Swapmoto Live Podcast

Presented by Bell Helmets Colt Nichols has been putting in tons of work aboard his new Honda HRC CRF450R since signing with the team a couple of months ago, and according to those who have seen him in action, the former 250 Supercross Champion is looking quite comfortable aboard his new red dragon. Nichols has always been a personable, easily approachable personality in the pits, so we thought he'...

Presented by Yoshimura Racing Brandon Hartranft's world was turned upside down a few short weeks ago by a freak crash at the Supercross track that left him with a long list of injuries, including several fractures in his back, broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a severe concussion, a dislocated hip, and a broken scapula. The HEP Suzuki racer was in the early laps of a training moto at the team's priva...

Presented by Pro Taper It's been dumping here in Southern California for a couple of days now and that means no riding! That doesn't mean that there isn't plenty of bench racing to be done, though, and this week we cover the Honda HRC team intro, Justin Cooper on a 450, AC's elbow, ugly riding kits, and more!

Presented by Pro Taper For an off-season week, we sure have been slammed here in SoCal. This week's Kickstart Podcast is a few days late because of all of the activities going on in our neighborhood. From a top-secret press conference to Red Bull KTM and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna inviting us out to their private test tracks, to suspension testing with Alex Ray on his new 2023 Yamaha YZ450F; our we...

The AMA has posted a Competition Bulletin highlighting changes to the rulebook for the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, which has clarification for on-track procedures and penalties, adjustments to the National number system, and how riders will advance through the 250 Class.

It's been a busy week for Zach Osborne. On Monday, he and wife Brittany welcomed their third child to the family. Then, on Thursday, he announced a return to professional racing with the AM-Pro Yamaha team, a two-year agreement that will put him on the starting line at GNCC and Sprint Enduro events on the East Coast. Everything about off-road appeals Osborne: strategy, physical fitness, and bike t...

Presented by Pro Taper Sometimes when there is no racing to talk about it is hard to fill the Kickstart Podcast with conversation, but so much has been going on in our sport lately that we had an absolute blast on the show today. Between Ken Roczen rumors, our SML 450 Shootout, ARay's new 2023 Yamaha YZ450Fs, and much, much more; we had a heck of a great time flapping our lips. Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper Sometimes when there is no racing to talk about it is hard to fill the Kickstart Podcast with conversation, but so much has been going on in our sport lately that we had an absolute blast on the show today. Between Ken Roczen rumors, our SML 450 Shootout, ARays new 2023 Yamaha YZ450Fs, and much, much more; we had a heck of a great time flapping our lips. Enjoy!

We've been logging hours and hours on all of the 2023 450cc motocross bikes since they first started showing up at our offices, and yesterday we converged on Cahuilla Creek MX with support from all of the manufacturers to give all the bikes one last head-to-head comparison. Afterward, we gathered at Blackmore Ranch to shoot the shit about the 2023 Gas Gas MC 450, Honda CRF450R, Husqvarna FC 450, K...

Eric Perronard is one of my favorite people in the industry. A part of the pit area for longer than I've been alive, the well-connected Frenchman stays busy with roles like a global advisor for Fox Racing, competition director at Red Bull's Imagination and Straight Rhythm events, and rider coordinator for the Paris Supercross. Last weekend's race at the LaDefense Arena was Eric's thirty-fifth, and...

Presented by Pro Taper The biggest off-season Supercross of the year went down last weekend in Paris, France, and one-half of our staff was there to participate and document it, firsthand! Some surprises for sure, and lots learned in the City of Love, and we recap it all in this week's Kickstart Podcast!

Presented by Pro Taper Last weekend was a sad one for the motocross community, as the sudden passing of Coy Gibbs has left the industry stunned. JGRMX changed the face of motocross and Supercross racing with Gibbs' all-in approach to racing and running a team, and we reminisce about some of our best memories with Coy. The Dubya USA World Vets also went down, and two of our guys are headed to Franc...

Presented by Pro Taper What a peaceful weekend! With no professional racing on our calendars last weekend, the SML staff got to enjoy time with friends and family. That said, we bounced around between a bunch of different subjects on today's Kickstart Podcast; from where is Roczen going, to Friese-gate, to big dudes almost killing others at LACR last weekend! Enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper The inaugural WSX World Championship wrapped up in Melbourne, Australia, last weekend, and our man on the scene Michael Antonovich and last-minute racer Alex Ray were there to give today's KSP a first=hand insight into the eventful race. From Ken Roczen and Shane McElrath wrapping up the titles, to the spectacular crashes, to the rumored take-out bounties, we cover it all!

The Red Bull Straight Rhythm returned after a two-year hiatus and landed smack-dab in the middle of Huntington Beach, California, and we were there for all of the action on the pit lane side of the course. We even fielded Nico Izzi on our 2023 Yamaha YZ250 test bike! Listen in as swap, Chase, Anton, and ARay recap the event and preview this weekend's World Supercross Championship in Australia!

Presented by Yoshimura It's been a few months since the SML crew flew to Barcelona, Spain, to throw our legs over the Stark Varg electric motocross bike, and it's right about now - October 2022 - that we were told that the first machines would begin rolling off the production line and into consumers' garages. It's been relatively quiet on the Stark market (pun intended), but a video released by th...

The WSX World Championship kicked off last weekend in Cardiff, Wales, and it proved to be quite a show with great racing, a new format, and breaking news. Our man Michael Antonovich was on hand to cover all the action and we go over all of it in. this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast!

The first time I met Adam LaRoche and Jason Baker was minutes before we recorded these interviews. What little I knew about both, Baker for his years of work with Dream Traxx and Moto Sandbox, LaRoche for his purposeful end to a twelve-year career in Major League Baseball, turned out to be the big reasons behind Red Bull Imagination. LaRoche's interest in motocross expanded when he retired from ba...

Presented by Pro Taper We are only a few days away from the first gate drop on the World Supercross Championship Series, which gets underway in Cardiff, Wales, this Saturday! We've seen several of the players in action recently, and we go over who we've seen and what we think. There's also some big news in the works, and we touch on all of that and more, on this week's Kickstart Podcast, presented...

Presented by Pro Taper What an amazing weekend it was at the 2022 Motocross of Nations at Red Bud Track N Trail! Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few days, you know that Team USA earned the Chamberlain Trophy for the first time in 11 years with a dominant showing by Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton, and Justin Cooper. Michael Antonovich was there tp soak it all in and we all had plenty t...

Negotiations for a new contract between Ken Roczen and Team Honda HRC reached a critical point last week, as the rider's commitment to the World Supercross Championship forced both parties to comment publicly about the stalemate. Roczen shared his side with James Stewart in the latest episode of the Bubba's World Podcast , and Team Honda HRC countered through a press release statement from Brandon...

Presented by Pro Taper swap is back in town after his little Italian vacation and it was business as usual today. Anton was at the Red Bull Imagination last weekend and fills us in on that, and we discuss the Ken Roczen and Honda HRC split in detail. Its a great off-season already!

The offseason has already given our guys plenty to talk about. With swap away on a family holiday, Anton, Chase, and ARay linked up to discuss the happenings of the past week, including the mechanical issue Ken Roczen's bike had on day one of SX prep, McGnarl's flipping the tabletop at Perris, surgery in the Rocky Mountains, and what's new with Alex.

Tyler Bereman had just unloaded his latest haul from Walmart into the barn at Adam LaRoche's home when we called. The building, complete with a bunkhouse, kitchen, full-size indoor basketball court, and baseball batting cage, is home base for Red Bull Imagination. And that supply run might have been the last time he goes anywhere other than the barn or the event site, located on a different part o...

Presented by Pro Taper Man what a weekend! The Fox Raceway Two National MX series finale was scorching hot and full of great racing on the track. We had a full house in the SML offices today as Michael Antonovich is still in SoCal and ARay is back from his courting sessions in Kentucky. Eli, Chase, Jo, Hunter, Jett...we covered it all in this week's extra-long edition of the Kickstart Pod. Enjoy!