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Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
That’s an insaneeeee take considering he won 2 sx races this year, that’s 1 more than Webb, who’s a current title contender for smx.
Tomac retiring and leaving a hole, KTM supposedly wants US rider, sexton won a title there and his main issue was suspension stuff that was an actual problem as much as people don't want to admit it, him and prado seem to get along.... would make a lot of sense for all involved to give that another go.
I highly doubt Sexton’s going back to KTM. No one knows anything new on him.
So to qualify smoke. It would have to originate from someone close to Sextons camp or from a prospective team to seem legitimate and there's been nothing like that.
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I just can't see how it ends up in anything else than a disaster if Sexton stays.
The relationship between him and the team obviously went sour and it seems like they haven't fixed it. To get this to work again they need to overhaul the Kawi leadership (at the very least Fahie).
Nobody seems to be considering that there is a new bike this year. Id bet everyone invloved is praying on it moving in the right direction.
Yeah hopefully the base bike is better, but it's the same team that will work with the bike and rider and my trust in their capabilities is really low.
Every time Prado turns a wheel on the KTM, it underlines how bad the Kawasaki is.
Marchbanks doing well on whatever he gets on masks the fact that anyone else who has jumped on the green bike, has struggled, unless they were a generational talent like RV JS7 or Tomac. Febvre also rides like nobody else in GP's.. the bike has issues they cant fix, everyone else cant be wrong.
Nobody is queueing up to get on that bike.
It’s not the bike, it’s the team and the riders. Remember the problems the factory Yamaha US team had? You only have to look at how they’re doing now with Star. And Honda—just because they have the Lawrence brothers now... but they went 20 years without winning. Sometimes, it all comes down to having the right rider at the right time. This is motocross, not MotoGP.
If Sexton wins a title, smx 3 race thing doesn’t count, a real title in the next 4 years, I’ll donate $1,000 to road to recovery.
You’re gonna remain $1000 richer. In fact, a good bet would be for him to be in the top 3 in points.
I got nothing against him. I just see zero evidence he’s ever a title contender again. I am sure he’ll win some races again. But his title days are over in my mind. I’d wager he stays at kawi for the life of his contract and collects the check. Financially it’s the best decision to make.
They wouldn't take him back for free.
Mookie is apparently queueing up...
HRC leases bikes?
They have in the past.
Windham's and Reed have both rode "leased" HRC 450s for their respective teams. Reed didn't start with a full factory bike, but by the time the Chadapault got named he was on one.
Deano had a lot of HRC factory parts on his Firepower (again, Yarrive) bike in the past. If someone can currently get a full HRC bike for a top end rider on a private team it's going to be Quadlock.
A long maaabyyyeeeee for Phoenix as I think they are going to be morphing into the "factory" Honda 250 team in a year or two? At least that's been a rumor for a while I think.
Anyways, money talks. For the right rider, on the right team, with the right backing you can bet your bottom dollar Honda will lease them an HRC CRF450R.
I could potentially see Chase on a Bajaj bike again, but it would be a 1 year prove it contract like Prado had to take to go back. Minimal salary and big incentives. IMO he isn't getting anything like his current Kawi deal from anyone else.
I'm betting Tedder isn't getting a free factory Husky for Webb to ride this coming Sunday. They and their sponsors are footing part of the bill to have that bike, aka leasing it, and parts of it will be maintained by Factory Services or whatever the KTM group is calling it these days. Engines go in a crate and get shipped back and forth for example.
I think ole Slumpstone may have an inside track on what Honda will or won’t do….Although they did get a factory gearbox earlier this year….
All the teams should take notice on how Honda is currently running their 450 program.
They have the two fastest riders in the series riding together sharing information and riding each others bikes. Honda is using all this testing to develop their program. This is the Honda is doing so well.
If teams want to get to Hondas level they need to do the following.
Force their Riders and Team Managers, Engineers, Suspension/ Chassis guys etc to work together. Force the Riders to ride each others bikes and share all information. It takes a well oiled team to create a winning combination now days.
Pit Row
An observation: On the flipside, that statement says that Prado is not a generational talent.
Good point. And at a time where other teams that have stabled three 450 riders are going with two.
Your forgetting that Honda is now willing to spend whatever it takes to get their riders what they need out of the bike. They have the winning combo between riders, staff and bosses willing to spend whatever it takes. Not many can say that as we’ve seen other manufactures limit what can be touched or changed on the bikes.
Forcing people to do something they may not want to do is always a great idea. People just need to realize the Lawrence situation is unique and can’t replicated.
To do what! Ride around in 7-12 with some flashes of brilliance for a few laps. You don’t think he’ll be contending with Prado in overall points in either series assuming they both stay healthy do you?
On the topic of testing with Mitch, I found it really interesting this year how he had that one great round with "Pro Circuit" suspension. Then factory Kawi built the "same" setup for him from their parts, and he was back to searching. What a quagmire the last few seasons have been for the factory effort.
No one from the team was able to speak to Chase beside Jade at the the Las Vegas smx😂
Ducati should hire friese. Lives in Cali and seems like he would be a pretty good test guy?
He finished 3rd in the overall standings in 2022 and 4th in 2025
When talking about riders queuing up for a ride i think most people refer to a hypothetical scenario where all spots are open, where does the queue start? Kawi is the last factory team that gets a top level rider on their bike.
What were Mookies options other than Kawasaki?
There comes a point where your 10 year old half championship doesnt get you much option.
Was pleased to see him win a SX, but at this point , he isnt a factory level rider indoors or out, and to be honest, hasnt been for a while. But that could be said for a lot of guys. Saved by the unwillingness of guys in 250 to back themselves on a bigger bike.
The fact that only Savatgy and AC (that i can think of) have moved up to 450 on green, from PC ( in recent times) is a mystery to me.
This got dislikes because he's personable and a fan favourite but its not far off. He's going to be in that top 10 window most of the year. If the field is healthy, that's respectable for where he's at in his career.
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