2021 Supercross Race Teams Rosters & Rumors

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It’s time for one of the most viewed (and amended) posts of the year! Over the last few weeks, we’ve learned more about the team and rider pairings for the 2021 race season, either through conversations with our sources in the industry or through official announcements. Yes, all of this news is coming much later in the year than normal, and yes, it’s due to the COVID-19 situation.

Our sport is in for some major changes in 2021. Getting through the past year was the priority and now that things are sort of settling down, everyone’s efforts have turned to finalizing deals, getting parts, and preparing for the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross Series, which is slated to start around the middle of January. 

If there is a confirmed team not listed, and we know one of you will notice something amiss, just drop a note in the comments below. Expect some of this information to change as time goes by…

Red Bull KTM | 450 Class

Cooper Webb | Confirmed & Announced
Marvin Musquin | Confirmed & Announced

The two-man team remains the same in 2021. It will be the last year of Musquin’s current contract with KTM and it’s unclear how much longer he wants to race. Webb’s 2019 championship earned him a spot on the squad for years to come.

Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM | 450 Class

Justin Bogle | Confirmed & Announced
Joey Savatgy | Confirmed & Announced

UPDATE NOVEMBER 18 | The two-rider roster for Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM team in 2021 was part of KTM’s racing announcements on November 17, and yes, it’s different than what we all expected. Justin Bogle will return to his position, but Blake Baggett has been replaced by Joey Savatgy.

Baggett had an active three-year agreement with the team that was set to run through the 2021 season but has parted ways after the groups were “unable to reach an agreement.” This is a major development and will almost certainly see more details come to light in the near future.

The independently owned team is again set to field two riders in 2021. There is one year left in Baggett’s current contract with RM ATV-MC/WPS/KTM, so he’s assured a spot. The factory-backed bike is highly sought after and while plenty of people have expressed interest in it, the team hasn’t committed to anyone. We have heard that Justin Bogle could hold his spot with another deal and is the most likely candidate.

Uncertainty about the future team has spread through the pits, though, and how this works out will have a huge impact on the rest of the sport. We have been told the current plan is to continue on as usual, but again, it’s been a topic of recent conversations.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing | 450 Class

Dean Wilson | Confirmed & Announced
Zach Osborne | Confirmed & Announced
Jason Anderson | Confirmed & Announced

Husqvarna is currently the only confirmed three-man team for 2021. Wilson returns with a one-year deal he signed in the summer; Osborne and Anderson have active multi-year contracts.

Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS | 450 Class

Justin Barcia | Confirmed & Announced

NOVEMBER 2 | We have the official confirmation of Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing rider roster for 2021 and that Justin Barcia will be the team’s lone 450 Class rider.

The TLD team’s new status as the factory squad for the European OEM means they get a 450 Class rider, a position that they reportedly offered to a number of top contenders. Justin Barcia was linked to the GASGAS spot early in the summer, went through some back and forth over an extension with Yamaha over a “first right of refusal” clause, and then finally inked a multi-year contract with GASGAS late in the summer. Known throughout the industry as a done deal, it will be announced at some point in the next few weeks.

Will GASGAS only field one racer in the 450 Class? That remains to be seen. Getting Barcia took much of their attention and although we know that some riders have expressed interest in joining the team, there is no confirmation of it actually happening.

Team Tedder KTM | 450 Class

Martin Davalos | Confirmed & Announced
Dakota Tedder | Confirmed & Announced

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2 | Team Tedder has confirmed that Davalos and Tedder will return to the team in 2021 and 2022, thanks to a new multi-year contract.

The family-run, KTM supported team is set to bring Davalos back for his second year in the 450 Class. This is no surprise, considering Davalos’ good results in his rookie season. A second spot under the tent is always held for Dakota Tedder (he’s the son of the team owner) but all of this depends on the recovery from a very complicated wrist injury.

Monster Energy Kawasaki | 450 Class

Eli Tomac | Confirmed & Announced
Adam Cianciarulo | Confirmed & Announced

The green team retains both riders for 2021, Tomac through an active multi-year contract, and Cianciarulo through an extension signed midway through 2020.

Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing | 450 Class

Dylan Ferrandis | Confirmed & Announced
Aaron Plessinger | Confirmed & Announced
Malcolm Stewart | Confirmed & Announced

Yamaha’s 450 Class factory racing effort will be transferred to Star Racing starting in 2021. Plessinger will make the move through an active multi-year contract; Ferrandis will step up to the premier class with a newly signed multi-year deal.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2 | The team has announced Malcolm Stewart will fill the newly created third spot for the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross Series. This deal, which had been in the works for some time, puts Stewart back on factory equipment and opens the door for Christian Craig, one of the team’s 250 riders, to advance to the 450 Class for the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.

There have been rumors in the pits of a possible third 450 Class spot on the factory team, with Broc Tickle and Malcolm Stewart have been linked to the spot, but again there was no mention of it in the official press release. The likelihood of it happening is unclear.

Team Honda HRC | 450 Class

Chase Sexton | Confirmed & Announced
Ken Roczen | Confirmed & Announced

Remember when Team Honda HRC first announced their 2021 line-up? It was September 2019. Sexton started a multi-year deal with his transition to the 450 Class earlier this summer, while Roczen returns for year two of a three-year contract. Both riders will be aboard the all-new Honda CRF450R.

Sexton’s signing bumps Justin Brayton from the factory team and what the veteran does remains unclear.

SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda | 450 Class

Vince Friese | Confirmed & Announced
Broc Tickle | Confirmed & Announced
Benny Bloss | Confirmed & Announced
Shane McElrath | Confirmed & Announced

UPDATE NOVEMBER 13 | MCR has announced a further change to their roster for 2021, as Justin Hill is off the squad and Broc Tickle has been hired to take his place.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2 | MCR has confirmed their plans for 2021 and will grow to a four-man roster with returning riders and two new riders. Justin Hill and Vince Friese will return to their posts alongside new additions in Benny Bloss and Shane McElrath. The team also announced that Friese will be the only rider on the new 2021 Honda CRF450R, while the other three will compete on the 2020 model, and that there are plans to race select rounds of the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.

Support from Honda and willingness to build a bike to a rider’s desire has helped raise the prestige of the MotoConcepts team. Friese’s close ties to the team have earned him another year of support, but the other two spots are up in the air. Malcolm Stewart’s split from the team happened after the Supercross series, due to differences in agreement regarding 2021. Justin Hill is still in consideration, but the team has reportedly reached out to a handful of other riders in hopes of securing one of the many free agents for the open spots.

Muc-Off Honda | 450 Class

Justin Brayton | Confirmed & Announced

UPDATE DECEMBER 29 | The final details for 2021 have been announced: Muc-Off has signed on to become the new title sponsor, FLY Racing has stepped up to put Brayton in their goggle, and Pirelli will be the tire supplier.

UPDATE DECEMBER 14 | The team has gone through significant changes in preparation for their second year of Supercross in the United States. Oil company Penrite has ended their time as title sponsor, but fear not, because another company has already signed on to fill the space and the deal that will be announced in the next few weeks.

Justin Brayton will be the team’s only full-time 450 Class, part of his multi-year international deal.

Mitchell Oldenburg returns to his post as a 250 Class rider and the plan is for him to line up in the 450 Class when the West Coast region goes on break in Supercross.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2 | It seems like the Penrite Honda team will become a 450 Class operation in 2021 with Justin Brayton and Luke Clout slated to both be aboard CRF450R bikes, but the deal has not been formally announced. Brayton has stated this would be a multi-year deal for him and would run during the US SX series, the Australian SX series, and other offseason Supercross events. Expect details to come in the next few weeks.

The Australian team made an impact in its first year of racing in the United States but they’ve been really rocked by the COVID-19 crisis. Clout is still linked to the team, both in the States and Down Under, but what they’ll do for 2021 is unknown due to the continuing restrictions. They have reached out to a number of free agents in both the 250 and 450 Classes, and a move to the 450 Class with Brayton and Clout has been rumored, but no one new has been linked to the team or confirmed.

JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing | 450 Class

The news no one has looked forward to is finally here: JGRMX will end their race team immediately. The North Carolina team, owned by NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs and run alongside the Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR operation, spent 13 total years in professional motocross, worked with a long list of high-caliber riders, and had served as the flagship racing efforts for both Yamaha and Suzuki at different points in time. This is terrible news for just for the team staff and riders, but the industry as a whole. 

The future is again foggy for the factory Suzuki team. New management at Suzuki has talked about an investment in racing, which was the buzz of the summer, while Isaac Teasdale’s inclusion indicated progress in their sponsorship pitch with the Cherokee tribe of North Carolina, but some of the hype seemed to taper off later in the season. The contracts the team had with Joey Savatgy and Fredrik Noren were only for 2020 and expired at the end of the Nationals.

The team fully intends to race in 2021 and continue to work through the offseason, but it’s not clear who will get the factory spots just yet. Shane McElrath has been linked to two Suzuki-backed teams, including JGRMX.

Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports/Suzuki

Max Anstie | Confirmed & Announced
Adam Enticknap | Confirmed & Announced
Brandon Hartranft | Confirmed & Announced

UPDATE DECEMBER 29 | Suzuki has, at last, announced that Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports/Suzuki will be the flagship team for the OEM in 2021 and that Anstie, Enticknap, and Hartranft will fill out the roster in the 450 Class.

The independently owned, Suzuki-backed team is poised to grow in 2021, thanks to their new title sponsor in Twisted Tea and talk of increased support from Suzuki. Anstie has repeatedly stated that he intends to spend the offseason working with the team to perfect the RM-Z, while fan-favorite Enticknap is expected to retain his position. Brandon Hartranft will step up to the 450 Class full-time in 2021 with a new deal on the team.

SGB/Maxxis/Babbitt’s Kawasaki | 450 Class

Alex Ray | Confirmed & Announced
Justin Rodbell | Confirmed & Announced
Jeremy Smith | Confirmed & Announced
AJ Catanzaro | Confirmed & Announced

The independent team will retain its full roster of riders and will support Ray, Rodbell, Smith, and Catanzaro through Supercross in the 450 Class.

PRMX/Wossner/Kawasaki | 450 Class

Cade Clason | Confirmed & Announced
Josh Cartwright | Confirmed & Announced

The independent team will field a number of riders in 2021, including Clason and Cartwright as full-time competitors in the 450 Class.

TXS Productions/Jonesboro Cycle/International SX | 450 Class

Bubba Pauli | Confirmed & Announced
Joan Cros | Confirmed & Announced
Logan Karnow | Confirmed & Announced

The independent team will again consist of three riders in 2021, with Pauli and Cros returning to their positions and Karnow acting as a new addition.

Red Bull KTM | 250 Class

Maximus Vohland | Confirmed & Announced

NOVEMBER 18 | Vohland has been confirmed as Red Bull KTM’s only 250 Class rider for 2021. He will make his professional debut in Supercross and has a multi-year contract. 

The TLD team’s shift to GASGAS meant that KTM had to bring a 250 Class effort back under their awning. Vohland, a longtime Orange Brigade amateur, has been tapped to make an unexpected hop to the professional ranks and has already been in Southern California testing SX with the team. Despite it being known in the sport, there has been little indication or acknowledgment about it from the rider or KTM.

Red Bull/THOR/KTM Canada | 250 Class

Jess Pettis | Confirmed & Announced

Pettis will race one region of the 250 Class will full support from the Canadian division of KTM’s factory racing program. He has spent the offseason training in Florida at the Baker’s Factory with other riders on the KTM-Husqvarna-GASGASS program.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing | 250 Class

RJ Hampshire | Confirmed & Announced
Jalek Swoll | Confirmed & Announced
Stilez Robertson | Confirmed & Announced

Husqvarna will maintain three riders from its 2020 roster. Hampshire and Robertson are back with their multi-year contracts, while Swoll comes back thanks to continued support from the brand. The team has lost one rider and we’ll explain that below…

Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS | 250 Class

Pierce Brown | Confirmed & Announced
Michael Mosiman | Confirmed & Announced

NOVEMBER 2 | We have the official confirmation of Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing rider roster for 2021 and that Michael Mosiman and Pierce Brown will be the team’s 250 Class riders.

The arrival of GASGAS has caused lots of change at the KTM-Husqvarna-GASGAS group, including an overall of the TLD team’s roster. The team will shrink to just two riders in 2021, down from the four that were there in 2020. Brown, a longtime prospect of KTM, will keep his place on the squad and is currently on the mend from knee surgery. There was lots of back and forth between prospective riders midway through the year, including Hartranft and Drake, but at the last minute, Mosiman was moved from Husqvarna to GASGAS.

Brown is currently on the mend from major knee surgery and there is talk the team could need a fill-in for the Supercross season.

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki | 250 Class

Austin Forkner | Confirmed & Announced
Jordon Smith | Confirmed & Announced
Cameron McAdoo | Confirmed & Announced
Seth Hammaker | Confirmed & Announced
Jo Shimoda | Confirmed & Announced

UPDATE DECEMBER 14 | Jo Shimoda will join the team as a fifth, full-time rider in 2021, an addition that was announced in early December.

Mitch Payton’s team for 2021 features three riders from 2020; Smith and Forkner through multi-year contracts and McAdoo with a recent extension. Hammaker, a longtime Team Green amateur, will make his pro debut in 2021.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 18 | Jo Shimoda will join the team as a fifth, full-time rider in 2021. The new role has not yet been announced.

Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing | 250 Class

Jeremy Martin | Confirmed & Announced
Justin Cooper | Confirmed & Announced
Colt Nichols | Confirmed & Announced
Christian Craig | Confirmed & Announced
Jarrett Frye | Confirmed & Announced
Nate Thrasher | Confirmed & Announced

It seemed like nearly everyone free agent was linked to the Star Racing 250 squad at some point over the last few months and no surprise, they now boast one of the biggest rosters. For Martin, this will be a return to a team he won two 250 MX titles with earlier in his career. Craig, on the other hand, got his deal done a while ago in what was one of the worst kept secrets in SX. Cooper and Nichols come back with multi-year contracts, while young prospects Frye and Thrasher will make the next steps in their pro careers.

Team Honda HRC | 250 Class

Hunter Lawrence | Confirmed & Announced
Jett Lawrence | Confirmed & Announced

UPDATE DECEMBER 14 | Team Honda HRC has announced the Lawrence brothers will join the factory team in 2021 as the center of the brand’s in-house effort. This is said to be a lengthy, multi-year agreement between Honda and the riders; the last time Factory Honda last ran a 250 Class program was 2008. 

GEICO Honda’s shutdown put the entire 250 Class in a weird spot because now a full staff of riders and techs will need jobs. To make sure that CRF250R bikes are still on track, Honda has decided to give two young riders spots on the factory team for the first time in over a decade. It’s no surprise that they picked the Lawrence brothers because Honda sees a lot of potential in teenage racer Jett and wants to keep him on red. Hunter has been linked to the other spot, something that we heard about the two being signed as a package deal. This is still very early, so more details will come in the next few weeks.

Phoenix Racing Honda | 250 Class

Kyle Peters | Confirmed & Announced
Josh Osby | Confirmed & Announced
Enzo Lopes | Confirmed & Announced
Mason Gonzales | Uncertain

The East Coast-based Honda team will see some growth in 2021. Peters and Osby will spend the first part of their season racing the Kicker Arenacross series (Peters is the defending champ) and after that’s over, will turn their attention to Supercross.

UPDATE DECEMBER 14 | Mason Gonzales was on track to join the team for 2021 but a recent ankle-leg injury will sideline him for an undetermined amount of time.

UPDATE DECEMBER 22 | The team has confirmed that Osby and Lopes will be part of their expanded program in 2021; Lopes will focus solely on Supercross.

FXR/Chaparral/Honda | 250 Class

Coty Schock | Confirmed & Announced
Carson Mumford | Confirmed, But Unannounced

Michael Lindsay’s Honda-backed team is set to grow more in year two, thanks to the return of rider Schock and more support from the industry. Mumford getting a sport has been mentioned to the team by Honda as they would like to take care of the riders that were left hanging and in Mumford’s case, was in the middle of an active contract.

Muc-Off Honda | 250 Class

Mitchell Oldenburg | Confirmed & Announced
Mitchell Harrison | Confirmed & Announced

UPDATE DECEMBER 29 | The final details for 2021 have been announced: Muc-Off has signed on to become the new title sponsor and that Harrison has been added as the second 250 Class rider.

The team has gone through significant changes in preparation for their second year of Supercross in the United States. Oil company Penrite has ended their time as title sponsor, but fear not, because another company has already signed on to fill the space and the deal that will be announced in the next few weeks.

The team will field Mitchell Oldenburg and Mitchell Harrison in the 250 Class, with Oldenburg on the West Coast and Harrison on the East Coast, and for Oldenburg to step up to the 450 Class when the West Coast region is on break.

Luke Clout and the team have parted ways; the Australian will stay down under with a return to CDR Yamaha.

JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing | 250 Class

The news no one has looked forward to is finally here: JGRMX will end their race team immediately. The North Carolina team, owned by NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs and run alongside the Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR operation, spent 13 total years in professional motocross, worked with a long list of high-caliber riders, and had served as the flagship racing efforts for both Yamaha and Suzuki at different points in time. This is terrible news for just for the team staff and riders, but the industry as a whole. 

What we said about the 450 Class also applies to the 250 Class: the future is again foggy for the factory Suzuki team. New management at Suzuki has talked about an investment in racing, which was the buzz of the summer, while Isaac Teasdale’s inclusion indicated progress in their sponsorship pitch with the Cherokee tribe of North Carolina, but some of the hype seemed to taper off later in the season. Alex Martin’s deal with the team ran out at the end of the 2020 season but he seems likely to return with another deal.

The team fully intends to race in 2021 and continue to work through the offseason, but it’s not clear who will get the factory spots, or how many there even are.

Manluk/Rock River Yamaha/Merge Racing | 250 Class

Alex Martin | Confirmed & Announced

The Yamaha supported team will undergo major changes in 2021. Canadian manufacturing company Manluk has signed on as title sponsor and Merge Racing will serve as technical support. Alex Martin will be the team’s focus in the 250 Class; Martin rode for the Rock River Yamaha team from 2013 to 2015. 

CLUB MX | 250 Class

Garrett Marchbanks | Confirmed & Announced
Jace Owen | Confirmed & Announced
Joey Crown | Confirmed & Announced
Dominique Thury | Confirmed & Announced

The East Coast team got their rider deals done very early, thanks to the relationships that they had with the guys. Getting Marchbanks was a big surprise, considering his former status as a factory rider and Daytona SX win, but he announced his move in October. Crown, one of the team’s 2020 riders, will return after a summer spent with the Rock River Yamaha team, while Owen’s inclusion comes thanks to his time spent at the training facility and past experience with the team.

The team has also been linked to German rider Dominique Thury, as he recently moved to the US from Europe and has been spotted at CLUB MX on a YZ250F.

AJE Motorsports/GASGAS | 250 Class

Chris Blose | Confirmed & Announced
Mitchell Falk | Confirmed & Announced
Derek Kelley | Confirmed & Announced

What’ll be new for AJE Motorsports in 2021? Gas Monkey Energy is expected to be gone from the title sponsor position, another unfortunate departure for a sponsor. The bikes will be GASGAS, not Husqvarna like in 2020, but this is said to be through a dealership and not the OEM itself. As for the riders, the team locked up Blose before summer even started. Mitchell Falk was recently announced as a new addition to the team, fill the spot that was previously held by Justin Starling (EDIT: this incorrectly said Starling was with the team earlier).

UPDATE DECEMBER 14 | Derek Kelley has been added to the lineup as the third rider and the team will compete in the West Coast region of the 250 Class.

SGB/Maxxis/Babbitt’s Kawasaki | 250 Class

Jordan Jarvis | Confirmed & Announced

The independent team will retain its full roster of riders and will support Jarvis through the Supercross season in the 250 Class.

PRMX/Wossner/Kawasaki | 250 Class

Dakota Alix | Confirmed & Announced
Justin Thompson | Confirmed, But Injured
Devin Simonson | Confirmed & Announced
Luke Neese | Confirmed & Announced
Ryan Surratt | Confirmed & Announced

UPDATE DECEMBER 29 | Justin Thompson has announced that he will miss the entire 2021 Supercross season due to a torn ACL and meniscus. Ryan Surratt has been added to the team and will race the 250 West Coast region.

UPDATE DECEMBER 22 | The team has completed their lineup with the addition of Neese and Simonson in late December.

The independent team will field a number of riders in 2021, including Alix and Thompson in the 250 Class. There are plans for additional riders to be decided in the next few weeks.

Team Solitaire/Nuclear Blast/Yamaha | 250 Class

Robbie Wageman | Confirmed & Announced
Hardy Munoz | Confirmed & Announced

UPDATE DECEMBER 29 | Team Solitaire/Nuclear Blast/Yamaha has announced a lineup change and Hardy Munoz will replace Aaron Tanti in the 2021 season. Tanti, an Australian, experienced issues in his attempt to return to the United States and has made the decision to remain Down Under. With Tanti out, the team has hired Hardy Munoz to race the West Coast region of the 250 Class.

A staple of the 250 Class on the West Coast, the team has confirmed they will support Wageman and Tanti for the 2021 SX season. Wageman rode for the team last year and was always expected to return, but Tanti is a new addition. The Australian rider lined up for six rounds in 2020 but will line up for the full schedule in 2021.

TiLube Honda by Buddy Brooks | 250 Class

Jordan Bailey | Confirmed & Announced
Grant Harlan | Expected, But Uncertain

The long-time East Coast team will support Jordan Bailey for a second year on the CRF250R. Grant Harlan is currently racing the Hoosier Tire Arenacross series with the team and is expected to join the team for the Supercross series.

BARX Suzuki | 250 Class

Dilan Schwartz | Confirmed, But Unannounced
Derek Drake | Confirmed, But Unannounced

The West Coast team will increase their presence in Supercross in 2021 with two riders and support from Suzuki. Dilan Schwartz and Derek Drake have both been spotted at practice tracks around Southern California on the RM-Z250 bikes. Schwartz will be a rookie in the Supercross season.

Drake, unfortunately, suffered a compound fracture to his femur a few weeks ago and will miss an undetermined amount of time. It’s unclear what the team has planned for the second rider.

JMC Motorsports Husqvarna | 250 Class

Carson Brown | Confirmed & Announced
Martin Castelo | Confirmed & Announced

The Pacific Northwest team has supported a number of 250 Class riders on the West Coast over the years and will bring Castelo and Brown back for the 2021 SX season.