2023 Unadilla Motocross | Kickstart Recap & Photo Gallery

Workbench essentials: assorted tools, axle, sprocket, contact cleaner, Dunlop tire stickers, a can of Canada Dry, front brake disc cover, and handheld torch.

Apparently, round nine was supposed to be a Military Appreciation race; we didn't know about the theme until we asked Red Bull KTM about the digital camo/American flag/chrome kits by Decal Works.

Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing followed along with a stars and stripes setup, complete with a soldier silhouette, printed by Throttle Syndicate.

We got a glimpse of the pandemonium that occurs at Star Racing's 250 rig during every Saturday autograph session. Preteens eager to see Haiden Deegan wouldn't listen to the security requests to clear the pit area, and with the first gate drop coming soon, the on-duty guards even asked us to find a high-ranking team member that could convince Deegan to stop signing and help get the crowd to disperse.

Take your pick: retro pink-white-blue or patriotic red-white-blue? Both of these Alpinestars lids were painted by apdesigns.

Yamaha sent a press release on Thursday announcing how Jay Wilson will line up at the final rounds of the Pro Motocross Championship for Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha in the 450 Class. Wilson, an Australian that moved to Japan to test for the OEM and race for the Yamaha Factory Innovation Team, explained the late-career transition and how it changed what he concentrates on when doing laps around the track during our How Was Your Weekend interview (find the full video on the site). "I have many goals here other than racing and results. I want to learn this motorcycle, I want to provide as much information and data as possible for Yamaha, and if I can't win the championship, I want to be a part of winning by helping develop the motorcycle," the 29-year-old said. "It's probably not a bad thing, to be honest, because during my career, I've been a bit of an over-thinker, and I put a lot of pressure on myself from a racing point of view. This keeps me busy and takes a little pressure off the results." Wilson was aboard the YZ450F that's been idle since Eli Tomac's Achilles' injury and said he only adjusted the bars and levers before going out for the first practice.

Yamaha's Electric Power Steering (EPS) system, one of the trick parts Wilson has helped develop, was mounted to Justin Cooper's YZ250F for the first part of the day at Unadilla. The unit includes a magnetostrictive torque sensor and actuator mounted to the upper clamp and functions as a "motorized assist" when turning the bike at slow speeds and as a "steering damper" when going faster or straighter. Yamaha has utilized the part in race conditions during the All Japan Motocross Championship and says the project is part of its Long-Term Vision of ART for Human Possibilities and falls under the Transforming Mobility focus area, which aims to "transform mobility to expand human possibilities."

Pressure check with Drew Hopkins. The suspension tuner's experience with KYB components and Yamaha motorcycles is currently being put to use by Phil Nicoletti, Garrett Marchbanks, and Luca Marsalisi.

Copious amounts of carbon fiber at Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki.

Here's a Pre-Race Prep Tip from Fox Racing's Kenny Day: use a bobby pin to prevent a stack of tear-offs from falling off the posts and getting unfolded during transport. KDay's work area in the race support rig was set up for goggles when we walked by with pre-cut strips of black tape that prevent water from getting between the laminates and the lens, roll-off canisters for mud, and spares of everything in case of heavy rain.

Tuck-in and fill-up.

We wondered what Justin Barcia's ambitions were for his return to racing. Are wins and podiums the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing rider's goals? Does he know how many points he needs to improve his SMX rank? Or is he just trying to do some laps after a summer on the sidelines? "I'm not back for anything but to be racing, build some strength, and try and enjoy it," he stated in HWYW. "I'd seen so much on the internet, and it didn't frustrate me, but it was like... 'Is he gonna be able to battle with so and so?' And I'm just like, dude, I haven't raced in forever, I haven't rode at all, I lost all my muscle from two surgeries. I'm just back to build back up."

What are the last things you do before the gate drops? Are you someone that peels a few tear-offs and adjusts the fit of the goggles? Do you ward off the dreaded arm pump by rolling your pal on the bars? A few deep breaths while you watch the 30-second card? Or is this your chance to snap into focus with a clap and last shout of encouragement?

It's been great to see our friend Dominick Russo working at the races this year. The filmer, whose production credits include work on the famed Moto series, has been hired by Alpinestars to capture scenes of the Lawrence brothers during the championship-clinching moments. His first project, "Selfless," followed Hunter through New Jersey and Nashville for the 250 East Coast SX title (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoUsdmSXe7E&t=451s), while recent weeks have been spent shooting Jett's run to the 450 MX number one plate. If you've got time and want to watch a well-done profile on Vicki Golden, add "Inverted Perspective" to your YouTube queue; the half-hour piece was commissioned by 805 Beer and chronicles everything Golden has gone through while making her name in the sport.

How close does it get in the last four motos? Chase Sexton was within two seconds of Jett Lawrence for much of 450 Moto One, a tense battle that saw both do their quickest runs on Lap 7 (2:13.848 for Lawrence, 2:14.264 for Sexton) and get separated by fractions-of-a-second differences on the stopwatch. The Team Honda HRC riders kept close in 450 Moto Two, too, and both of their fastest times happened on Lap 5 (2:15.934 for Lawrence, 2:16.049 for Sexton).

Count the M Claws. We see 11. It's wild to see what Monster Energy is up to right now, including the launch of the Beast Unleashed alcohol line to celebrate its 21st year and expansion into canned water with Tour Water (the Corona-based company was previously inactive in the category, despite unintentionally helping cause its boom by being the inspiration for Liquid Death, which was recently valued at $700 million). Recognized by Forbes as one of the fastest growing businesses of the new millennium, Monster Beverage Corporation's total revenue in 2021 was $4.39 billion dollars, and they maintain a 35-percent share of the total energy drink market through the original Monster Energy brand and secondary lines like NOS (marketed towards automotive racing), Full Throttle (recently rebranded to be patriotic), Reign ("performance body fuel" with BCAAs), Mother (available in Australia and New Zeland), and Predator (billed by partner Coca Cola as the first "global affordable energy drink").

Props to Stephen Rubini for his point-scoring effort in 450 Moto One. The BUD Racing-backed rider was collected in a crash off the start and clearly made heavy contact with the ground, the other riders, and probably a motorcycle or two on his way down, was 33rd on the opening lap and rallied back to 20th at the checkered flag. The Frenchman followed that up with a 17th in 450 Moto Two, scores that put him 21st overall.

We've seen a lot of young fans with instant or disposable cameras along the fencelines this summer. It's a cool contrast to the telephones and DSLRs everyone else brings to capture their take on the action (no disrespect meant), as it means they had to buy film, are limited in the number of shots they get, and will have to go through the process of getting them developed. Also: take the time to have the important pictures in your digital albums printed. Hell, pay the extra few bucks and have doubles made, too.

Tanel Leok was one of the many foreign riders in the 450 Class at Unadilla, a Trans-Atlantic guest list that included Leok (22-18 for 23rd), Harri Kullas (7-7 for sixth), Jose Butron (17-19 for 20th), Stephen Rubini (20-17 for 21st), Anton Gole (16-21 for 22nd), Jakub Teresak (25-23 for 26th), John Adamson (27-31 for 31st), Adrien Malaval (38-28 for 34th), and Rob Windt (39-37 for 40th).

The ride might have ended, but the merch is still for sale. https://alexray.co/

Shoutout to Sebastian Balbuena for the well-coordinated look of his Creative Sports Concepts YZ450F, THOR MX gear, Alpinestars boots and helmet, and 100% goggles. Would you expect anything else from a guy from Brooklyn, NY?

Chase Sexton's 450 Moto One crash while chasing Jett Lawrence happened right in front of us and triggered a collective groan by the fans that lined the hillside. It's rare we get to experience something like this while in the crowd, and their acts-comments of disbelief/surprise/frustration show how much they follow the action.

Luke Renzland's Northeast MX tour continued at Unadilla, as the sometimes racer logged 21-22 results following a first turn crash (Moto One) and blown shock (Moto Two) for 25th overall in the 450 Class. Renzland will race at Budds Creek this weekend and should be able to add a few more points to his summer total, which currently is at four, thanks to 18-20 finishes at Southwick.

Levi Kitchen's wins are always interesting, as they come at the least expected times and boost the rider's rank and stat line. A good start put Kitchen in the control of 250 Moto One and led all fifteen laps to earn his second victory of the season, followed it up with a fourth in Moto Two, and ended the day second overall. This brought Kitchen's Laps Led total to 31, and mixed with RJ Hampshire's DNF, moves him to fifth in the championship standings.

Unadilla's unique history was outlined in the pre-race notes package from MX Sports, which stated: "Unadilla MX bills itself as the longest continuous running AMA Pro Motocross facility in the United States. After the first 2 official 450 Class rounds held in Unadilla in 1972 & 1973 the track hosted the American round of the Motocross World Championship (MXGP). Other than 500cc National rounds Unadilla held in 1976 & 1977, the track solely hosted Trans-AMA, Trans-USA, and 250cc GP rounds from 1974-1988. From 1989-1991 Unadilla hosted 125cc/500cc Nationals and 250cc GP rounds. In 1992 Unadilla only hosted a 250cc GP before finally hosting another 450 Class race in 1993. The track has been a pillar of the Pro Motocross schedule every season since, other than 2020, meaning 2023 will be the 32nd time the 450 Class has raced at Unadilla... Unadilla has hosted a 250 Class race every season since 1989 with the exception of 1992 and 2020. That means 2023 will be the 33rd visit for the 250 Class at Unadilla. Between all 3 classes there have been 68 AMA National Championship rounds held at Unadilla. The track boasts 213 professional races held at the venue over the past 54 years."

Roadside Billboards. We really get a kick out of Tom Vialle's extra-large blackboard, as it's definitely something that got sent over to help the MX2 champion get acclimated to the US (did he bring it in his luggage, or did KTM ship it from Austria?). Searching the Mechanixware website to see if they sell pit boards through their store uncovered nothing, but it was interesting to see how the company's catalog has expanded and now includes safety glasses.

Funny how one color in the foreground can make details elsewhere in a photo pop. This snap of Maximus Vohland on his Red Bull KTM 250 SX-F brought out a lot of orange that was in the background...

While Preston Kilroy's Gaerne boots and FXR gear did the same to the red shirts, hats, and signs.

It was another flash of speed and come-from-behind effort for Austin Forkner at Unadilla. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider was the fastest of everything in the first session of Timed Qualifying and ended the morning second overall, but caught up in one of the long ruts during 250 Moto One, went down, and damaged the motorcycle. Some speedy repairs got Forkner back on the track, and he climbed back to 22nd at the checkered flag. "I'm not a quitter, and I realized that people relate to that. People come up to me, adults–not just kids, and they say I inspire them," he told us at the end of the day. "My ride last week, I had a bunch of people come tell me that coming back after being in the back wheel was a really inspirational ride. As long as I can physically get back up and get back on the bike, I'm usually going to do that. I'd like to be getting better results and would like to inspire people by winning races, but I guess being tough and not giving up is a good second."

Caden Braswell will finish the Pro Motocross Championship and run all three rounds of the SuperMotocross Championship with HBI Racing on a KX250. The first-year Florida pro getting with the upstart Florida team is a good thing for everyone, as Braswell is currently ranked 13th in the 250 MX point standings and 15th overall in the combined SMX data, and the team has shown their ability to support guys like Hardy Munoz, Scott Meshey, and Ty Masterpool through the summer. While we're here, let's look at Braswell's centralized style and line choice off the lip compared to...

Levi Kitchen's powerslide to the edge of the lane...

And RJ Hampshire's attempt to go wide and still dodge the roost.

What could have been... Haiden Deegan's DNF in 250 Moto One blew the championship open, as the rookie lost 22 points instantly, dropped to fourth in the rankings by the end of the weekend, and now finds himself in a one-point battle with Jo Shimoda for third. This chain of events pushed Justin Cooper to second in the standings, and he trails leader Hunter Lawrence by 22 points with four motos to go.

What does a 3.211-second margin of victory look like? Here's Hunter Lawrence dropping into the Gravity Cavity while Levi Kitchen takes the checkered flag.

We've heard stories from locals about how rare it is to ride at Unadilla, as the New York track had only eight amateur events in 2023 (including a JDAY off-road weekend, a vintage MX weekend, a LL Youth Regional, and two days of motos during the National), does not run any sort of open practice day, and closes for the season after the Pro Motocross Championship leaves the pits.

Midseason bike switch for Jace Kessler. The Michigan racer spent the first part of 2023 on a Honda but was aboard a Yamaha YZ450F at Unadilla, a change that will see him through the end of the summer. Kessler went 24-25 for 27th overall and is 27th in the season standings. If you want something interesting to watch in the next few weeks, follow the close spread of points between Bryce Shelley (28), Chris Canning (28), Jace Kessler (24), Shane McElrath (23), Brandon Ray (23), Colt Nichols (22), Max Miller (22), as you'll be wondering things like "Which of these guys are really out racing?" and "Will they score single or double-digit points?"

Tight turn technique check. We'll start with the champ, Jett Lawrence, who displayed flawless form while standing on the pegs...

Carry on to Chase Sexton, who crouched and turned through the rut...

Adam Cianciarulo went with the classic seated and one-foot-out strategy...

While teammate Jason Anderson opted for the modified half-stand-half-sit...

Dylan Ferrandis went for a wider rut during this lap that allowed him to be on the throttle instead of the brakes...

And finally, there's Aaron Plessinger, who was locked in the middle of the saddle and kept his feet on the pegs.

Fredrik Noren has been very good this summer. An average moto finish of 10.5 and 189 points through nine rounds has the Twisted Tea/Progressive/Suzuki rider eighth in the standings, and paired with an impressively consistent Supercross season, puts him 11th overall in the combined SMX championship. The post-race interviews with Noren are something we've come to look forward to, as Freddie's able to share every detail of the day when prompted with a single question and all with a grin.

Sometime in 450 Moto Two; we think this was around Lap Four or Five, just before the gap stretched from three seconds to seven.

Dylan Ferrandis found something during the break, as the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider was closer to the Team Honda HRC duo's pace than he's been all season, and he ended the day with 2-3 finishes for third overall. Weeks of training and significant changes to the suspension on the YZ450F surely helped, and Ferrandis will be one to watch in the final four motos as he goes for second in the championship and a new deal for 2024.

Ty Masterpool got a Pro Circuit engine for his KX450 during the break, but the crash in 450 Moto One damaged the built beast, and his mechanic had to swap it out for the reliable stock motor before lining up for 450 Moto Two. The timely ordeal kept the small team from fixing other issues on Masterpool's bike, like the handlebars that got twisted up in the chaos, and Ty told us that he adapted to the tweaked bike while vying for a spot in the top-10. Respect the privateer hustle.

We can confirm that Gilligan's Island in Sherburne, NY, is worth the stop on your way from the track back to Syracuse. Another ice cream recommendation would be Tail Winds in Windsor Locks, CT, which is behind the hotels everyone stays at for Southwick. Maybe it's time we review food spots from the road, and similar to the Michelin star rating, we award spots a "Knobby of Excellence" for their menu, presentation, and location. Hmmmm.

Another weekend, another big crowd. We hope to see you at one of the five races left in the US calendar (two Nationals, three SMX rounds).

A well-deserved congratulations goes out to Darren Lawrence for the 450 MX title. It's no secret that Dazzy is a part of everything his boys do on the bike, from the weekly maintenance at the property to the constant analysis of their riding and the motorcycle's performance, but some of his biggest contributions go unnoticed by the masses (Team Honda HRC staff told us he's come up with multiple things that helped the CRF250R) and will be used for years to come.

Another Unverferth Perfecta field cultivator in action.

Jeremy Hand is another guy to watch in the coming weeks. The Ohio racer went 11-16 for 12th overall at Unadilla and looks to end the summer in the top 20 of the championship standings. Hand's plan for the SMX rounds isn't set yet, as he's eligible to race the LCQs in either the 250 Class or the 450 Class, thanks to split duties in SX and MX.

Despite being relatively young, Christien Ducharme has solidified himself as one the top wrenches in the sport over the last few years, thanks to the run of titles he's had with Jett Lawrence dating back to the amateur days. Ducharme's record of DNFs or mechanical problems is very low, and his CRF motorcycles always appear ready for the next gate drop. Congrats, Christien.

Jett Lawrence took a moment after being handed the Edison Dye Cup to see the champions that have held it before. How many times will his name be engraved into the award?

"How often will we see these three riders on the same podium?" We asked that open-ended question a few weeks ago, and Unadilla took the total up to three.

It's unreal how people react to a factory bike getting revved out. Jett gave the people what they wanted on the Unadilla podium, if only for a moment.

A crash by RJ Hampshire brought out the red flag in 250 Moto Two and required a full restart. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider was taken from the track to the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit in a precautionary neck brace, but it seems no serious damage was done, as Hampshire's social media update says he's already working towards being back at the races sometime in the future. We'd think this would be a ding against his MXON chances and should find out for sure this weekend at Budds Creek.

Daxton Bennick was one of a few Loretta's graduates who raced Unadilla. The AMA Horizon Award winner went 14-9 for ninth, and thanks to previous points scored, is now 18th in the championship. Don't be surprised if Bennick leaps by a few riders and is 15th when the season ends at Ironman.

Stilez Robertson returned after some time on the sidelines and went 11-18 for a respectable 16th overall. Robertson will stay with Star Racing through 2024 and could become one of the big contenders after guys like Lawrence and Cooper move to the 450 Class.

You should really watch Ryder DiFrancesco's explanation of the situation he finds himself in during year one of his pro career, which is part of our HWYW interview. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider told us that although it's a "learning year," he knows that he's expected to give his all and that he's being compared to longtime rival and fellow rookie Haiden Deegan, but that he cannot get caught up in that because "they are on different paths."

Alright, we'll wrap it up with another "photo finish," this time showing the 2.640-second split between winner Justin Cooper and third-place finisher Jo Shimoda in 250 Moto Two. Hunter Lawrence is hidden in the Cavity, some 2.071 seconds back of Cooper.