Welcome to Racerhead and November, and just another 64 days until we start all over again with Anaheim 1. There is some racing down under as the third round of the Australian SX Championship, the AUS-X Open, is this weekend at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, Victoria. Reigning—and thankfully returning—Monster Energy AMA Supercross Champion Ken Roczen is there, as is Justin Barcia, Cole Davies, Jo Shimoda (on a 450), Christian Craig, and more. Last weekend the series was in Auckland, New Zealand, a cool homecoming for Davies, who looks more and more like the next Chad Reed. Last weekend, Davies won everything in the 250 class while Roczen dominated the 450 class. As far as this weekend’s AUS-X Open, you can find out how to watch the AUS-X Open here.

Here on the homefront, the big off-season story continues to be the saga of Chase Sexton. He seems to be enjoying the big guessing game going around, and he even sat/drove for a surprise interview with Marae Paggio, daughter of former pro and longtime Oakley Motorsports Manager Anthony Paggio, for her YouTube show Candid Coverage. The interview really got a lot of people talking and speculating about Sexton's whole situation—it's been viewed nearly 80,000 times and counting!

When Marae asked the former 450SX Champion what color fender he might see when he looks down at the starting gate next year, Sexton wouldn't say, but he did say it was one that is going to be a fender we've seen him on before. That really got everyone buzzing. It has to be KTM orange or Honda red, right? Then again, he rode Yamaha blue as a kid, and Cobra yellow before that, sooo.... He also said he had a long drive ahead of him to finally start riding again on Wednesday after his doctors cleared him from his knee surgery and rehab. Was he going to Mississippi to ride a Quad Lock Honda at Kevin Windham's house? Was he going to ClubMX in South Carolina? JGR in North Carolina? Cooper Webb's place? Since everyone seems to be guessing, I'll make a wild one here: Phoenix Honda.

Before we get into the rest of the news, I want to wish longtime Motocross Action Magazine editor Jody Weisel well. Jody, a true icon in this sport, suffered a serious stroke some two weeks ago and is now in need of everyone's thoughts and prayers. MXA announced the news in this piece by Tim Olsen, Jody's longtime friend.

Jody's monthly column "Jody's Box" has been entertaining us since the early 1980s, when he took over MXA from the late Dick Miller. His wit, as well as his sense of humor, has been the anchor of the magazine ever since, practically mandatory reading for every motocross enthusiast. His bike and product tests have always been as straightforward as they come. Here's hoping for the best for Jody and his wife Sally, who is better known as "Lovely Louella" to us magazine readers. Get well soon, Jody.

And lastly, take a look at Jorge Prado with his new look for 2027 as #61.

Another weekend, another AUS-X Supercross round. This Saturday brings the AUS-X Open in Geelong, Victoria. Located just under an hour from Melbourne (pronounced Mel-bun if you're a local), Geelong's GMHBA Stadium is a massive venue. The track won't cover the entire floor space, but it will still be one of the biggest and best tracks in series history. This series has a reputation for tough, technical track layouts, and this round will be no different. Some have argued it makes for a steep learning curve, but the same argument could be made that it's historically developed some of the world's best supercross talent, too.

This round being the AUS-X Open means that more international riders will be brought in versus the typical round. This year's incoming riders are Ken Roczen, Cole Davies (both were at Auckland, too), along with Justin Barcia and Jo Shimoda for this round only. Barcia making his return debut on the Suzuki, as well as Jo making a rare 450 appearance, have some added appeal to boot.

In the 250s, Davies will be the undoubted favorite. He dominated the Auckland triple crown, and I do mean dominated. It's hard to imagine that changing on a bigger and tougher racetrack with his skill set and equipment. Watching Davies is watching a superstar emerge. He has elite skills and is going to be a REAL problem for anyone in 2027. I know that seems redundant after him winning both the SX and MX title in 2026, but watching him in Auckland was a bit eye-opening.

The 450s should be a bit more interesting. Ken Roczen is surely the favorite, but with Craig, Barcia, and Shimoda all on site, the job won't be easy. These off-season races are a different dynamic than a Saturday in San Diego, and the racing is usually tighter. Case in point, Christian Craig gave Kenny all he wanted at times a week ago. Off-season races are often like that. No one is in race trim quite yet, and the tracks, format, time zones, and lack of normal resources all tighten things up a bit. Roczen will still be the expected front-runner, but a battle with Barcia wouldn't shock me for even a second.

The only real variable will be the weather, as there is a chance of rain overnight and on Saturday. Temperatures are in the 50s, and winds are expected to be gusting near 30 mph. Sounds a bit rough! As for me, I will be hiding in the friendly booth confines as my lifelong dream of being a part of the television broadcast continues. Sunday will mark the end of my South Pacific swing, but man, what a trip it's been. I will never take these opportunities for granted and can't wait for an amazing day of racing.

HAHA! Fooled you! This RH entry has nothing to do with Chase Sexton! All I know is that when someone in one of the thousand group chats I'm in took Chase's Instagram story and asked AI where he was based on the land, the time, and the position of the sun in the sky, I officially became OUT on what Sexton's doing. Most of us THINK he's riding a Honda for Quad Lock at Windham's house, but TBH, I don't know. We should know soon, and it's great to get him on a bike again after the ACL.

I'm out here on the East Coast for a bit; hopefully, my wife doesn't leave me while I'm out living with my best friend, Phil Nicoletti. We did a PulpMX Show Monday night with Phil, Weege, and Justin Brayton, where Cooper Webb dropped by to chat about MXdN, the new team, and more. One thing about Webb is he seems to be in a good spot in his life and position in the sport—good interview. NASCAR driver Ty Gibbs called in as well; he's working with Brayton for training (Webb is as well) so that was interesting as he told us he hasn't closed the door on JGRMX coming back into the sport.

I've been doing some great MTB riding out here as well as a couple of road rides, so that's been cool. The other day Phil and I swung by the old JGR track (now called Aus Ranch) to watch Webb, Devin Simonson, Max Vohland, and Ryder Malinoski do some laps. I've spent so many hours of my life standing on the side of an SX test track that whenever I do it now, it takes me right back to those days. Also, when you're that close, those guys are really great dirt bike riders (copyright: Weege). Nice to talk to Josh Strang there also, who is wrapping up a great career in GNCC after this weekend's race; Strang's a legend, as the kids say.

Please check out some photos of my North Carolina adventure; they're basically the same as Cudby's.

The Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Racing series finale is set for this weekend, where all three pro titles—the overall, XC2, and WXC—are up for grabs. The Buckwheat 100 GNCC will take place at CJ Raceway in Newburg, West Virginia as:

Jordan Ashburn (202 points) leads Steward Baylor Jr. (193 points) and Liam Draper (191 points) in the overall PM bike standings

Angus Riordan (Honda) and Jhak Walker (Beta) are tied for XC2 lead with 251 points as Jason Tino (KTM) sits third with 237 points

And Brandy Richards (279 points) leads Korie Steede (270 points) in the WXC standings.

Unfortunately, it seems like a neck injury will keep Baylor sidelined for this weekend. So, who comes out champion? Draper has nearly a dozen P2 overall finishes but has yet to win a PM overall. Can he get it done this weekend in crunch time? Or will Ashburn snag his second overall bike title? Tune into FloRacing to watch the action live all weekend long.

• GNCC

  • November 7 - 9:00 AM

    

  • November 7 - 2:00 PM

    

  • November 8 - 8:00 AM

    

  • November 8 - 1:00 PM

    

KTM and Husqvarna dropped info on their new Factory Edition lineup, and I am gearing up to ride the new KTM FEs on November18. We get to ride the new Husqvarnas in December back east, so you may have to wait a little while for that test, but I am hyped about this new KTM. I have heard the 250 has more torque and even more top end/over-rev. Torque hasn’t been KTM’s strong point so far, but this new engine seems promising! Yamaha always had more torque, and KTM had the mid-top end, but maybe with this new ‘27 FE, the orange 250 will have the whole package? I don’t know, but I am ready to find out!

I loved the 2022 KTM 450 SX-F, but since 2023, the frame has been a little too stiff for us mere mortals. I am hearing that KTM made the necessary changes to get some flex back into the frame, along with a longer wheelbase! Oh, did I mention spring forks too! COME ON! November 18 can’t come soon enough! Below are the engine changes to the 250/450F.

Important redesigns or changes for 2027 on the KTM 250 SX-F Factory Edition:

• Cylinder head, valvetrain, and other top-end internals. For the first time on a series-production engine, the intake ports and combustion chamber are CNC-machined for extra precision and assisting greater compression.
• Intermediate gear in the valve train for a stiffer structure.
• Shorter cam chain with a new layout while valve clearance checks and shim replacements no longer require the cam chain to be removed.
• Revised valve springs and larger exhaust intake diameter.
• Relocation of the throttle body and flap closer to the cylinder head for enhanced throttle response.
• A second top-feed injector to support the higher RPM.
• Redesigned crankcases for mass centralization with adapted mounting pointed at the swingarm area.
• Better water pump efficiency and minimized oil consumption.
• New Dell’Orto throttle body with all-new contactless TPS (Throttle Position Sensor), providing higher measurement precision, reduced mechanical wear, and improved long-term signal stability.

Important redesigns or changes for 2027 on the KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition:

• Top-feed injector and knock control harness mixture prep and mapping performance.
• Tuned and detailed intake and exhaust system settings and altered cylinder head assembly for better combustion.
• Refinements in accordance with the three-resonance chamber equipment.
• Intake port cross-section reduction by almost 20%.
• 3 mm higher position in the chassis for better centralization feeling with the same engine mounts as the 2027 KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.
• New connecting rod and crankshaft assembly for fresh engine timing and camshaft.
• Technical updates to the 44 mm Keihin throttle body include a repositioned injector position (improved response at lower speed) and improved fueling. As with the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, an all-new contactless TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) provides higher measurement precision, reduced mechanical wear, and better long-term signal stability.

Look for a full, geeked-out breakdown right here on Racer X in a couple of weeks! Love this time of year!

Read more on the 2027 KTM and Husqvarna Factory Editions below.

Thinking back on the Monter Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, where Team USA finished fifth, the race marked the third MXoN in a row in which we finished one spot behind a team consisting of a pair of brothers. In 2024 and '25, Team USA finished as runners-up to Australia, which, of course, boasted Jett and Hunter Lawrence. This year we finished fifth, one spot behind Latvia, which had the Reisulis brothers, Karlis and Janis, both of whom are switching from Yamaha to KTM in 2027. Actually, we got beaten by two sets of brothers this time, as Sacha and Lucas Coenen were on the winning Belgium team. That also means that it's now been three years in a row that a team with two brothers won the Motocross of Nations!

Here's a note I received from Mike Kolar, of Michigan Mafia and Team Dynamic fame:

It's been a while since I have emailed you, but whenever I do, it is usually something random and always MX-related. Back in the day, there was a TV show called PM Magazine that aired on weekday evenings on local affiliates. It ran from the late '70s to early '80s and highlighted various people, talents, and activities. I vaguely recalled seeing a clip of a young woman racing MX back at that time. Well, I went down my old rabbit hole (YouTube) and, low and behold, there is the clip:

Did you ever see this? Or, for that matter, know who Gale Webb was? I find it very cool that she was sponsored by Malcolm Smith and that he was interviewed for this segment. As always, keep up the good work with Racer X!
Mike Kolar, East Lansing, MI

Cool find, Mike! I do remember Gale Webb, sometimes known as the "Skateboard Mom," and other times as "Mrs. Moto." She is an extreme sports pioneer, as well as an early BMX and WMX Champion. She's also on Instagram.

As mentioned above, 64 days until Anaheim 1—here's the jersey countdown! Follow Josh on Instagram: @alwaysbelieve331.

BACK ON SUZUKI | BAMTV Justin Barcia

Ken Roczen Visits Suzuki Japan | Suzuki

"Bad Omen: Entire NKU Hoops Team Got Stuck In An Elevator For Over 40 Minutes Before Its First Game, Had To Get Rescued Out Of There"—Barstool Sports

"Hawk found grounded in Virginia driveway was 'too darn fat to fly'"—UPI

"Breaking news: LIV Golf shuts down after $5 billion spent dividing the sport"—New York Times

“California man, 97, dies at his own birthday party moments after dancing to Bee Gees’ ‘Stayin’ Alive’”—New York Post

“Hollywood’s New Superhero Is the Guy Who Tells Moviegoers When to Pee”—Wall Street Journal