Kawasaki rider Landen Gordon emerged victorious after a wild afternoon of racing on the 4th of July

The second of three events for SMX Next – Motocross took place surrounded by the celebratory atmosphere of the 4th of July, on the eve of the Honda RedBud National Presented by Dixxon Flannel Co. A total of 26 amateur prospects were invited to the Scouting Moto Combine Presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare at legendary RedBud MX, where a pair of unpredictable motos saw Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Landen Gordon emerge victorious to give Rider Coach Gareth Swanepoel the Coach’s Cup in his debut appearance in the role.
 
Before racing got underway on Friday afternoon, the hand-picked group of young racers took part in classroom-style education sessions that provided invaluable lessons and insights into the various aspects of the sport, such as training, nutrition, and media engagement. The prospects were divided into five groups, with each rider assigned to one of five esteemed Rider Coaches, as Swanepoel was flanked by Michael Byrne, Broc Glover, Ezra Lusk, and Chad Reed. All the coaches provided unparalleled perspective, guidance, and mentorship to the promising young athletes.

The first moto of the afternoon saw Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Carson Wood assert himself out front with the holeshot and the early race lead as Gordon settled into second. Behind them, multiple riders jockeyed for position in the opening laps, but it was KTM Orange Brigade’s Deacon Denno who ultimately took hold of third ahead of Altus Motorsports BLU CRU Yamaha’s Owen Covell and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Landon Gibson. The clear track allowed Wood to inch away from the field as Gordon started to lose ground in the middle of the moto, dropping from second to fourth. That moved Denno up into second while a hard charging Gibson climbed up to third. Denno and Gibson then battled it out for several laps, with Gibson able to make the pass. The Husqvarna rider then started to make ground on Wood, who went down right in front of Gibson with just a few laps remaining. That allowed the Gibson rider to assume the lead and storm to the moto win 6.6 seconds ahead of Denno, followed by Altus Motorsports BLU CRU Yamaha’s Kade Johnson in third, with Gordon just off the podium in fourth.

The final moto began with Gordon and Gibson side-by-side exiting the first turn, with the holeshot edge going to Gordon. However, in the following corner they bumped one another going for the same rut, which sent Gordon off to the side and Gibson into the lead. The Husqvarna rider charged forward as Gibson started fourth but fought back up to second, with Orange Brigade KTM’s Luke Fauser slotting into third. Misfortune plagued Moto 1 contenders Denno, who started second but then crashed on the opening lap, and Johnson, who started third, went down, and then had his bike expire. Out front, Gibson was in a class of his own and opened up an insurmountable margin over Gordon. Unfortunately, heartbreak struck the Husqvarna rider with just two laps to go as his bike also stopped running. That moved Gordon into the lead and on to the moto win 3.1 seconds ahead of Fauser, with Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha’s Jesson Turner in third.

The top three from Moto 2 ultimately secured the overall podium positions as well, with Gordon’s 4-1 finishes and 5 points putting him atop the classification. Fauser’s 7-2 finishes and 9 points placed him in the runner-up position, while a 9-3 effort and 12 points resulted in an unlikely third place for Turner.
 
“I struggled a lot in the first moto and made a few bike changes. I came out in the second moto just trying to work on myself,” said Gibson. “I’m going to be honest; I did not know Gibson’s bike blew up. I thought I finished in third place, so now that I know I won, it’s unreal. Last year was very unfortunate here [at the RedBud Combine], so to come back and get sort of lucky is really awesome.”

One event remains for SMX Next – Motocross this summer. Indiana’s Ironman Raceway will host the final Scouting Moto Combine on Friday, August 8, ahead of the Tucker Freight Lines Ironman National.
 
SMX Next – Motocross // RedBud Moto Combine Results (Moto Finishes / Score)

1. Landen Gordon, Atascadero, Calif., Kawasaki (4-1 / 5)
2. Luke Fauser, Midland, Pa., KTM (7-2 / 9)
3. Jesson Turner, Lockesburg, Ark., Yamaha (9-3 / 12)
4. Owen Covell, Plymouth, Mass., Yamaha (6-7 / 13)
5. Deacon Denno, Fort Worth, Texas, KTM (2-13 / 15)
6. Enzo Temmerman, Visalia, Calif., Kawasaki (12-4 / 16)
7. Carson Wood, Zephyrhills, Fla., Yamaha (10-6 / 16)
8. Landon Hartz, Wilsonville, Ala., Yamaha (15-5 / 20)
9. Diesel Thomas, Raymond, Neb., Husqvarna (11-9 / 20)
10. Leum Oehlhof, Oak Hills, Calif., Honda (5-15 / 20)