Following an intense year of action that saw the Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac beating KTM’s Marvin Musquin by a mere 17 points for the 450SX title, the 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross schedule has been announced.Once again the outdoor MX season will consist of 12 rounds, beginning with the oldest race on the calendar, the Hangtown Motocross Classic, on May 19, and finishing with the Ironman National on August 25.Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac, the 2017 450SX Champion
The Hangtown race will be a historic one; the national celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2018 before the season continues its journey across 11 states. A highlight of 2018 will surely be the annual Independence Day race at RedBud, which will also host the 2018 FIM Motocross of Nations.“Following an incredible 2017 season that saw a pair of new champions emerge with American motocross’ most esteemed title, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will make their presence felt in 2018,” said MX Sports Pro Racing President Davey Coombs.“We welcomed an array of new winners last season, and this new generation of riders is surely going to continue to showcase the bright future of the sport. So many of the tracks in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross are etched in the annals of history, and they continue to thrill fans and challenge riders to the fullest. It’s why winning this championship is such a milestone achievement for any racer.”The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship has served as the preeminent competition in motocross since 1972, and remains arguably the most difficult championship to win in all of motorsports. In 2017, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac broke through for his first 450 Class title, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne parlayed a breakout season into his first championship in the 250 Class.
2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Schedule
May 19: Hangtown Motocross, Classic Prairie City, SVRA Rancho Cordova, California
May 26: Glen Helen National, Glen Helen Raceway, San Bernardino, California
June 2: Thunder Valley National, Thunder Valley MX Park, Lakewood, Colorado
June 16: High Point National, High Point Raceway, Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania
June 23: Tennessee National, Muddy Creek Raceway, Blountville, Tennessee
June 30: Southwick National Southwick MX Park Southwick, Massachusetts
July 7: RedBud National, RedBud MX, Buchanan, Michigan
July 21: Spring Creek National, Spring Creek MX Park, Millville, Minnesota
July 28: Washougal National, Washougal MX Park, Washougal, Washington
August 11: Unadilla National, Unadilla MX, New Berlin, New York
August 18: Budds Creek National, Budds Creek MX Park, Mechanicsville, Maryland
August 25: Ironman National, Ironman Raceway, Crawfordsville, Indiana
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week’s episode features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the beautiful new Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST that is loosely based around the original FXRT Sport Glide from the 1980s. Hailing from The Golden State, these cult-status performance machines became known as West Coast style, with sportier suspension, increased horsepower, and niceties including creature comforts such as a tidy fairing and sporty luggage.
In past episodes you might have heard us mention my best friend, Daniel Schoenewald, and in the second segment I chat with him about some of the really special machines in his 170 or so—and growing—motorcycle collection. He’s always said to me that he doesn’t consider himself the owner, merely the curator of the motorcycles for the next generation.
Yet Daniel is not just a collector, but I can attest a really skilled rider. His bikes are not trailer queens, they’re ridden, and they’re ridden pretty hard. Actually, we have had many, many memorable rides on pretty much all of the machines in the collection at one time or another.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!