Category: Bikes

After beginning the 2024 AMA Pro Racing season with the Muc-Off/FXR ClubMX Yamaha organization – a season launched with back-to-back 250SX West podium finishes at and San Francisco and San Diego – Garrett Marchbanks suffered a thumb injury at Nashville, and then missed the AMA Pro Motocross opening round at Fox Raceway in Southern California due to a press day crash.

His outdoor season thrown sideways, word came down in early July that he would be returning to his former team Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki for 2025. The curtain dropping on his Muc-Off/FXR ClubMX Yamaha outfit ride after a four-race run aboard a Yamaha YZ450F in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Marchbanks once again lined back up with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team beginning with the 2024 Unadilla National.

Welcome to the 2025 AMA West Region 250SX West Supercross Championship, where Marchbanks will race for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team he last competed for from 2018 through 2020.

“I feel good,” said Marchbanks. “Usually, I usually always kind of struggle in early practice at A1. It’s a little bit of the nerves. There is the bike setup. A lot of times, like during the last three and a half or four years, I was training back east and then you go to the west coast and it just wouldn’t really gel for well with the bike chassis setup sometimes. So this year training 250SX West Region and racing the 250SX West Region, it really was nice. The bike felt pretty similar to practice days. The Anaheim track was pretty good and I look forward to San Diego.

“This year I feel really good. I truly feel like this year was the year I finally did all the work. It wasn’t like in years prior that I never did it. It was more like I think I always came into the new season hesitating like, ‘Did I do enough? Did I do this, this and that.’ This year I trained with Jason Anderson, one of the best guys out there in the entire world, a 450 supercross champ, and I trained with him on and off the bike and all the work we did. It was like, ‘Okay, if he’s confident, why can’t I be confident?’ I think just training with him, he’s really helped me understand what to do better on race day and on practice day. He’s been a huge help for me and I’m very thankful to be training with him.”

After a three-year run with Yamaha, Marchbanks is  thrilled to be back with Mitch Payton and his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki organization.

“Yeah, I missed it,” said Marchbanks of the Pro Circuit relationship. “I missed it a lot. There were days I’d sit there in my cabin out in South Carolina. There would be rainy days and we’d be sitting there and I have pictures all over my wall, like pictures of me winning at Daytona and pictures of me with Mitch Payton, and I would go, ‘Man, if I could get back on that bike… If I could just get back with Mitch Payton I want to turn it around and win the title. I want to do what I know I’m capable of.’ I remember the day he called me to come back and ride for him. I just remember that I was sitting there looking at those pictures and I was like, ‘Holly crap. I’ve made a full circle to do it again.’”

Sixth overall in the ’24 version of the 250SX West, Marchbanks is looking for bigger and better performance come the clank of the gate in Angel Stadium.

“Last year was kind of a weird year because some of my bad races were more like falls, or getting hit, or getting cleaned out,” he said of his 2024 campaign. “There were just random mistakes. Last year I felt like I was really good. I could have stayed right there in the top three a little bit longer, but this year I definitely feel like I can be a bit more consistent. Last year, my rounds at Anaheim 1 and Anaheim 2 weren’t the best. Those were rounds I just struggled on. If I could have just avoided those mistakes and stayed in the top five, or would have podiumed, I would have been right there in the title hunt. Those are things I just have to fix and I’ll be right there.”

Marchbanks won the Daytona round of the 2020 250SX East title chase. His lone triumph in the classification, the Utah pilot will be looking for thew top step of the podium once again come Anaheim.

“For me it has been five years now, which is crazy to think, and I got so close last year to finally getting to win again and missed it with two laps to go, which sucked,” said Marchbanks, referencing the 2024 San Diego supercross where he placed runner-up. “I feel like everything is there for me to do it again, and I feel like my endurance is great and my speed is great. I feel like if I just get some good starts, ride right there and do what I’ve been doing these past eight weeks, there should be no reason why I can’t win more races this year.”

Dispatched to the West Region for ’25 by Pro Circuit overlord Payton, Marchbanks, despite some reticence, is fine with competing in the West Region stadiums.

“For me – and I’m from the west coast, I’m from Utah – I hate the west coast,” he said. “I never liked the blue groove hardpack stuff. I’ve always been an east coast guy. However, you look on paper and I’ve podiumed six times. I podiumed three times in he west and three times in the east. It doesn’t really matter. You should be able to podium in either coast and no matter what, when you go 450, you’re going to have to rode both coasts. For me, I’m good with it. Honestly, this year has been the best I have rode west coast dirt, so I think I’m just fine.”

Last August, veteran Monster Energy Yamaha Star racer Eli Tomac spoke about deciding to stay on and hang around for another year in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.

“I’m really happy on how long I’ve made it,” said Tomac of what will be his 15th racing season come the drop of the gate at California’s Angel Stadium this Saturday evening. “To be honest, I didn’t see myself doing it past 30 years old. You’ve got to do what you love doing. I’ve always told myself that if I’m competitive, then I was going to keep going. It’s a little bit scary how fast 15 years goes by, but overall it has been a fantastic journey.”

Now at age 31 and putting the finishing touches on his preparations for the 2025 season, Tomac says that walking into Angel Stadium still feels special.

“Anaheim, it creeps up on you,” he said. “That’s just the way it is, but it’s awesome. There is nothing better than going racing, so I’m looking forward to it all. I can’t wait for it. I did some of those off-season races and had a great time doing that and then now all of a sudden, we are here at Anaheim 1. Man, it’s crazy how fast it comes around. It’s like, ‘Man, where did the time go?’ It’s been a great time doing it. I don’t know… I’ve just been healthy lately and I’ve just been having a blast doing it, so I want to keep my head on straight and continue strong.”

Having won the very first AMA Pro Racing event he competed in – the 2010 Hangtown National – Tomac is still focused on what lies ahead.

“It’s just the love of racing. Basically, I’m not over it yet,” he said. “I still enjoy it. I still have the passion for it and the burn for trying to better myself and just competing against all of the guys out there. Really, that’s all it comes down to is believing in yourself, that you can still be competitive to try and win a race.

“Last year, of course I wanted more than one win. And it was just okay. It’s hard to really say what I should have done. Coming off of a injury like that [ED: Tomac injured his thumb at Denver in May] was probably tougher than I expected, or what I even thought it was going to be. And it as one of those things where you think you’re 100 percent, or almost fully healed, but in all reality you’re not until you actually get basically a year down the road. That’s what I realized. Once I was a full year down the road from that injury, it was like, ‘Oh wow, that last couple of percent really matters.’ And those things matter when you get to this level.

“I guess we’re going to find out if that’s the truth, but that’s what I’m telling myself right now. Maybe my preparation time was short and that affected some of my results and maybe kept me from getting more wins. That was part of it, in my opinion. You need to stay focused. And if you’re off a tick with your health it just shows. It’s amazing when you do injure something, you don’t realize how much that little piece affects you, but it does. There is so much going on in trying to manhandle that motorcycle and basically just taming the beast. It is so critical to be healthy in this sport.

Can he make a run at a third supercross title?

“I think I can,” he said. “I’m definitely going to be in the mix. Of course the number one guy is Jett Lawrence, you know? He’s the defending champion, so that’s the guy we have to beat. We need to just better ourselves. Of course he’s the man to beat, and then we have all the other riders that are always there. Yeah, Jett is the man right now and we need to try to do our best to defeat him.”

Tomac feels fortified with the might of Star Yamaha behind him leading into what will be his fourth season with the organization.

“It has been a great run with these guys,” he said. “We’re already going on year number four. Unfortunately, I’ve gotten hurt the past two seasons for motocross. However, 2022 was lights-out amazing. We should have, would have could have won supercross in 2023. We’ve had so many great races and seasons and we’ve just had a good run. Looking forward to 2025 with Monster Energy Star Yamaha.”

2025 will mark Tomac’s final season as a professional supercross competitor. That being the case, will the veteran be taking it all in as the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship barnstorms the country?

“Yep. I will be doing that,” he said. “It’s crazy to say, but yeah, this is the last one. Man, crazy. I’m going to leave it all on the track, that’s for sure. I’m going to leave it all out there on the track and enjoy every moment along the way.”

Interstate 15 twists through Southern California and rolls through the town of Corona, home of the Kawasaki K1 Test Track, and the place where the Monster Energy Kawasaki and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race teams sort out their equipment.

It’s here that we found Jason Anderson on New Year’s Eve, dialing in his bike for the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship season-opener at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium on January 11.

“I’ve been riding and racing dirt bikes since I was six years old, so being able to still do it at age 32 is incredible,” said Anderson, a 14-time 450cc main event winner during his Supercross career. “I’m not really a guy that thrives on stuff that other guys thrive on. Guys can thrive on winning and other stuff. I feel like I’m more of a guy that just loves what I do, and I just want to keep the dream alive more so than anything.. Luckily, I’m pretty capable of doing well.

“I’m going into this Anaheim in 2025 and I’m excited still. It’s crazy because I still feel like that little kid walking in to do the press conference. It’s crazy when I’m up there. Sometimes I don’t even understand how big of a deal it is. From being where I was when I was little and watching those guys, and then being up there and being a part of the press conference for so many years now is really cool. And the atmosphere at Anaheim in general is amazing. I feel like the closer you get towards the end of your career, the more you want to take full advantage of it. It all goes by in the blink of an eye, but I don’t want it to end.”

One of Anderson’s fiercest rivals in the sport, both then and now, is Eli Tomac. With Anderson now at 31 years of age and Tomac at age 32, do the two veteran racers ever communicate with one another?

“Not much,” answered Anderson. “We don’t really talk much. Most of the time we would probably see each other is at the races. Obviously, we grew up two hours from each other so we’ve been racing around each other since we were on 60s. For him, He’s always kind of kept doing his own deal in Colorado and I’ve always been in California. I kind of migrated here from New Mexico. We kind of have two totally different programs, but at the same time, I feel it is has been pretty cool to go through everything we’ve gone through and all of us are still racing each other some 25 years later.”

Fifth place overall in the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship with an average finishing position of 5.76, Anderson also raced to four podium scores along the way.

“I was lucky I got four podium finishes in the year,” he said. “I also closed the season strong with five straight top five finishes. Being able to have a strong end to the year and stuff like that was good, but I think there was a little bit we missed on our motorcycle just because we were in the first year of the motorcycle. I think there are things that we have right now that can maybe improve on that.

“I would really love to win in my 30s. I haven’t been able to get a win in my 30s yet. So that would be a cool thing if I can accomplish it. That would be a huge thing for me.

“It’s a fierce sport and it is not easy to win. Not at all. I think it’s tough to be a winner. It’s tough to win for a long time. There are so many aspects of it to where you have to lock in, but then you also have your life on the other side of it that you also have to keep maintaining. You cant be always fully locked in. It’s just hard on us and to maintain a career going long, you have to have that balance, but it is so hard. Especially like right now. We’re getting ready for Anaheim 1, and you have Christmas and New Year’s Day and here we are spending New Year’s Eve at the track. It’s no joke. However, I’m lucky and I really do love what I do, so I have to figure out how to make that happen.”

While out at the K1 Test Track, Anderson ran alongside new Kawasaki teammate Jorge Prado.

“To be honest, it has been really, really refreshing with Jorge here,” he said. “Obviously, he’s new to all of this, so it’s nice to have that enthusiasm in a teammate. As a 450 guy, every teammate that I’ve ever had has been kind of aged, as in being on the circuit for a while and everything like that. Jorg, coming from Europe, he still sees the shine on all of this stuff. It is sparkling and new to him and it’s refreshing and I think it helps the energy across the whole board.”

A rider who has always enjoyed and maintained a lower profile than many others during his journey through the sport, Anderson has always been known to have his own way of doing and seeing things.

“I’m just more low-key,” he said. “I like to go home and do my work and just hang out and enjoy what I do. That’s just how I am. I’m not really a big guy on getting a lot of attention, so I just kind of keep to myself, for the most part. I mean there is a lot of stuff I like to do outside of the sport, but it’s hard to do just because my time is taken. You get to the point to where you’ve got to figure out who you are besides racing, you know? Obviously now I feel like I’m on the closer side to the end and I want to figure out who I am.

“Honestly, it’s tough because you start racing at six years old and then you’ve got to figure out who you are as soon as you retire. It’s a hard thing to do. As you get older, too, you have to understand the bad nights. You have to leave it there. I still have got to be present with what I do after and not have any negative on my energy whenever I’m away from the track because it is hard on you. But yeah, I definitely feel I can do it, and we’ll see where we stack up when we show up to Anaheim 1. I’m looking forward to it and I just want to keep enjoying myself. That’s my biggest thing.”

How will he approach competitors as Chase Sexton, Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac come the clank of the starting gate into Angel Stadium dirt?

“To be honest, I feel like the only approach you can have is to just get the best start you can and create the best result from whatever start that you get,” he said.

“I feel like the days of you being so fast to where you can just run through the pack are gone. Right now the class is really, really, really stacked. There are the title guys and I would obviously like to put my name in there, but then you also have the guys behind them. You have Malcolm Stewart, Justin Barcia, Kenny Roczen and there are a ton of guys that are still just so insanely good and they definitely get overlooked for how talented they are. All of those guys that I just said, you wouldn’t be surprised to see them p1 in practice. The amount of guys is just insane. The level our sport is going to is amazing.”

And can the young and accomplished Jett Lawrence be defeated in 2025?

“I think right now is the time is where if he is going to get beat, he needs to get beat right now,” he said. “If you keep letting him go with his confidence, he can possibly win out until he’s tired of winning. I think right now is a big moment for people to try and stop it. I feel like if it doesn’t happen now, he’s going to be a tough train to slow down.”

As someone who has spent over five decades immersed in the world of motorsports — and as a dedicated Supercross fan since the mid-1970s — it’s rare for a film to genuinely stop me in my tracks. But Pay Dirt, Paul Taublieb’s latest cinematic triumph, did exactly that. This film isn’t just a documentary — it’s a deeply human exploration of the raw, unfiltered realities behind the intoxicating, adrenaline-fueled world of Monster Energy Supercross.

From the opening moments, Pay Dirt pulls you in with an unflinching honesty that mirrors the sport itself — there’s nowhere to hide. The film feels like a confessional, where legends and unsung heroes alike share their triumphs, fears, and failures with remarkable vulnerability. These are people I’ve known — some as friends, some as villains, others as acquaintances, a few even as clients — but the depth of their stories, revealed through Taublieb’s lens, took me by surprise.

Supercross racers are my heroes because their raw talent is so openly apparent, and the risks they embrace are so extreme. It’s impossible not to admire their superhuman courage, gritty determination and absolute commitment to achieve greatness — which is also a perfect way describe those involved in making Pay Dirt. They clearly understand that racing isn’t just an entertainment-driven sport. Above all, it is an inspiration-driven culture powered by impossible dreams and boundless ambition to just go for it.

The segment featuring Ricky and Stephanie Johnson struck a personal chord. I knew them well in the 1990s and seeing their full-spectrum story told with such honesty, tenderness and respect brought a tear to my eye. Ricky’s fierce competitive spirit paired with Stephanie’s strong and loving guidance paints a picture of a partnership that transcends racing. This, along with every moving chapter of this amazing film, represents storytelling at its finest.

Equally powerful — and far more unsettling — was the opening scene appearance of Supercross founder, Mike Goodwin while incarcerated in a California prison. His presence on screen evoked a visceral reaction in me, taking me back to moments of fear and unease from decades ago. I was around Mike Goodwin in 1974 when he was a Formula Ford customer of the racing business I worked for, Pacific Formula, which also published FORMULA magazine — a publication I was deeply involved with at the beginning of my career.

Those early encounters left an indelible mark on me, and seeing his aged face and hearing his unmistakable voice again in Pay Dirt brought those primal reactions flooding back. Goodwin, of course, was later convicted of the brutal murders of Mickey Thompson and his wife, Trudy — a tragedy that shook the motorsports community to its core. Adding another layer of personal connection, Mickey’s son, Danny Thompson, has been a longtime friend of mine.

Taublieb doesn’t shy away from the darker corners of Supercross history, and it’s this willingness to confront uncomfortable truths that elevates Pay Dirt beyond typical sports documentaries. For me, this movie is as real as it gets.

The film’s narrative script by Stuart Acher and Taublieb is masterfully written — each word purposeful, each story arc meticulously crafted. This isn’t a chronological recounting of events, but rather a narrative driven by emotional contrast. Like the sport itself, the storytelling makes you feel something profound and, more importantly, makes you care about these people and their journeys. Josh Brolin’s brave voice serves as the perfect storytelling vehicle, bringing weight and sincerity to every moment. The film’s editing is simply brilliant, and the music bed deserves its own mention, subtly dignifying the film’s emotional highs and lows without overpowering the stunning visuals.

Respected racing journalist Eric Johnson’s on-camera presence also deserves praise. As a valued contributor to RACER magazine and RACER.com for over 25 years, and one of the founding editors of RACER X Illustrated, Eric brings not only deep insight but also a profound understanding of the sport. His insights are sharp, his delivery confident, and he adds yet another layer of authenticity to an already genuine piece of filmmaking. I, for one, hope to see more of Eric in future projects.

What Pay Dirt achieves, above all, is connection. It reawakens the passion and reverence I’ve always felt for this sport. It reminded me why I fell in love with motorsport in the first place and why Supercross holds such a special place in my heart.

Taublieb and his team have created more than just a documentary — they’ve given us a love letter to Supercross, and the brave performance-driven culture it represents. This film will serve as rocket fuel for the sport, igniting passion in fans old and new. Monster Energy made a brilliant investment not just in Supercross, but in Taublieb’s extraordinary storytelling ability.

Pay Dirt isn’t just worth watching — it’s essential viewing for anyone who has ever felt the seductive sound of a racing engine stir something deep within their soul.

Bravo, Paul. Bravo to everyone involved. This is cinema at its most powerful, and it is worthy of the heroic sport it so beautifully defines.

Pay Dirt will have a special theatrical screening tied to the opening of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Championship at Anaheim 1 on January 11. It will then be released in 500 theaters across the United States – click here to find a cinema near you. Following that, PayDirt will be available on popular streaming platforms.

NBC Sports, Peacock, and the SMX League announced today the 2025 SMX World Championship broadcast and streaming schedule, including the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. In all, 28 regular season races plus the postseason playoffs across the series, including exclusive live coverage of Main Event races, qualifiers, and heats, will be presented across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, and NBC Sports digital platforms.

Peacock is the home of the SMX World Championship Series in 2025, presenting live coverage of all races, qualifying, and heats across both Supercross and Pro Motocross spanning all rounds from January to September 2025. 16 races will livestream exclusively on Peacock. The platform will also provide on-demand replays of every race. Qualifiers and heats will be available exclusively on Peacock for every race throughout the season. Additionally, 11 races (live and encore) will be presented on NBC, with five more on USA Network.

2025 marks the third year of the SMX World Championship which unifies Supercross and Pro Motocross and presents the season-ending SMX World Championship Playoffs, in a style of racing that features the best that both indoor stadium Supercross and outdoor Pro Motocross seasons have to offer.

The SMX World Championship Playoffs will culminate with two playoff rounds and the SMX World Championship Final. Playoff 1 will begin with an SMX Insider Pre-Race show on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 2:30 p.m. ET on Peacock followed by live racing at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Playoff 2 will also begin with an SMX Insider Pre-Race show on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 2:30 p.m. ET on Peacock, followed by live racing at 3 p.m. ET. An encore presentation will be presented on NBC at Noon ET the next day.

The SMX World Championship Final will begin with a pre-race show on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 9:30 p.m. ET on Peacock followed by live racing at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock. Locations for all postseason playoffs will be announced in January.

NBC Sports’ 2025 SMX World Championship season opener begins with the SMX Insider Pre-Race Show live from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock, followed by racing on the USA Network and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET. An encore presentation will air the following day on Sunday, Jan. 12, on NBC at 2 p.m. ET.

The outdoor Pro Motocross season of the SMX World Championship begins with the Fox Raceway National in Pala, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, at 4 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2024 SMX World Championship Series averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 502,000 viewers for coverage on NBC, USA Network, and streaming simulcasts across Peacock and NBC Sports Digital, up 26% vs. 2023. Additionally, Peacock delivered the most-streamed season on record for the sport. Across the full series, viewers streamed more than 1.9 billion total minutes of the 2024 SMX World Championship for Peacock exclusive races, up 24% from last year and marking a significant growth in the popularity of the sport. For more information, click here.

The 2025 SMX commentary team will consist of Leigh Diffey and Jason Weigandt as play-by-play, 15-time AMA champion Ricky Carmichael and five-time AMA champion James Stewart as analysts, and Will Christien and former veteran racer Jason Thomas as reporters.

Race Day Live will cover all regular and postseason races of the SMX World Championship Series exclusively on Peacock. Former racers Justin Brayton and Adam Cianciarulo will serve as hosts of the pre-race program while Steven “Lurch” Scott and Haley Shanley join as reporters.

A one-hour SMX World Championship preview special airs Sunday, Dec. 29, at 5 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, headlined by appearances from defending Supercross and SMX worldc Champion Jett Lawrence, two-time defending SMX 250 class world champion Haiden Deegan, 2024 SMX runner-up Hunter Lawrence, two-time Supercross champions Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb, 2024 Pro Motocross champion Chase Sexton, and more.

All televised rounds of the SMX World Championship Series on NBC and USA Network will also stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app via authentication, giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

Below is the full 2025 SMX World Championship broadcast and streaming schedule including Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and Pro Motocross Championship:

Regular season:
SMX Playoffs:

After spending the last two SuperMotocross seasons with the factory Rockstar Energy Husqvarna FC450 team, Christian Craig has inked a new two-year deal with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing. Returning to the team with which the Californian won the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West Region Championship, Craig will race a Yamaha YZ450F in the next two seasons of SuperMotocross, while mentoring the team’s 250cc racers as a rider development coach.

“I’m so excited to be back with the Star Racing team and grateful that even after two years away, they still welcomed and believed in me,” said Craig.

Back with Star Racing, Craig is now totally comfortable with the reality of his old and new racing surroundings.

“Yeah, for sure I feel like I’m home,” said Craig. “I mean I don’t want to badmouth the past two years, but I guess the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, you know? I felt like I would be fine going to a different team and I learned really quick that I had it made where I was and had a really good system going here at Star. The past two years have kind of been a washout for me with injuries and struggling with finding my groove and struggling with the bike. I kind of lost confidence in myself and my ability to race and get back to the top. I’m excited that I was given this opportunity to come back.”

And back in a different way. Not only will Craig compete with the 450 in 2025, he’ll also be front and center in monitoring and encouraging Star Racing effort’s 250 program.

“It is kind of a different role this time,” explained Craig of his multifaceted position with the organization. “I’m excited for it. It is something different. It is something that I guess hasn’t been done in our sport yet. Anybody that kind of wants to reach out and wants some help or advice, I’m there. I’m obviously a little bit older and I’ve been through a lot, whether it was injuries, results, good or bad, and I’ve seen a lot of it all. I’ve watched some of the best guys and I’ve been teammates with some of the best, so I think Bobby Reagan saw that in me and thinks I can play a valuable role in helping grow the 250 team, while also letting me still race. I still feel like I have some time left in me and I definitely want to get some better results before I do hang up the boots.

“With the position that I’m now in, I feel like I can relax a little bit more. I’ll be back on a bike that I’m comfortable with and back with a program I’m comfortable with. Also, I’ll help the 250 team and kind of guide them the best that I can. I’m helping Haiden Deegan quite a bit, whether it is off the bike or on the bike. I’ll help anyone who wants to listen.

“I’m also trying to recover from my elbow surgeries from the past few years. I’m just building myself back up and it has been tough. I’m also dealing with a knee injury that I sustained at the last round of SMX. I haven’t got o ride the Yamaha yet. I’m pretty bummed, but hopefully here in December I will. It’s been a quick recovery. The knee has been getting stronger from physical therapy three times a week. I’ve been training as much as possible. I’ve dealt with much worse, but it is frustrating because I’m so excited to get back on the Yamaha and get going with the team. Just a little delay here, but it has been fun because I’ve still been busy and been able to do that coaching side of my job.”

A deadline Craig is totally centered on is Jan. 11, 2025 and the opening round of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Series in Anaheim. Still healing up and working on off-bike fitness, Craig is still not quite sure of his preseason status.

“Racing at Angel Stadium, that’s going to be tough,” pointed out Craig. “I definitely want to make it, but I’m going to probably have two or three weeks on the bike before that first round. You never say never, but I want to be 100-percent when I do come back. Who knows how I’ll feel on day one. Maybe I’ll feel better than I think and we go racing. I just know that when I do come back, I want to be ready.”

After placing eighth overall in this summer’s Pro Motocross Championship aboard the Husqvarna, Craig is very much looking forward to competing on the Yamaha YZ450F in the football and baseball stadiums of the nation when the curtain is lifted on the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Series.

“The past two years, people forget that I have podiumed on the Yamaha 450F before. I’ve been upfront. I’ve led laps,” he said. “People quickly forget about that. I know it’s still in me. I’m excited to get back on the bike that I have posted up good results with and won a championship on. There are just all around good vibes and everyone on the team has welcomed me back in. it’s exciting. They all still believe in me and it is fun, for sure.

“I want to bring back that flash of speed that I used to have. I know I still have that in me. The sprint speed, whether it is winning some heat races or battling towards the front, is what I want to display. I want to give myself a chance. I feel like I haven’t had that in a while. I definitely have some more races in me and I just want to fight for some good positions and to give the team a good reason on why they hired me back.

“I’m excited to build back up and get going here. Obviously, these injuries I’ve had have slowed me up a little bit. However, I know that the last time I was on this bike, I did really well. Having that confidence helps a lot. Just being on a factory bike with some good teammates and good support, it is going to be huge. It’s up to me to bring back those good results for the team.”