Avery Long joins Phoenix Racing Honda for 2027 season
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 27, 2026
Long joins
Phoenix Racing Honda has signed Long for its next season, bringing the rider into the 250 class on a Honda CRF250R. The move gives Long a new seat after he spent the previous two seasons with AEO Powersports KTM Racing, and it puts him in line for a schedule that runs through AMA Supercross, Pro Motocross and SuperMotocross. Phoenix said Long is set to make his debut for the team at the 250SX East Region opener in Tampa, giving him an immediate starting point in the program and a clear transition into Honda equipment.
The signing matters because it gives Phoenix a rider who already has experience and a defined role across the sport’s main domestic series. Long is not joining for a single event or a limited stretch. He is set to race the 250 program, which means Supercross, the outdoor nationals and the combined SuperMotocross championship all fall under the same deal. That kind of commitment ties the team’s plans together and gives Long a single path to follow from the first gate drop to the end of the season. It also marks a return to Honda for a rider who now gets another chance on machinery. Phoenix framed the move as a straight addition to its race program, with Long stepping into a major role in the class and taking on the schedule that comes with it.
Long returns to Honda
Long welcomed the chance to return to Honda and said he wants to build on the speed he showed last season. That season was interrupted by illness, but it still gave him flashes of top-10 and top-five pace. Those results did not come in a clean run of races, yet they gave him a benchmark he can carry into his new team. The move to Phoenix gives him the setting to turn those flashes into more consistent weekends, and the team is betting that his recent form points to more upside ahead.
That message from Long offers a clear read on where he stands going into the new program. He is not starting over so much as picking up a line of progress that already showed through in pieces. The illness made last season uneven, but the pace was there when he could show it. Phoenix now gives him a chance to chase that pace in a different environment and on a Honda CRF250R. For a rider in the 250 class, that kind of reset can matter. The machine changes and the team changes, but the target stays the same, turn speed into results and make the most of every round. Long’s comments point to a rider focused on that next step, with the return to Honda giving him the platform to chase it.
David Eller sees fit
Phoenix Racing owner David Eller said Long’s amateur background, professionalism and potential made him a strong fit for the program. That kind of endorsement says the team views the signing as more than a simple roster move. Eller’s comments point to a rider who brings more than raw speed, because the organization also values how he carries himself and where he came from before reaching this stage. In a class where development matters and progression can come quickly, those traits can shape how a rider settles into a new team and a new bike.
The fit also lines up with the rest of the move. Phoenix is putting Long on a Honda CRF250R and sending him into AMA Supercross, Pro Motocross and SuperMotocross, so the team wants a rider it believes can handle the workload. Eller’s assessment suggests the staff sees Long as someone who can grow inside that structure and contribute right away. The 250SX East Region opener in Tampa will give the team its first look at how the partnership works in competition, but the signing already shows the direction Phoenix wants to take. It brings in a rider with experience, a return to Honda and a background the team trusts. For Long, it opens the door to a season with a program that believes he fits the profile it wants. For Phoenix, it adds a rider it says has the base, the discipline and the ceiling to make the move worthwhile.
