Preston Masciangelo | Rookie Profile 2

Jamie Guida – Vital MX: How’s it going, Preston? Since many people may not know much about you, tell us your background. 

Preston Masciangelo: I’m from Ontario, Canada, and this is my 14th year of racing. I raced a little in Canada when I was younger, but most of my amateur racing was done in the U.S. I traveled to all the amateur nationals as a kid and was a decent amateur on 65s and 85s. I was always on the brink of really good results. During Covid, I was back in Canada but returned to the U.S. in 2022 to race again. Since then, we’ve been building relationships and showing what I’m capable of. There are quite a few amateurs turning pro this season, and I look forward to being one of them. 

Vital MX: How did you get into motocross? Did your dad, Justin, race?

Preston: Yeah, my dad raced mountain bikes professionally. So, he was around that scene, and it transferred over. I have a background in mountain bikes as well, but I chose the motorsports side at a young age. 

Vital MX: I know you spent some time at South of the Border and, more recently, ClubMX. Were you usually at a training facility, or did you bounce around?

Preston: I didn’t start riding at training facilities long-term until the end of 2022. For the majority of my amateur career, up until ninth grade, I was in school. We took the winters off in Canada most of the time, which was difficult. When November would come around, the bike would have to go away. There wasn’t much we could do. I had a few indoor tracks near me that I could ride a couple of times a month, but other than that, the bikes were put away for the winter. As the Spring Nationals in Texas came around, I would get back into the flow of riding. So, training facilities didn’t come around until later. Lately, I’ve been at ClubMX, which has done great things for me, especially with Supercross. Some legit dudes are there, so it’s been good getting to ride with them.

Vital MX: What are some of your amateur highlights?

Preston: I’ve had a few. A lot of them came on 85s. I rode for factory Suzuki on 85s for four years and had some good results. I got a couple of podiums at the Spring Nationals in Texas. I had a podium at Freestone and two more at Mini-O’s Supercross in 2018. I had a great run in 2023 at Loretta Lynn’s, where I got a fourth in a moto of the Open Pro Sport class. That was certainly a highlight in my eyes. I’ve had some scattered results I’m proud of and want to make that more consistent when I turn pro.

Vital MX: In 2024 you had some big expectations for Loretta’s but had a big crash. What happened?

Preston: It came in my second moto of the 250 Pro Sport class. I got off to a good start where I was third or fourth going into the second corner, and I drifted a little wide. It’s kind of long and wavy and then cuts off at the end. I hit the edge of the track where the dirt was built up and went flying. That ended my week with a severely broken collarbone. I did have high expectations, and it didn’t go to plan. I got it plated and was back riding within a month and a half. That was the last stint of what I wanted to accomplish in the amateur scene, so we called it and started prepping for this upcoming season.

Vital MX: The AJE/TwinPeaks/GasGas team picked you up for this upcoming season. How did the opportunity come about, and how prepared do you feel?

Preston: I’ve talked with the team for the past few months. They gave me an opportunity to ride one of their bikes last year at Salt Lake City for Supercross Futures. That went better than I expected, or they expected, I believe. I hadn’t been riding Supercross much and didn’t know where I would be, but it went well. I qualified sixth and had some good laps. During the main event, I was running sixth until the last few laps when I went down. It didn’t end how we wanted, but they saw potential in me, and we’ve been staying in contact. A few weeks ago, they called me to come out and start getting things ready. I couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity of a lifetime. I’m getting to race all the West Coast rounds, experience it, and improve each week. 

Vital MX: What are your expectations for Anaheim 1 and then the season as a whole?

Preston: I don’t have crazy expectations. I want to make it through and stay healthy. I’ll see where I stack up as the day goes on. My season goal is to make a main event as soon as possible. Once I get in there with that group of guys, I can start climbing the ladder and see how far I can go. Ultimately, it’s about doing my best in the first round and climbing that ladder.