MXA TAKES A BUSMAN'S HOLIDAY TO GO OFF-ROAD RACING AT LAKE HAVASU

12/19/2024 12:09 PM

BY JOSH MOSIMAN

Every race has a story of its own. I try my best to spread my wings and sign up for different events each year in search of the next best adventure and story to document through MXA’s print and digital mediums. For a motocross racer and motorcycle test rider, MXA is the best possible place to work. Our protocols require us to race each bike we test, which happens to be one of my favorite things to do. Still, even though we race often, I’m not quite a full-time pro racer. My schedule is very different now—from when I was a young adult living under my parents’ roof chasing the dream to a married man now with bills to pay. For example, I haven’t had a real training program since 2018 when I injured my shoulder. And, after crashing out at Red Bud and breaking my collarbone this past July, I decided something needed to change. 

My friend Cameron Purczynski and his wife Karissa run Gainslinger Human Performance, and he’s also the author of the new “Gainslinger Protocol” training column on page 66. With Cameron’s help, I committed to training for three months leading up to the Lake Havasu NGPC series race. It was an experiment to see if I could balance my regular schedule of testing and typing while sticking to a regimented training program in the gym. 

THE LAKE HAVASU NGPC RACE WAS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO GET AN EVEN
BIGGER BAND TOGETHER AGAIN TO EXPERIENCE THE CHALLENGES OF HAVASU.

Why Lake Havasu? The NGPC (National Grand Prix Championship) series is the competing West Coast series to WORCS, and they both host races at Lake Havasu at least once a year. Lake Havasu is unique for five reasons. 

First, it’s on a lake! You literally ride alongside the lake, and you can merge along the edge of the water to miss some bumps. 

Second, it’s only five minutes from downtown Main Street, with lots of hotels and restaurants nearby. 

Third, it’s sandy and rough, with more tight sections than the typical West Coast off-road race. The track is more like a motocross course on steroids. 

Fourth, it’s tough. Havasu is considered one of the roughest races of the NGPC season, with the biggest bumps, the rockiest roost and lots of deep sand. 

And fifth, out of all of the NGPC races, this one is the best for spectators. The track is confined to a fairly small area, and it just zigzags back and forth. A lot of the track is in the sand dunes, which are lower than the pits, and it’s only a seven-minute loop for the fast guys, so you can keep track of the race pretty well if you stand in the right spots. Plus, the NGPC series does a live stream on YouTube to document the pro race as it’s happening.

Josh is wide open along the beach of Lake Havasu, while spectators watch from their paddleboards and boats.

For all these reasons, I keep coming back to Lake Havasu to challenge myself. The first time was in 2016 before I turned pro, and the second time was in 2019 on the factory Rockstar Husqvarna team with Andrew Short and Colton Haaker. The third time was in 2020 on a KX450X with Josh Fout on our KTM 450XCF, and the fourth time was in 2022 on a CRF450RX with Josh Fout on our YZ450FX. This time, I had to switch it up again by riding our 2025 Yamaha YZ450F test bike. I also convinced a big portion of the MXA wrecking crew to join me in the fun. Josh Fout raced our KX450X with his wife Gabby on her Husky TX300. Dennis Stapleton rode our Honda CRF450. Shawn Bushnell rode our KTM 450XCF, and he brought his wife Alison to race her Husky FC350. His kids, Bodie and Jett, raced their TC85 and TC125. Ezra Lewis raced our Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke in the Pro 2 class. Jon Ortner raced his YZ450F. My friend John Lein raced his YZ450FX, and Tyler Symcox raced his KX250X. Cameron and Karissa came to support everyone and be my pit crew for the 90-minute Pro race, while Jody had to stay home to make sure this issue of MXA got to the printer on time. 

MX Champ USA’s wheels.

Our last big adventure away from home as a crew was at the Red Bud National earlier in the year when the Fouts, Bushnells, and Stapleton joined Trevor Nelson and me for a week of riding and racing in the Midwest. The Lake Havasu NGPC race was another opportunity to get an even bigger band together to experience the challenges of Havasu. Ezra hadn’t raced off-road since he was on minis. Tyler had never raced off-road before, and Dennis had been to Lake Havasu before, but it was years ago. 

AHM Suspension valved the Kayaba components.

In many ways, going to an off-road race in the middle of MXA’s busy season is what Jody calls a “busman’s holiday,” because it is kind of like a bus driver going on vacation by bus. As you’d expect, it wasn’t easy to make extra time for training. In the last month and a half leading up to Havasu, we finished our 250 and 450 shootouts. We traveled to Washougal for the 2025 KX250 intro, and I filmed while our videographer, Trevor Nelson, Ironman’d the 24-hour endurance race at Glen Helen. I raced the Fall Classic at Pala. We traveled to Alabama for the Dunlop Factory Spec tire intro, and we raced the World Vet Championships at Glen Helen. It has been a whirlwind tour, and I admit that it was very hard to keep up with my everyday duties at MXA. Thankfully, Cameron was able to create a training program that was feasible for me to stick with so I could gain some strength and stamina in the midst of it all, while Jody covered the bases on the magazine front.

Fasst Co’s Flexx bars with the medium yellow dampers.

My crash on Larocco’s Leap at the Red Bud National happened because I was mentally weak, and the goal for training with Cameron was to not only get stronger physically but mentally as well. If I know I’m not training enough, it’s hard to be confident when lining up against the best of the best, but with Cameron leading me in the right direction and helping me manage training and working, I could have more confidence knowing I would be as prepared as possible.

Scar Racing’s titanium footpegs.

MXA test riders have the choice of what bikes to race because MXA has at least one of every 2025 bike made. There is a priority system to who gets what bike, but it’s quite simple. Jody gets first choice. I get second choice. Josh Fout gets third choice. Dennis Stapleton gets fourth choice (he always chooses a Honda). Justin Lee gets fifth choice (when his arm isn’t broken), and after that it’s a free-for-all for the rest of the regular group. Luckily, MXA has more than enough bikes to satisfy everyone, including visiting friends.

RIGHT AFTER OUR 450 SHOOTOUT RESULTS WERE SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED, I SNAGGED THE YZ450F AND STARTED TAILORING IT TO FIT ME. AHM LOANED ME A SPARE SET OF KAYABA SUSPENSION TUNED SPECIFICALLY FOR ME TO RACE AT HAVASU.

There are three primary reasons I chose the YZ450F for Havasu. First, its backwards-leaning engine positions the fuel tank under the seat, and, amazingly, the oversized 2.8-gallon IMS tank is able to carry a gallon more than the stock tank without having to make the tank taller or wider. Other brands hold the fuel up front, and it throws the balance of the bike off more when the tank is full. With the Yamaha, I’ve always liked how balanced the bike is, even when the tank is full. It’s definitely heavier, but it’s not as hard to get used to. Second, the Yamaha chassis is awesome in nasty, hard-packed chop. While the Lake Havasu racecourse is soft and sandy on the part down by the lake, the rest of the layout is rocky, hard-packed and slick. It is more like a gravel parking lot on the motocross portion up top, and the Yamaha YZ450F does a good job of finding traction in that stuff. Third, the YZ450F gearbox is awesome. I appreciate how long second gear is, and I knew it would be nice to have that on a tighter, more motocross-style off-road loop like Havasu. The YZ450FX is good, but the wide-ratio transmission shortens the first and second gear a lot. It was fine when I raced SRA Grand Prix cross-country races at Glen Helen, where we experience much higher speeds, but I wanted the moto gearbox for Havasu. 

TM Designworks’ chain guide.

Right after our 450 shootout results were signed, sealed and delivered, I snagged the YZ450F and started tailoring it to fit me. AHM loaned me a spare set of Kayaba suspension tuned specifically for me to race at Havasu. That way we could keep our 2025 YZ450F suspension stock for future comparisons and testing. Brandon Peterson from AHM explained that because Lake Havasu is more like a motocross track with deeper sand and bigger bumps than most Grand Prix races, the setup would be more motocross than off-road. It ended up working great at Pala and Glen Helen, too, where I won motos on this bike at each race the two weekends leading up to Lake Havasu. I was also running Fasst Company’s Flexx bars. They have adjustable compression and rebound dampers to give the bars more or less flex. I started with the red stiff dampers on both at first, but ended up going to medium-compression dampers to get even more comfort out of them. I thought it would be good for off-road but maybe too much flex for a smoother track with bigger jumps like Pala. Surprisingly, however, I liked them there, too! I never had to throw the stiff dampers back on. I ran MX Champ USA’s complete wheels with Nitromousse foam mousses in the MX34 front tire and a Geomax MX14 scoop tire in the rear. With the possibility of flat tires ruining the weekend eliminated, I was feeling confident. I was spoiled with a bike customized for me. Although the rest of the MXA wrecking crew’s bikes had significantly fewer mods, the one essential upgrade for everyone was the Nitromousse mousses and Dunlop scoop tires. 

As part of my job, I normally race stock bikes with different numbers each weekend, but since we had some time to plan and prepare for Havasu, I made the bike stand out with the grey Acerbis plastic and color-coordinated Decal Works graphics. I also used Acerbis’ hand guards, skid plate and front-brake rotor guards. For more protection, I used the TM Designworks Slide-n-Guide kit, plus their rear brake rotor guard. 

Ezra Lewis raced MXA’s 2024 Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke.

To modulate the power, I added a GYTR Brembo hydraulic clutch with a Twisted Development-tuned Vortex ECU and Pro Circuit Ti-6 exhaust system. For added grip, I used Scar Racing’s titanium footpegs and Guts Racing’s RJ Wing seat with the flat Guts Racing seat foam (replacing the terrible round Yamaha foam that comes stock). I also ran Steg Pegz for the first time with two rubber hockey pucks (instead of one or three) for Havasu. To ensure I didn’t get dirt under the air filter, I used the Twin Air Powerflow kit, which has an extra bracket for better sealing, and I replaced the stock 1.1 radiator cap, which was allowing the radiator to spit coolant on the dyno during our 450 shootout, with Twin Air’s Ice Flow 2.0 radiator cap. Plus, I used Twin Air’s radiator screens to keep dirt and debris from clogging the radiators. I also used ODI’s Emig Pro V2 lock-on grips and Fasst Company’s rear-brake return spring and clevis. 

The other fun aspect of racing Lake Havasu is that the track layout is different every year. It is already known for being tighter than the other GP-style tracks, and this year Cody Lee designed the layout to be even tighter than before. It was hilarious to talk with Dennis, Shawn and Josh, all of whom elected to not ride Friday’s 45-minute practice because they were still learning where the track layout went in their first race. 

Dennis Stapleton on MXA’s 2025 Honda CRF450.

My weekend started out with some great practice laps on Friday and a solid practice on Saturday afternoon during the AA race. We tested suspension settings and ended up going stiffer on compression in the fork and shock to get more holdup in the big bumps. Everything was good until I practiced my dead-engine starts. Oh boy, it was bad! It took me probably 20 seconds to get going. The line behind me was almost ready to go by the time I was moving. My reaction time was great, and my bike fired on the first try, but I dumped the clutch too quickly in second gear and stalled it. Before Sunday’s Pro race, I did about 15 practice starts in the pits, and we moved my starter button over to the left side by the clutch. I started in first gear with my pointer finger on the clutch. My goal was not to get the holeshot but instead to be patient and smooth with the start. I knew if I did that, I’d be better off. 

When it came time to race, I honestly surprised myself with how good my start was! I was in the top five going into the first turn and then got slammed by my friend Giacomo Redondi, who moved me right out of the way. A few guys snuck underneath me, and we battled back and forth on the first lap before I settled into eighth place. It was a full-on battle at the front of the pack, and somehow, it stayed tight for the first three laps. I was right behind Rockstar Husky’s Austin Walton, Beta’s Dare Demartile and Red Bull KTM’s Mateo Olivera, with Italian Giacomo Redondi, Chilean Ruy Barbosa, and Australians Jack Simpson and Lyndon Snodgrass in front of them. Ruy and Lyndon are both GNCC riders who came to Havasu for the season finale to try out some West Coast off-road for the weekend. KTM’s Dante Olivera (older brother to Mateo) had already won the championship one round earlier, and he was planning to race the finale on KTM’s fuel-injected 150SX (he raced and won the finale on a 300SX last year), but he sprained his wrist on Monday before the race, leaving the door open for a new winner to take the top spot. 

The MXA wrecking crew had a blast at Lake Havasu.

With each passing lap, I was gaining confidence, impressing myself with my ability to hang with the pace of the front runners. So far, my training was paying off. I was able to stick with the guys in front of me, manage my energy the best I could, and stay just out of their roost. Since I had raced the YZ450F the last two weekends leading into Havasu, I didn’t have the oversized IMS tank on yet, which meant I didn’t get to practice any pit stops, either. I installed the tank on Tuesday at Glen Helen with Josh Fout’s help, and it took some work. The stock ECU mount is on the fuel pump, which is at the bottom of the tank, down by the shock. But, there’s also a mounting location for a Vortex ECU on the side of the tank (the stock ECU has a tip-over sensor, which is why it has to be positioned flat underneath the tank). We found out about the side-mounting technique for the Vortex after the fact, and we had already put it on the bottom and zip-tied it on to keep it from falling off the bracket. 

However, one thing I didn’t plan enough for was taking the front of the Yamaha seat flap on and off during the pit stop. The two-piece seat uses a Dzus fastener on the front to mount the seat flap and to hold the airbox cover on. The factory AmPro Yamaha GNCC team and Yamaha-supported Purvines West Coast off-road team both modify their setups with 3D-printed push-button releases to take the flap on and off easily in the pit. I had seen them before, but I didn’t reach out to anyone to make the same mod on my bike. Instead, I planned to take the flap on and off with the Dzus fastener by hand. We also put some duct tape on the airbox cover, just in case I lost that flap during my pit stop. That way, I could potentially ride without it for the second half of the moto. We also took a friend’s advice to bend the threads for the Dzus fastener and push them up a little higher so that it would be easier to get the seat flap back on. Unfortunately, because we did that, the fastener could still lock into the threads, but it didn’t have enough force to keep it there. 

ONE THING I DIDN’T PLAN ENOUGH FOR WAS TAKING THE FRONT OF THE YAMAHA SEAT FLAP ON AND OFF DURING THE PIT STOP. THE TWO-PIECE SEAT
USES A DZUS FASTENER TO HOLD THE AIRBOX COVER ON.

My Insta360 camera recorded the flap coming off at the end of lap one, and my knees rubbed through the duct tape holding the airbox cover on over the next two laps, causing it to fly off at the end of lap three. My air filter was fully exposed, and it was as loud as could be. My battle with the front runners was over, and I had to cruise the rest of the lap to the hot pits. I stopped and Cameron ran to the van to grab a spare seat flap and airbox cover. With more duct tape this time, I was back on the track three minutes later. It was a heartbreaking way to start the race. Adding salt to the wound, I had another bike issue a few laps later. The bike started to bog when I snapped the throttle quickly, and then a few laps later it bogged as I was exiting a corner. However, the worst part was that I couldn’t get it to happen anywhere else on the track except in this one jumpy rhythm section. It was a mystery. I kept racing, only I was much more mindful over the jumps, and ultimately came across the line in ninth place in the 450 class and 18th overall after getting passed by a host of 250 Pros from the gate behind me. 

The result and the bike issues were unfortunate, but they were all my fault at the end of the day. Next time, I’ll install the big tank a few weeks early to make sure the wiring harnesses and fuel lines are all positioned perfectly, and I’ll make sure to have a better plan for pit stops. I’ve since learned about Baehr Concepts and its 3D-printed setup for Yamaha’s IMS tank and seat flap. Did my training pay off? I’d say so. I ran great at the beginning and gave myself some confidence to build on. Maybe I’ll sign up for the 2025 Glen Helen NGPC race for some redemption.

The post MXA TAKES A BUSMAN'S HOLIDAY TO GO OFF-ROAD RACING AT LAKE HAVASU appeared first on Motocross Action Magazine.