We always like to have a little fun and rate our top ten riders in the World. With both the AMA and FIM championships running at the moment, and HRC really dominating all but the MX2 class in Europe, expect to see a lot of red in the top ten, but here we go, the top ten riders for the last month in our opinion at the moment.

1. Tim Gajser: He has a rough trot of late, but you can’t put him anywhere but first. His near loss to Jeffrey Herlings and Romain Febvre in 2021 makes him inside the top three in the World in 2021 and his 101 point lead in the MXGP championship this year makes him our number one. Picked up his 40^th GP win last weekend and is heading towards an even more impressive CV than it is now, with that fifth World title already in his sights. Finally over a sickness, that seems to have been transferred over to the Lawrence brothers in USA, the Slovenian is mister class when it comes to just racing with no big excuses. How can you not love this guy.

2. Chase Sexton: Our first American inside the top ten is Chase Sexton. WOW, as good as he is and as young as he is, I would never have thought I would be picking him at number two just yet, but I am. Riding under some similar settings as Gajser, it is clear taking advice from the Euros technical guys has worked out. He was very unlucky not to win last weekend and a late race crash cost him, but he still has the red plate on that HRC machine. Stylish and improving all the time, who knows, maybe he has something for the Euros at Redbud in September?

3. Jeremy Seewer: The rider from Switzerland squeezes out the red machines of Ken Roczen and Jett Lawerence as our number three guy, and despite not having a brilliant 2022, the Monster Energy Yamaha rider again finds himself second in the World. How does he do it year after year? I have had some of the American media send me e-mails saying how can I rate Seewer ahead of Ken Roczen and I get it, because in championships or legendary status, there is no doubt Roczen is miles ahead of Seewer, but Seewer deserves his ranking for just always being around.

4. Ken Roczen: Not American, a German, but he is as American as Chad Reed when it comes to fitting right in with the American lifestyle. We have all written off the former MX2 and AMA 450 champion a number of times and he has given us reason, but you have to give credit where credit is due. The more we write him off, the more is pisses him off and then the results come. I think everyone would love to see him finish the season like he started it and come home with his third AMA 450 title and edge his name further up that AMA all-time list.

5. Jett Lawrence: What is going on here, three American based riders in my top five!!!! Lawrence is everything most of the intelligent people in the sport think he is, and those who have doubted his generational talent are just blindsided by his nationality. The kid is special, and I am not sure there is another rider in the World with his talent, character or future, in fact I am sure there isn’t. If he keeps on track, this kid will be a multiple AMA champion, and become the greatest non-American rider in AMA history. Hell, I wouldn’t even be surprised to see him surpass everyone but Ricky Carmichael on the win lists.

6. Maxime Renaux: A GP victory to his name recently and in his rookie season. The Frenchman is going to have a long career in Europe and while on most occasions he has looked really good, he has also had periods where he has crashed hard and that is expected in his first year in MXGP. I can’t wait to see his future unfold and some more championships delivered, because he could be the next big thing in Europe.

7 and 8. Tom Vialle and Jago Geerts: I know Vialle isn’t the red plate man in the MX2 class, but he has seemed most likely to win the championship. For both himself and Geerts, it has been a really up and down year, Vialle with two DNFs and Geerts showing his best ever form and then crashing his way out of contention. The second part of the season could change, or it could remain the same, but for sure, these two are a level above everyone else in MX2 and they might also be better than Lawrence. I guess we will find out at Redbud in September, at least for Vialle, as it seems Belgium won’t be sending a team and that means no Geerts.

9. Jorge Prado: The former World MX2 champion isn’t having a great 2022. Despite him being on all our lists as the next big thing in GP motocross, his consistency and speed hasn’t been there often this year and his comments in Portugal that he doesn’t feel comfortable pushing to his limit is a worry. Maybe his confidence too push the very limit will return, but until it does, I can’t see him winning a World title while Gajser, Herlings and Febvre are around.

10. Eli Tomac: Another yank in the top ten for the first time in a long time. Tomac finished his AMA supercross series with another AMA title and has started with AMA Nationals with some consistent results and seems to be building to something. Next month he may well be the number one on this list, but he would need to reel off a bunch of overall victories and the HRC boys seem to have his number for now. Difficult to see that changing.