The Riders
MTX: Mototrax" features 13 of the hottest professional MX riders!
Travis Pastrana
How did a 20-year-old kid become the world's most popular freestyle and motocross rider? For Travis Pastrana, it started at age 4 with a single-speed Honda Z-50. He soon hammered his way through a string of National Amateur Motocross titles, becoming World Freestyle Champion at age 14, and an icon in the world of motocross.
Travis has done more in his 20 years than most racers have done in their entire career, taking the gold in freestyle 3 years in a row at the X Games in addition to inventing many of the sport's tricks. On top of racking up a full resume of contest victories, writing his own column in Racer X magazine and completing his own video, Travis graduated from high school 3 years early and is taking classes at the University of Maryland, studying communications.
Travis is well on his way to establishing himself as the sport's brightest rising star with a huge number of contest achievements. On top of 4 gold medals at the X Games and 5 gold medals at the Gravity Games, Travis is an accomplished motocross and supercross racer. In 2000, he claimed the AMA Rookie of the Year award, the 125cc Outdoor National Championship and was the youngest rider ever for the winning Team USA in the Motocross de Nations in France. Travis followed all of that up with a 125cc Supercross Championship in 2001.
Travis is also well known for his innocent, Mr. Nice Guy attitude, which has made him a media darling and earned him big exposure. He's headlined ESPN's Sportscenter and ESPN: The Magazine, sat on the couches of both Jay Leno and David Letterman, been a guest star on Disney's The Jersey and Motocrossed, featured in Newsweek and starred in almost every X Games commercial. When he's not competing, signing autographs or training, he can be found working on his 20-acre backyard track in Annapolis, Maryland.
Carey Hart
Carey Hart is one of the most recognized names in freestyle motocross. His father bought him his first moto bike when he was only 4 years old and what started as a father and son pastime quickly turned into Carey's passion. He entered a local race and was hooked. By the time he graduated from high school, Carey Hart was a professional motocross rider racing in the supercross circuit.
Carey eventually grew bored with supercross and started riding with a group of guys interested in a more creative form of motocross. In 1998, the freestyle movement was born and Carey has been one of the most innovative riders in the sport. He's the inventor of the Hart Attack and at the 2000 Gravity Games, Carey etched his name in the record books as the first rider ever to complete a backflip on a 250cc motorcycle. The backflip catapulted Carey and freestyle motocross as a whole to an entirely new level. The stunt got the world's attention; it was even featured on Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Carey has traveled the globe on a quest to promote freestyle motocross. Along the way. he jumped the trailer park in Kid Rock's video, "Bawitdaba" and realized his dream to play bass with the band Pennywise on the 2000 Australian Warped Tour. His popularity has helped increase exposure for the sport of motocross. He's been involved with nationwide ad campaigns for Ford and Mountain Dew and been featured in Paper Magazine, Teen People, ESPN: The Magazine and Rolling Stone. Carey's face has graced the covers of numerous motocross magazines. He also starred in ESPN/Touchstone Pictures' IMAX film, Ultimate X and has cameo appearances in Columbia Pictures' XXX and Touchstone Pictures' Charlie's Angels II.
There is no denying Carey's dedication and passion. He's suffered his share of injuries attempting new tricks, but like a cat with 9 lives, he continues to bounce back and does it all in the name of progress. The Las Vegas resident is determined to ride until he stops having fun and hopefully, for us, that's not any time soon.
Tim Ferry
Tim Ferry is viewed by many as a "racer's racer." He, like many of his peers, began racing while still in elementary school. His family sacrificed so Tim could spend his amateur career logging countless miles crisscrossing America to compete in virtually every moto series and individual race imaginable. He's won untold numbers of heats and mains as a privateer and factory rider regardless of engine class, style and color scheme. Still shy of 30, the former AMA Rookie of the Year has packed in a lifetime of racing.
By all accounts, Tim "Red Dog" Ferry has hit his groove and shows no signs of backing off the proverbial throttle. The 2002 AMA Supercross and Outdoor National series marked Ferry's 10th year as a professional and it took a super-human effort from another Floridian, Ricky Carmichael, to keep the '02 Outdoor National runner-up (Ferry) off the top of the podium. Ferry continued to battle for the past 2 years, scoring an amazing 14 motocross podium finishes—7 in 2002, 7 more in 2003—the 2nd most from any 250cc class racer over the last 2 years.
In supercross, Ferry blazed back from a tough '02 season to finish 5th overall in '03, scoring podium finishes in the first 2 races (4 overall) despite battling an illness that forced him to the sidelines for 4 races.
Ferry's Yamaha roots stretch back to the end of the 1999 season when Team Chaparral's Larry Brooks approached Ferry and offered him a chance to run with the heavily backed Yamaha support team. Ferry's innate riding skills and personal drive, combined with Larry's keen eye for spotting talent, made it one of the best moves of Ferry's career.
But it wasn't long-1 season to be exact-before Ferry made another leap from support team to Team Yamaha Factory rider. Through a set of circumstances that read like a Jerry Bruckheimer movie script (Days of Thunder), Ferry piloted the innovative YZ426F to several
podium finishes in the 2001 supercross season, turning Salt Lake City and Las Vegas race fans into true believers in Tim Ferry and in Yamaha's 4-stroke thumper.
When the season moved outdoors for the Nationals, Ferry continued to snatch several podium finishes, including a win at Glen Helen in 2001 aboard his fully dialed 4-stroke. While chasing down the top riders of the season, Ferry dominated the tracks at Southwick, Hangtown and High Point with more trips to the podium.
Tim Ferry pilots his Steve Mathes-tuned #15 YZ450F 4-stroke in both the AMA Supercross Series and the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Series. Look for Tim on the podium again in '04.
2003
Opened the supercross season with 2 podium finishes and would score 2 more in an illness-shortened '03 season, still managing to finish 5th overall. Backed his amazing '02 Outdoor National season with another 7 podium finishes—the most by any rider other than Carmichael.
2002
The highlight of Ferry's supercross season was a 2nd place finish at Daytona, his home state race. Battled various minor injuries to finish 14th overall. Rebounded in a BIG way for the Outdoor Nationals, finishing a career-best 2nd overall with an amazing 7 podium finishes.
Sebastien Tortelli
At the stratospheric level of a full-on factory-backed motocross ride, talent counts for a lot. By winning two consecutive F.I.M. Motocross world championships, Sebastien Tortelli has proven that he has riding talent in ample supply.
Hard work has its rewards, and the French-born Tortelli has demonstrated his championship-level commitment by not only moving to America and making a swift adjustment to living and training in a foreign country, but also by winning races in the most challenging motocross series in the world.
Tortelli's halcyon moment in U.S. motorcycle racing came at the opener of the '99 supercross season at the legendary Los Angeles Coliseum. Tortelli came out of nowhere on the No. 103 bike, passed motocross champion Doug Henry and held on for the win with everybody saying "Who the heck's number 103?"
Well, the motorsports industry found out after that January evening in Los Angeles. Only problem for his new legion of fans stateside was the fact that Sebastien moved back to Europe to race the GP series, which he won in '98 by 8 points over Stefan Everts.
In 1999, Tortelli made the move back to the United States for good. The following summer, 2000. was highlighted by some epic races with Ricky Carmichael—with whom Sebastien traded the series points lead numerous times throughout the season before finishing 2nd overall. Tortelli tasted victory for the first time in 1999 when he again surprised the motorcycle industry with an overall win at Glen Helen.
"Racing motorcycles in the States is a tough job," Tortelli acknowledges. "You know, the other guys will have been racing before I have a chance to get back up to speed. I expect to get stronger as the seasons wear on and get some supercross podium finishes. For outdoors, it's going to be a different story. I'm going to put all my focus on that championship. You know, for the last 3 years I've had a little bit of bad luck, and last year I crashed a lot because of my injuries. So, hopefully this year I'll put everything together and
As in the previous 3 years, Tortelli will be riding in both the AMA 250cc Supercross and National Outdoor Motocross series for 2003/04. This past year Tortelli was forced to watch from the sidelines while recovering from a knee injury. Still, the international superstar is always a fan favorite and excited about the opportunity to return to racing. "You must put a lot of things together consistently to go fast in supercross," he says. "You must be very precise on the bike, which is part of what makes it harder. For me. supercross takes more strength and motocross takes more endurance. I look forward to coming back this year."
Tortelli's back with Suzuki this year and he feels he has the best equipment and is backed by the best team in the sport. "You feel like the whole team is pulling everything together to make it happen," he says. "And the new RM 250 fits me really well. The chassis is more forgiving and it has more power, with more on top. So it's very rideable, the best combination out there."
This combination could make 2003/04 the year that Tortelli puts it all together. So look for Sebastien to be on the podium throughout both of the 250cc AMA Supercross and Outdoor Nationals seasons.
2003
Rather than risk serious injury and another shot at the 250cc title that barely eluded him in the 2000 season, Tortelli sat out the 2003 race season with a knee injury. He will most certainly be back for the 2003/04 season, again with Team Suzuki.
2002
Tortelli scored a season-best 3rd place finish at the inaugural supercross at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. His motocross season was highlighted by 4 overall podium finishes and a spot just off the final series standing, finishing 4th.
Chad Reed
In 2001 Chad Reed came onto the world motocross scene as an unknown rider. Eight months later, the story was quite different after Reed secured 2nd place in the 250cc World Grand Prix standings and won a Grand Prix at the famous Lierop Circuit in Holland. In July of that year, Chad was contacted by the former 125cc World Champion Bob Moore about fulfilling his dream of coming to America to race against the best in supercross. Chad joined the Yamaha of Troy 125cc team in September and began to prepare for the 2002 supercross season.
When Chad Reed entered the AMA Supercross scene, he was a virtual unknown to American race fans. Sure, he had an Australian supercross championship and World Motocross Grand Prix win under his belt, but to supercross fans, the rookie had something to prove on U.S. soil. Not a problem. Reed quickly showed fans that he earned that Yamaha of Troy ride by piloting the 4-stroke YZ250F to the 125cc East championship, finishing all 7 races on the podium—6 in the coveted number 1 spot. After winning the supercross championship, Chad set his sights on the motocross championship that summer and placed 2nd overall with 1 win and 12 podium finishes.
In 2003, Reed joined the Factory Yamaha team as rider number 3 in the 250cc class. Rounding out the multi-talented team in blue, Reed continued his winning streak aboard the YZ250 during both the supercross and motocross series. Chad won an amazing 8 rounds of the supercross series and is the current 2003 World Supercross Champion.
A racer's work is never done. Always training, Reed can be found at the factory test track in Southern California in his "off time." If he gets lucky and can fit it into his schedule, he's at the local golf course practicing his skills. Watch out, Tiger.
Ernesto Fonseca
Ernesto Fonseca has accomplished a great deal in his 4 years as a professional motocross rider. Having won 5 Latin American National Championships, 4 AMA Amateur Nations Championships and 2 AMA Supercross Championships by the age of 20, Fonseca has proven that he's more than qualified to compete with the world's top riders.
The young Costa Rica native has accomplished more than riders with greater experience. In his 1st year as a professional, Ernesto had a factory ride, won his first AMA Supercross Championship and earned the honor of AMA Rookie of the Year. At the age of 20, the 2002 AMA Supercross season saw the 125cc champ move up to the 250cc class for the 1st time. In 2003 Ernesto made the adjustments necessary to be a full fledged contender in the premier 250cc class by making podium appearances in 6 races, finishing off the season in 3rd place in the final 250cc supercross standings.
With the full support of team Honda, Fonseca will take on whatever challenges the 250cc class presents. "Yeah, it's a new challenge," he says. "I want to go out and win races next year. I think next year should be one of my best yet." With a positive attitude and strong work ethic, Fonseca gives 100%, striving to make the podium at every race.
Fonseca feels confident that he also has the racing team and equipment to help him take on this challenge. "Everything been going great, the bike works great, the team works great and we all work real well together," he says. Fonseca will no doubt put his #24 Honda CR250 to good use as he races through the pack. 2004 should prove to be his brightest year yet.
Nate Adams
Nate "The Destroyer" Adams is determined to be the best freestyle rider in the world. At only 19 years old, he has already won 2 world championships, a Gravity Games gold medal, as well as numerous silver medals from the X Games in the freestyle arena and a host of other competitions. Nate loves to ride and he shows it through his positive attitude and expanding trick repertoire.
A native of Arizona, Adams was exposed to motocross at 8 years old when his dad first taught him to ride. After several years of riding, he began competing in freestyle events in the year 2000. Adams was quickly named as the IFMA Rookie of the Year for 2000 and continued to win over fans and competition judges. In 2002, he captured both the WFA Freestyle Championship and the WFA Big Air Championship with perfect runs that included the backflip.
Adams feels fortunate to be a part of the growing motocross freestyle sport. "1 do this because I love riding my dirt bike," he says. "There are too many hassles and there's too much danger in the sport to do it for any other reason. You have to love it enough to be willing to put your body, health and in some circumstances, your life on the line."
In addition to competing at events such as the IFMA Series, the Vans Triple Crown Series, the Gravity Games and the X Games, Adams is also one of the founding riders of the "Hessian Aggression." Nate, Robert Distler and Jeff Doetzer are all part of the Hessian Aggression, and they do their best to ride together a few times a week when they're not traveling to and from events.
Backed by more sponsors than you can shake a stick at, Adams does his best to dominate freestyle competitions. He's bent on staying healthy and on top of his freestyle game. In 2004, we'll see Nate Adams focused on doing the sickest tricks, taking home more gold medals and doing exactly what he loves: riding his dirt bike.
Tommy Clowers
Tommy "Tomcat" Clowers continues to dominate in the rising world of freestyle motocross and his signature event, the Step-Up. Currently world champion, world record holder and 3 time X Game gold medalist, Clowers shows off his innovation and style in each competition.
Born in San Diego, California, Clowers discovered motocross at an early age and began competing soon after. He won 14 amateur MX championships before turning pro and earning a factory ride. By the age of 21, Clowers had several top 5 finishes in the supercross 125cc series and a big win in Anaheim. Clowers was poised to be the new top dog on the circuit, but after several more years of racing, he ultimately jumped into the freestyle arena.
Now, 10 years later, Tommy Clowers is one of the most recognized names in freestyle motocross. Clowers has won more freestyle motocross medals at the X Games than any other rider and is currently the world record holder for the Step-Up competition, with a record of 35 feet. Having invented tricks like the Catwalk and the Cat Nac, he continues to innovate and add his own variations to many freestyle tricks.
Clowers has appeared in several freestyle motocross videos and an ESPN X Games commercial. His record Step-Up win was also featured on the Guiness Book of World Records primetime show. Recently, "Tomcat" has created his own line of clothing and his own videos, Steppin' Up and Steppin' Up 2. 2003 will surely be another successful year for Tommy Clowers as he continues to dominate the sport of freestyle motocross.
Davi Millsaps
Davi Millsaps, the 15-year-old motocross wonder kid has had a fantastic amateur career and is set to dominate the professional arena. Having started riding at the tender age of 3 and winning his first national title by the age of 6, Millsaps has already had a long career in motocross. Many have remarked at the speed he's displayed winning 9 Loretta Lynn titles and the US Open Mini Class in Las Vegas.
Ever wonder what it would be like if you knew how to perform a double before you knew how to tie your shoes? Well, Davi knows exactly what that's like! Competing in his first race at the age of 4, he soon learned that jumping wasn't his only talent. He would soon be better known for his record times. So many people have been impressed by his speed that Davi is the first amateur ever to be sponsored by a factory team. Other sponsors followed suit and he became a fully sponsored rider by the age of 15.
The first amateur to grace the cover of Racer X magazine. Millsaps is currently riding select national events. The 125 East Supercross and Outdoor Nationals will surely be a hot contest in 2004 when Davi rides his Team Suzuki bike throughout the season.
Mike Brown
Mike Brown is one of the hardest working athletes in motocross. Much of his success on the track can be attributed to the intense practice and training regimen Mike does with his best friend, Ricky Carmichael. That hard work pays off in endurance. Mike Brown seems to get stronger as each race nears completion.
"Brownie" as he's called by those close to him, got a relatively late start in racing and didn't compete in his first race until the age of 12. During his early racing days, he claimed no less than 3 National Amateur Championships before turning professional in 1994. Brown won his first pro race that season at the Pontiac Silverdome in the 125cc AMA Eastern Region Supercross Series. He returned in 1995 to win 2 more 125cc Eastern Region Supercross main events and added his first AMA 125cc National Motocross overall victory later that summer at Washougal, Washington.
In 1999 and 2000, Brownie raced in Europe and competed in the 125cc World Championship Grand Prix Motocross Series, as well as the 125cc British National Motocross Championship Series. Both years Brownie won more World Championship Grand Prix events than any other racer on the track, but he also broke down and didn't finish more times than any other racer due to inferior machinery. In both 1999 and 2000, Brownie finished 3rd overall in the World Championships, and in 2000. he also became the 125cc British National Champion.
Returning to the U.S. in 2001, Brownie stormed to 3 overall wins on the way to becoming the 125cc AMA National Motocross Champion, which he captured in come-from-behind fashion. Trailing by 13 points with 2 rounds remaining. Brownie staged a remarkable comeback, claiming the title in the last moto of the season. In 2002 and 2003, he finished 2nd in the 125cc AMA Eastern Region Supercross Series.
Brownie is continuing with his strong work ethic this year and is determined to pilot his new Yamaha ride through another successful motocross season. He'll be racing in the 250cc AMA Supercross Series and the 125cc AMA National Motocross Series, with a focus on becoming the 2004 125cc AMA National Motocross Champion.
Kenny Bartram
This is no ordinary cowboy. "Cowboy" Kenny Bartram redefines the word on a 250cc bike with riding boots and a helmet. The only weapon this cowboy's carrying is his daredevil style and determination to conquer in every event.
Kenny's been riding since he was 7, starting off in supercross and motocross and later crossing over to the freestyle arena. Over the years, he's gone on to prove himself and become the king of freestyle. Bartram is now the defending champ of every major freestyle series. Cowboy Kenny is a crowd favorite, known for his technical combos and being the best freestyle rider in the world.
In addition to knowing and performing every freestyle motocross trick, Bartram is forging new ground in the sport. Cowboy Kenny landed the first backflip-to-heel clicker in a competition in July 2003. "When I saw 3 guys do no-footers to no-handed landings, I didn't want to join the group and do the same thing. I had been thinking about the trick for a while, so I figured that was a good time to try it."
Bartram is for real, on and off the dirt. Kenny was the 2003 IFMA Champion but has also been racing in his "spare time," making an appearance during the supercross season with Travis Pastrana as his mechanic! Kenny knows every trick, does them all big, works hard, rides constantly, has great bike skills and is a nice guy to boot. This cowboy is seemingly unstoppable and he's still making plans for the future.
Ezra Lusk
Ezra Lusk is a model of consistency in motocross racing. "Yogi" as he's otherwise known, has proven to be a serious contender in each of his nearly 20 years of racing. Considered one of the "elder statesmen" in the sport, he's a family man and mentor to several of the sport's rising stars.
Lusk started riding at age 5 and entered his first race at age 6. In 1984, he started his amateur racing career with Kawasaki's Team Green. After amassing dozens of amateur titles for Kawasaki Team Green, including 4 AMA Amateur National Championships, 2 in 1986 and 2 in 1988, Yogi turned pro in 1992.
In 1994, Lusk won 6 main events en route to the AMA Eastern Region 125cc Supercross Championship. Then in 1996, he began a string of 4 consecutive years where he finished in the top 3 in the AMA 250cc Supercross final point standings, including back-to-back 2nd place finishes in 1998-99. Giving reigning champion Jeremy McGrath a serious run at the title that lasted late into the season in 1999, Yogi won 5 main events. He would eventually finish 2nd in the final standings that year.
Showing his consistency once again in 2002, Lusk finished the season with the 2nd highest points of all 250cc riders. He garnered 7 podium finishes, including a 2nd place finish at the Las Vegas Supercross. Ezra will again pilot his Kawasaki 250cc bike in the 2003 Supercross and Outdoor National seasons. No doubt he'll be racing in the front of the pack.
Jamie Dobb
One of England's top riders for over
10 years, Jamie Dobb has won more championships than you can count on 2 hands. He's competed in the British
Championships and the World Motocross
Championship and taken away many wins, even while racing in the U.S.
motorcycles. By age 5, he was racing in amateur events. In 1987 at age 15, Jamie turned pro and took 3rd in the British 125cc Championships. The following year, he won the Coupe de Lavi race. More impressive, in 1989 Dobb took 1st in the British Championship in the 125cc class. He was the youngest rider to ever win this title.
1993 saw Jamie cross the Atlantic to race in the U.S. During that year, he suffered 2 broken arms and was out most of the season. But for the next 3 years, he continued to ride consistently in supercross and Outdoor National events, culminating in a win at the Red Bull National in 1996.
In 1997, Dobb returned to Europe to race, winning 2 consecutive British Championships in the 125cc class in 1998 and 1999. Again in 2001, he dominated yet another series and became the World 125cc Motocross Champion. Jamie will continue to race his KTM the only way he knows how—to victory at the finish line!
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