WEST:
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki
Broc Tickle
Number: 20
Age: 21
Recent highlights: After proving himself for a few years on the Star Racing Yamaha team, he finally won his first supercross in 2010 in Seattle. He was rewarded with a ride on the Pro Circuit team, which he hopes will turn into wins and titles in 2011. He has the determination, for sure.
Broc Tickle will likely make his Pro Circuit debut at Anaheim 1. (Photo: CoxMX.com)Tyla Rattray
Number: 28
Age: 25
Recent highlights: The oldest supercross rookie ever (maybe), Rattray hasn't ever raced an AMA Supercross in any class. However, he's been hauling outdoors, and he's also training with fellow South African Aldon Baker and has been putting in a ton of time at the test tracks. This may be his only shot at 250cc SX before moving up to 450s in 2012.
Josh Hansen
Number: 100
Age: 26
Recent highlights: In what he hopes will be his last season racing 250s, Hansen also hopes it will be his turn to win a title after getting beaten by teammate Weimer in 2010. He has been racing (and winning) in Australia prior to the start of the 2011 season, where he won the Australasian Supercross Championship on a 450. Don't be surprised to see him race opposite-coast on a 450 in 2011.
Josh Hansen moved from a planned East attack to West when Dean Wilson got hurt. (Photo: CoxMX.com)GEICO Powersports Honda
Wil Hahn
Number: 31
Age: 21
Recent highlights: Second in the 2010 Lites West Championship, Hahn has now stepped up to the most established Honda team in the Lites class, and he expects, at minimum, to win races.
Eli Tomac
Number: 19
Age: 18
Recent highlights: Has never raced a supercross, but prior to Hangtown in 2010, he had never raced an AMA National, either. And he won Hangtown. That being said, he's a big question mark indoors. We won't know what we're looking at until his first race.
Eli Tomac (19) chases Wil Hahn (31) out at Milestone MX's Supercross track in preparation for the Lites West. (Photo: CoxMX.com)Red Bull KTM
Ken Roczen
Number: 194
Age: 16
Recent highlights: Roczen has shown plenty of speed, including winning the MX2 class overall at the 2010 Motocross of Nations in Colorado, but he is a supercross rookie and will be switching from Suzukis to KTMs for this year. He has been putting in his time at the SoCal KTM Test Track alongside Andrew Short, though, and after the supercross championship, he will head back to Europe to try and snatch away the MX2 title before moving to the USA full-time in 2012.
DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha
Kyle Cunningham
Number: 35
Age: 21
Recent highlights: Cunningham had no ride coming into 2010, but injuries created vacancies, and he ended up racing 450s for much of the 2010 season, including an amazing ride at the Las Vegas season finale SX on his way to fourth in the main event behind Dungey, Reed and Windham. He has something to prove on 250s before he moves up to 450s full-time.
Kyle Cunningham will be taking on the Lites West for Star Racing. (Photo: CoxMX.com)Nick Paluzzi
Number: 72
Age: 18
Recent highlights: Heading into his rookie season in the pros, and he landed a ride at one of the sport's top teams to inaugurate the year. A longtime Suzuki-sponsored amateur, Paluzzi filled in with the JGR Yamaha team in the nationals, and now he's on a Yamaha full-time. He's definitely fast, but his shot with JGR didn't do him justice, as he has much more time to prepare now than he did for that one-off race.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki
Ryan Morais
Number: 71
Age: 27
Recent highlights: Was closer than anyone to Weimer in the 2010 Lites West, but after podium finishes at the first two rounds, got injured and was out most of the rest of the year. If he can figure out how to actually win a race (even though he's definitely fast enough), he could go out and win it all. Regardless, this is his last year on 250s.
Ryan Morais (116) was the only guy to challenge Jake Weimer (12) early in last year's West chase. (Photo: CoxMX.com)Martin Davalos
Number: 23
Age: 24
Recent highlights: From Ecuador, Davalos has always had tons of speed. However, injuries and lack of focus have hindered his results over the years. Still, he always seems to get another opportunity purely because of his raw speed, and word has it that he's been fastest on his team at the test tracks. That's no surprise. He's fast enough to beat anyone in the class.
Team CLS Kawasaki/Pro Circuit
Tommy Searle
Number: 40
Age: 20
Recent highlights: Searle showed signs of brilliance in 2010, including nearly winning the opening moto at Hangtown. However, a shoulder injury hampered him throughout the year. He landed a ride with CLS Kawasaki to race the Lites West then head back to Europe for one more crack at the MX2 world title, and rumor has it the plan is for him to move back to the US in 2012 to race for Payton's Pro Circuit team.
Tommy Searle has been putting in the laps since recovering from his shoulder injury. (Photo: CoxMX.com)Max Anstie
Number: 52
Age: 17
Recent highlights: Anstie is flat-out fast when he's on, and he nearly won the 2010 San Diego Supercross, even passing leader Jake Weimer late in the race for the lead before being held up by lappers. He's enthusiastic and quick. Don't be surprised if he wins a couple. He'll also be heading to Europe to race the GPs following the SX series and hopes to be back in the U.S. full-time in the next couple of years. He was actually high on many U.S. team lists, but behind the scenes many teams expressed concerns about his father being a bit too much for them to handle, so in the end they went with "safer bets". Still, the U.S. teams know Anstie is a talent, so it's likely just a matter of time.
TLD/Lucas Oil Honda
Cole Seely
Number: 36
Age: 20
Recent highlights: Seely had his best-ever season in 2010, landing podium finishes indoors and running up front frequently outdoors. Still, he hasn't shown himself to be quite there to battle for wins just yet. However, word has it that he is flat-out hauling at the test tracks. Some are even calling him out to win main events this year.
Cole Seely is being touted as a genuine contender for 2011. (Photo: CoxMX.com)Travis Baker
Number: 58
Age: 20
Recent highlights: Baker surprised the world with his sixth-place finish in a moto at the US GP as a relative unknown, but his aggressive riding style and good attitude landed him a ride at Troy Lee Designs for the next two years. He could surprise some people, although he just got back to riding after being injured for a while.
Christian Craig
Number: 144
Age: 18
Recent highlights: Temporarily paralyzed prior to the 2010 season, Craig went through a lot to get back on a bike and get going, and the team said he would have a ride waiting for him if he ever got back going again. So here he is. And believe it or not, he's faster than he was before he got hurt. We don't know what to expect, but if he's anything like his dad Mike was, he will be fast - and wild.
EAST:
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki
Dean Wilson
Number: 15
Age: 19
Recent highlights: The Scotsman (by way of Canada) is probably the favorite to win whichever supercross coast he races in 2011, provided he's healthy. And that's the tough part, as rumor has it that he was scheduled to race the West until he hurt himself. Still, he should be ready to go by the East opener. He has been going very fast at the test tracks, and he was a winner outdoors in 2010 as well. He missed a big chunk of the 2010 Lites East because of Visa problems when he got stuck in Canada and couldn't get back into the USA, so he's unlikely to be looking forward to going back to his old homeland this year.
Blake Baggett
Number: 57
Age: 18
Recent highlights: Baggett lost out on a spot at Pro Circuit in 2010 because the team picked up Wilson instead. However, Baggett was a longtime Team Green racer as an amateur, and he was a major rival to Wilson. The two still don't really get along because of hard feelings from their amateur careers, but Baggett scored a win in 2010 at the Dallas Supercross, and with the move to Pro Circuit, he hopes to do much more of that in 2011. He's the quiet, confident type, so chances are we won't know much until the checkered flag at the first race he's a part of. However, he is also working with Aldon Baker.
Blake Baggett hopes his new team will lead to more wins in 2011. (Photo: CoxMX.com)GEICO Powersports Honda
Justin Barcia
Number: 17
Age: 18
Recent highlights: Won quite a few races in the 2010 Lites East and hopes to turn that into an actual championship in 2011. He's capable if he can stay out of the dirt. Known as the "Wild Child", he's known to knock his competition around, but at least he does it while trying to move forward in the field. Still, his riding style has not earned him a lot of friends on the track, and when everyone tries to take shots at you, it doesn't help your chances. Then again, if you stick to it, eventually people will learn to stay away from you, which can actually be a big help in racing.
Justin Barcia is already a proven SX winner. Can he put a series together back east? (Photo: CoxMX.com)Blake Wharton
Number: 21
Age: 20
Recent highlights: Wharton has won indoors before (St. Louis, 2009), and he is refocused after being rather lackadaisical for much of 2009 and 2010. He has hired his amateur trainer Sebastien Tortelli, and ever since then has been a threat at nearly every race. He's one to keep an eye on.
Red Bull KTM
Marvin Musquin
Number: 525
Age: 21
Recent highlights: A supercross rookie, Musquin's exploits in motocross are widely known. A two-time MX2 World Champion, Musquin brings quite a pedigree to the USA. He's new to AMA Supercross, but he's French, and it seems to help if you're French or Australian. However, he suffered an injured knee at Bercy and his return is questionable. Chances seem good he'll be back for outdoors, but no sooner.
DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha
Ryan Sipes
Number: 25
Age: 26
Recent highlights: Always a contender when he's healthy, Sipes had a strong season indoors in 2010 only hindered by mechanical failures. Outdoors, on a 450, he turned lots of heads, and it landed him a solid ride for one last season in the 250cc class on a top team.
Ryan Sipes was a contender nearly every race back east in 2010. This year, he has a more proven Lites team behind him. (Photo: CoxMX.com)Gannon Audette
Number: N/A
Age: 17
Recent highlights: A rookie in 2011, Audette is a big question mark. He can't be slow, as the team wouldn't have hired him, but no one really knows what to expect from the youngster indoors just yet.
Gareth Swanepoel
Number: N/A
Age: 26
Recent highlights: With things drying up in Europe for the likable South African, he has been working with Grant Langston to get adjusted to supercross life in preparation for his attack on the 2011 SX Championships. He is expected to be a contender outdoors, but indoors, no one really knows.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki
Ian Trettel
Number: 77
Age: 18
Recent highlights: A rookie, Trettel has grown up in the supercross environment as an amateur. He has great style for supercross and should be a contender, barring rookie mistakes.
Jason Anderson
Number: N/A
Age: 17
Recent highlights: Like Trettel, Anderson is a highly touted rookie who is not that new to supercross-style riding. Racing, on the other hand, is different. He has the speed to be a contender, but he is still a rookie.
Suzuki City
Malcolm Stewart
Number: N/A (Should know later this week)
Age: 18
Recent highlights: The word around Malcolm Stewart has always been that he is very, very talented (no surprise there, considering who is older brother is), but that he has had trouble staying focused on racing. However, the word lately is that he looks like a completely different person since he's in such great shape, and he's looking forward to making his pro debut at the first round of the Lites East. Whatever happens, it will be exciting.
Sean Lipanovich
Number: 505
Age: 20
Recent highlights: He has good style for and has put in solid results in the last year or so, racing for the Honda of Troy team. His team is concentrating on the Lites East and outdoors only.
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