Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom have started “The Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast,” which will be focused on the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
The original podcast can be found on BuzzSprout.com or listened to via other places you get podcasts.
From the Oxley Bom Podcast:
It’s on! The first race of the MotoGP Championship 2024 has finished in Qatar, and Bagnaia bagged his first win. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Yamaha and Honda struggle to keep up with Aprilla, KTM and Ducati. Can they keep up with this Italian competition? Or has the gap already become so big that this season will bring us two champions – one world champion, and one winner of the “Japanese Tournament”?
And on another subject, should you always believe a rider when he’s just gotten of his bike?
Mat and Peter have lots to discuss, so join us in the first episode of this new season. Enjoy!
P.S. We recorded this while Mat was still at the track, so apologies for any problems with the audio…
Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman’s Dub Club, who wrote our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 28th consecutive year of showcasing an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 13 AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
The Daytona 200 (12 times);
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
AMA Road Racing Grand Championships and Horizon Awards;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more – and younger—racers with higher levels of accomplishment are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2024 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
Current home: Burlington, Kentucky (currently living in Valencia, Spain).
Current height/weight: 5’9”/138 pounds.
Current school grade level: 9th grade.
Began riding at age: 4 years.
First road race: 2017, Circleville, Ohio, Ohio Mini Road Racing League, Kids50, 4th Place.
Current racebike: Honda NSF250R.
Current tuners/mechanics: Nathan Smith, Jordan Pritchard, Marc Seager.
Primary race series: British Talent Cup.
Sponsors: Viking Precision Engineers, Dainese Chicago, Best Western Resorts & Hotels, KMA Racing, Rising Sun Cycles, POP Shadow Decals & Wraps, Vortex Racing, 35 Motorsports.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2023 season, finished 17th in British Talent Cup Championship (best race result was 7th at Thruxton); 2022 season, tied for 29th in British Talent Cup Championship (best race finish was 12th), won WERA Sportsman Clubman National Championship, won 2 WERA North Central Regional Championships (won 18 WERA races); 2021 season, won AMA Moto3 Expert Grand Championship, took 2nd in Formula Two WERA National Challenge Series Championship, won 8 WERA Sportsman Regional Class Championships (won 26 WERA races); 2020 season, won D Superbike Novice WERA Sportsman North Central Championship (won 6 WERA races); 2019 season, named AMA Youth Road Racer of the Year, won 5 WERA Sportsman Regional Championships in Novice classes (win 13 WERA races).
2024 racing goal: Finish top 10 in British Talent Cup Championship.
Racing career goal: Compete in the MotoGP World Championship.
Racing hero: Nicky Hayden.
Favorite track: Road Atlanta.
Favorite hobbies: Cooking, cycling.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Making cooking videos for YouTube.
Some of the riders who have graduated from Young Guns and gone on to racing success in National or International series include:
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Jason Aguilar (R.I.P.);
2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Corey Alexander;
AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race winner Tommy Aquino (R.I.P.);
2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and multi-time MotoAmerica Superbike race winner J.D. Beach;
five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and Moto2 World Championship point scorer Cameron Beaubier;
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner Jackson Blackmon;
former Canadian Sport Bike Champion Tomas Casas;
three-time Canadian Sport Bike Champion and 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion Jodi Christie;
former AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 race winner Josh Day;
2011 Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship runner-up and current MotoAmerica team owner Dustin Dominguez;
2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2019 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, and 2021 Canadian Superbike Champion Alex Dumas;
four-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race winner and former motorcycle track record holder Carlin Dunne (R.I.P.);
Canadian Superbike race winner Bodhi Edie;
two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion and four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick;
2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Bobby Fong;
2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 Champion, and three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne;
two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and World Superbike podium finisher Garrett Gerloff;
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship runner-up Michael Gilbert;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion, 2023 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion, and 2023 MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Champion Hayden Gillim;
2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden (R.I.P.);
2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up, and 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up Roger Hayden;
eight-time AMA Pro Superbike race winner and two-time AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden;
2013 AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and three-time Daytona 200 winner Josh Herrin;
MotoAmerica Supersport front-runner Teagg Hobbs;
AMA Pro Superstock race winner Jake Holden;
2011 British Superbike Championship runner-up and former MotoGP and World Superbike regular John Hopkins;
2015 Supersport World Championship runner-up, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen;
2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, Moto2 World Championship point scorer, and MotoAmerica Superbike racer Sean Dylan Kelly;
Canadian Superbike race winner Kevin Lacombe;
two-time MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up Rocco Landers;
two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee;
2021 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Champion Jake Lewis;
MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Sam Lochoff;
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race winner Nick McFadden;
AMA Pro SuperSport race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Stefano Mesa;
Elena Myers, the first and only woman to win AMA Pro Supersport races;
AMA Pro XR1200 race winner, multi-time Loudon Classic winner, and three-time BRL Champion Shane Narbonne;
2012 Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up Andrew Nelson;
2016 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Champion, 2019 British Motostar (Moto3) Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch;
2012 Daytona 200 winner and 2010 AMA Pro Supersport West Champion Joey Pascarella;
AMA Pro and Canadian National race winner and multi-time N2/WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Peris;
two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion, British Supersport podium finisher, 2020 AFT Production Twins Champion, and 2023 MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Championship runner-up James Rispoli;
2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport race winner, and Moto2 World Championship race winner Joe Roberts;
2022 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up and 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship runner-up Gus Rodio;
former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Champion and former FIM Moto2 European Championship competitor Benny Solis, Jr.;
three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World Champion, MotoGP race winner, and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ben Spies;
multi-time AMA Pro race winner and four-time overall WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Ulrich;
MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher and former World Superbike competitor Jayson Uribe;
2017 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship runner-up, 2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory Ventura;
Canadian Superbike race winner Alex Welsh;
former AMA Pro Superbike Rookie of the Year, Chinese Superbike Championship race winner, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and MotoAmerica Super Hooligan race winner Cory West;
MotoAmerica Junior Cup and Superbike Cup race winner Ashton Yates;
and two-time AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up Blake Young.
Featured In the March 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
American Racing fans may know Australian Troy Herfoss, because he started his professional racing career in the United States before going on to win four Australian Superbike Championships. Now the 37-year-old Australian has decided to race in America once again…
“Hanging With Troy Herfoss,” By David Swarts
Troy Herfoss recovered from a horrific crash midway through the 2021 season in Australia to win the 2023 Australian Superbike Championship. For 2024, Herfoss is back in the U.S., racing big, nasty, crowd-pleasing Super Hooligan and King Of The Baggers racebikes for Indian. Read the story of a remarkable, globe-trotting racing career—it’s in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Featured In the March 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
“We heard lot about the #nobullshit tagline from KTM representatives during the 30 Years of Duke event. But what does it mean in the grand scheme of things? In real time on site, it made for short tech briefings, highlighting the big changes that have a real effect on performance. That was refreshing, I’ll do the same in this article.
“On both the road and on the track, I think it means they built bikes on passion that perform well without any time wasted on #bullshit components or over thought-out designs. The bikes are refined and function well, but there is a raw aspect to the performance of the latest batch of KTMs, and it makes the bikes extra exciting to ride.We’re going to look back at some history before we get to the latest versions of the Duke…”
“KTM 30 Years Of Duke Celebration,” by Racing Editor Chris Ulrich
The DUKE model line has been defining for KTM, creating a new segment in the modern motorcycle market: Simple, high-performance naked sportbikes, starting by mating a 620cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine with a supermoto-style chassis. Read the story of the motorcycle that the market is catching up to, the motorcycle that defines hyper-naked—it’s in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom have started “The Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast,” which will be focused on the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
The original podcast can be found on BuzzSprout.com or listened to via other places you get podcasts.
From the Oxley Bom Podcast:
Welcome to Qatar, where the straights are long, the turns are tricky and the curbs are welcoming! This week, we’re giving you a little extra treat as Peter talks you through all the little tricks and turns of the Lusail International Circuit.
Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman’s Dub Club, who wrote our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!
Eli Tomac Makes Historic Return to Top Step of the Podium in St. Louis
Levi Kitchen Sweeps 250SX Class Races
St. Louis Mo., (March 31, 2024) Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac took his first win of the season, and his first since returning from his 2023 Achilles injury, with 1-1-1 Race scores at the St. Louis Triple Crown Supercross. With the win at Round 12, Tomac became the sixth different rider to win in this highly competitive season.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb earned second overall with (5-6-2) Race finishes inside The Dome at America’s Center. With the finish Webb captured the championship-within-a-championship 3-Round Triple Crown title. In the race format that combines the finishes from three separate Races, Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence earned his career-first 450SX Class podium with (8-2-4) Race finishes. The unpredictability of the Triple Crown format showed a few new wrinkles in St. Louis with five riders getting docked positions in Race 2 due to red cross flag infractions. Also, big crash in Race 3, when Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence was t-boned, caused a big change in the point standings. Cooper Webb now trails Jett Lawrence now by only eight points. In the Western Regional 250SX Class, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen was nearly picture-perfect throughout the night; he took the overall win with 1-1-1 Race wins.
Eli Tomac (3). Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“I had so many questions, and honestly doubt, in my mind that at this point [in the season] before this weekend. You know, questioning the comeback and where I was. So to do this here, to feel that way, to get those rides in all through those motos, that felt like old me. So this was so awesome… Thank you to the team for believing in me, Monster Energy Star Yamaha, everyone, so thank you St. Louis.” – Eli Tomac
“It was a crazy night. The first two [Races] didn’t go my way – the second one, especially. I was running a good spot, fell over, and just – these Triple Crowns, you never know what can happen, and that’s what the team just told me, is, ‘Don’t give up. Go in there in this last one and give it your all.’ And it worked out. You know obviously I don’t know what happened to anybody yet [in terms of crashes in Race 3], but I just know me and Eli were out front – me, him and Chase – and we were in the clear. [It] just felt great to ride. I rode really well in that last one. Eli was really clicking his laps and made the pass on Chase, which was great. And I got to second and we started clicking some good laps there at the end but, you know, a second place is good tonight. I’ll take it, especially after the first two [Races]. To win this Triple Crown championship’s all new, so it’s pretty cool. Hopefully we keep the ball rolling.” – Cooper Webb
“Man, it’s awesome. We had a little bit of an upgrade, I’d say, from the second moto to the third one with the Red Cross flag [penalty on some other riders]. But hey, I’ve been on the bad end of that deal many a time, so we’ll take it. That was a pretty good feeling. I’m bummed to not have Jett up here with me. We all saw what happened, that sucks, but yeah I’m honored to be sharing the podium with Tomac and Webb. You know, I watched these guys racing on this stage when I was still in Australia as a kid, so it’s pretty cool. We’ll take it, try and build, and we’ll try and get a really legitimized one next time we’re back [after the break].” – Hunter Lawrence
The Western Regional 250SX Class held its seventh round and Levi Kitchen followed up his previous round’s win with an impressive victory in St. Louis. Team Honda HRC’s Jo Shimoda fought his way to a second-place overall result with 2-3-3 Race finishes. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith used 3-2-4 Race finishes to capture the final spot on the podium.
“That was insane. I mean, I’m pretty speechless right now. That was for Austin Forkner back home. I hope he’s healing up good. I know he’s the only other one to do that [sweep the 250SX Class Triple Crown], so yeah man, that was sick. Three good starts and then going into the last race – those lappers, I actually came together pretty bad with one right before the triple. And I if I would have missed the triple, RJ would have been right on me. So I had to send it – I still made it somehow. All in all though, man, what a day! Carrying the momentum from Seattle and I’m in a really good spot. I feel really good on the bike. Thanks to the whole Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team, all my friends and family… This is pretty surreal so I’m going to soak this one in.” – Levi Kitchen
Levi Kitchen (47). Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“Honestly that was the main thing for me [getting good starts finally]. It’s just, like, I just couldn’t do it [at previous rounds]. And then today – three good starts; still not a Holeshot or anything like that, but I think once I can get a start I know I can fight with those guys. The track was gnarly. I had a couple of sketchy moments, I think everybody did, but yeah thanks so much to my [team]. We’re getting better each week and so it’s a good confidence booster and yeah [next up is] Nashville [for the 250 West class].” – Jo Shimoda
“Last weekend was tough, man, that crash was gnarly, and throughout the week I was pretty sore. So I’m just glad to be here in front of the fans and riding the tough track again. These tracks have been really, really tough this year, and soft, and man it’s kind of survival [mode] out there at times… I’m happy to come away with the third. Congrats to Levi, he rode awesome tonight. Man, it’s hard to beat a guy that gets three holeshots, you know?… We’re going to go back and do our homework with this couple of weeks off and see if we can’t come back a little better for these last three. I’d just like to give it up to the whole team… It takes a tribe to be out here, so thank you guys, and we’ll be back next week.” – Jordon Smith, when asked about his crash at Seattle.
In the third SX Futures race, where top amateur racers compete for points toward their pro license, Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Drew Adams took back-to-back wins after his victory at the Daytona SX Futures round; Adams took the win just one day shy of his 16th birthday. Rockstar Husqvarna’s Landon Gibson finished in second place in the St. Louis single-race format event. Troy Lee Designs GASGAS’s Cole Davies took the final podium spot with a late-race pass for the position.
“Yeah, it was definitely a pretty bad start, [that’s] on me. But I just tried to work through [the pack] really good. And I got the triple on the first lap; that was probably the whole race right there. Then I just got up front and just started riding smooth, you know? I didn’t have to really do the big lines or [anything] but just stay smooth, and [make] no mistakes, and it worked out well.” – Drew Adams, when asked about his start.
The 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship takes next weekend off before resuming for the final five rounds on five consecutive weekends. Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts hosts Round 13 on Saturday, April 13th. The event will mark the return of the Eastern Regional 250SX Class for its Round 6. The SX Futures will also race in Foxborough in their fourth event before the SX Futures championship race at the final Supercross event inside Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Every Supercross race also pays points toward the 31-round SuperMotocross World Championship. The SMX post-season racing venues have recently been announced and tickets go on sale this coming Tuesday, April 2.
Every SuperMotocross round will be available to watch live on Peacock TV; each is also available on-demand to catch up or rewatch rounds of the thrilling 2024 season. Select Supercross races are also available streaming or via broadcast on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Live audio coverage for each Supercross race can be heard via NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85. International coverage, in both English and Spanish, can be found live and on-demand through the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv).
Nothing matches the excitement and all-day fun of attending a Monster Energy AMA Supercross event. Tickets are available now for the remaining rounds. To purchase tickets and for race results, video highlights, feature stories, and expert insights, please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.
Featured In the March 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
“Roebling Road has been a tough track for us for years. The unique characteristics of the pavement, the weather, and the hydrogeology of the underlying terrain combine to cold-tear tires in the morning, but by the afternoon everything has changed, requiring different compounds or pressure or suspension or all three.
“In the past we were always having to walk a very fine line between choosing a tire that would allow us to push for a full hour-long stint versus an absolute lap time. Choose a tire that is too durable and we might be giving up a few 10ths each lap; choose a tire too fast and then we’re losing two seconds a lap for the last 15 minutes of the stint when the tire goes off…”
“Army Of Darkness: A Drowning Pool & Pole Positions,” by Sam Fleming
Roebling Road threw a new challenge at Army of Darkness: How to remove mud from every crevice of a racebike that had submerged so deeply in a “muddle” (mud puddle) that the team had to suspend the motorcycle upside-down to rinse off and out the muck… And that’s ignoring the fact that the rider nearly suffocated due to the mud packed into his helmet! Read the dirty details in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom have started “The Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast,” which will be focused on the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
The original podcast can be found on BuzzSprout.com or listened to via other places you get podcasts.
From the Oxley Bom Podcast:
The end is nigh!
Yes, dear people, this is the end – the end of the long winter, and the return of a brand new season of MotoGP! But before we take you to the deserts of Qatar, Mat and Peter set out into the wastelands of social media to answer your most burning questions. Who’s the most underrated rider? Will Disney buy MotoGP? And who serves the best coffee in the paddock? There’s only one way to find out, so come join us!
Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman’s Dub Club, who wrote our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!
Featured In the March 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
Nothing succeeds like excess and no one succeeds in MotoGP like Ducati: The most bikes, the most top riders, the most horsepower, the most engineers, the most data and so on. That’s why MotoGP is so deep in the Ducati era right now, like once it was in the Honda era and the MV Agusta era.
At MotoGP’s traditional first tests at Sepang, Malaysia, the fastest five bikes were all Ducati GP24s and GP23s and there was a total of seven Desmosedicis in the top 10. In other words, not much has changed since last season.
This year’s GP24 is a subtle development of the bike that won the 2022 and 2023 MotoGP riders titles and the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 constructors crowns. Despite that remarkable run of success, Ducati has been super-careful this year because the GP22 and GP23 had Ducati engineers in a panic at the first races and tests…
“Ducati’s MotoGP Secret: Nothing Succeeds Like Excess,” by MotoGP Editor Mat Oxley
The opening pre-season tests at Sepang suggest that the Bologna brand still rules MotoGP with an iron fist. So what are Aprilia, KTM, Honda, and Yamaha going to do about it? MotoGP Editor Mat Oxley looks at the plans of the rest of the field to catch the flying red (and blue and white, and yellow, and pale blue) Ducatis that dominate Grand Prix racing, in the latest issue of Roadracing World.
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Update: Early Saturday morning, New Jersey Motorsports Park announced via Facebook that it was cancelling its new mini motorcycle road racing series. Scroll down to see that announcement.
NJminiGP, a.k.a. New Jersey miniGP, has been holding mini road races and schools for 15 years on the kart track at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP), in Millville, New Jersey.
MotoAmerica Pros Anthony Mazziotto, Brandon Paasch, Gus Rodio, and Tyler Scott are just a few of the riders who started their road racing careers with NJminiGP.
In 2024, however, NJminiGP will not be holding mini road races at the south New Jersey racing facility and New Jersey Motorsports Park will instead be running its own mini road racing series called NJMP Mini Sprint Series.
“The strong interest among riders and their families was clear when an organization that ran youth races on the east coast [NJminiGP] announced their 2024 schedule without a sprint racing program,” Brad Scott, President and COO of New Jersey Motorsports Park, was quoted as saying in a press release issued March 29 by New Jersey Motorsports Park. “Riders and their families reached out to us, expressing their concerns, and seeking a sprint race series for young people to develop their skills and passion for the sport.”
But that’s misleading, says Nathan Granoff, who co-owns NJminiGP with Ryan Fleming and oversees several miniGP franchises (SFLminiGP, SCminiGP, DMVminiGP) that have scheduled sprint races in the eastern U.S. in 2024. In fact, Granoff is accusing New Jersey Motorsports Park of intentionally pricing NJminiGP out so the track can run its own mini racing series.
“In November, when our season ended, New Jersey Motorsports Park came to us and basically gave us [2024] rates that were four times what we were paying [in 2023],” Granoff told Roadracingworld.com in a March 29 telephone interview. “And we were very suspicious, like this doesn’t seem right and we’ve seen them do these things before to push people out. And what made us more suspicious was that not only did they do that, but the rates for the schools that we run, those were only marginally higher. It seemed like they were only jacking the sprint races really high.”
Granoff said he was told by Scott that the cost of ambulance service as well as the cost of providing New Jersey Motorsports Park staff members for events had doubled. When Granoff pushed the issue, NJMP came back with a reduced 2024 rate offer for NJminiGP.
“The final numbers were still more than double,” said Granoff. “I can’t double rates on our members. We don’t have that big of a [membership] to make up. It’s not like we have 100 plus riders where we could do a marginal increase and cover that.”
Scott confirmed that all prices for most things at New Jersey Motorsports Park, including track rental rates, are going up to pay for the $3 million bill for repaving Thunderbolt Raceway and making additional improvements, but he disagrees with Granoff’s math.
“Yeah, that’s not accurate at all,” Scott told Roadracingworld.com. “I mean, to give you a little background story. When we rent out to groups, whether they’re karting groups or bike groups or even, you know, MotoAmerica does their [Mini] Cup series, our rate to rent half the [kart] track for weekends is about $10 to $15,000. And throughout the years we’ve given them [NJminiGP] a very, very reasonable rate with moderate increases, you know as we went on, due to the increases of expenses and so forth.
“Moving from ’23 to ’24, unfortunately with everything going up [in cost] in this world that we’re all familiar with–insurance, we repaved Thunderbolt–we went up on everything that we do business in, whether it’s renting the track, the membership fees, our hotel room rentals, food and beverage. And included in that was increases for groups who rent the karting facility. Yeah, the numbers that he’s using are extremely inflated.”
Scott didn’t want to make public the rate he offered NJminiGP for 2024, but the numbers he shared with Roadracingworld.com represented a 50% increase over 2023.
As to Granoff’s claim that New Jersey Motorsports Park was pricing NJminiGP out just so the track could start its own mini motorcycle road racing series, Scott said, “It’s completely false. You know, honestly, we prefer they would continue. It’s not something we traditionally do. Our relationship is mostly we want to rent the property out, as we do for all the racing organizations. It’s something we’re probably gonna lose money doing, but we listen to our members and their families and the outpouring and [we] just kind of wanted to help and give back something that’s been here and that went away.”
Scott added that New Jersey Motorsports Park will re-assess the mini road racing situation at the end of the 2024 season and see if it’s something they want to continue doing.
As for NJminiGP, Granoff said they will spend 2024 focusing on their mini road racing schools at New Jersey Motorsports Park (which only saw a modest rental rate increase due, Scott said, to not needing cornerworkers and ambulance service), including the addition of a two-day invitation-only school August 24-25, and creating new options and new programs for the 2025 season.
The full press release announcing New Jersey Motorsports Park new mini road racing series is included below.
Exciting News for Young Motorcycle Racers and Their Families
New NJMP Mini Sprint Series Announced:
Five Weekends of Practice and Racing for Riders Aged 5-17
MILLVILLE, N.J. (March 2024)
New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) has announced the launch of the NJMP Mini Sprint Series – five weekends of practice and racing at NJMP’s Tempest Raceway facility, created to provide a competitive and fun racing program for riders aged 5-17 years old.
“The strong interest among riders and their families was clear when an organization that ran youth races on the east coast announced their 2024 schedule without a sprint racing program,” said Brad Scott, President and COO of NJMP. “Riders and their families reached out to us, expressing their concerns, and seeking a sprint race series for young people to develop their skills and passion for the sport.”
The NJMP Mini Sprint Series will include five classes of racing including stock and Ohvale bikes of various displacements, with the option to run multiple classes.
The format consists of a Saturday practice day with six 15-minute sessions for each of the five classes, followed by a Sunday race day with each class having morning practice, two qualifying sessions, two races, and of course podium celebrations to end the day!
“These will be professionally run events,” commented Charity Giovanelli, Director of New Jersey Motorsports Park’s Riders Club and Two-Wheel Event Operations. “From Tech Inspection to on-track operations and the racing rules, our young riders will have the same high-quality experience that we offer across all of our motorcycle events here at NJMP.”
Glenn Jazikoff has been named as Race Director for the NJMP Mini Sprint Series. Glenn is an experienced rider and coach at NJMP, and the parent of a young aspiring racer. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help grow youth road racing, and I am looking forward to a great season,” Glenn commented.
“We had to act quickly to fill a gap and respond to our customers’ needs,” added Scott. “We believe the resulting NJMP Mini Sprint Series will become a staple in the regional racing scene and provide a fantastic venue for young riders up and down the east coast.”
The series schedule consists of four events on Tempest Raceway’s Liberator circuit: April 20-21, May 18-19, June 15-16, and July 13-14. The season series finale will take place on Tempest’s full 1.1-mile track on September 28-29.
Registration is required and is available on Motorsportreg.com, where full information about the classes, rules, and event schedules can be found.
Interested participants can contact Race Director Glenn Jazikoff at [email protected] for more information in preparation for the events.
The following was posted to New Jersey Motorsports Park’s Facebook page at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time March 30:
News Announcement
We have heard concerns regarding our recent announcement about the Sprint Race program at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Due to a number of factors, we have decided not to run the program at this time. We appreciate all the support and requests and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We are always evaluating our racing options to serve our customers and supporters.
Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley (right) and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom (left). Photo courtesy Mat Oxley.
Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom have started “The Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast,” which will be focused on the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
The original podcast can be found on BuzzSprout.com or listened to via other places you get podcasts.
From the Oxley Bom Podcast:
It’s on! The first race of the MotoGP Championship 2024 has finished in Qatar, and Bagnaia bagged his first win. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Yamaha and Honda struggle to keep up with Aprilla, KTM and Ducati. Can they keep up with this Italian competition? Or has the gap already become so big that this season will bring us two champions – one world champion, and one winner of the “Japanese Tournament”?
And on another subject, should you always believe a rider when he’s just gotten of his bike?
Mat and Peter have lots to discuss, so join us in the first episode of this new season. Enjoy!
P.S. We recorded this while Mat was still at the track, so apologies for any problems with the audio…
Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman’s Dub Club, who wrote our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!
Eli Banish (33) in action during the 2023 British Talent Cup. Photo courtesy Tim Banish.
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 28th consecutive year of showcasing an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 13 AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
The Daytona 200 (12 times);
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
AMA Road Racing Grand Championships and Horizon Awards;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more – and younger—racers with higher levels of accomplishment are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2024 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
Current home: Burlington, Kentucky (currently living in Valencia, Spain).
Current height/weight: 5’9”/138 pounds.
Current school grade level: 9th grade.
Began riding at age: 4 years.
First road race: 2017, Circleville, Ohio, Ohio Mini Road Racing League, Kids50, 4th Place.
Current racebike: Honda NSF250R.
Current tuners/mechanics: Nathan Smith, Jordan Pritchard, Marc Seager.
Primary race series: British Talent Cup.
Sponsors: Viking Precision Engineers, Dainese Chicago, Best Western Resorts & Hotels, KMA Racing, Rising Sun Cycles, POP Shadow Decals & Wraps, Vortex Racing, 35 Motorsports.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2023 season, finished 17th in British Talent Cup Championship (best race result was 7th at Thruxton); 2022 season, tied for 29th in British Talent Cup Championship (best race finish was 12th), won WERA Sportsman Clubman National Championship, won 2 WERA North Central Regional Championships (won 18 WERA races); 2021 season, won AMA Moto3 Expert Grand Championship, took 2nd in Formula Two WERA National Challenge Series Championship, won 8 WERA Sportsman Regional Class Championships (won 26 WERA races); 2020 season, won D Superbike Novice WERA Sportsman North Central Championship (won 6 WERA races); 2019 season, named AMA Youth Road Racer of the Year, won 5 WERA Sportsman Regional Championships in Novice classes (win 13 WERA races).
2024 racing goal: Finish top 10 in British Talent Cup Championship.
Racing career goal: Compete in the MotoGP World Championship.
Racing hero: Nicky Hayden.
Favorite track: Road Atlanta.
Favorite hobbies: Cooking, cycling.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Making cooking videos for YouTube.
Some of the riders who have graduated from Young Guns and gone on to racing success in National or International series include:
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Jason Aguilar (R.I.P.);
2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Corey Alexander;
AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race winner Tommy Aquino (R.I.P.);
2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and multi-time MotoAmerica Superbike race winner J.D. Beach;
five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and Moto2 World Championship point scorer Cameron Beaubier;
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner Jackson Blackmon;
former Canadian Sport Bike Champion Tomas Casas;
three-time Canadian Sport Bike Champion and 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion Jodi Christie;
former AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 race winner Josh Day;
2011 Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship runner-up and current MotoAmerica team owner Dustin Dominguez;
2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2019 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, and 2021 Canadian Superbike Champion Alex Dumas;
four-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race winner and former motorcycle track record holder Carlin Dunne (R.I.P.);
Canadian Superbike race winner Bodhi Edie;
two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion and four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick;
2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Bobby Fong;
2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 Champion, and three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne;
two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and World Superbike podium finisher Garrett Gerloff;
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship runner-up Michael Gilbert;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion, 2023 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion, and 2023 MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Champion Hayden Gillim;
2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden (R.I.P.);
2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up, and 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up Roger Hayden;
eight-time AMA Pro Superbike race winner and two-time AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden;
2013 AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and three-time Daytona 200 winner Josh Herrin;
MotoAmerica Supersport front-runner Teagg Hobbs;
AMA Pro Superstock race winner Jake Holden;
2011 British Superbike Championship runner-up and former MotoGP and World Superbike regular John Hopkins;
2015 Supersport World Championship runner-up, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen;
2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, Moto2 World Championship point scorer, and MotoAmerica Superbike racer Sean Dylan Kelly;
Canadian Superbike race winner Kevin Lacombe;
two-time MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up Rocco Landers;
two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee;
2021 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Champion Jake Lewis;
MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Sam Lochoff;
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race winner Nick McFadden;
AMA Pro SuperSport race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Stefano Mesa;
Elena Myers, the first and only woman to win AMA Pro Supersport races;
AMA Pro XR1200 race winner, multi-time Loudon Classic winner, and three-time BRL Champion Shane Narbonne;
2012 Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up Andrew Nelson;
2016 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Champion, 2019 British Motostar (Moto3) Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch;
2012 Daytona 200 winner and 2010 AMA Pro Supersport West Champion Joey Pascarella;
AMA Pro and Canadian National race winner and multi-time N2/WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Peris;
two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion, British Supersport podium finisher, 2020 AFT Production Twins Champion, and 2023 MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Championship runner-up James Rispoli;
2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport race winner, and Moto2 World Championship race winner Joe Roberts;
2022 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up and 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship runner-up Gus Rodio;
former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Champion and former FIM Moto2 European Championship competitor Benny Solis, Jr.;
three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World Champion, MotoGP race winner, and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ben Spies;
multi-time AMA Pro race winner and four-time overall WERA National Endurance Champion Chris Ulrich;
MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher and former World Superbike competitor Jayson Uribe;
2017 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship runner-up, 2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Cory Ventura;
Canadian Superbike race winner Alex Welsh;
former AMA Pro Superbike Rookie of the Year, Chinese Superbike Championship race winner, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and MotoAmerica Super Hooligan race winner Cory West;
MotoAmerica Junior Cup and Superbike Cup race winner Ashton Yates;
and two-time AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up Blake Young.
Four-time Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss with his 2024 Indian FTR Super Hooligan (left) and Indian Challenger King Of The Baggers (right) racebikes.
Featured In the March 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
American Racing fans may know Australian Troy Herfoss, because he started his professional racing career in the United States before going on to win four Australian Superbike Championships. Now the 37-year-old Australian has decided to race in America once again…
“Hanging With Troy Herfoss,” By David Swarts
Troy Herfoss recovered from a horrific crash midway through the 2021 season in Australia to win the 2023 Australian Superbike Championship. For 2024, Herfoss is back in the U.S., racing big, nasty, crowd-pleasing Super Hooligan and King Of The Baggers racebikes for Indian. Read the story of a remarkable, globe-trotting racing career—it’s in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Racing Editor Chris Ulrich during one of his 10 dry laps on the racetrack aboard the 1390 SUPER DUKE R EVO. It started raining before he could try the MotoGP-style lowering system for fast starts.
Featured In the March 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
“We heard lot about the #nobullshit tagline from KTM representatives during the 30 Years of Duke event. But what does it mean in the grand scheme of things? In real time on site, it made for short tech briefings, highlighting the big changes that have a real effect on performance. That was refreshing, I’ll do the same in this article.
“On both the road and on the track, I think it means they built bikes on passion that perform well without any time wasted on #bullshit components or over thought-out designs. The bikes are refined and function well, but there is a raw aspect to the performance of the latest batch of KTMs, and it makes the bikes extra exciting to ride.We’re going to look back at some history before we get to the latest versions of the Duke…”
“KTM 30 Years Of Duke Celebration,” by Racing Editor Chris Ulrich
The DUKE model line has been defining for KTM, creating a new segment in the modern motorcycle market: Simple, high-performance naked sportbikes, starting by mating a 620cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine with a supermoto-style chassis. Read the story of the motorcycle that the market is catching up to, the motorcycle that defines hyper-naked—it’s in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley (right) and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom (left). Photo courtesy Mat Oxley.
Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom have started “The Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast,” which will be focused on the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
The original podcast can be found on BuzzSprout.com or listened to via other places you get podcasts.
From the Oxley Bom Podcast:
Welcome to Qatar, where the straights are long, the turns are tricky and the curbs are welcoming! This week, we’re giving you a little extra treat as Peter talks you through all the little tricks and turns of the Lusail International Circuit.
Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman’s Dub Club, who wrote our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!
The Dome at America’s Center hosted what will be the final 2024 race under a covered stadium. The soil was soft but dry for great racing at Round 12 of the 17-round season. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
Eli Tomac Makes Historic Return to Top Step of the Podium in St. Louis
Levi Kitchen Sweeps 250SX Class Races
St. Louis Mo., (March 31, 2024) Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac took his first win of the season, and his first since returning from his 2023 Achilles injury, with 1-1-1 Race scores at the St. Louis Triple Crown Supercross. With the win at Round 12, Tomac became the sixth different rider to win in this highly competitive season.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb earned second overall with (5-6-2) Race finishes inside The Dome at America’s Center. With the finish Webb captured the championship-within-a-championship 3-Round Triple Crown title. In the race format that combines the finishes from three separate Races, Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence earned his career-first 450SX Class podium with (8-2-4) Race finishes. The unpredictability of the Triple Crown format showed a few new wrinkles in St. Louis with five riders getting docked positions in Race 2 due to red cross flag infractions. Also, big crash in Race 3, when Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence was t-boned, caused a big change in the point standings. Cooper Webb now trails Jett Lawrence now by only eight points. In the Western Regional 250SX Class, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen was nearly picture-perfect throughout the night; he took the overall win with 1-1-1 Race wins.
Eli Tomac (3). Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“I had so many questions, and honestly doubt, in my mind that at this point [in the season] before this weekend. You know, questioning the comeback and where I was. So to do this here, to feel that way, to get those rides in all through those motos, that felt like old me. So this was so awesome… Thank you to the team for believing in me, Monster Energy Star Yamaha, everyone, so thank you St. Louis.” – Eli Tomac
“It was a crazy night. The first two [Races] didn’t go my way – the second one, especially. I was running a good spot, fell over, and just – these Triple Crowns, you never know what can happen, and that’s what the team just told me, is, ‘Don’t give up. Go in there in this last one and give it your all.’ And it worked out. You know obviously I don’t know what happened to anybody yet [in terms of crashes in Race 3], but I just know me and Eli were out front – me, him and Chase – and we were in the clear. [It] just felt great to ride. I rode really well in that last one. Eli was really clicking his laps and made the pass on Chase, which was great. And I got to second and we started clicking some good laps there at the end but, you know, a second place is good tonight. I’ll take it, especially after the first two [Races]. To win this Triple Crown championship’s all new, so it’s pretty cool. Hopefully we keep the ball rolling.” – Cooper Webb
“Man, it’s awesome. We had a little bit of an upgrade, I’d say, from the second moto to the third one with the Red Cross flag [penalty on some other riders]. But hey, I’ve been on the bad end of that deal many a time, so we’ll take it. That was a pretty good feeling. I’m bummed to not have Jett up here with me. We all saw what happened, that sucks, but yeah I’m honored to be sharing the podium with Tomac and Webb. You know, I watched these guys racing on this stage when I was still in Australia as a kid, so it’s pretty cool. We’ll take it, try and build, and we’ll try and get a really legitimized one next time we’re back [after the break].” – Hunter Lawrence
The Western Regional 250SX Class held its seventh round and Levi Kitchen followed up his previous round’s win with an impressive victory in St. Louis. Team Honda HRC’s Jo Shimoda fought his way to a second-place overall result with 2-3-3 Race finishes. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith used 3-2-4 Race finishes to capture the final spot on the podium.
“That was insane. I mean, I’m pretty speechless right now. That was for Austin Forkner back home. I hope he’s healing up good. I know he’s the only other one to do that [sweep the 250SX Class Triple Crown], so yeah man, that was sick. Three good starts and then going into the last race – those lappers, I actually came together pretty bad with one right before the triple. And I if I would have missed the triple, RJ would have been right on me. So I had to send it – I still made it somehow. All in all though, man, what a day! Carrying the momentum from Seattle and I’m in a really good spot. I feel really good on the bike. Thanks to the whole Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team, all my friends and family… This is pretty surreal so I’m going to soak this one in.” – Levi Kitchen
Levi Kitchen (47). Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“Honestly that was the main thing for me [getting good starts finally]. It’s just, like, I just couldn’t do it [at previous rounds]. And then today – three good starts; still not a Holeshot or anything like that, but I think once I can get a start I know I can fight with those guys. The track was gnarly. I had a couple of sketchy moments, I think everybody did, but yeah thanks so much to my [team]. We’re getting better each week and so it’s a good confidence booster and yeah [next up is] Nashville [for the 250 West class].” – Jo Shimoda
“Last weekend was tough, man, that crash was gnarly, and throughout the week I was pretty sore. So I’m just glad to be here in front of the fans and riding the tough track again. These tracks have been really, really tough this year, and soft, and man it’s kind of survival [mode] out there at times… I’m happy to come away with the third. Congrats to Levi, he rode awesome tonight. Man, it’s hard to beat a guy that gets three holeshots, you know?… We’re going to go back and do our homework with this couple of weeks off and see if we can’t come back a little better for these last three. I’d just like to give it up to the whole team… It takes a tribe to be out here, so thank you guys, and we’ll be back next week.” – Jordon Smith, when asked about his crash at Seattle.
In the third SX Futures race, where top amateur racers compete for points toward their pro license, Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Drew Adams took back-to-back wins after his victory at the Daytona SX Futures round; Adams took the win just one day shy of his 16th birthday. Rockstar Husqvarna’s Landon Gibson finished in second place in the St. Louis single-race format event. Troy Lee Designs GASGAS’s Cole Davies took the final podium spot with a late-race pass for the position.
“Yeah, it was definitely a pretty bad start, [that’s] on me. But I just tried to work through [the pack] really good. And I got the triple on the first lap; that was probably the whole race right there. Then I just got up front and just started riding smooth, you know? I didn’t have to really do the big lines or [anything] but just stay smooth, and [make] no mistakes, and it worked out well.” – Drew Adams, when asked about his start.
The 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship takes next weekend off before resuming for the final five rounds on five consecutive weekends. Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts hosts Round 13 on Saturday, April 13th. The event will mark the return of the Eastern Regional 250SX Class for its Round 6. The SX Futures will also race in Foxborough in their fourth event before the SX Futures championship race at the final Supercross event inside Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Every Supercross race also pays points toward the 31-round SuperMotocross World Championship. The SMX post-season racing venues have recently been announced and tickets go on sale this coming Tuesday, April 2.
Every SuperMotocross round will be available to watch live on Peacock TV; each is also available on-demand to catch up or rewatch rounds of the thrilling 2024 season. Select Supercross races are also available streaming or via broadcast on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Live audio coverage for each Supercross race can be heard via NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85. International coverage, in both English and Spanish, can be found live and on-demand through the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv).
Nothing matches the excitement and all-day fun of attending a Monster Energy AMA Supercross event. Tickets are available now for the remaining rounds. To purchase tickets and for race results, video highlights, feature stories, and expert insights, please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.
Track workers remove the AOD Yamaha after it submerged at full speed into a mud pit at Roebling Road.
Featured In the March 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
“Roebling Road has been a tough track for us for years. The unique characteristics of the pavement, the weather, and the hydrogeology of the underlying terrain combine to cold-tear tires in the morning, but by the afternoon everything has changed, requiring different compounds or pressure or suspension or all three.
“In the past we were always having to walk a very fine line between choosing a tire that would allow us to push for a full hour-long stint versus an absolute lap time. Choose a tire that is too durable and we might be giving up a few 10ths each lap; choose a tire too fast and then we’re losing two seconds a lap for the last 15 minutes of the stint when the tire goes off…”
“Army Of Darkness: A Drowning Pool & Pole Positions,” by Sam Fleming
Roebling Road threw a new challenge at Army of Darkness: How to remove mud from every crevice of a racebike that had submerged so deeply in a “muddle” (mud puddle) that the team had to suspend the motorcycle upside-down to rinse off and out the muck… And that’s ignoring the fact that the rider nearly suffocated due to the mud packed into his helmet! Read the dirty details in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley (right) and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom (left). Photo courtesy Mat Oxley.
Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner Mat Oxley and two-time World Championship-winning Crew Chief Peter Bom have started “The Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast,” which will be focused on the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
The original podcast can be found on BuzzSprout.com or listened to via other places you get podcasts.
From the Oxley Bom Podcast:
The end is nigh!
Yes, dear people, this is the end – the end of the long winter, and the return of a brand new season of MotoGP! But before we take you to the deserts of Qatar, Mat and Peter set out into the wastelands of social media to answer your most burning questions. Who’s the most underrated rider? Will Disney buy MotoGP? And who serves the best coffee in the paddock? There’s only one way to find out, so come join us!
Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman’s Dub Club, who wrote our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!
Note the bulging shape of Jorge Martin's 2024 Ducati's bodywork, in addition to wings and other aero add-ons. The new Ducati fairing has bigger diffuser ducts in front of large ground-effect bulges to restrict and accelerate airflow between the fairing and the pavement, creating more downforce and increasing grip.
Featured In the March 2024 issue of Roadracing World:
Nothing succeeds like excess and no one succeeds in MotoGP like Ducati: The most bikes, the most top riders, the most horsepower, the most engineers, the most data and so on. That’s why MotoGP is so deep in the Ducati era right now, like once it was in the Honda era and the MV Agusta era.
At MotoGP’s traditional first tests at Sepang, Malaysia, the fastest five bikes were all Ducati GP24s and GP23s and there was a total of seven Desmosedicis in the top 10. In other words, not much has changed since last season.
This year’s GP24 is a subtle development of the bike that won the 2022 and 2023 MotoGP riders titles and the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 constructors crowns. Despite that remarkable run of success, Ducati has been super-careful this year because the GP22 and GP23 had Ducati engineers in a panic at the first races and tests…
“Ducati’s MotoGP Secret: Nothing Succeeds Like Excess,” by MotoGP Editor Mat Oxley
The opening pre-season tests at Sepang suggest that the Bologna brand still rules MotoGP with an iron fist. So what are Aprilia, KTM, Honda, and Yamaha going to do about it? MotoGP Editor Mat Oxley looks at the plans of the rest of the field to catch the flying red (and blue and white, and yellow, and pale blue) Ducatis that dominate Grand Prix racing, in the latest issue of Roadracing World.
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats.
Click here for a sample issue of Roadracing World magazine. (Print Edition, one sample issue per household, U.S. address only.)
A grid at a NJminiGP race at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2021. Photo courtesy NJminiGP.
Update: Early Saturday morning, New Jersey Motorsports Park announced via Facebook that it was cancelling its new mini motorcycle road racing series. Scroll down to see that announcement.
NJminiGP, a.k.a. New Jersey miniGP, has been holding mini road races and schools for 15 years on the kart track at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP), in Millville, New Jersey.
MotoAmerica Pros Anthony Mazziotto, Brandon Paasch, Gus Rodio, and Tyler Scott are just a few of the riders who started their road racing careers with NJminiGP.
In 2024, however, NJminiGP will not be holding mini road races at the south New Jersey racing facility and New Jersey Motorsports Park will instead be running its own mini road racing series called NJMP Mini Sprint Series.
“The strong interest among riders and their families was clear when an organization that ran youth races on the east coast [NJminiGP] announced their 2024 schedule without a sprint racing program,” Brad Scott, President and COO of New Jersey Motorsports Park, was quoted as saying in a press release issued March 29 by New Jersey Motorsports Park. “Riders and their families reached out to us, expressing their concerns, and seeking a sprint race series for young people to develop their skills and passion for the sport.”
But that’s misleading, says Nathan Granoff, who co-owns NJminiGP with Ryan Fleming and oversees several miniGP franchises (SFLminiGP, SCminiGP, DMVminiGP) that have scheduled sprint races in the eastern U.S. in 2024. In fact, Granoff is accusing New Jersey Motorsports Park of intentionally pricing NJminiGP out so the track can run its own mini racing series.
“In November, when our season ended, New Jersey Motorsports Park came to us and basically gave us [2024] rates that were four times what we were paying [in 2023],” Granoff told Roadracingworld.com in a March 29 telephone interview. “And we were very suspicious, like this doesn’t seem right and we’ve seen them do these things before to push people out. And what made us more suspicious was that not only did they do that, but the rates for the schools that we run, those were only marginally higher. It seemed like they were only jacking the sprint races really high.”
Granoff said he was told by Scott that the cost of ambulance service as well as the cost of providing New Jersey Motorsports Park staff members for events had doubled. When Granoff pushed the issue, NJMP came back with a reduced 2024 rate offer for NJminiGP.
“The final numbers were still more than double,” said Granoff. “I can’t double rates on our members. We don’t have that big of a [membership] to make up. It’s not like we have 100 plus riders where we could do a marginal increase and cover that.”
Scott confirmed that all prices for most things at New Jersey Motorsports Park, including track rental rates, are going up to pay for the $3 million bill for repaving Thunderbolt Raceway and making additional improvements, but he disagrees with Granoff’s math.
“Yeah, that’s not accurate at all,” Scott told Roadracingworld.com. “I mean, to give you a little background story. When we rent out to groups, whether they’re karting groups or bike groups or even, you know, MotoAmerica does their [Mini] Cup series, our rate to rent half the [kart] track for weekends is about $10 to $15,000. And throughout the years we’ve given them [NJminiGP] a very, very reasonable rate with moderate increases, you know as we went on, due to the increases of expenses and so forth.
“Moving from ’23 to ’24, unfortunately with everything going up [in cost] in this world that we’re all familiar with–insurance, we repaved Thunderbolt–we went up on everything that we do business in, whether it’s renting the track, the membership fees, our hotel room rentals, food and beverage. And included in that was increases for groups who rent the karting facility. Yeah, the numbers that he’s using are extremely inflated.”
Scott didn’t want to make public the rate he offered NJminiGP for 2024, but the numbers he shared with Roadracingworld.com represented a 50% increase over 2023.
As to Granoff’s claim that New Jersey Motorsports Park was pricing NJminiGP out just so the track could start its own mini motorcycle road racing series, Scott said, “It’s completely false. You know, honestly, we prefer they would continue. It’s not something we traditionally do. Our relationship is mostly we want to rent the property out, as we do for all the racing organizations. It’s something we’re probably gonna lose money doing, but we listen to our members and their families and the outpouring and [we] just kind of wanted to help and give back something that’s been here and that went away.”
Scott added that New Jersey Motorsports Park will re-assess the mini road racing situation at the end of the 2024 season and see if it’s something they want to continue doing.
As for NJminiGP, Granoff said they will spend 2024 focusing on their mini road racing schools at New Jersey Motorsports Park (which only saw a modest rental rate increase due, Scott said, to not needing cornerworkers and ambulance service), including the addition of a two-day invitation-only school August 24-25, and creating new options and new programs for the 2025 season.
The full press release announcing New Jersey Motorsports Park new mini road racing series is included below.
Exciting News for Young Motorcycle Racers and Their Families
New NJMP Mini Sprint Series Announced:
Five Weekends of Practice and Racing for Riders Aged 5-17
MILLVILLE, N.J. (March 2024)
New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) has announced the launch of the NJMP Mini Sprint Series – five weekends of practice and racing at NJMP’s Tempest Raceway facility, created to provide a competitive and fun racing program for riders aged 5-17 years old.
“The strong interest among riders and their families was clear when an organization that ran youth races on the east coast announced their 2024 schedule without a sprint racing program,” said Brad Scott, President and COO of NJMP. “Riders and their families reached out to us, expressing their concerns, and seeking a sprint race series for young people to develop their skills and passion for the sport.”
The NJMP Mini Sprint Series will include five classes of racing including stock and Ohvale bikes of various displacements, with the option to run multiple classes.
The format consists of a Saturday practice day with six 15-minute sessions for each of the five classes, followed by a Sunday race day with each class having morning practice, two qualifying sessions, two races, and of course podium celebrations to end the day!
“These will be professionally run events,” commented Charity Giovanelli, Director of New Jersey Motorsports Park’s Riders Club and Two-Wheel Event Operations. “From Tech Inspection to on-track operations and the racing rules, our young riders will have the same high-quality experience that we offer across all of our motorcycle events here at NJMP.”
Glenn Jazikoff has been named as Race Director for the NJMP Mini Sprint Series. Glenn is an experienced rider and coach at NJMP, and the parent of a young aspiring racer. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help grow youth road racing, and I am looking forward to a great season,” Glenn commented.
“We had to act quickly to fill a gap and respond to our customers’ needs,” added Scott. “We believe the resulting NJMP Mini Sprint Series will become a staple in the regional racing scene and provide a fantastic venue for young riders up and down the east coast.”
The series schedule consists of four events on Tempest Raceway’s Liberator circuit: April 20-21, May 18-19, June 15-16, and July 13-14. The season series finale will take place on Tempest’s full 1.1-mile track on September 28-29.
Registration is required and is available on Motorsportreg.com, where full information about the classes, rules, and event schedules can be found.
Interested participants can contact Race Director Glenn Jazikoff at [email protected] for more information in preparation for the events.
The following was posted to New Jersey Motorsports Park’s Facebook page at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time March 30:
News Announcement
We have heard concerns regarding our recent announcement about the Sprint Race program at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Due to a number of factors, we have decided not to run the program at this time. We appreciate all the support and requests and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We are always evaluating our racing options to serve our customers and supporters.
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A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers. When a post is labeled with the words “press release”, it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate. Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors.
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