Motocross
Team TLD's Ascent to the Top of American Motocross
A brief history of one of the most unique teams in MX and its rise to the pinnacle of the sport.
Jessy Nelson made a statement at Anaheim
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Supermoto came to America in 2003, as the Red Bull AMA Supermoto Championship. The discipline, a combination of motocross and superbike racing, had gained serious popularity in Europe, and the decision to bring it to America via an AMA championship seemed logical, since Americans love their motorcycle racing.
In 2004, Troy Lee and Jeff Ward (a seven-time AMA MX and SX champ) set out on an effort to compete for the newly-formed Supermoto championship, and their success was decisive and immediate. Ward, of course a jack of all motorsports trades, took the #1 plate in the Supermoto class, which was the equivalent of the 450 class in AMA supercross and motocross.
Jeff Ward leads Chris Fillmore at the '06 X-Games
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Jeff Ward dons the #1 plate in 2007
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
In 2008, Troy decided that it was time for a campaign in the sport in which he was rooted. With riders Chris Gosselaar and Gavin Gracyk, the team raced the 250 West SX series, to moderate success; the learning curve of AMA Supercross was decidedly more aggressive than Supermoto, where the sport was so new in America that many teams did not have the program completely dialed in. Going against factory teams and satellite juggernauts like Mitch Payton’s Pro Circuit Kawasaki squad was a completely new challenge.
Wil Hahn cracks a whip at a 2010 Red Bull Ride Day
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Ben Townley racing Glen Helen in 2010
© Simon Cudby/Red Bull Content Pool
In 2011, the team finally hit the top of the podium. Troy’s faith in the young gun Cole Seely paid off at the 2011 Los Angeles Supercross, where Cole took the win over championship contenders (and factory riders) Eli Tomac, Josh Hansen, and the eventual series champ Broc Tickle. It was a massive win for Seely, who at the time was not seen as legitimate championship material. From that point on, Seely and TLD were no longer racing for podiums and top fives – they were lining up to win.
Cole Seely rips a holeshot at LA in 2012
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Seely won the 2012 season opener at Anaheim, and served notice to the entire sport that he and the team had their eyes on a #1 plate. While Cole did not reach the top of the box again in 2012, he had proven that his 2011 win was no fluke, and finished with multiple podiums. In the outdoor nationals that same year, the team brought rookie Jessy Nelson up from the amateur ranks. Jessy’s decision to skip the Red Bull AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s raised a few eyebrows, but the team felt that Jessy’s speed was solid, and his eventual ninth in the championship proved that. Jessy was named AMA Rookie of the Year for his effort.
Jessy Nelson going fast at Hangtown, 2013
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
In 2013, Cole Seely again crushed it in the 250 West SX championship, but fell short of a #1 plate, finishing third to the class superstars Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen. Nelson struggled with injuries the whole season, but still managed an impressive fifth at his second supercross ever in Phoenix.
Jessy Nelson getting his carve on
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Shane McElrath is looking like podium material
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
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