MX Sports Pro Racing has formally announced the lineup of 24 amateur prospects and an esteemed group of rider coaches for the first gathering of the 2024 Scouting Moto Combine Presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare. The highly regarded development program is the motocross component of the SMX Next initiative, which also comprises Supercross Futures and the SuperMotocross World All-Stars and focuses on providing amateur racers with a clear, defined path to professional racing. The RedBud Combine will commence this Friday, July 5, from Michigan’s famed RedBud MX as a precursor to Saturday’s Bob The Cooler RedBud National, which will serve as the halfway point of the 2024 Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, and Round 6 of the summer campaign.
“The creation of SMX Next has provided another major step forward in the progression to develop the next generation of talent in the sport of off-road motorcycle racing,” said Jim Perry, Program Director for the Scouting Moto Combine. “The Scouting Moto Combine will commence for the 2024 season this weekend at RedBud, where we continue to work in partnership alongside each of the sport’s competing manufacturers to curate a highly talented group of invited prospects. The investment by each OEM, MX Sports Pro Racing, Feld Motor Sports, and the SuperMotocross League to foster the sport’s most promising amateur racers has already provided proven results at the professional level and will continue to bring more high-level talent to the forefront.”
In conjunction with the factory-supported efforts from GASGAS, Honda, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki, Triumph, and Yamaha, a hand-picked group of prospects have been invited to participate in the season’s first gathering of the Moto Combine, which will consist of 24 of the top A & B class riders at the amateur level. The group features a mix of racers with prior Combine experience in addition to a new wave of talent that will tackle the National track at RedBud for the first time. A pair of 25-minute, plus two-lap motos await the field on Friday afternoon.
Leading the way in mentorship of this collection of prospects is an acclaimed lineup of Rider Coaches who will lend their immense knowledge and expertise in guidance of these young athletes, both on and off the track. Headlining this four-coach group will be six-time Pro Motocross Champion Broc Glover, who has been a staple of the Combine since its inception and has continued to serve as a dedicated and gracious leader. He’ll be joined by another Combine veteran in Chad Reed, the most decorated international racer in history who was the 2009 Pro Motocross 450 Class Champion. Joining the group of coaches for the first time is Zach Osborne, a two-time Pro Motocross Champion who has captured both the 250 Class and 450 Class crown, and Ezra Lusk, a former 125cc Regional Supercross Champion and multi-time overall winner in Pro Motocross competition.
Additional support will come from Mike Bonacci, Team Manager at Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha, former racer Gareth Swanepoel, lead trainer at Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, and Christina Denney, a former SMX team manager and representative at the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA).
“It has been a privilege to work alongside the next generation of SMX talent at each of the Moto Combines since the concept was introduced in 2021. It is very rewarding seeing these young racers apply their learnings to achieve success on the racetrack and beyond,” said Glover, who serves as the Senior Manager of Off-Road at Dunlop Motorcycle Tires. “Having witnessed many Combine participants advance to the pro ranks, and even win races in the Pro Motocross Championship, is extremely rewarding and is much of the reason I remain committed to serving as a Rider Coach, offering my experience to this incredible program. The Combine truly changes the way these young riders navigate to the professional level. I’m excited for another season and look forward to our first Combine at RedBud.”
As the Combine continues to cement itself as a foundational element of rider development, the list of graduates from the program not only continues to expand, but has also served as the starting point for many of the sport’s rising stars. Leading the way is Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan, the reigning Rookie of the Year and defending SuperMotocross 250cc World Champion who is currently the standard bearer of the 250 Class with four wins in the first five rounds. Right behind him in the championship standings is Team Honda HRC’s Chance Hymas, who has captured a pair of overall podium finishes and a first career moto win. Additionally, the group of graduates include Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rookie Casey Cochran, who prevailed at the RedBud Combine one year ago, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Daxton Bennick, and Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha rider Mark Fineis, a local product of Indiana set to make his home race debut at RedBud. All told, 25% of the current top-20 riders in the 250 Class point standings are Combine graduates.
While the pair of motos will serve as the highlight of the RedBud Combine, participants will also be provided with invaluable insight into many important aspects of the sport away from the racetrack, including training, nutrition, and guidance on how to navigate the various layers of media engagement, from social media to interviews with journalists and speaking on the podium. These classroom-style sessions provide the foundation for the gathering, before racers strap on their helmet, line up behind the starting gate, and wage battle to see who will prevail as the RedBud Combine winner.
2024 RedBud Combine Rider List:
#2 Jeremy Fappani / Scottsdale, Arizona / KTM
#3 Jake Cannon / Sunshine Coast, Qld., Australia / Honda
#14 RJ Johnson / White Oak, Pennsylvania / KTM
#17 Cole Davies / Waitoki, New Zealand / GASGAS
#18 Landen Gordon / Atascadero, California / Kawasaki
#19 Carson Mainquist / Haslet, Texas / KTM
#20 Tyler Mollett / Port St. Lucie, Florida / Husqvarna
#22 Jonathan Getz / Oldtown, Florida / Yamaha
#27 Krystian Janik / Oak Lawn, Illinois / Kawasaki
#79 Max Shane / Anaheim, California / Yamaha
#87 Grayson Townsend / Washington, Utah / Kawasaki
#88 Hamden Hudson / Danville, Virginia / Yamaha
#95 Adler Caudle / Moore, Oklahoma / Kawasaki
#97 Noah Stevens / Danbury, North Carolina / KTM
#132 Leum Oehlhof / Oak Hills, California / Yamaha
#177 Kade Johnson / Salt Lake City, Utah / Yamaha
#206 Logan Best / Bourne, Massachusetts / Yamaha
#263 Avery Long / New London, Minnesota / Yamaha
#300 Drew Adams / Chattanooga, Tennessee / Kawasaki
#451 Ryder Thompson / Valparaiso, Indiana / Kawasaki
#462 Luke Fauser / Midland, Pennsylvania / KTM
#600 Alexander Fedortsov / Hallandale, Florida / Yamaha
#800 Preston Masciangelo / Brantford, Ontario, Canada / GASGAS
#981 Ryder Malinoski / Wyoming, Minnesota / Yamaha
