[News]

2015 AMA SX & MX: Musical Chairs – Part 1

10 years ago | Words: Jason Thomas | Photos: Simon Cudby/Racer X Online

With the contracts of many US riders coming to an end this year, the silly season of negotiating is well underway. Rumours are flying every weekend, as teams are shuffling their budgets around in order to land the big fish for season 2015 and beyond. Let’s take a look at where we sit today:

Dean Wilson

Deano is pretty high on the lists of many teams right now. His upside is incredibly high and most feel he is one of the few available guys who have the speed and potential to win.

Potential teams: Kawasaki, KTM, TwoTwo Motorsports, JGR Yamaha, Honda.

Smart money says: He wants to be on a Kawasaki.

Justin Brayton

Brayton started the season quite well, landing on the podium and turning heads. He has cooled off a bit as of late and injuries have piled up for the #10.

Potential teams: JGR Yamaha, KTM, Honda, Kawasaki.

Smart money says: Look for him to get a pay raise and stay at JGR.

Ken Roczen

Roczen has been a revelation in 2014, winning the season opener and giving Villopoto fits more times than not. He is globally marketable and every team out there would jump at the chance to sign him.

Potential teams: RCH Suzuki, Kawasaki, KTM.

Smart money says: He is headed to RCH Suzuki and I have heard that the ink is dry on that deal.

Jason Anderson

JA17 looks to be headed towards his first title with an eight-point lead and two rounds remaining. He has been incredibly fast and consistent in 2014, making him a wanted man for 2015.

Potential teams: Honda, Rockstar KTM.

Smart money says: He signed his deal to remain on the Rockstar KTM team, but look for this team to switch to the Husqvarna side of things for 2015. The bikes will be the same as the KTMs, but with the Husky aesthetics.

Davi Millsaps

DM had the best supercross season of his career in 2013, but 2014 never even got off the ground. He injured his knee in pre-season testing and is yet to return. Look for him to be ready to go at Glen Helen’s Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross season opener on May 24.

Potential teams: Rockstar KTM, Kawasaki, TwoTwo Motorsports.

Smart money says: He would like to go to Kawasaki and it is between Davi and Dean Wilson for that spot. He could stay at Rockstar KTM, but with Anderson moving up and getting a big raise, that takes a big portion of their budget. Chad Reed was after him last year and made a great offer, so I could see him once again throwing his hat into the ring for 2015.

Jake Weimer

Jake needed to have a strong 2014 campaign to build some leverage for his contract year. A shoulder injury at San Diego didn’t fit into that plan and he has been out for a couple of months healing up. He is returning on April 26 and hoping for big things.

Potential teams: MotoConcepts, BTO Sports KTM, Kawasaki.

Smart money says: This one is tough. It will depend on how he does this summer. He may have to wait for a few chips to fall before he gets an offer. MotoConcepts would be my best guess at this point.

Broc Tickle

Broc was coming on strong before his big injury in Toronto. With a broken T7 vertebra, he will be out for quite a while.

Potential teams: RCH Suzuki, JGR Yamaha.

Smart money says: If Tickle can get healthy and back to 100%, I think he will stay at RCH Suzuki alongside Roczen. There is another factor in play here, though, involving the next rider on the list.

Weston Peick

Peick is finally going to get his chance, starting at Glen Helen. After a year or two of great results, he has been actively searching for a team to give him a real shot. RCH Suzuki has signed Peick for the outdoor championship and his chance on a factory bike has finally arrived.

Potential teams: RCH Suzuki.

Smart money says: If he performs well in the outdoors, he will be on RCH again in 2015. It rests on his results this summer.

Josh Hill

Hill won his Heat race in Houston but the results in the main events just haven’t been coming for the #75. He was just informed last weekend that he would be released after Las Vegas and looking for a job moving forward.

Potential teams: Still too early to tell as he hasn’t been on the market for more than a few days. I am sure his agent is furiously dialing his telephone this week looking for possibilities.

Smart money says: I look for Hill to end up on one of the private teams like MotoConcepts or Rock River. If he went to a team like this, he could get Yamaha to help with equipment to still have a great bike.

Trey Canard

Canard is back finally and looking good. Staying healthy is the name of the game for Trey, but speed is always going to find a home.

Potential teams: Honda, Kawasaki.

Smart money says: He is signed, sealed and delivered to stay at Big Red.

Cole Seely

Supercross is Cole’s strong suit and with a little luck he could still find himself holding the #1 plate in Vegas.

Potential teams: Honda, KTM.

Smart money says: KTM made an offer to Seely last week but I see him staying at Honda for some reason. He is a good fit with their image and has done well on the 450 in limited opportunities.

Justin Barcia

Many had Barcia pegged to be a title contender in 2014, but that just hasn’t happened. He has turned it around as of late, reeling off podiums. He has not hidden the fact that Honda has struggled to keep him happy with the bike and that may be a reason he moves on.

Potential teams: Honda, JGR Yamaha.

Smart money says: Look for him on a JGR Yamaha in 2015 and 2016.

Josh Grant

JG can’t seem to keep it on two wheels and even though he has incredible talent and speed, the results just aren’t there. He needs to put in some strong rides this summer if he wants to be on a good bike in 2015.

Potential teams: Tough to say as of yet. He will get more interest as more slots get filled.

Smart money says: As the chips fall, someone will get excited about a great moto finish in the outdoors and make him an offer. That’s what has happened every year so far.

Ryan Villopoto

RV is on the cusp of grasping his fourth consecutive AMA Supercross title. The latest rumours have him once again missing the outdoor championship this season, though. There are a few conflicting reports as to why, but most point to a nagging knee injury that needs to be corrected. The real question pertains to the bigger rumour… Is he considering retirement this year? Most in the know all agree that RV will retire sooner rather than later. Much like Carmichael, the rigours and strain of such a brutal training program remove the fun from the endeavour and lead to an early exit. The flame burns intensely bright, bringing wins and titles, but seems to also burn out early under the extreme measures Aldon Baker places on his athletes. He still has another year on all of his contracts, but if he indeed does decide to walk away, it would be a bomb dropped on the sport. Whatever he chooses, he should have no regrets. Whether it be an exit in 2014 or 2015, he has left his mark on the history books.

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