2024 Unadilla Motocross | Kickstart Recap & Gallery

Locked in, but not tucked in.

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki looks to be building up for 2025 and beyond. One could say that the last few years have been a down time for Mitch Payton’s iconic effort, but power and handling updates to the KX250 have made the bike much more competitive in the small-bore class and two-year contracts for Ty Masterpool and Garrett Marchbanks will grow the rider roster tremendously (Masterpool, Marchbanks, McAdoo, Kitchen, and Hammaker, with terms for Forkner and Drew Adams still being finalized).

Fifty years of racing memories have happened on this dark, rocky dirt. Friday’s downpour from Tropical Storm Debbie were intense, a constant deluge that dumped over an inch of rain in 24 hours (not a ton to some, but a lot for the area) and had everyone preparing for the worst. The crew’s decision to “seal” the track on Tuesday and then rip it on Saturday was a wise move, as the course started off smooth in the morning practice sessions but was rough and rutted in the motos.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing absolutely aced the retro look at round nine. The team swapped the usual white radiator shrouds and front number plate for bright blue pieces, got sponsors Factory Effex/Guts Racing/FMF Racing to produce parts that accented the look, and had FLY Racing/Fox Racing/Seven put the riders in matching gear.

Token SkyShot whip, thanks to Christian Craig.

Clean Air

Dirty Air

Technique Check over the top of Horsepower Hill. Here’s Chance Hymas…

Levi Kitchen

Haiden Deegan

Coty Schock

Pierce Brown

Chance Hymas took a brutal slam while leading 250 Moto One. The Team Honda HRC rider went down on one of the fastest sections of the valley, got smacked by his bike during the tumble, and was pinned underneath for a quick moment until two photographers rushed to pick it up. After a few moments with the medics, Hymas was cleared to rejoin the moto and immediately launched the Sky Shot jump to shake off the cobwebs. Hymas completed the race despite being multiple laps down and lined up for Moto Two, but the burn on his arm and generalized discomfort prompted him to pull out after a few moments.

Small rollers cut into Horsepower Hill were another element riders had to overcome, and those who were able to keep the rear wheel stuck to the ground were able to separate themselves from others who got bounced around on their way to the top.

The only significant track change we noticed this year was the removal of the turn between the Sky Shot and Horsepower Hill, a minor reroute that made the section significantly faster than it used to be. The preferred line in 250 Moto One pushed all the way to the edge of the lane, but after an official got roosted by riders toeing the edge of the track limits, the area was monitored by the AMA and later “fixed” with a built-up berm and additional yellow markers.

Sit?

Or stand?

Battles between Hunter Lawrence and Chase Sexton have been a memorable part to the summer. The battle between the title contenders in 450 Moto One had our undivided attention and resulted in lots of images of the back and forth that they had through the closing laps of the race.

Zero context butt patch from Jo Shimoda. Perro means dog in Spanish, but the lips and tongue really have us confused.

roy Lee’s reacquisition of his namesake brand is a major moment for the powersports industry. French motorcycle corporation 2Ride Group (owned by global investment firm Eurazeo) purchased TLD in 2022 to increase its stake in the MX and MTB categories and to establish American distribution for on-road brands Shark and Nolan. We’ll have more on this in the coming weeks, as the surprise announcement came amid the Troy Lee Designs race team’s looming separation from the KTM Group and GASGAS.

250 Moto Two was a statement win for Levi Kitchen. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider had a down moments in the middle of the summer, including the usual bike setup struggles, overwhelming attention at his home race in Washougal, and an illness that left him low on energy, but the time off between rounds eight and nine helped him sort out some of the issues.

Here’s a landscaping move you won’t see on HGTV: use a cut knobby tire as a border for flower beds.

Summer’s almost over. Hard to believe there’s only four gate drops left for both classes in this year’s Pro Motocross Championship.

Technique check. Ken Roczen kept his feet on the pegs as he traversed the inside rut…

…Jason Anderson hit the gas and hammered an outside line…

And Chase Sexton muscled his way over the bumps in the middle of the lane.

Cooper Webb’s Moto Two crash aggravated the thumb injury that sidelined him for most of the summer, and the immediate pain made him think the worst had happened. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider will sit out the last two rounds, but fortunately, should be fine for the SMX Playoffs.

The new peace sign.