Author Archives: PressBox

July 15, 2026

Spring Creek National brings tight title battles to Millville

The second half of the 2026 Pro Motocross Championship opens Saturday, July 18, at Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minnesota. Round 24 of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship is the 44th running of the FXR Spring Creek National Presented by Frescados Tortillas, and MX Sports Pro Racing said the first six races have produced tight title fights, with the leaders in both classes separated by a combined three points. In one class, Jett Lawrence has reclaimed the series lead by one point over his brother after his third win of the season.

Spring Creek has been on the Pro Motocross schedule every year since 1983 and is regarded as one of the sport’s most demanding and popular tracks. The course features a long start straight, sand whoops, the Holy Schmidt jump and the Mount Martin section, which the Martin family has owned and developed since 1988.

This year’s race will feature a reworked Mount Martin section that has been made more technical with a downhill S-turn in an effort to create more passing opportunities. On-track action begins at 6 a.m. PT, Peacock’s Race Day Live starts at 8 a.m. PT and opening ceremonies are scheduled for 10:15 a.m. PT, with the motos set for 11 a.m. PT.
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July 15, 2026

Bagnaia Targets British Grand Prix Comeback After Arm Pump Surgery

Francesco Bagnaia underwent successful endoscopic fasciotomy, or arm pump surgery, on his right forearm during the MotoGP summer break and is targeting a return at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone from August 7-9. Ducati said the operation was completed without complications, and Bagnaia will use the championship’s three-week break to begin recovery and rehabilitation. His participation at Silverstone depends on how his rehabilitation progresses.

The surgery was carried out in Modena by a medical team led by Professor Luigi Tarallo at the Orthopaedic Clinic of the Policlinico, or University Hospital, directed by Professor Fabio Catani. Ducati did not specify the condition that led to the operation. Motorsport.com reported that Bagnaia was treated for compartment syndrome, a common forearm problem among MotoGP riders.

Bagnaia had attended an event in Rome on Tuesday before the Wednesday operation, where Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs named him a sporting ambassador alongside other leading Italian motorcycle racers. He finished the opening half of his final Ducati season in sixth place at the German Grand Prix and entered the summer break eighth in the championship standings, 65 points behind leader Jorge Martin.
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July 15, 2026

Steiner tells McLaren to build its own F1 engine

Former Haas Formula 1 team boss Guenther Steiner urged McLaren to stop blaming Mercedes for its 2026 struggles and build its own engine instead, saying the team needed to “grow up” and “stand on their own two feet.” Steiner called McLaren’s complaints about its Mercedes power unit a familiar excuse and said the manufacturer should put sponsorship money into an engine program rather than blaming suppliers when results fall short. He said McLaren had raised similar concerns about Mercedes, Renault and Honda in the past.

Steiner said McLaren had enough money to make the move and argued that becoming self-sufficient would strengthen both its team identity and its road-car business. He pointed to Red Bull and Audi as examples of manufacturers building more independence in Formula 1. He also said McLaren had changed partners often enough to stop relying on outside suppliers, though he acknowledged that building a power unit would be difficult and that funding and hiring the right people would be the biggest hurdles.

The comments came as McLaren, the reigning constructors’ champions, had not won any of the first nine races of the season. Mercedes led the standings and had taken seven wins in nine Grands Prix, split between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, while the works team also led McLaren 333 to 179 after nine rounds. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said during the British Grand Prix weekend that the team still appeared to be leaving performance on the table from Mercedes High-Performance Powertrains, but he did not directly blame Mercedes for the issue.
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July 15, 2026

Moto d’Italia event spotlights Italy’s racing soft power

Italian motorcycle racing and its role in diplomacy were celebrated at the “Moto d’Italia – Culture Beyond the Track” event, where Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani presented Sports Diplomacy Ambassador plaques to Valentino Rossi, Francesco Bagnaia, Marco Bezzecchi, Giacomo Agostini, Max Biaggi, Kiara Fontanesi and Mugello Circuit CEO Paolo Poli. The initiative promoted motorcycling as a symbol of Italian industrial, technological, sporting and cultural excellence, and as a tool to strengthen Italy’s image abroad.

Bezzecchi joined by videoconference after surgery on a fractured collarbone suffered at the Sachsenring the previous weekend. He said he was proud of the appointment, thanked Tajani and said his operation had gone well as he recovered ahead of Silverstone. Bezzecchi also recalled winning at Mugello on an Italian motorbike and carrying the Italian flag on the podium. Rossi said, “It’s satisfying to watch the races today: Italy is at the top with its bikes and riders.”

The gathering brought together figures from the Italian and global motorcycling world, including Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, FMI president Giovanni Copioli and MotoGP Group CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. Ducati displayed Bagnaia’s Desmosedici GP26, Nicolò Bulega’s WorldSBK-spec Panigale V4 R and the Superleggera V4 Centenario Tricolore. Rivola said the Piaggio Group and its brands, including Vespa, Moto Guzzi and Aprilia, represent Italian spirit worldwide.
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July 14, 2026

Bryce Lucius Wins Brad Doty Classic for First Outlaws Victory

Bryce Lucius of Findlay, Ohio, scored the biggest win of his career Tuesday night at Attica Raceway Park, capturing the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic Presented by DAC Vitamins and Minerals for his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars victory. Lucius held off Logan Schuchart to win the 40-lap Feature in a race that drew a 49-car field.

Lucius took the lead after Kyle Larson, who had been chasing a fourth Brad Doty Classic win to tie the event record, flipped his car in Turns 3 and 4 with eight laps remaining. Lucius had earlier passed Carson Macedo in traffic, then inherited the top spot after Larson’s crash and stayed in front to the finish.

The victory made Lucius the 157th different winner in World of Outlaws history, the 27th different Brad Doty Classic winner in 36 runnings and the 17th Ohio driver to win a World of Outlaws Series race.
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July 14, 2026

Eli Tomac to Return at Spring Creek After Neck Injury

Eli Tomac is set to return to Pro Motocross this weekend at the Spring Creek National, ending a six-round absence caused by a neck injury from the opening round at Fox Raceway. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing said Tomac will race in Round 7 on a KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition, his first start since an opening-moto crash with Garrett Marchbanks forced him out of the opener. After missing five rounds, KTM said a championship run is no longer realistic.

KTM said the crash left Tomac with a hyperextended anterior longitudinal ligament and a partial tear of the left sternocleidomastoid muscle in his neck. The team confirmed his comeback in an Instagram post, saying he would be “back in action this weekend.” Tomac will join teammate Jorge Prado in the 450 class at Spring Creek MX.

Tomac, a four-time 450MX champion, is third on the all-time overall wins list and is six podiums shy of passing Ricky Carmichael for the record. He enters the weekend ninth in SMX Playoff seeding despite not scoring points before his injury. Tomac is also still seeking his first outdoor win since the 2022 Fox Raceway finale.
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July 14, 2026

Mercedes heads to Spa with pace, but points lost to failures

Mercedes heads to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix with a title lead and a car quick enough to fight at the front, but Toto Wolff said reliability problems and missed chances have already cost the team points it cannot afford to lose. He wants Mercedes to leave the final double-header before the summer shutdown with better reliability, fewer mistakes and more points than it has recently collected.

Mercedes has converted that pace into seven wins from nine races and all nine pole positions in 2026, with its only defeats coming in Barcelona and Silverstone. Andrea Kimi Antonelli retired in Barcelona because of an electrical failure, George Russell retired from the lead in Canada with a similar problem, and Antonelli’s Silverstone race was undone by a wheel-shield issue, a slow start, front-left damage, a second pit stop and a five-second penalty that dropped him out of the points. Mercedes has covered 5,215 of a possible 5,408 kilometers in grands prix this season, more than every team except Ferrari, and still leads Ferrari by 78 points in the constructors’ standings. Its drivers sit first and second in the championship, with Russell having cut Antonelli’s lead to 25 points.

Wolff said he would rather keep the quickest car and accept occasional failures than settle for a slower but reliable one, though he also said Mercedes must solve its reliability gremlins. He said Spa should produce good racing and overtaking, but qualifying and clean execution will still be crucial. The final stretch before the summer break is another test and a chance for Mercedes to finish stronger.
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July 14, 2026

Crutchlow stays in for Zarco at Silverstone MotoGP

LCR Honda confirmed that Cal Crutchlow will continue as Johann Zarco’s replacement for the British MotoGP at Silverstone on Aug. 7-9, extending his stay in the Castrol Honda LCR seat. The race will give Crutchlow a home Grand Prix appearance, and if he starts, he will become the first British rider on the premier-class British Grand Prix grid since his 2021 Silverstone substitute ride. Britain has not had a full-time MotoGP rider since Crutchlow retired at the end of 2020.

Zarco has been sidelined by knee injuries suffered at the Catalan Grand Prix in May, and after recent medical checks he decided not to have surgery. No return date has been announced, although September has been mentioned as a possible target. Crutchlow has been filling in since Mugello, and Silverstone would be his sixth consecutive race weekend on the bike after appearances in Hungary, Czechia, the Netherlands and Germany. His best results as a stand-in have been 16th place at Balaton Park and at Assen, and he has not scored a point.

Crutchlow is expected to share the LCR garage again with Diogo Moreira, who is 15th in the championship and has a best finish of sixth in Hungary. Jack Miller called Crutchlow’s 2026 return “mind-blowing” and praised his training and fitness, saying the veteran has had to adapt to new techniques and machinery in a MotoGP class that has changed during his time away.
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July 14, 2026

FOX Nation, McGregor Launch BKFC Series ‘World’s Baddest Man’

FOX Nation has announced a new original documentary competition series, “World’s Baddest Man,” in partnership with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and BKFC co-owner Conor McGregor. McGregor will host the series, appear prominently throughout it and serve as one of its executive producers. The project is being produced by Kiss Fly Productions and is set to premiere in summer 2027.

The series will follow elite domestic and international BKFC fighters through a bracket-style elimination tournament that blends documentary storytelling with competition. Fighters will train, face personal challenges and compete for a winner-take-all live championship event. The series will offer an eight-figure prize pool.

The announcement came days after McGregor’s UFC return ended in a first-round injury stoppage. McGregor has since confirmed that he will undergo surgery.
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