Glendale’s Random Thoughts, both On and Off Track

Steve Matthes’ Observations from 2025 Glendale Supercross – Racer X
The fourth round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross in Glendale, Arizona, was undoubtedly a spectacular race. Triple Crowns are enjoyable, and I thought the tune was fantastic. In fact, I felt all of this year’s music were really fantastic. Some large jumps, hard whoops, and it appears like the track builders/designers have been reenergised this year. Good stuff.

Having said that, speaking with the riders after the race, it appeared like they went a little too far with the large jumps, especially given the rough surface of the Arizona track. During qualification, there was a tiny roller near the finish line where the guys might land, but it was removed for some reason. I’m sure the powers that be hoped it would deter riders from flying over the wall, but it was faster, and these are professional dirt bike racers, so they’ll do whatever is faster.

So there were a lot of hurting ankles, wrists, and egos in the pits afterwards, not to mention bike troubles. Dylan Ferrandis informed me he went through three rear axles, HEP Suzuki broke bearing races, and the Beat guys had troubles as well. Again, I enjoyed the track and the action, but when we have difficulties like the ones listed above, something is wrong. I’m sure Mike Muye, Feld Motor Sports’ Director of Operations – Supercross, had some phone calls this week about the track and obstacles.

Jett Lawrence’s ACL injury was horrible news for him and the sport, but it was excellent news for a lot of riders because, in my opinion, Jett was just going to become better. He’d gone 2-2 in the first two motos at Glendale, and the bike was also in better shape this week. So we’re waiting to see whether he can make it back for motocross, and if not, the SMX Playoffs. The youngster rides so cleanly and smoothly that it’s difficult to imagine him being damaged. But then you see the little leg dab in Glendale, and it reminds you how difficult it is to remain healthy in this sport. And you know what? Many racers recover from ACL injuries and continue to compete, but you never know when you’ll need surgery and miss time.

Jett Lawrence

Jett Lawrence Align Media
So, with the wonderkid gone, the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship is going to be explosive. Chase Sexton, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, and Cooper Webb’s eyes widened as they considered one fewer barrier in their path to victory. Sextons received the red plate, but his starts have been inconsistent, Tomac’s starts have been all over the place, and Roczen appears to be gaining momentum that he has not had previously. And then there’s Webb, lurking like he usually does.

I would rate them this way:

Speed: Tomac, Sexton, Roczen, Webb Starts: Roczen, Webb, Sexton, Tomac On-track intelligence: Webb, Roczen, Tomac, and Sexton

This is going to be awesome!

Weege [Jason Weigandt] was furious with me for this list, but there were some highly fascinating narratives in the 250s at Glendale, which I rate as follows:

1-Beamuer lost two victories by crashing on the opening lap while leading.
2-Jordan Smith won and is only two points off of the lead.
3-Haiden Deegan seems increasingly vulnerable.
4-Cole Davies won the first two Triple Crown main events and is, uhhhhh, awesome right now.

I saw Deegs’ fast lap in qualifying and thought, ‘Well, it’s not possible to ride any better than that for one lap,’ since he was nearly flawless and looked fantastic. And then I missed Julien Beaumer beating that time and rising to #1. If he loses the title, Glendale may be the race that keeps him up at night.

Julien Beaumer Align Media

I know Deegs just says stuff to generate a reaction, but telling Weege on the Weege Show that he was only riding 75% and didn’t know how fast he was going since the really fast men were in the east is just another unfortunate thing he’s said. He knows he’s third in points, right? He had one win in four races? Someone should warn him that his 75% method isn’t really working right now.

Also, it’s Deegs and Star Yamaha. If Davies keeps defeating him, things will get strange over there. That’s something you can stamp. Should be intriguing to see.

There’s been a lot of bad news for Kawasaki, with injuries to the Pro Circuit squad and Jorge Prado’s injury, but the good news is that I got the ‘2018 450SX Title,’ intro back into Jason Anderson’s opening ceremonies film! That should get me some street cred with him. I’m simply out here to remedy a mistake.

I don’t see how Enzo Lopes, given the depth of this 250SX class, can’t finish in the top 18. I don’t know what occurred there.

Cooper Webb appeared on the PulpMX Show Monday night and stated his crew told him, “We’re not saying you have to jump that triple across the start straight, but if you don’t, you won’t be on the podium,” so he opted to air it out on the parade lap before the first major. Welcome to the big time SX, everyone! He then proceeded to holeshot the first TC main and win it by leaping the triple every lap, something Jett was unable to achieve. Webb made an impressive comeback in a round [Arizona] where he had previously struggled.

Webb also informed us that he spent two days at the test track fine-tuning his suspension for Glendale and discovered something he liked. Then, following press day, he opted to return to his original environment. The days of the suspended person…

Cooper Webb Aligns Media

Poor Freddie Noren.He suffered a dislocated shoulder. I had one rider tell me he’ll be back this weekend because Freddie is a tough SOB.

Justin Hill decided to make an appearance in Glendale and reveal some significant information. Of course he did.

Aside from that, figuring out the Lawrence family/Lucas Mirtl situation will become increasingly difficult. Many individuals on all sides of this are my friends, so it’s difficult to go inside and understand what’s going on. The Lawrence lawsuit is public record and available online. Mirtl is disputing all of those accusations, and I believe the courts will resolve this. Obviously, Mirtl had access to the Lawrence VIP program’s bank accounts and treated them as if they were his own, and the lack of control, to me, by the Lawrences or anybody else is quite surprising. But, hey, they’re all long-time buddies, I suppose. I believe that no matter what, those records (I’m assuming there’s a lot of evidence because it’s now in court) indicate that Lucas, at the very least, was not a decent partner. Can it become a criminal issue? People who are wiser than me say yes, because of the documents you would sign when forming an LLC like this. Other people in the agency industry tell me that WMG (Wasserman Media Group) has insurance for an employee (Mirtl) collecting monies, therefore the family should be well.

We’ll see what occurs over the next several months. Mirtl looks to have retained the Coenen brothers as clients, so he has something going for him. But what I really wanted to talk about here was the unravelling of Mirtl and the Lawrences’ business relationship. Mirtl represents Chance Hymas, Seth Hammaker, and Tiger Wood, who all ride and train at the facility. So, all of those guys will most likely have to choose a side. Then there’s the VIP side of things, which Mirtl was heavily involved with. It is not uncommon for agents to put up money to receive back on future earnings to assist athletes, so perhaps some of those people owe Mirtl something. Then there are the concerns with Quadlock sponsorship that the Lawrences had last year but no longer have, as well as the WMG component, where I believe completely new contracts and agents will need to be sought for the individuals that are staying.

The argument is that there were so many connections connecting the Lawrence family company to Mirtl, as well as him to other riders and sponsors, that, simply put, the whole thing is a mess. Mirtl is clearly going to fight to the end (with some ludicrous accusations, in my opinion), and holy smokes, this might become a lot messier before it is resolved.

I thought I’d take a moment to look ahead to the 250SX East Series, which begins this weekend in Tampa. Holy god, this coast is loaded! Let’s discuss the merits and flaws of the guys on this coast.

Tom Vialle’s Strengths: Well, he is the champion on this shore. He should do better than last year, right? Also, has any reigning champion ever been more disregarded than Vialle?

Weaknesses: Whoops (but there are only nine to go through, and the dirt will be gentler) and, without a doubt, he is better in MX than SX.

Tom Vialle

RJ Hampshire
Strengths: Last year’s West Region champion is a gamer. He exudes experience and quickness.

Weaknesses: He’s not fully recovered from his wrist injury and only resumed hitting whoops last week. Will begin slowly, and you hope his drive to win does not overcome his right wrist.

Chance Hymas‘ strengths include being an emerging star, riding well with a solid team, and working hard.

Weaknesses: He’s not fully recovered from arm pump surgery. He has been wounded more than he or Honda would want.

Cameron McAdoo is a veteran race winner who consistently achieves podium finishes.

Weaknesses: He’s going in with a knee injury, which I believe is the result of another bike issue that caused him to crash.

Levi Kitchen has won both inside and outdoors, making him a strong contender for the crown. I predict him to win by a little margin.

Weaknesses: His illness that prompted him to drop out of A1 was true, and I heard he crashed again a couple weeks ago in a good one. But he should be prepared to depart.

Levi Kitchen

Seth Hammaker

Strengths: Seth is really good. He has previously won races, led laps, established the quickest time, and so on. And this year, he’s been exercising at the Lawrence property, which should help.

Weaknesses: Well, it goes like this. Seth is harmed. A lot.

Pierce Brown’s strengths include a new bike, crew, and attitude after unexpectedly winning the Vegas SMX event last year. If he’s going to take a risk, it seems like now or never, right?

Weaknesses: He doesn’t have many podiums despite riding a factory bike for so long. He used to crash frequently; last year he didn’t, but he had a lot of terrible starts.

Max Anstie’s strengths include holding the red plate as a privateer last year, riding a terrific bike, gaining experience, and generating a low-key buzz.

Weaknesses: His comeback to Star in MX last season was decent, I suppose. And you wouldn’t respond, ‘Well, Anstie is a better SX rider anyhow,’ would you?

Daxton Bennick’s strengths: It’s been a strange start to his career, with a fortuitous third place finish in Detroit last season and no other notable performances.

Weaknesses: I’m not sure if he’ll thrive in the Star Yamaha environment, and this is a pivotal year for him.

Nate Thrasher is known for having the most unique RXI vault in history. Will Nate go REALLY fast one weekend and win a main, possibly in a shootout? Yes, he will. Will there be more weekends where he is invisible? Yes, there will be.

Weaknesses: That’s it. He doesn’t seem to be as fast every week. And, like others, he appears to get hurt easily.

Austin Forkner’s strengths include having the most wins in the class and winning a race last year.

Weaknesses: Like others, he struggles to stay healthy and has been through a lot. Every time a rider misses a time limit, it becomes increasingly difficult to return to the summit. Also, I’m curious if he’ll gel with the Triumph after so long with Kawasaki.

Austin Forkner Courtesy of Triumph

Max Vohland

Strengths: Max has lost a ton of time, but I assume his biking skills are all still intact. He can truly look beautiful riding a bike.

Weaknesses: Well, I don’t want to be THE guy to bring it up, but it would seem to me that Max having a hand brake and clutch on his bike would be a lot to cope with on an SX course. I hope he can work this out.

Thanks for reading OBS! Email me at matthes@racerxonline.com if you want to discuss about this or anything else and let’s take this to the east side.

Tyler Hughes (@Handheldty on Instagram) was behind the lens for the 2025 Dirt Bike Depot WMR KTM Racing squad shoot. The four-rider squad will participate in the 250SX East Region of Monster Energy AMA Supercross.

Here are some of Hughes’ best from the team photo session.