax, Maxima contact cleaner, baby powder to keep the tube from getting hung up or pinched, assorted spoons and levers, Bead Buddy to keep the lip of the rubber down, a cut roll of duct tape to run as rim tape, valve stem caps and nuts, digital air pressure gauge, rags, and a battery-powered torque wrench to tighten the rim lock.

We spotted a few little things while at the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rig, like a swatch of tape over the rim lock's hole in the Excel hoop, which means a solid mousse insert was paired to the rear tire, not a standard inner tube.

The mechanics repurposed a Twin Air filter skin into a straining screen on their fuel funnel to help prevent unwanted materials like dirt or sand from entering the tank when they're topping off the VP Racing blend.

Star Racing's willingness to try different parts for their riders continues in its 250 program, as Haiden Deegan has KYB spring forks with XTRIG ROCS split clamps on his YZ250F, while others have the option to use KYB's PSF sticks, Neken clamps, or some OEM pieces.

Finally, a simple reminder on the vent hose to fill up the YZ450F for Dylan Ferrandis, plus a look at the clickers and caps of the KYB PSF forks.

We've seen all sorts of cool-down devices in the pits over the years, from trash cans to plastic kiddie pools, but the latest trend is ice baths. Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing had a one-person tub behind the rig for riders to hop in between motos, and after a quick online search, we found out it's The Ice Pod, an inflatable and insulated 79-gallon drum that retails for $120. Maybe it's time we ask a few trainers about cold water therapy and its benefits for motocross.

Paddle or knobby? That's the conundrum of Spring Creek, an unanswerable problem made by the sand rollers/intermediate loam/hard-packed hills, and that prompts Dunlop to recommend both the MX14 and MX34 rear tires to its riders (to be fair, this happens at other tracks, too). Almost everyone in the 250 Class opted for the direction tread over the traditional spaced blocks...

But a few were running MX34s with every other central knob sliced into a paddle, a modification done by the race teams. You know, a local shop or mechanic with a hot knife could turn this pro hack into a premium add-on when changing rubbers if they call it "Tire Tread Optimization" and market exclusively to guys with Factory Edition bikes...

High steppin'. Levi Kitchen is one of the taller riders in the 250 Class, but his starting blocks would make you think otherwise.

"Suffer Now, Summit Later." The Red Bull paint job on Tom Vialle's Airoh Aviator 3 helmet was done by the French art team OCD Design4Victory and includes a small tribute to Rene Hofer.

Schaefer Tracks gets tagged in by the Spring Creek crew for the summer national to help reface obstacles, prep the dirt, and maintain the right amount of roughness on race weekend. Shane, Joey Kwak, and the crew also help at Thunder Valley during their round of Pro Motocross and have built their share of tracks for teams, practice compounds, and events like the Paris Supercross.

A true gentleman, he's packed a smooth path in the deep dirt for the Monster Energy model to run down...

We've said it in past installments of Kickstart from Spring Creek, but again, the Minnesota track would be an excellent location for the Motocross of Nations. The mixed soil, natural elevation, and layout would test riders from around the world (Tom Vialle told us there's no place like it on the MXGP circuit), flights from all major cities go in and out of nearby Minneapolis, and there's plenty of room for people to camp on the property or to get a hotel Rochester. The only challenges would be the weather during the time of year, as it gets cool early in the upper midwest, with possible rain and snow.

The steepness of the Spring Creek hills makes it impossible to rip and fix everything, especially in the short time between motos. You can actually watch the hard park develop as the day goes on, like this spot on the first rapid descent.

RJ Hampshire has a lot of trust in the front-end of his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing FC 250. Our Pre-Race News Break from Millville includes a few-minute interview with the rider ranked third in points, and of course, we asked what'd he do to race the MXON. RJ told us that he'd rather be on the 450 at Ernee, as he feels he has more to offer on the big bike and that moving up would double his chances at being selected.

Jo Shimoda and Hunter Lawrence's Moto One battle for the top spot had our full attention. Scroll down to see snaps of the pursuit.

Daxton Bennick and Star Racing utilized the Pro-Am eligibility rule to the fullest over the past three races. The A Class rider clocked the quickest lap in Timed Qualifying at RedBud, went 10-9-17-12-14-10 through six Motos, and amassed 54 points, which put him 18th in the championship standings. Bennick will skip Washougal to prep for one last visit to the Ranch for Loretta's, then begin his proper pro career at Unadilla.

There's been a lot of movement in the pit area by mechanics and technicians over the last few months. Adrian Bernal, a longtime Showa rep who worked with Pro Circuit, has jumped to WP...

Todd Brown, a suspension tuner who's worked with all brands, has taken over setup duties of the Showa components run by the BarX team.

It was good to see Adam Cianciarulo at the front of the pack at the start of Moto One. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider told us that the sand rollers aggravated the numbness issue in his arm but that backing it down and riding "overly cautious" is why he's still out there and not on the ground. AC also said he put himself in a bit of a hole by getting heat stroke at Southwick and then doing two 40-minute motos on Tuesday in Michigan, but that he'll continue to build as the summer continues.

Jett's led 206 laps this summer, an impressive total that increased by 34 at Spring Creek. The Team Honda HRC rider has controlled the pack in every race other than High Point, when he had to pass Ken Roczen late in both motos to continue the perfect season.

Shoutout to Izaih Clark for his second National of the summer. The Iowa privateer banged up his shoulder at a fair race earlier in the week, but was put in the A Group for Timed Qualifying, clocked the 16th best lap in the 450 Class, got up front at the start of Moto One, and raced to 20th place and a championship point. Unfortunately, the pain was too much to deal with and Clark sat out Moto Two.

Are you listening to AC's podcast? Unplugged is now streaming on all major servers, including Spotify and YouTube.

Chase Sexton was frustrated after both races, but the Team Honda HRC rider explained why and what he'll work on when we spoke for HWYW. "That's probably the first time he's been run down by ten seconds back, ever," noted Sexton at the end of the day. "I feel like I have what it takes to beat him, and that's what keeps me going every week. I think we're going to some tracks that I really like and my bike suits those tracks, so I think we'll be better off. My body is pretty much back to normal, and I'm looking forward to going deep these next four rounds."

We know that this is Haiden's first summer as a pro and that Spring Creek was Austin's first real race of the year, but their back-and-forth in Moto Two had us daydreaming about what could happen in 2024. These two and their never say die styles could make every weekend exciting.

Props to our dude Ethan Day, who earned his spot in the 250 Class through a fourth-place finish in the LCQ and raced to 34-34 finishes for 36th overall.

Pen & Paper

Hunter Lawrence reaffirmed his rank in the 250 Class after two tough weeks. The Team Honda HRC rider led 17 laps (two in Moto One, 15 in Moto Two) on his way to 1-2 scores, the overall win, and a crucial 47-point haul over the rest in the still close but not as tight as it was championship chase. BTW, it's all but announced that Hunter will jump up to the 450 in 2024.

Impressive, Levi.

Caden Braswell got collected in some chaos early in Moto Two and had to visit the mechanic's area for some hasty repairs, which included ripping the front fender off his race bike. We'll have to ask him what it was like to see the wheel moving over the rollers or down Mount Martin. Braswell will finish the outdoor season with TLD.

Lose some, win some. Justin Cooper missed out on the checkered flag in Moto One at Southwick, but the Star Racing rider made up for it in Moto Two at Spring Creek when he went by the downed Hunter Lawrence on the last lap and snagged the W. Cooper's now fifth in the championship standings, down 21 to Lawrence, eight to Deegan, and one to Hampshire and Shimoda.

Jo Shimoda almost got Hunter but came up just short (0.398 seconds, to be exact) of second place and the extra championship points.

Electric water pumps are now a must-have in the 250 Class. Here's the piece run by Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki...

Team Honda HRC's component and location on the left side of the bike...

And Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha's setup. The battery-powered parts allow teams to bypass the mechanical pumps built into the engine, which reduces the load and increases the overall power.

Will the streak end at Washougal? Chase is very confident that the Washington track will suit his bike and style, while Jett has openly said that the challenging passing zones and brutal roost make it a tough place to race.

We hated seeing Shane McElrath's brand-new bike get weeded at the start of Moto Two. The RWR rider was part of the pile-up that claimed Henry Miller and Jason Anderson, and it left the front of his YZ450F busted and twisted. Shane will race Washougal and a few more rounds to solidify his rank in the SMX standings.

Like we said, having an MXON here could be all-time. Make it happen, A Mart.

Props to Phil Nicoletti. The Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX/Yamaha rider was just ahead of Jett Lawrence in the closing laps of Moto Two, but rather than check-up and get passed by the leader, Phil pushed on, stayed just ahead, and did the final lap on his own. Maybe that's why he was pissed during HWYW.

Spring Creek's turnout was the biggest in years, a trend that's continued all summer at places like RedBud and Southwick. We say it every week, but get to the track if Pro Motocross comes through your area. We're in a golden age of MX.

The PistenBully 400 that Spring Creek used to rake the start was impressive, as the massive machine was able to cover multiple gates in one pass and turn the dirt into something out of a zen garden.