Author Archives: PressBox

March 21, 2026

Seth Hammaker Tops Birmingham 250SX Qualifying in 51.567s

Organizers revised the provisional entry list ahead of the Birmingham 250SX Showdown and named 56 riders, including domestic and international competitors. The roster listed riders such as Seth Hammaker, Max Vohland, Haiden Deegan, Jo Shimoda, Cole Davies, Max Anstie and Luke Clout, and the manufacturers noted were Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, Husqvarna, KTM, Triumph, Suzuki and GasGas. Entry details included several factory-edition machines, for example the Honda CRF250R Works Edition and the Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition. The roster and machine designations remained subject to change before the Showdown.

Combined qualifying at Birmingham was held over three sessions. Seth Hammaker led the combined 250SX Showdown qualifying with a total time of 13:16.544 and posted the fastest lap of 51.567 seconds. Levi Kitchen was second, 0.579 seconds behind Hammaker, with Pierce Brown third, 0.871 seconds back; Haiden Deegan and Jalek Swoll rounded out the top five. A total of 54 riders recorded times across the three sessions.

Although Suzuki appeared on the provisional manufacturer list, riders who logged qualifying times rode Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda, KTM, Husqvarna, Triumph and GasGas machines. The combined results set the early pecking order for the Birmingham 250SX Showdown.
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March 21, 2026

Racing Bulls unveils cherry-sakura livery for Suzuka

Racing Bulls unveiled a Japan-inspired one-off livery as a promotional and cultural activation ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. The team said the design was explicitly inspired by Red Bull’s Spring Edition “cherry sakura” can and the new flavor from the energy drink backer, and intended the visual treatment as a marketing push rather than a technical change. Coverage variously described the car as crimson- or cherry-colored, while other reports noted it reworks Racing Bulls’ usual blue into a white, red and silver palette—a difference reflected in the team’s social posts and event imagery. Fans reacted positively on social platforms, many joking that driver Liam Lawson was “winning the livery championship.”

The livery was revealed at the Red Bull Tokyo Drift event in Tokyo, where drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad attended and Racing Bulls presented the design alongside a drift demonstration by Mad Mike (Mike Whiddett). The motif was created with Japanese calligrapher Bisen Aoyagi, whose shodo brush strokes and calligraphic treatment wrap both the car and a matching team kit; Aoyagi is also slated to produce special artwork for the team during the Suzuka weekend.

CEO Peter Bayer framed the Tokyo unveiling as a strategic effort to deepen the team’s connection with younger fans and the host nation. After the Tokyo showcase, the car was scheduled to visit landmarks including Meguro River, Tokyo Tower and Shibuya before making its track debut at Suzuka. Racing Bulls — Red Bull’s second Formula 1 team — presented the one-off look as a cultural collaboration and product-promotion tied to a high-profile race weekend, part of a wider trend of circuit-specific liveries in F1; coverage noted similar gestures in recent seasons, including a Japan-themed Red Bull livery last year to honor Honda and a bespoke Haas design linked to its partnership with Toyota, underlining that such treatments function as marketing and local cultural activations rather than competitive developments.
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March 21, 2026

David Gravel wins Sooner Stampede for 122nd WoO victory

David Gravel won the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series feature at Lawton Speedway’s Sooner Stampede, earning the 122nd World of Outlaws victory of his career and extending his championship points lead to 38 points.

Gravel started on the pole in the Big Game Motorsports No. 2, surrendered the early lead to Brady Bacon, then retook the lead midway through the 35-lap contest by finding a preferred midrace line in Turns 3 and 4 and pulled away to Victory Lane.

The victory was Gravel’s second straight and tied the 33-year-old from Watertown, Connecticut, with Danny Lasoski for sixth on the series’ all-time wins list. Gravel’s result, combined with trouble for championship contender Carson Macedo, stretched his points cushion to 38 markers as he pursues a potential three-peat.

Scott Bogucki charged from ninth to finish second, earning his first career World of Outlaws Series podium in the Three Stooges Racing No. 51; Brady Bacon was third in the TKH Motorsports No. 21h, Sheldon Haudenschild finished fourth and Chris Windom fifth.
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March 21, 2026

Birmingham Showdown Tightens 250SX Title Race

The 250SX East/West Showdown in Birmingham is the season’s first combined 250SX race and is shaping up to have outsized championship consequences. By bringing East and West riders together on the same track on Saturday, the format concentrates more top 250SX talent into a single race, raises the stakes for every contender and increases the chance of large points swings; the structure also makes even small mistakes especially costly. Organizers and observers say the event’s format, timing and a closely bunched leaderboard set the stage for a potentially wild night and significant shifts in championship momentum.

The East standings are razor-thin heading into the Showdown: Cole Davies leads by one point over Seth Hammaker, while Pierce Brown and Jo Shimoda sit one point behind Hammaker and are tied for third. Because the Birmingham race is the first of three events this season where 250 West and 250 East riders meet head-to-head, a winner in Birmingham could leap to the overall points lead, underscoring how pivotal a single result can be in the title chase.

Back in the paddock, teams and riders returned after a weekend off to prepare for practice and race sessions, with bikes described as looking especially polished as preparations ramped up. MXA’s Brian Converse walked the pits and reported on the close-quarters atmosphere and equipment, and the preview framed race-week momentum and paddock preparation as factors that can influence performance at Birmingham. The event also serves as the 10th round of the 450SX season, where Eli Tomac and Hunter Lawrence were presented as clear title favorites entering Birmingham while Cooper Webb and Ken Roczen were noted as needing sizable shake-ups in the points to re-enter contention.
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March 21, 2026

Provisional 48-rider 450SX list released for Birmingham

A provisional 450SX entry list for the Birmingham round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross was published recently. The sheet included 48 riders and noted that entries remain subject to change.

The list highlighted Cooper Webb (#1) on a Yamaha YZ250F and Eli Tomac (#3) on a KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition, and it also named factory-backed competitors Jorge Prado (#26), Malcolm Stewart (#27), Ken Roczen (#94) and Hunter Lawrence (#96).

Established riders Justin Cooper, Aaron Plessinger, Colt Nichols and Justin Hill were listed among the entrants, while Justin Bogle (#891) and Carter Stephenson (#824) were explicitly marked as new entries. Machines across Yamaha, KTM, Honda, Suzuki, Triumph, Kawasaki, Husqvarna and GasGas were specified on the sheet, reflecting both factory and privateer equipment diversity in the 450SX class.
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March 20, 2026

Pedro Acosta tops rain-hit Goiânia FP1 after slick scramble

Pedro Acosta topped the delayed, weather-affected MotoGP Free Practice One at Goiânia, posting the fastest lap of 1:26.688 aboard his Michelin-shod Red Bull KTM. Jack Miller was 0.087s back on the Prima Pramac Yamaha with a 1:26.775 and Marco Bezzecchi was third in 1:26.918; Marc Márquez (1:26.975), Franco Morbidelli (1:27.170) and Maverick Viñales completed the top six. The session started late after heavy rain and was extended, beginning on wets as the circuit dried; Márquez led much of the early running on wets while Miller became the first rider to switch to slicks about 30 minutes from the end. Accounts vary on whether Acosta’s quickest lap came on wets or during the late scramble on slicks, but his 1:26.688 remained top of the timesheet. Organizers and Michelin provided an enlarged tire allocation for the unpredictable conditions, and teams were mindful that the shortened, rescheduled afternoon practice (moved to 16:00 local and reduced to one hour) would decide the top ten who go straight into Saturday’s Q2.

Moto2’s opening Free Practice One ran in wet morning conditions that kept lap times elevated: Alex Escrig led the class with a 1:30.102 on his Pirelli-shod KLINT Racing Team Forward machine, Izan Guevara was second with a 1:30.171 and Mario Aji third on 1:30.207. The 28-rider field used the damp running to start setup work and tire decisions; later Friday running in the afternoon produced much quicker times (Tony Arbolino topped that session with a 1:23.709), underlining how the drying track changed pace and set-up priorities.

In Moto3 Free Practice One Brian Uriarte topped the 25-rider class with a 1:32.812 on his Red Bull KTM Ajo bike, Maximo Quiles was second on 1:33.206 and Joel Esteban third on 1:33.606. The session was run on the mandated Pirelli control tires and the tight time gaps among the leaders signaled close competition; across all three classes teams said tire choice and the evolving grip as the circuit dried were the decisive factors shaping practice placings and strategy for qualifying and the race weekend.
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March 20, 2026

Abreu wins Cactus Classic for Stewart/Curb-Agajanian

Early in the Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing season, Central Arizona Raceway was expanded into a three-day Casa Grande special that paired High Limit’s Cactus Classic with NHRA’s Arizona Nationals. The weekend featured additional marquee drivers: six-time national champion Brad Sweet teamed with Paul Silva in Kevin Kozlowski’s W car, and USAC Triple Crown champion Logan Seavey made his High Limit debut in Chad Boat’s CB Industries No. 87, a separate entry from Aaron Reutzel’s Ridge & Sons Racing No. 87.

Rico Abreu won the Cactus Classic opener at Central Arizona Raceway, taking the lead on the final restart at Lap 14 and pulling away to a 2.697-second victory over Tanner Thorson, with Daison Pursley third. The win — Abreu’s first for Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing and the 26th of his career — produced the fourth different winner in as many races this season.

After four of 64 races, Tanner Thorson leads the championship with 272 points and Rico Abreu is second with 263; Thorson’s runner-up finish extended his streak of top-five results. Earlier Las Vegas events produced wins for Kyle Larson, Corey Day and Aaron Reutzel; Reutzel (Ridge & Sons Racing No. 87) finished 10th, 2nd and 1st in the opening three races and briefly held the early points lead — two points ahead of Thorson and 16 ahead of Abreu, with Giovanni Scelzi and Tyler Courtney 24 points back. The Cactus Classic result shifted those early standings, underscoring how the expanded Arizona weekend and added entries have affected the early-season pecking order.
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March 19, 2026

Stewart, Gaffie Make Weight Ahead of BKFC 87 Title Fight

Undefeated Kai “King” Stewart will defend the BKFC World Featherweight Championship at BKFC 87, seeking to tie the promotion record with a sixth consecutive successful title defense. Both headliners made weight at the official scale: Stewart weighed 144.8 lbs and challenger Nico “The Iron” Gaffie weighed 144.4 lbs.

Stewart, 22, is 8-0 in BKFC competition and is the promotion’s youngest world champion; Gaffie is unbeaten and is the BKFC European champion. BKFC 87 is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT and will stream live worldwide on The BKFC App from Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida.

All listed fighters made weight at the preliminary and main-card weigh-ins. Main-card highlights include Bryan “El Gallo” Duran (145.2 lbs), Derek Perez (146 lbs), Leonel Carrera (186 lbs) and Sabah Homasi (185.6 lbs). Preliminary highlights include Chris Garcia (125.6 lbs), Chancey Wilson (125.8 lbs), Victor Flor (135.6 lbs), Ernesto Suarez (134.8 lbs), Chino Blume (233 lbs) and Alex Davis (249.2 lbs). The co-main features heavyweight Leonardo “El Zambo” Perdomo (263.2 lbs) against Coulter (256.4 lbs); Perdomo is 10-0 as a professional with stoppages in all 10 fights, nine in the first round. Reports disagree on Coulter’s given name—one lists Rashad Coulter and another lists Orlando “Daywalker” Coulter—but both identify him as a UFC veteran and note he’s seeking his third first‑round bare-knuckle finish. The undercard also features undefeated Jancarlos “Baby Hulk” Rivera, AJ “The Biggest” Rodriguez and Rosalinda “Venom” Rodriguez, along with Chris “Dynamite” Garcia, Donald Sanchez and Jeremy “Pitbull” Smith.
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March 19, 2026

Ralf Schumacher Rebukes Verstappen, Urges Red Bull to Lead

Ralf Schumacher publicly rebuked Max Verstappen for airing strong complaints about Formula 1’s 2026 technical regulations and urged him to show leadership and restraint as Red Bull struggled early in the season. Schumacher called on Verstappen to embrace a formal team-leader role to steady the team rather than withdraw into public criticism, saying Verstappen currently “takes center stage.” He contrasted Verstappen’s posture with how Michael Schumacher would have responded, adding that Verstappen “has proved he’s no Michael Schumacher,” and urged Red Bull sporting director Laurent Mekies to hire stronger, more media-savvy personnel to share the spotlight.

Verstappen had criticized the new power units as “Formula E on steroids” and said anyone who liked them “doesn’t know what racing is like.” He first made the remark during pre-season testing and had raised concerns privately with the FIA. The paddock pushed back: Guenther Steiner mocked Verstappen’s stance, saying “it’s not the fault of the regulations… Max is not happy because the car is not where he likes it to be” and that Verstappen “always throws the toys out of the pram when it doesn’t go his way.” Some observers also noted Helmut Marko’s absence had focused more attention on Verstappen.

The dispute coincided with tangible problems for Red Bull: on-track incidents, reliability concerns and a perceived drop in pace for Red Bull’s RB22. Verstappen had eight championship points after two weekends, suffered a qualifying crash in Australia and retired at the Chinese Grand Prix, and showed struggles with race starts compared with teammate Isack Hadjar. The debate has taken on both sporting and leadership dimensions: Schumacher argued Verstappen’s public airing of grievances has amplified attention on the driver rather than on team leadership, and suggested Red Bull looked like only the fourth-best team in the early part of the season. Reactions among top drivers were split — Lewis Hamilton praised the new regulations and took a podium for Ferrari in China — underscoring divergent views within the paddock as calls continued for responsibility and restraint from one high-profile figure toward another during a challenging phase for the team.
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