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More Than Just a (Motocross) Number

Written by Charleen
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More Than Just a (Motocross) Number

Lindsay Premo, 

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Let’s talk numbers, race fans…Supercross and Motocross numbers, that is.

Every fall, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) releases the roster for the upcoming Monster Energy Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross seasons. The 2018 Monster Energy Supercross season is in full swing and the battle has begun for number picks for next season.

Riders don’t simply choose their own numbers. Well, most of them don’t, that is. Instead, they’re assigned a number based on a system that’s been in place since 2000, with some tweaking throughout the years. To someone unfamiliar with Supercross and Motocross, the numbering system is downright confusing, but over the years I’ve come to understand (somewhat) how the process works. But, initially trying to explain it is like trying to explain how to invest in the stock market to an eight year old.

So, grab your notebook and pencil and get ready to be schooled.

Number one

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Every rider covets the #1 plate since it’s assigned to the rider who won the series the previous year, provided he competes in the same class or region. A good example is defending Monster Energy Supercross champion Ryan Dungey, who would have sported the #1 plate in Supercross this year had he not elected to retire. If the defending champ switches classes or regions following the season, he will use his assigned professional number instead of the #1 plate in his new class or region.

Single numbers

Single numbers (i.e. 2-9) are reserved for riders who have won a 250/450 Motocross title and/or a 450 Supercross title. Winners of 250 Supercross titles are not included because those are considered regional. For example, in 2014 GEICO/AMSOIL/Hondarider Jeremy Martin won his first 250 Motocross championship. With available single-digit numbers of 6, 8 and 9, Martin choose #6, which he still holds today.

Career numbers

If Martin hadn’t wanted to choose a single-digit number, he could have picked a career number. There are more than 30 riders with permanent career numbers right now. Winning a national championship is one way to obtain a career number. The other is to finish in the top 10 of combined overall Motocross and Supercross (both 450 and 250) points (i.e. Eli Tomac at #3). Some argue this isn’t fair because 250 West riders don’t compete against 250 East riders, while 450 riders compete against an entire field throughout an entire season.

Another rule? Career numbers cannot be three-digit numbers, unless…

The exceptions to the rule

Currently, one rider – Mike Alessi – has a three-digit number. He had the number before the two-digit limit went into place, meaning it was grandfathered into the numbering system. Also, if #13 is the next number available, riders can refrain from using it if they’re superstitious.

As for the rest of you

Riders who do not fit into any of the above categories, yet still finish in the top 100 of combined points, are assigned a number (i.e. Christian Craig at #32). Numbers are assigned chronologically after single-digit and career numbers are chosen.

So, there you have it. Make sense? Consider this your study guide for the current season (test to be held after the Supercross finale in Las Vegas). Some riders (re)debuted their numbers at the Monster Energy Cup in October, while the rest followed at Monster Energy Supercross.

Next weekend all the Monster Energy Supercross action heads to Oakland, Calif.

We’ll see you there!

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Can a 1943 Jeep Survive This? Check out AMSOIL Expedition Colorado

Written by Charleen
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Can a 1943 Jeep Survive This? Check out AMSOIL Expedition Colorado

Lindsay Premo|

For brothers Brad and Roger Lovell, adventure is always around the next turn, literally. Brad typically finds adventure behind the wheel of his off-road racing truck on a TORC Series track. Roger finds it during grueling Ultra 4 events. Sometimes the brothers even find adventure together, like when winning the Smittybilt Every Man Challenge during King of the Hammers week.

This summer, the Lovell brothers decided to take a different type of adventure.

Armed only with what they could pack into their three pre-2000 off-road vehicles, the Lovells, their sons, mechanic Jake Arbitter and AMSOIL video producer/photographer Wyatt Gruben scaled rock ledges and drove through heavy downpours to complete the 550-mile trek from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Moab, Utah.

Brad recently sat down with us to answer a few questions about AMSOIL Expedition Colorado.

AMSOIL: What was the purpose of this trip?

Lovell: The purpose of this trip was simply to see if it could be done. We grew up in the Rocky Mountains and, rather than turning around to go home after the weekend, we wanted to see what adventure lay on the other side of the ridge line. By using older vehicles, we wanted the experience of our forefathers and to pass it on to our children. Overall, we were looking to find authentic adventure in our backyard, and we definitely succeeded in that.

AMSOIL: Who went with you?

Lovell: There has been a lot of interest in AMSOIL Expedition Colorado from friends and associates. A lot of people wanted to go, but we needed to keep it simple and small to prove the concept. In the end it was myself and my 11-year-old boys (Adam and Byam), my brother Roger and his son (Parker), plus Jake Arbitter, who works for the team, and Wyatt Gruben to capture some great images.

AMSOIL: Is this the first time you have done this?

Lovell: Yes. The idea came about to see if the West was really still wild. Just like there was a time in history when cattle drives were drowned out by fences, we wanted to see if we could still cross 550 miles of the Rocky Mountains on only dirt trails. The answer? Well, we were thwarted by snow, road construction and large landowners locking gates on what appeared to be private roads. We made it, but with more pavement miles than I had hoped. With this experience, planning and a little luck, we will develop a better route.

AMSOIL: What are the makes/models of the cars that you drove?

Lovell: This is an adventure and we wanted to make it difficult. My brother and I grew up on similar adventures and, in all reality, this was equally a chance to pass the same experiences on to our children. We drove the following:

  • 1943 Willys MB (Brad) – we originally bought this as a pit-support vehicle and my kids took a great interest in rebuilding it. They helped me redo the engine, brakes, wiring, etc. before the trip.
  • 1986 Ford Bronco II (Roger) – this was Roger’s first vehicle when he turned 16. It has been through a half dozen builds over the last 28 years and has solid axles, a 5.0L V-8, linked rear suspension and has been narrowed 6 inches.
  • 1996 Ford Ranger (Jake) þ Jake built this Ranger while attending UNOH [University of Northern Ohio] and it sports solid axles front and rear and a lot of suspension work. It should be noted that this is Jake’s daily driver, and he drove all the way back to Colorado Springs from Moab.

AMSOIL: Where did the expedition start/stop and what is the distance between those two?

Lovell: We started in downtown Colorado Springs in front of the Antlers Hotel. It is a historic hotel located on the zero/zero block of Colorado Springs. We ended the trip overlooking the town of Moab on the Hell’s Revenge Trail. It seemed more fitting than the center of town because everyone goes to Moab for the trails and wilderness, not the town itself. The total distance was 550 miles, which we mapped on Google Earth and tracked during the expedition on an iPad.

AMSOIL: So, why are you wearing a garbage bag?

Ha! We had all kinds of weather on the trip. We were in a thunderstorm above timberline, which is not a good place to be. The head gasket in the Willys had just gone sour and we were all freezing cold. My “breathable” rain gear proved to not be waterproof and I was really cold. The only waterproof thing left was a trash bag. It felt GREAT to get some dry clothes on and stay dry!

To see what products the Lovell’s use, check them out here.

To sign up to see future installments of AMSOIL Signature Series, sign up here.

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