There were many questions and absences going into the opening round of the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Series. Not lining up were Supercross stars Malcolm Stewart, Marvin Musquin, Cooper Webb, Dean Wilson, and defending 450MX champion Dylan Ferrandis. The questions swirled around Ryan Dungey coming out of retirement, nine-time World Champion Antonio Cairoli racing in the US Nationals for the first time, freshly minted 250SX West Champion Christian Craig moving up to race 450MX, Ken Roczen returning to racing, and Tomac’s recovery from a Supercross knee injury. Although none of the questions are answered definitively, Chase Sexton dominated the proceedings with an unassailable 1-1 performance at Fox Raceway in Pala, California.Chase SextonHonda celebrated 50 years of selling motocross bikes the night before at Peltzer Winery in nearby Temecula, and popped more champagne with Ken Roczen finishing in P2 in both motos behind his Team Honda HRC teammate Sexton—both mounted on CRF450RWE racebikes with Honda’s 2023 CRF450R 50th Anniversary Edition livery.Ken Roczen
Christian Craig’s foray into the 450MX class got off to an impressive start, as he went 3-3 to round out the Fox Raceway 1 podium. However, Craig was far off Sexton’s pace, finishing over 30 seconds behind Sexton in each moto.Christian CraigAfter running in podium position early in each moto, Ryan Dungey’s first race in five years resulted in P5 overall, courtesy of two P5 finishes. Cairoli’s P10 in Moto 1 was followed up with a P6 in the second moto, giving the MXGP superstar a P7 overall. Eli Tomac got off to a strong start in Moto 1 before fading to P7. Tomac rebounded with a P4 finish in Moto 2 for a P4 overall.Ryan DungeyThe series resumes on Saturday with the Hangtown Motocross Classic at Prairie City OHV Park in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Check out our 2022 Pro Motocross TV Schedule for viewing times and outlets.Exclusive photography by Will Embree / SMX Pictures2022 Fox Raceway 1 Results, Fox Raceway, Pala, CA
Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory + Steve ’Stavros’ Parrish
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly podcast—Motos and Friends. My name is Arthur Coldwells.
Our first segment features the new Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory. Senior Editor Nic de Sena brings us his report on the flagship version of Aprilia’s upright middleweight machine. He gives us insight into whether it’s worth spending the extra money on the Factory version, and also of course, whether this sporting Aprilia is really the motorcycle for you.
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The next guest segment of Motos and Friends is brought to you by the faster and most technologically advanced, 2023 Suzuki Hayabusa—one of the most iconic sportbikes ever. Check it out in person at your local Suzuki dealer now, or visit suzukicycles.com to learn more.
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In this segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with (arguably) one of the most interesting Suzuki race riders of all time. the iconic RG500 alongside teammate double World Champion Barry Sheene. The two were almost as famous for their exploits off-track, as for their success on it. Those were the days! Steve also raced the Isle of Man TT for about ten years where he won 13 Silver Replicas, and got a podium finish. His insight into that particular brand of mayhem are fascinating.
But there’s waaay more to Steve Parrish than his motorcycle racing. He is also the most successful Semi-Truck racer ever, and, little known piece of useless trivia—he’s my birthday twin: 24th February. He is a natural entertainer and you can’t miss his recounting of the world’s most entertaining—and arguably terrifying—double-decker bus ride ever. If any of you were actually on that hell-ride then we’d love to hear from you!