Swapmoto Live Podcast

Ricky Johnson and Jeff Ward are back for part two with legendary motocross and mountain bike journalist Zapata Espinoza. If you missed episode one with Zap, be sure to scroll up and find it, as it's a good one!

On paper the overall results from the Hangtown Motocross Classic are a repeat of round one, but the action was far different and - dare we say - even more exciting! The Dirt Diggers M.C. always do an amazing job of putting on the NorCal race, and even though the temperatures were borderline unbearable, the things that unfolded on the race track made the sunburn and dehydration all worthwhile.

Two-time 250 National Champion Jeremy Martin left the 2023 Hangtown 250 National in the back of an ambulance with a badly broken arm that would ultimately put him out for the remainder of the season. After missing all of 2024, and then accepting a job as the VIP Tour Guide for the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team during this year's Supercross series, many assumed that JMart was, in fact, done with racing. Off the record, he told a few months ago that he planned to purchase a bike race this summer's Millville 450 National as his final farewell to racing, but that all took a big u-turn when he was asked to fill in for the numerous injured Star 250 riders at the first three Nationals this summer. Martin lined up last weekend at Fox Raceway with a mere eight days of riding the Star machine under his belt, and he carded 20-20 moto scores for four championship points and 21st overall at the series kickoff. "Absolutely got my teeth kicked in at Pala," he wrote on his Instagram on Monday. "Went from training for a marathon to racing round one." We tried to speak with Martin after the race on Saturday, but he was long gone by the time we made it to the Star truck, so we asked him to join us for some bench racing in this afternoon's Midweek Podcast, presented by 6D Helmets!

The Fox Raceway National was awesome. It was as simple as that. That being said, we were too excited to get to talking about the things we saw, so we got together for a Sunday evening edition of the Kickstart Podcast! Enjoy!

The 2025 Pro Motocross Nationals get underway this weekend at Fox Raceway and both classes are stacked with contenders. In the 450 division, we have lots to look forward to as Saturday will mark the return to action of both Lawrence brothers and Eli Tomac and the American motocross debut of Jorge Prado. Of course, you can't count out defending 450 Champion Chase Sexton who has plenty to prove after narrowly missing out on the Supercross Championship, or new SX Champ Cooper Webb, for that matter. Who do you see winning this weekend? Comment below!

Jeff Ward and Ricky Johnson are back at it again! This week, the two motocross legends break down what all went down at the Salt Lake City Supercross, and more!

Presented by 6D Helmets When Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha's Eli Tomac brake his leg at the Tampa Supercross in February, fans around the globe groaned with disappointment that the eight-time AMA Champion was again sidelined with injury. After having his fibula plated on February 14, Tomac initially told us that he hoped to return to racing in time to get some gate drops in the final rounds of the Supercross championship in order to be ready for the May 24 Pro Motocross kickoff at Fox Raceway. After getting back on the bike, however, ET decided that his time would be better spent training at his Cortez, Colorado, ranch in preparation for an all-out assault on this summer's series, and he told us in today's podcast that he is 100% up to speed and has never come into a motocross series so prepared. Tomac also told us that this most recent injury, coupled with how great he felt before it, has changed his mind about 2025 being his last year of racing full time. "I am not done racing," he said, with certainty. But hit play already and hear him say it himself! Thanks for checking out the 6D Helmets Midweek Podcast, on a Friday. Ha!

Supercross 2025 is done and dusted and what a series it was! The Salt Lake City finale inside Rice-Eccles Stadium provided plenty of action and we go through everything that we saw, learned, and heard! Enjoy!

The guys are at it again and this time, Jeff Ward and Ricky Johnson have invited their first guest on the Podium to Present Show! Zapata Espinoza is a lifelong motocross and mountain bike journalist who has been around Johnson and Ward from the beginning. Who would you like to see on the show? Comment below!

The Denver Supercross provided more than its fair share of exciting moments, didn't it? From Chase Sexton's picture-perfect day-long performance to Haiden Deegan's authoritative pass on his teammate to earn his third win of the series and wrap up the title with one race left, the crowd on hand at Empower field didn't know whether to cheer or boo! We recap it all on this week's show!

Presented by 6D Helmets Several companies have seemingly created their own niches in the world of motocross parts and accessories, and Works Connection is definitely one of those brands. Starting with aluminum skid plates back in the 80s, the brand has also set the standard for on-the-fly adjustable clutch perches, holeshot devices, and bike stands. Eric Phipps is the man behind the brand and a long-time friend. It's taken several requests to get him to share his story with us, but lo and behold, he finally has! Enjoy!

Round 15 of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship went down in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, last weekend, bringing the best form of motorsports racing to the area for the first time in over 40 years. And let's just say that the capacity crowd on hand was stoked to see the racing action that unfolded! Maximus Vohland joins us on today's show to talk about his first professional podium finish, his crazy hand brake, and more. Today was a good time...enjoy!

Welcome back to Podium to Present with Rick Johnson and Jeff Ward. After last weekend's successful show launch, the two motocross and Supercross legends are back to talk everything Motocross of Nations and Trophy des Nations. If you are old enough to remember the glory days of motocross, grab your favorite beverage and settle in. If you're too young, grab a notepad and learn a thing or two! Enjoy!

The Monster Energy Supercross Championship rolled into MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the 14th round of the 17-race series, and the track was gnarly! Seth Hammaker and Chase Sexton turned in riding clinics in the 250 and 450 main events. respectfully, making the technical conditions look much simpler than the rest of their competitors. We address everything that we saw and learned last weekend in this week's Kickstart Podcast.

If you are a serious motocross and Supercross fan, you should know the names Ricky Johnson and Jeff Ward. Together, they have 14 National Motocross and Supercross Championships, over 100 race victories, and 11 Motocross of Nations Championships. In their prime, they were fierce rivals but these days they get along quite well. Swapmoto Live is proud to welcome the two racing legends onto our team, where they will host the Podium to Present Show. Welcome to the series pilot! Please comment below your thoughts, memories, and suggestions!

We are in the home stretch of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Championship Series, and things are heating up! For the second weekend in a row, rain played a big role in the track surface, and while not a quagmire like we had in Foxborough, the track in Philadelphia was certainly treacherous in its own way. We saw Cole Davies earn his second-straight win in a row in the 250 division, although this time, his win came in the East/West Showdown, and he passed all of the big names en route to his win. We are all very impressed with the young New Zealander and are anxious to see how much more dangerous he becomes with each passing win. In the 450 class, Chase Sexton closed the points gap between he and Cooper Webb to 12 with a textbook victory in the challenging conditions, and it's evident that it is going to be a dogfight until the end between the two rivals.

This weekend will mark the first of five Monster Energy Supercross events that Dean Wilson will compete in on the Honda HRC Progressive team as he fills in for the injured Jett and Hunter Lawrence. Since retiring from full-time racing last year, Wilson has maintained a fairly robust schedule, competing in races around the globe for fun and making the most of his ability to race a dirt bike. The recently crowned British Arenacross Champion joined us for a fun Fly Friday Podcast to talk about the Grandpa Earl announcement video, his busy past few months, the factory HRC Honda CRF450R, and more!

Presented by 6D Helmets SLR Honda's Mikayla Nielsen recently traveled to Australia with four other American female motocross racers to represent the United States in the Oceania Cup, a WMX event that pitted four countries against each other over a two-day, three-moto format. The event - in which the USA finished a close second - hasn't seen much publicity in the American motocross media, so we asked our SoCal neighbor to join us on the 6D Helmets Midweek Podcast and fill us in on the whole experience. Enjoy!

Our luck ran out last weekend in Foxborough, and round 12 of the Monster Energy Supercross Series was an absolute quagmire! While the winners in each class were no surprise, the rest of the results column was filled with names in places that we're not used to seeing. On that note, we invited fourth-place 250 finisher Justin Rodbell to take a break from his job as an HVAC technician and join us on the Kickstart podcast.

For as ho-hum as the Birmingham Supercross was a couple of weeks ago, the Seattle Supercross was a barn burner! Rain in the days before the race produced a race track that was arguably the most technical and challenging of the year, and the racing action that developed was wild! We recap everything from the Pacific Northwest in this week's Kickstart Pod.

We're officially past the halfway part of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Championship and things are as tight as ever with only eight points separating Cooper Webb and Chase Sexton in the battle for the number-one plate and 10 points between East Coast Champ Tom Vialle and pursuer RJ Hampshire. Last weekend's final Triple Crown of the series may have lacked tooth-in-nail battles to the finish, but there was plenty of material to go over in this week's race recap.

Malcolm McCassy has been involved in motocross since he was a teenager working in the No Fear warehouse. Through the years, he's held down numerous positions with amazing brands, launched a category defining brand, discovered future talent, and more. Today, Malcolm runs Mendid MX, a new brand that has its finger on the pulse of amateur MX and its threads on the back of none other than Jeremy McGrath!

The Monster Energy Supercross Series took a much-needed break last weekend, but that left us wondering what to do with our time. Well, the 3 Bros KTM 6-Hour Endurance Race sounded like a great idea, but a few laps into the race we were wondering what the heck we had gotten ourselves in to! We talk about that, plus Sean Brennan from Feld joins us to talk about the awesome SX series we are all enjoying.

We always think that it is amazing when a former champion can retire from motocross and Supercross racing and start a new life, completely separate from the sport that consumed every moment of every day, previously. But that's what four-time National Motocross Champion Mike Kiedrowski has done. After retiring from MX and SX racing with 30 wins in 1997, the "MX Kied" worked as an electrician briefly before joining the factory Suzuki Off-Road race team and earned a gold medal at the International Six Days Enduro before retiring for good and settling into a lucrative construction career and hanging up his boots...for good. While Kiedrowski still follows the sport closely and attends the races that are close to his Santa Clarita, California, home, it's been years since he threw his leg over a bike and he says that he doesn't miss it at all. We were excited to catch up with Mike this morning to reminisce about some old times, talk bikes, gear, and teammates, and see what he thinks of the current state of racing. Enjoy!

Presented by 6D Racing Our friend Andy White is always fun to chat with and with FXR Racing's big leap into the world of sponsoring a factory race team, we thought it was the perfect time to bombard him with all of our questions about designing, developing, producing, and marketing motocross apparel. The factory Triumph Racing team made a big splash with Jordon Smith earning the marque its first-ever Supercross win a few weeks ago, and he certainly looked good while doing it!

We apologize for missing last week's episode of the Kickstart Podcast. You may have heard that our guy Chase Curtis, got taken out by an out-of-control racer at the Arlington Supercross and had emergency surgery on a badly broken leg the Sunday after. Curtis has been asked to remain local by the surgeon until he is cleared to fly home, so he's been cooped up in a Dallas hotel ever since. This week, we recap the Daytona Supercross, which featured some great action, big crashes, and plenty to of drama to talk about!

Presented by 6D Helmets There was a collective groan around the world from every Supercross fan when Eli Tomac clipped the back of his left leg with his footpeg and pulled off the track during the Tampa Supercross timed qualifying sessions. The event was too reminiscent of when Tomac ruptured his Achilles tendon while leading the championship in 2023, even down to how he pulled off the track in disbelief. Unless you've been living in a cave, you know by now that Tomac raced through the pain in Tampa and finished 17th in the main event aboard his Yamaha YZ450F. Later that week, further examination revealed that he had broken his fibula, making his 17th a lot more impressive than it might be on paper. Tomac had the broken bone plated back together and is at home recovering, with plans on "returning before the end of Supercross to get some gate drops to be ready for the MX Nationals." We enjoyed a great conversation with ET3 in this installment of the 6D Helmets Midweek Podcast. Enjoy!

The weather outside Ford Field was freezing, but the racing inside was red hot! The Detroit Supercross saw several horrendous crashes, the 450 points leader stuck in the gate, another spectacular McAdoo crash and the third red flag of the 250 East Series, a surprising single-file restart for three laps, and much more! We had a blast recapping what we saw in Motor City!

Malcolm. Do we need to say more? Not really. Malcolm Stewart's first-ever 450 Supercross win came last Saturday night in front of his family and friends at the Tampa Supercross. And it couldn't have been sweeter. The younger Stewart brother started the race around 10th and set blistering fast laps and methodically chased down his rivals before taking the lead as he pressured race and championship points leader Chase Sexton into a mistake in the whoops, the area of the track in which the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider was phenomenal. Malcolm's win came exactly 20 years after big brother James' first premier Supercross win, forever earning the brothers a place in the record books as the first siblings ever to do so. We talk about that, and a whole lot more, in this week's Kickstart Podcast. Enjoy!

Presented by 6D Helmets SLR Honda's Billy Laninovich was already in the record books as the oldest rider to qualify for a 250 Supercross main event at 40 years of age, having done so last year. Still, he extended the record even further last weekend in Glendale, Arizona, at the Triple Crown inside State Farm Stadium by doing it again at 41, only a couple of weeks shy of 42! We caught up with him yesterday as he recovered inside a hyperbaric chamber at his trainer's house. It's always a pleasure chatting with Lano; such a great guy...

The first Triple Crown Supercross of the year provided some excitement, didn't it? A fourth winner in the 250 class and a dramatic DNF from the defending champion in the 450 class, plus our first two-time winner of the year was more than enough to get excited about! We recap what we saw and learned at last weekend's Glendale Supercross, round four of the Monster Energy Supercross championship!

What a season it's been so far! In the first three Monster Energy Supercross races, we've seen six different winners top the 250 Western Regional an d450 Supercross classes! Too good to be true? Maybe, maybe not. Last weekend in Anaheim, the "favorites" - defending Supermotocross Champions Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan - came out on top of the rain-dampened 250 and 450 main events, respectively. In this week's Kickstart Podcast, we go over everything we saw, heard, and learned!

Presented by 6D Helmets If you pay close attention to pro racing and what the racers are wearing, we'll bet you have admired the handiwork of this episode's guest, Michael Adams, better known as Michael J. Kicks. While MJK makes his living in insurance, his creative outlet and passion is art: customizing sneakers and motocross boots. We met MJK at Anaheim One when he and Marta Gazzola of Gaerne presented RJ Hampshire with a pair of custom-painted SG22 boots. Once we realized it was the Michael J. Kicks, we set up this interview and had a ton of curious questions for him...enjoy!

If you weren't at Snapdragon Stadium last weekend, you missed out! Round two of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Series was in a word...awesome. Eli Tomac turned the Beast Mode dial up to 10, JuJu Beaumer earned his first career 250 Supercross win, and the rest of the action that unfolded was simply amazing. This week, the King of Supercross joined us to bench race and analyze what went down in San Diego!

Presented by 6D Helmets Two-time 250 National MX Champion Jeremy Martin has had many ups and downs during his career, but there have also been some dark times. A broken back, concussions, shoulder injuries, and broken bones...injuries are a very real part of our sport and the risks go without saying, but the toll they take on your body and mind all add up. Martin's most recent setbacks have forced him to take a step back to evaluate what is most important to him, and we had a very candid conversation with the Minnesota native on this installment of the 6D Helmets Midweek Podcast

There have been plenty of great Supercross season openers, and last weekend's Anaheim One was pretty darned cool as far as we're concerned. While Chase Sexton and Jo Shimoda weren't total shockers as the winners of the 450 and 250 mains, per se, it was exciting to have the class favorites face some adversity in the first two main events of the season. Two-Time Supercross Champion Rick Johnson joins us again for today's show to offer some added insight.

Presented by Pro Taper The gates drop on the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Series this Saturday, and we couldn't be more excited! Two-Time Supercross Champion Ricky Johnson joins in on the fun going over all the things to look for on this week's show as we go over everything we've learned and heard this off-season. Who do you have for the class wins this Saturday?

Presented by Pro Taper How can it be Christmas Eve already? This year has flown by, especially the short "off-season" following the SMX Final in Las Vegas. Anaheim is on;ly a few short days away and we can't wait for the first gate drop of the new season. Join us for some holiday conversation in this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast.

Presented by Pro Taper Five-time Arenacross Champion Kyle Peters joined us on the Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast this week to talk about the challenges of new contenders, rough riding, and more, in the tight confines of the AMA Kicker Arenacross Series. Lots more to chat about from the final Swapmoto Race Series event of the year, ARay's potential Stark Arenacross Adventure, and more!

Presented by 6D Helmets The WSX Supercross World Championship Series has come to a close. Eli Tomac added to his list of career accomplishments by earning his first World Championship title in the four-race series that routed racers through Canada, Australia, and the Arab United Emirates. We caught up with the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha racer for this installment of the 6D Helmets Midweek Podcast to talk about his "off-season" adventures, his preparedness as Anaheim One draws near, being on the largest team in the pits, and much more!

Presented by Pro Taper Last Wednesday, the WSX World Supercross Championship ended in Abu Dhabi with Ken Roczen scoring his first overall victory of the year while Eli Tomac wrapped up his first WSX World Championship. A few days later, the action heated up in Boise, Idaho, as the AMA Arencacross Championship rolled into town! In this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast, WSX reported Kristen Beat joins us to offer some feedback and insight in the first half of the show, and MCR Honda's Ryan Breece - who was also in Abu Dhabi - popped in to talk about the rough world of AMA Arenacross! Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper Last weekend was an eventful one on both sides of the globe! The AUS-X Open saw Joey Savatgy and Shane McElrath crowned the Australian SX and SX2 Champions in the relaunch of Australia's biggest stand-alone Supercross race. McElrath stayed up late to call in from his hotel room in Abu Dhabi to join us for part one of this week's show, and our camping neighbor Ryan Villopoto joined us for part two to talk about the party that was the Day in the Dirt 27 Grand Prix!

Presented by 6D Helmets It's been six years since the Swapmoto Live team launched, and Editor Michael Antonovich has played a vital role in every aspect of our brand's business. Known best as "Anton," he is our man on the road and has attended almost every motocross, Supercross, and Motocross of Nations, with his bag of cameras on hand. With the conclusion of the 2024 racing season comes a big change for our partner and friend, as he is leaving the SML family to venture out as an independent journalist. With a long history that dates back to the days before he could legally consume a beer, swap and Anton sat down to talk about the future and reminisce on the past.

Presented by Pro Taper Rounds two and three of the WSX Supercross World Championship Series went down last weekend in Perth, Australia, and Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha's Eli Tomac was again the man with a plan, and emerged from both rounds with the overall wins. Tomac is getting warmed up for the Monster Energy Supercross Championship kickoff in January, and it certainly looks like he will be firing on all cylinders when the gates drop at Anaheim One. Our friend Kristen Beat was on hand leading the broadcast team in Perth, and she joined us to give us her first-hand observations!

Presented by Pro Taper Last weekend, the Paris Supercross went off in La Defense Arena, and our man Anton was on hand to see Cooper Webb use consistency to earn his first-ever King of Paris crown over Jett Lawrence, who suffered an unfortunate DNF in a moto that caused him to lose his crown. But that's not all we get to talk about! ARay went to Finland to race a Supercross and in typical Alex fashion, got a borrowed set of kit suspension confiscated just as he buckled his seat belt. Hear about that and a lot more, on this week's show!

A weekend of racing at the 2024 Paris Supercross is complete! Two nights at the La Defense Arena made for six motos per class, and given the competition, one mistake was all it took for a rider's shot at the King or Prince of Paris honors disappear. We grabbed time with Tom Vialle, Jo Shimoda, Malcolm Stewart, Dylan Ferrandis, and Jett and Hunter Lawrence after Sunday's checkered flag and talked about everything from the track to the battles to the jet lag from flying across the Atlantic. Tom Vialle | 0:18Jo Shimoda | 2:21Malcolm Stewart | 4:42Jett Lawrence | 8:26Hunter Lawrence | 10:55Dylan Ferrandis | 12:22

Presented by 6D Helmets If you've been around since the start of freestyle motocross, the name Nate Adams will bring to mind many things. From his multiple X Games gold medals to his flawless, precise riding style, or from his Target sponsorship to his glove brand, Deft Family...Nate Adams has lived the life of five men combined. It's been a minute since we heard from Patchy, so we tracked him down and got him on this installment of the 6D Helmets Midweek Podcast. Needless to say, we are saddened to learn of the health issues he's struggling with that have ultimately forced him to hang up his boots for good.

Feld Entertainment and MX Sports have shared analytics of the 2024 broadcasts on NBC, with double-digit percentage increases in total audience delivery and minutes streamed across 31 events among the highlights. The programming stats are telling, especially amid current television trends, and when paired with live attendance figures and online followers, it shows how SuperMotocross is part of the popularity boom that racing is experiencing. Live sports and the audiences they draw play an important factor in the television business, and for motorsports especially, the shift to streaming has been a big win, as the investment by broadcasters to get a share of an audience means more racing is happening and viewers are reliably tuning in in recording setting numbers.SuperMotocross will be one of a few motorsports on NBC in 2025, and, given the growth from consistent scheduling and the amount of content produced, it'll be interesting to see how the series is integrated into Peacock, as every race will again be shown live on the streaming service while television broadcasts will be split between NBC, CNBC, and the USA Network.

Presented by Pro Taper The WSX World Supercross Championship Series got underway last weekend in Vancouver, Canada's BC Place Stadium, and we were on hand to check out the action. Eli Tomac was impressive as he topped the 450 class, and we enjoyed seeing him in such a jovial mood. Ken Roczen, of course, was fast, but a few mistakes kept him from seriously challenging Tomac for the win. While swap was North of the Border, Anton was risking his life and limbs aboard a KTM Factory Edition 350 XC-F, competing in the final GNCC of the year at Ironman Raceway.

Presented by 6D Helmets We've been great friends with Mike Sleeter for decades. We met when he was a 125 Supercross racer, recruited him as a magazine test rider, and had him stripped away by KTM to help develop new motocross bikes, got him back momentarily when he left the Austrian manufacturer many years later, then lost him again when he moved to Australia! Now with Stark Future, Sleeter was in town for a few days on business and we got him into the office for a great catching-up podcast! Talk about a guy who has done it all!

Presented by Pro Taper We had an eventful weekend and have been taking full advantage of the short off-season that we have. ARay went racing, Anton saw the Cookie Monster, Chase jumped out of a tree at a wedding, and swap got to see a really white version of a Tik Tok dance at the Mammoth Airport! Enjoy this week's show...