Swapmoto Live Podcast

The Seattle Supercross could have been the most challenging and treacherous track of the year thus far, as rain in the days before the race softened the dirt surface and left the racers with rutted jump faces, rhythm section transitions, straights, and corners. The action, however, was amazing as home-state hero Levi Kitchen scored a popular win in the 250 Western Regional main and Cooper Webb ear...

Presented by Factory Backing Cari Schahr stopped by SML Headquarters in January to discuss the Host Kawasaki team that she fields with rider Dylan Walsh, to talk about her road to team ownership, her family's involvement in motocross, running the Grindstone MX Compound, and more. Sadly, Walsh was badly injured in the first qualifying session of the day at Anaheim One, rupturing his intestines and...

Presented by Pro Taper The 10th round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series rolled into Indianapolis, Indiana, last weekend and the traditionally tough and treacherous track hosted the second Triple Crown of the year. The racing was three times as exciting with three main events in each class, and there was a lot to talk about in this week's Kickstart Podcast...including some news about the abil...

Presented by Factory Backing Jason Fontes has worn many hats in the motocross industry, starting with a warehouse position at N-Style, where we first met. These days, "Fonzy" is a staple at Fasthouse, and one of the brand's biggest voices. It was a pleasure to sit down and retrace Jason's journey in this thing we call moto.

Presented by Pro Taper Heavy rainfall in the days preceding the first-ever Birmingham Supercross left the Dirtwurx Crew challenged with the task of building the track for round nine of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship, but they rose to the occasion and the track - sans whoops - yielded some excellent racing action. We recap the racing - and mishaps and penalties - in this week's show.

Presented by Pro Taper As always, the Daytona Supercross kicked off Bike Week in Florida, and the racing was everything that we have come to expect from the roughest circuit in the series. Jett Lawrence put on a riding clinic as he notched his third win of the season, handily topping seven-time Daytona winner Eli Tomac in his first premier-class showing at the World Center of Racing. We talk about...

Presented by Factory Backing We caught up with Travis Pastrana today to talk about this weekend's Nitrocross at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegan, Nevada, but the conversation also turned towards the amazing Supercross season that we have all been enjoying. It's always a pleasure chatting with 199...we think you'll enjoy!

Presented by Pro Taper The Arlington Supercross was one wild night for sure! We saw lots of things and had a ton to talk about in this week's Kickstart Podcast. With Chase Curtis in Florida with tester Pat Foster for the Triumph intro, we invited our long-time test rider and friend, Tallon LaFountaine to join in on the bench racing today!

Presented by Factory Backing Paul Perebijnos has a rich history in the sport of motocross. From professional racer to college graduate, from privateer mechanic to factory mechanic, and more recently from Pro Taper Brand Manager to Renthal's Global Offroad Manager, he's got a wealth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of motocross. Paul joined us in the office for a chat about the journey he...

Presented by Pro Taper The ninth-annual Mini Monsters MX by Seven MX went off last weekend at Glen Helen Raceway and nearly 800 racers showed up to do battle on an exclusive track layout. We talk about all the weekend shenanigans - both during and after hours - as well as the latest happenings in our sport!

Presented by Pro Taper The sixth round of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship visited Glendale, Arizona, last weekend and the massive track yielded some great results, even though the racing on the track wasn't necessarily that spectacular. We battled through some horrible screw-ups and a missing co-host this morning to bring you this week's Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast. Rest assured, some b...

Presented by Pro Taper The Monster Energy Supercross Championship visited Detroit, Michigan, last weekend for the fifth round of the year, and the event did not disappoint! Eastern Regional 250 Supercross Championship Series kicked off and we got to see a whole new batch of racers behind the starting gate. Highlights included the debut of the Triumph racing team, our first repeat winner of the sea...

Presented by OGIO Powersports Though he's been retired from professional racing for over a decade, Jason Lawrence remains one of the most polarizing personalities in our sport. Earlier this year JLaw was set to race the Kicker Arenacross Series with the Phoenix Honda team, but that deal unravelled before the series even started. Lawrence has since taken an interest in the AMA US Sprint Enduro Seri...

Presented by Pro Taper We're four rounds deep into the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Series and we have an incredible eight - that's right: eight - different overall winners in the 250 and 450 classes! Last weekend's Triple Crown produced some amazing races on a brutal track that challenged riders throughout the day, but at least it wasn't raining, right? This week, we recap everything that we sa...

Presented by Yoshimura Imagine starting a graphics company in a small town in Germany, just to fund your dirt bike habit, and having it blow up into a worldwide success! That's exactly what Philipp Klakow has done with Backyard Design USA. As our favorite graphics company to work with - their designs and quality are second-to-none - we were stoked to see Philipp stateside a few weeks ago as he had...

Presented by Pro Taper Almost unbelievably, we had another mudder in San Diego. This one was different, though, as riders were still able to jump many of the obstacles, and this made racing super sketchy! We had two more new winners this year, and seeing Aaron Plessinger get his first career win was amazing. We chat about everything we saw and learned...

Nine years ago, we created the Mini Major by Seven MX, a race that is tailored specifically to mini bike racers in our efforts to support the overall growth of the racing portion of our sport. And it was a hit! Each and every year, the Mini Major has attracted key talent and grown in overall participation. Past winners include Stylez Robertson, Ryder DiFrancisco, Jett Reynolds, Talon Hawkins, and...

Presented by Pro Taper Unless you've been in a coma for the past couple of days, you already know that the San Francisco Supercross inside Oracle Stadium was a crazy, messy, quagmire and that the racing - although slow - produced some great results, some bitter disappointments, and some career highs. We had a great time recapping everything that we saw, heard, and learned in NorCal.

Presented by Pro Taper The Anaheim One Supercross was everything we had hoped it would be, and more! What were your biggest surprises and letdowns? See how they lined up with ours! This is the longest, most-fun pod we've ever done after a race. Enjoy!

Presented by Yoshimura Right after graduating high school, Maki Ushiroyama left his home in Japan and moved to California with the dream of riding dirt bikes and finding a job in the motocross industry. While attending an art school in San Diego, he drove to Troy Lee Designs in Corona, some two hours north, to meet Troy and ask if he could intern at TLD. And with that, as they say, the rest is his...

Presented by Pro Taper The 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship Series kickoff is a mere four days away and we couldn't be more hyped! Who looks good? Who will take it? What new looks and sponsorships will we see come Saturday? We talk about all of this, and more, on the first Pro Taper Kickstart Podcast of the year.

Logan Karnow has made quite the name for himself over the past two years, thanks to his results on the track, desire to have fun after the checkered flag, and the sponsors on his motorcycle, including OnlyFans, which linked up with the Ohio privateer in 2023 and renewed their support of Karnow's program for 2024. With the first gate drop of the year just days away, we grabbed a few minutes to talk...

Presented by Pro Taper We took the Kickstart Podcast on the road this morning and visited our cohost Alex Ray at his place of employment. The O'Neal Racing HQ in Camarillo, California, is a beautiful workplace and home to one of the legacy brands in our sport. We caught up on lots of things in this week's show, but mostly just enjoyed ARay's company, face to face.

Presented by Yoshimura This weekend, Glen Helen Raceway will host rounds six and seven of the Nitrocross Series, and even though the vehicles will have two extra wheels; we're stoked to head out there to see some amazing racing. One of the big draws for us, of course, is the head-to-head match-up between Travis Pastrana and Brian Deegan, both in the E Division electric cars and the Can-Am Side by...

Presented by Pro Taper We missed last week's show because all four of us were sick and had no voices, so we chatted about all the shenanigans at this year's Day in the Dirt Grand Prix, Jorge Prado's big announcement, Arenacross, and more!