After two years within the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna organization, Chrisian Craig will compete in the 2025 and ’26 SuperMotocross World Championship on a Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha Team YZ450F. Craig will make his debut for the race team he formerly competed with and clinched the 2022 250SX West Supercross Championship for this Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.
Craig was absent from the first nine rounds of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship due to recovering from an ACL knee injury suffered at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway SuperMotocross finale last September but is now back up to speed, on Thursday afternoon Criag spoke about both what he has been up to and just where he is going this approaching Saturday.
“It has been good,” said Craig after taking a break from dialing-in the Yamaha YZ450F. “I’m back home at Star Racing, which has been awesome. I’ve been on the bike consistently for about six weeks. I missed all of the off-season with the knee injury, unfortunately. Once I got the go-ahead to get back on the bike, it has just been full throttle. I know it is round 10 this weekend, but better late than ever I guess.”
Craig is confident about his fitness heading into Birmingham.
“Yeah, the knee is 100 percent,” he said. “I mean obviously when you’re off the bike for two or three months, you lose all that fitness. However, I feel like I’m close to 100 percent, so the team and I have agreed that we both feel like we are ready to go.”
Part of that is being back to the grind of testing, training and fine-tuning himself and the YZ450F for maximum performance.
“I’ve done it for so long, that I kind of know what to expect,” said Craig. “I’m back with the Yamaha crew and I’m loving the bike and everything that comes with it.
“It feels like home, for sure. Last time I was on a Yamaha I won a championship. For sure it has been good vibes just being back with them. I’m back with Gareth Swanepoel and just everybody there. It is a really tight-knit crew and everyone is pushing to be better. I enjoy it a lot.”
As part of his work responsibilities within his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Team role, Craig works very closely with and helps develop the organization’s legion of 250 racers. It’s a responsibility he finds fulfilling.
“It has kind of been a different role for me,” he said. “Obviously, I’m racing full-time still, but I’m also helping out the team and the younger riders that get signed to the team. I try to help that transition from amateur to pro and to try and be a mentor. It’s different, for sure. We’re trying to find what works well with the team and to also keep busy with my side of it with training. Yeah, it feels like home, for sure. My brother Jeremy Coker was the team manager for the 450 side for a while, but unfortunately he left for another job (Note: Last December Coker announced he was going to Triumph Racing). I was pretty bummed out about, but better for him. other than that, though, I’m super-close to everyone on the team. It feels really comfortable, so I’m stoked.
“I am excited to get back and see where I fit into this group. I know the pace is super-high right now. And with my two teammates, one of them, Cooper Webb, is leading the points and the other one, Justin Cooper, just got second at the last round at Indianapolis. I’m obviously on a good bike and in a good program and it’s up to me to put in a good result now. We all train together and ride together. It’s a good crew, for sure.”
So what sort of benchmark is Craig setting for himself in Birmingham tomorrow night?
“Man, it’s a big question mark right now,” he admitted. “I feel like I’m riding really good at the practice track. I’ve been putting in some good laps, so my speed is there. You never really know where you fit in until you go racing and get behind the gate. Whether that puts me right outside the top-five area, or top 10, as long as I can kind of go match what I’m doing during the week, I’ll be happy with wherever that puts me.”
Both a champion and multi-time race winner while competing in the 250cc sector of his career, Craig is now looking for his first career victory in the 450cc ranks.
“That’s obviously something that you want to check off, but you have to take baby steps and get on the podium first,” he said. “The end goal is to win, so I’m on the bike and on the right program. I mean if I can run in the top five or top 10, that would be awesome, and then I would go from there. I’ll be racing the rest of the year and I’ll just keep building.
“The bike is in a good spot. It’s a winning machine and the team is leading the points right now. I know I’m around good company, so that’s all I need. I mean, anybody can win on any given weekend, so I want to try to be one of those guys and put myself in a good position and see where it plays out. It’s been a long time coming back from this injury, so I’m excited to get back behind the gate.”