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Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
That, I didn't know. I did know they can change 250 to 450 stuff. Although, I question how many years back they homologate. Because, from what I understood, you can't race an old bike even if it was homologated years ago. Via Kenny wanting to race his 250 2 stroke. I was under the understanding, that you need to rehomologate them yearly. Is that not correct? And if not, how long is it good for?
Updated: "Every year the OEMs pay the AMA $5000 to homologate each new model, making it eligible to race for the next five seasons. Unfortunately, that means Ken Roczen can’t line up on a 2008 Suzuki RM250 two-stroke, and Jett Lawrence can’t line up on a 2007 Honda CR250."
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Mitch run a 450 program one year? Wasn’t it with Townley?
I do remember he had a separate truck and one or two 450s one year. Maybe 2010-ish?
Thanks, AI
Pro Circuit did run a 450 program, but you’re off by about two years. It was 2012, and it was essentially a one-rider, one-season 450 Supercross experiment with Broc Tickle.
The backstory is interesting because it wasn’t really Mitch Payton deciding, “Let’s start a 450 team.” Broc Tickle won the 2011 AMA 250 West Supercross Championship for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki and had already signed a two-year deal with Pro Circuit. He then pointed out of the 250 class and had to move to a 450 for 2012. Rather than send him elsewhere, Payton built a Pro Circuit KX450F program around him.
I believe it was for Brock tickle after he won the championship and had to move up and was still under contract.
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Agreed, and who I really feel bad for are the team members who put in the long days but have no say in things behind the scenes. They were the guys who lived at Club MX working their asses off all day to try to help Prado only to get to the race and watch him put in a half assed effort. The issues at Kawasaki most likely stem from a specific two or three guys and I highly doubt any of them are the guys spending days at the test tracks doing the real work. I believe he owed it to those that were legitimately trying to help him to give his best effort.
Regardless of the quality of the bike, I have developed a new found respect for Marchbanks and his determination to do the best he can with what he has. No complaints, no drama, just effort. Outdoors, he was typically not starting out front, but consistently was moving forward.
If the bike is not capable, how can a roughly 10 year old designed Suzuki win the 2026 SX Championship?
Congrats to all the riders for their efforts in 2026.
No matter what the truth is behind the Kawasaki/Prado debacle, it sure looks bad for Kawasaki right now.
I was thinking this all last year. Yea, he quit trying at points. But wouldn't you? If you were expected to win, and expected yourself to win, and you put in as much effort as you can early in the race to try and compensate for the bike not doing what you want, and you find yourself in 7th with 10 minutes to go, I'm cruising it on home at a safe level rather than risk riding the edge on something I don't feel comfortable on so I end up 8th instead of 13th.
When Matthes would say "Stew nearly killed himself trying to win on the POS JGR bike!" I would always get confused. Like, why would you do that? Stew probably shortened his career doing that.
Because a well set up Suzuki is better than a poorly set up Kawasaki?
The only low resolution thing is your view. You think these guys all had ego and were unwilling to fix the bike? They were the first team to bring out Crew chiefs for each individual rider to help fine tune them with AC and Tomac. Sometimes bad bikes come along, that kawi had lots of issues in the beginning stock and factory level, but totally trashing all the members on that team the way you are is just insane to me. Which is exactly like I said from the start. Prado laying down is wild. Both can be true.
It’s been absolutely proven and established the kawi team egos are in the way of actually setting the bikes up properly. But ok…
Good point - here you go:
Minor Rotator Cuff Tear (January 2017)
Collarbone Injury (April 2017)
And the practice crash that ended his career that summer. He gave it 100 percent and didn't say anything about not feeling safe on the bike, although he definitely could have made a case for that.
By comparison, Prado suffered a dislocated shoulder, so only one injury on Kawi with a best finish of 12th out of the two supercross rounds he raced and a 5th in outdoors.
It was for Tickle, as already stated in other post.
But no, he didn’t have a separate rig for him, he ran three bikes at each race out of the same rig.
Those thoughts have been shared by a number of people, so the concern is undeniable.
What are your thoughts on Gajser/Yamaha? In thinking about the Kawasaki and its tendencies, it would seem like the MXGP teams have more to work with than the US team, case in point being Febvre winning the championship last year. But it hasn't worked out that way for Gajser.
Sorry, I meant the MXGP guys. The run a different swingarm, and sometimes frame.
This story is related/kind of not. I met Dean Thanksgiving week in the desert(not the usual ocotillo or Barstow) near California City I believe. I see he has a Monster Kawi tablecloth, I ask my dad if he works for the team, my dad said he's probably just a fan. Turns out he is one of the engine guys. About every race i go to since, I always want to stop by kawi to say hi to him. I went to A1, Fox, and SMX Carson, I learned that he is one of 3 total engine guys that rotate races, I don't think I saw him at A1, Fox I was stuck in traffic and couldn't even get into fan fest when I got to the track, Carson, he wasn't there. He has been there in past years. Basically we met him through a friend of my dads(one of my HS teachers actually). Just thought I'd share a cool story.
I wasn't a fan of Prado when the kawi stuff went down, now I am a big fan, and so happy he's showing and doing what he has been capable of. I know he's stoked he won a title in the US, but everyone knows that this doesn't hold the same weight as an SX/MX title, only great thing so far is the money. He has to be stoked to get that fat check and be able to live in california more comfortably than before.
Which contracts have ended early amicably?
Pit Row
Have Kawi done anything recently to make us think otherwise. Their performance as a team in the past few years speaks for itself. Sexton has gone there and come to the exact same conclusion that Prado did and it sounds like he won’t be there next year either.
At some point you have to look at the team and say they must be doing something wrong
He won 2 SX races on the Kawi and looked pretty good doing it. So the bike is capable.
And he won 7 races the year before. So yes, the bike is plenty capable of tanking a great rider's career
Reed, Anstie, Stewart, Savagty, Craig, Cooper, you could even say Kenny and McGrath. I mean McGrath rode a pile of shit and still stuck out the year right after leaving Honda over a bike. Don’t recall any of them purposely trying to not qualify for a day/night show at a race. All left, some may not have been happy but they all remained friendly with the other teams. Can’t say that here.
Yeah maybe Prado should have paged Dr. Epstein-Barr-summeroff MD and left mid season without trying and testing relentlessly on that turd could have saved a lot of hassle.
It's a little early to say, but I think Drew Adams, barring injuries, is going to be the guy to revive Kawasakis 450 program. He's a big solid kid who's immediately going to be faster on a 450.
If you listen to McGrath, he thinks the Suzuki wasn't a pos completely. It had some issues, that couldn't get resolved quick enough, but it felt pretty close to his Honda. He only had 20 days to get it ready for sx. The KTM he flat out said he couldn't ride it, in Supercross and said he'd do some pre race stuff.
Cold Calling People.....♫♬♩
Everything he said was true then. He won the 3 round championship, and everything he said is still true except the 3 round championship. He did give up in 2025 many times. History won't change how cringe the guy was in 2025.
Tickle and Rattray
Rattray never rode a 450 for Mitch.
Kawasa84 username with the (a?) kawi rig as profile pic.....what was Jorge like on race days before he left - I see his results have really pissed ya'll off??
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