Motocross Rumours
The Weekly Edition · 7 September 2026

The Silly Season Week: Tomac Calls Time And Triumph Circle Plessinger

Eli Tomac will retire at the end of the 2026 SMX Playoffs. That is confirmed, reported by SwapMoto and carried by the Racer X podcasts, and it reorders the top of the 450 board in one move.

SwapMoto also raised the knock-on question: what Tomac's exit does to Justin Barcia and to KTM's own plans. Treat that as an open thread rather than a signing.

It sits awkwardly beside the week's other headline claim. The Vital MX show reported, at grade A, that Aaron Plessinger has signed with Triumph for 2027 after Tomac committed to a Supercross-only deal with KTM. Both cannot be fully true as stated. Either the Supercross-only arrangement was for 2026 only, or the timeline in that account needs correcting.

Elsewhere, Main Event Moto claimed at grade A that Jett Lawrence has signed a large extension with Honda HRC. No terms attached, no length reported.

The PulpMX Show reported at grade A that Max Anstie will debut with Club MX at the SMX Playoffs. The same show also noted, again grade A, that Zach Osborne's final race was Ironman and that his retirement passed almost without comment.

Moto Aftermath reported at grade A that Marvin Musquin is not going to the Motocross of Nations because Kawasaki declined. No denial from the team has reached us.

Management moves are now formal at Star. Gate Drop confirmed Wil Hahn's promotion to 450 Team Manager at Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, with Martin Davalos in as 250 General Manager, taking Hahn's old role.

Valerio Lata's Honda spell is over. Gate Drop confirmed he will miss the final three MX2 rounds, MX Vice reported Arnhem as his last Grand Prix in HRC colours, and MX2K reported the finish as a mutual agreement ending two years together.

Also confirmed: Kay Karssemakers has agreed terms with Dixon Kawasaki for 2027, and Garrett Marchbanks is expected to stay put at Kawasaki.

The board: 34 new claims, 23 confirmations, no denials, 197 rumours live.

Next week should settle the Plessinger timeline and tell us who KTM want in Tomac's place.

New to the mill this week

AMax Anstie will make his debut with Club MX at the SMX playoffs · pulpmx-show
AJet Lawrence has signed a large contract extension with Honda HRC · main-event-moto
AZach Osborne's final race was Iron Man; his retirement went unnoticed · pulpmx-show
AMarvin Musquin is not going to Motocross of Nations because Kawasaki said no · moto-aftermath
AThe speaker almost rode for Mark Fineis's father's team (Westfield Powersports) · moto-aftermath
AAaron Plessinger signed with Triumph for 2027 after Tomac committed to a Supercross-only deal with KTM · vitalmx-show
AHaiden Deegan moves up to the 450 class for 2027 as a rookie · vitalmx-show
BMaxime Renaux will be Valerio Lata's future team-mate (both at KTM De Carli) · mx2k
BJustin Hill will come back and race Iron Man again next year · pulpmx-show
BClub MX is in talks to send their young rider Jessup to race in Canada next summer, following Malinowski's development path · pulpmx-show
BWeigandt would not rule out Tomac coming back for a one-off event like Paris Supercross after retiring · racerx-podcasts
BHunter Lawrence had not yet signed a contract extension with Honda, with possible contract implications tied to winning the title · main-event-moto
BIt is uncertain whether Jett Lawrence will race the SMX playoffs · racerx-podcasts
BJulien Beaumer (Juju) would have been Kurt's pick for the Team USA 250 spot at Motocross of Nations · moto-aftermath
BKTM would take Aaron Plessinger back for 2027 if he could get out of his Triumph deal, and Plessinger would want to · vitalmx-show

Confirmed this week

✓Wil Hahn promoted to 450 Team Manager at Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing · gatedrop
✓Martin Davalos joins Star Yamaha's management team as 250 General Manager, filling Wil Hahn's previous role · gatedrop
✓Valerio Lata will not compete in the final three rounds of the 2026 MX2 World Championship, ending his season early with Honda · gatedrop
✓Garrett Marchbanks expected to stay at Kawasaki · gatedrop
✓Eli Tomac has announced he will retire from professional racing at the conclusion of the 2026 SMX Playoffs · swapmoto
✓Eli Tomac's retirement could affect Justin Barcia's and Factory KTM's plans and silly season negotiations for the KTM brand · swapmoto
✓The MXGP of the Netherlands in Arnhem appears to have been Valerio Lata's last Grand Prix as a factory Honda HRC rider, ending his time with the team · mxvice
✓Valerio Lata and Honda HRC mutually agreed to end his season after Arnhem, ending his two-year spell with the team · mx2k
✓Eli Tomac announced he will retire from racing at the end of the 2026 SMX campaign · racerx-podcasts
✓Kay Karssemakers has agreed terms to continue riding for the Dixon Kawasaki team in 2027 · gatedrop

The week in numbers

34 new claims · 23 confirmations · 0 denials · 197 live rumours on the board

This edition is a frozen record of the week as reported. Statuses shown are as they stood on publication day; the live board is on the front page.