U.S. Air Force Special Warfare Presented Program Will Host 25 Elite Racers, with Mentorship from Five Decorated Rider Coaches
MORGANTOWN, WV – August 21, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – MX Sports Pro Racing has officially announced the lineup of 25 amateur prospects and the esteemed group of highly acclaimed rider coaches that will comprise the second gathering of the 2024 Scouting Moto Combine, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare. The motocross component of the SMX Next initiative consists of a pair of gatherings that coincide with two rounds of the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Following a memorable gathering at RedBud MX over the Independence Day holiday, the second and final gathering will serve as a precursor to the season-ending Tucker Freight Lines Ironman National Finals this Friday, August 23, from Indiana’s Ironman Raceway.
“The talent on display at the Scouting Moto Combine is second to none at the amateur level, as evidenced by RedBud Combine winner Drew Adams, who just a few weeks ago captured the AMA Horizon Award at Loretta Lynn’s and is set to make his pro debut this Saturday at the Ironman National,” said Jim Perry, Program Director for the Scouting Moto Combine. “SMX Next has set a new, unprecedented standard for how we develop the next generation of racers and its success and influence at both the amateur and professional level is undeniable. The continued investments by each competing manufacturer, MX Sports Pro Racing, Feld Motor Sports, and the SuperMotocross League has dramatically altered the progression to the sport’s highest level, to the betterment of the industry and our young athletes.”
Ironman Raceway will host the second and final gathering of the 2024 Scouting
Moto Combine Presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare on Friday, August 23.
Photo Courtesy MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.
The hand-picked group of prospects that will come together at the Ironman Combine was curated in conjunction with the factory-supported efforts from GASGAS, Honda, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki, and Yamaha, which will consist of 25 of the sport’s top A & B class racers. This dynamic group of athletes features a mix of those with prior Combine experience and others that will embark on their first competition on a National track. A pair of 25-minute, plus two-lap motos await the field on Friday afternoon.
Leading the way in mentorship and guidance of this group of elite prospects is an acclaimed and decorated lineup of Rider Coaches who will lend their immense knowledge and expertise in support of the continued development of these young athletes, both on and off the track. For the first time, the Scouting Moto Combine will feature a five-coach group, anchored by six-time Pro Motocross Champion Broc Glover, a staple presence at the Combine since its inception and the reigning Coaches Cup winner from RedBud. Glover will be accompanied by another Combine veteran in Chad Reed, the most decorated international racer in history who captured the 2009 Pro Motocross 450 Class Championship, in addition to former 125cc Regional Supercross Champion Ezra Lusk and perennial Supercross and Pro Motocross podium finisher Michael Byrne. Rounding out the group of five Rider Coaches is the newest member, five-time Pro Motocross 450 Class Championship runner-up and two-time 125cc Regional Supercross Champion Kevin Windham.
Additional athlete support will come from Mike Bonacci, Team Manager at Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha, former racer Gareth Swanepoel, head trainer at Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, and Christina Denney, a former SMX team manager and representative at the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). The group will also receive guidance and input from Jason Weigandt, a longtime journalist within the industry at Racer X Illustrated who is also the host and play-by-play man for SuperMotocross broadcasts on Peacock, NBC, and USA Network.
Landen Gordon (18) led all the way to the final turn at the RedBud Combine
and will be in search of redemption at Ironman, while Krystian Janik (27) should
also contend for the win once again follwing his runner-up effort at RedBud.
Photo Courtesy MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.
Avery Long finished third at Ironman last summer and also finished fourth
at RedBud in July. Following a strong showing at Loretta Lynn’s,
he will be another rider to watch at Ironman.
Photo Courtesy MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.
Caden Dudney made his Combine debut at Ironman last summer and will return
for his second attempt on Friday, coming off a breakthrough performance
at Loretta Lynn’s where he won two championships.
Photo Courtesy MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.
Following his RedBud triumph and a dominant week at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship in which he captured a pair of AMA National Championships at the Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award, Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green racer Drew Adams will become the latest addition to what has become a decorated group of Combine graduates. Adams will make his pro debut at Ironman with Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, where he’ll compete against fellow graduates like newly crowned 250 Class Champion and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider Haiden Deegan, race winner and Team Honda HRC rider Chance Hymas, as well as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Casey Cochran, who are going head-to-head for Rookie of the Year honors. The graduate list also consists of Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Daxton Bennick, and Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha’s Mark Fineis.
Drew Adams took the Combine win at RedBud in July and went on to capture the Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award at Loretta Lynn’s. Now, he’ll make his Pro Motocross debut at Ironman with Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
Photo Courtesy MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.
While the pair of motos will serve as the centerpiece of the Ironman Combine, athletes will also be provided with invaluable insight into many important aspects of the sport away from the racetrack, including training, nutrition, and guidance on how to navigate the various layers of media engagement, from social media to interviews with journalists and speaking on the podium. These classroom-style sessions provide the foundation for the gathering, before racers strap on their helmet, line up behind the starting gate, and wage battle to see who will prevail as the Ironman Combine winner.
Ironman Combine Rider List:
#2 Jeremy Fappani / Scottsdale, Arizona / KTM
#17 Cole Davies / Waitoki, New Zealand / Yamaha
#18 Landen Gordon / Atascadero, California / Kawasaki
#19 Carson Mainquist / Haslet, Texas / KTM
#20 Tyler Mollett / Port St. Lucie, Florida / Husqvarna
#21 Enzo Temmerman, Visalia, California / Kawasaki
#23 Landon Gibson, Peachtree City, Georgia / Husqvarna
#24 Alvin Hillan, Visalia, California / Honda
#27 Krystian Janik / Oak Lawn, Illinois / Kawasaki
#40 Caden Dudney / Athens, Texas / Kawasaki
#49 Brennon Harrison / Jacksonville, Florida / GASGAS
#66 Kayden Minear / Perth, WA, Australia / KTM
#79 Max Shane / Anaheim, California / Yamaha
#87 Grayson Townsend / Washington, Utah / Kawasaki
#95 Adler Caudle / Moore, Oklahoma / Kawasaki
#132 Leum Oehlhof / Oak Hills, California / Yamaha
#177 Kade Johnson / Salt Lake City, Utah / Yamaha
#263 Avery Long / New London, Minnesota / Yamaha
#343 Cole Timboe / Calimesa, California / Suzuki
#451 Ryder Thompson / Valparaiso, Indiana / GASGAS
#462 Luke Fauser / Midland, Pennsylvania / KTM
#550 Cole Forbes / Richmond, Virginia / KTM
#600 Alexander Fedortsov / Hallandale, Florida / Yamaha
#930 Seth Dennis / Port Saint Lucie, Florida / KTM
#981 Ryder Malinoski / Wyoming, Minnesota / Yamaha
- Facebook: @americanmotocross
- Instagram: @promotocross
- Twitter: @ProMotocross
- YouTube: AmericanMotocross
Available for download for both Apple and Android devices is the official Pro Motocross App. Fans of American motocross can have access to the world’s most prestigious off-road motorcycle racing series right at their fingertips on their mobile devices. Developed by AMA Pro Racing, the Pro Motocross App provides users with the most important information surrounding the Pro Motocross Championship, from series news to schedule and ticket information, as well as broadcast schedule details and live timing & scoring. Download it now via the App Store or Google Play.
MX Sports Pro Racing
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., manages and produces the world’s premier motocross racing series – the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. MX Sports Pro Racing is an industry leader in off-road powersport event production and management, whose mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., organizes events for thousands of racing athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators.
Visit www.mxsportsproracing.com for more information.
Pro Motocross Championship
The Pro Motocross Championship features the world’s fastest outdoor motocross racers, competing aboard homologated bikes from one of eight competing manufacturers on a collection of the roughest, toughest tracks on the planet. Racing takes place each Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into two classes: one for 250cc machines, and one for 450cc machines. MX Sports Pro Racing, the industry leader in off-road powersports event production, organizes the Pro Motocross Championship.
More information can be found at www.ProMotocross.com.
AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization for North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. It serves as the sanctioning body of the Pro Motocross Championship.
Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.
SuperMotocross World Championship
The SuperMotocross World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the SuperMotocross World Championship combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, into a 31-event series that culminates in a season-ending two round playoff and SuperMotocross World Championship Final.
Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.
Source: MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.
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