The three-rider line-up to represent the United States at the 2022 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) was revealed at the weekend.
Team USA will comprise Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper, Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton, and Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Eli Tomac.
The annual spectacle, affectionately referred to as the “Olympics of Motocross,” will take place on home soil for the Americans on September 24-25 from Michigan’s legendary Red Bud MX facility.
The last time the United States hosted the event was in 2018, also at Red Bud, Michigan, and Team USA finished fifth overall on that occasion.
This year’s appearance will signify the United States’ first participation at the MXoN since the 2019 event in The Netherlands, where Team USA finished only sixth overall.
Belgian multi-time motocross world champion Roger DeCoster will again act as team manager for the Americans.
Tomac and Sexton have been this season’s primary championship combatants in the 450 Class and will headline the US squad in the MXGP and MX Open classes, respectively.
It will be Tomac’s fourth appearance representing the host nation and he’ll look to leverage his experience from 2013, 2014, and 2018 as the proverbial team captain.
Colorado’s Eli Tomac, pictured here racing the Motocross of Nations in Germany in 2013. Team USA finished runners-up that year, behind Team Belgium. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
As one of the most decorated competitors in the history of the sport, Tomac will look to achieve the one accomplishment still missing from his rèsumè, a win at the Motocross of Nations. He’ll bring added momentum from a victory at the Red Bud National in July. Tomac will wear No.101.
A strong second half of the Pro Motocross season has helped Cooper earn his second selection to the team in the MX2 class, following an MXoN debut in 2019 at the most recent US appearance.
An ongoing recovery from a broken foot resulted in a slow start to the summer for Cooper, but he’s enjoyed a return to form as of late with three overall podium finishes in the last four rounds and a pair of moto wins. Cooper will wear No.102.
It is the first team selection for Sexton, who is in the midst of a breakout season in the premier division as the current point leader with three victories and overall podium finishes in all nine rounds thus far.
His unparalleled consistency this summer could be a defining factor in the team’s quest for victory. He earned his best-ever Red Bud result in July with a runner-up finish at the National. Sexton will carry No.103.
The United States’ anticipated return to the MXoN will see the most successful country in the history of the event seek a record 23rd victory.
After a dominant stretch that saw the USA win the Chamberlain Trophy for seven consecutive years from 2005 to 2011, it has endured through a win-less streak that has now spanned eight years.
Coincidentally, the numbers the US riders will carry for the 2022 MXoN are the same that the line-up of Ricky Carmichael, Ivan Tedesco, and Kevin Windham wore during the 2005 event at Ernee, in France, when the United States last started its dominant streak of victories.
The 2022 Motocross of Nations will take place at Red Bud, Michigan, USA on September 22-24, 2022.
© Photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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American Justin Cooper leads Australian Kyle Webster (Honda No.11) at the Motocross of Nations in The Netherlands in 2019. The event was won by the Dutch team that year, with Team USA winding up sixth overall. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com