CONCORD, N.C. — Ty Masterpool moved heaven and earth to be a part of the inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship, which kicked off Saturday at zMAX Dragway.
Not literally, but the privateer 450cc class rider may as well have.
After starting his AMA Pro Motocross season on a 250cc machine at California’s Fox Raceway, “blowing the budget” and finishing 18th overall, Masterpool did a complete 180. He decided to reboot his campaign in the 450cc class, both to lighten the financial strain and to increase his chances at securing a berth in the SMX playoffs.
“It was a team decision to go to the 450s, little bit easier on the budget and you don’t need a new bike every weekend,” Masterpool explained. “It’s easier to compete with (the 450s) and get your bike closer to their level.”
The decision quickly paid off, as the very next weekend at the Hangtown Motocross Classic, the Texas native finished sixth overall (7-7) in his 450 debut.
But it wasn’t until round three, when he backed up his performance with another sixth-place overall result (5-4) at the Thunder Valley national in Colorado, that the reality of his accomplishments set in.
“Thunder Valley — that was a cool moment,” Masterpool said. “I didn’t really realize what I did until after, so I was like, ‘Holy crap, that was pretty sick.’”
Throughout the 22-moto, 11-round season, the 21-year-old missed only two rounds and stacked up eight top-10 overall results. He finished seventh in the motocross standings, allowing him to clinch the 13th berth in SMX.
For a privateer on a “shoe-string budget,” making the playoffs was a job well done.
If he were to finish SMX where he started — 13th — he would take home a $34,000 bonus.
“Obviously the payout’s huge,” Masterpool said. “I’m paying for all my own bikes and stuff like that. So definitely looking forward to the payout.”
But earning a place in the SMX playoffs wasn’t the only time this season that Masterpool defied logic.
The No. 81 HBI Racing rider missed the final two motocross rounds — which pushed him back to finish seventh in the championship instead of sixth — due to a case of appendicitis.
As there was only a two-week gap between the first SMX race and the end of the Pro Motocross season, Masterpool had a choice to make: Undergo surgery or wait until the end of the playoffs.
“It’s not fully against the doctor’s orders,” Masterpool said with a grin. “I spent two days in the hospital on antibiotics and all that. So, the doctor left it up to me. They said if I got surgery, obviously, there’d be no chance of me racing.”
He decided to forgo the surgery until the season ends.
“If it starts hurting, I have to put my health first and go to the hospital,” Masterpool said. “I’m not being stupid with it, but yeah, it was the only chance I had to come race.”
One of the major downfalls of riding injured was a lack of on-track preparation for SMX, as the 21-year-old’s time on the bike was extremely limited heading into the playoffs.
“I could only ride for like seven minutes at a time,” Masterpool added.
Regardless, the Texan showed up at round one of SMX willing to lay it all on the line for a chance to continue his career-best season.
“I felt like I had more to show,” Masterpool said. “It’s been a rough couple years with some small injuries, which is just kind of part of it. But it was a really good season. A lot of good to take away from it and still have a lot of growth ahead.”
While there were a lot of unknowns for every rider going into round one, the learning curve was even steeper for Masterpool, who has primarily been a motocross guy since he made his professional debut in 2019.
“Today was my first day ever doing a 20-minute moto on a Supercross track,” Masterpool explained after the race.
He made five career Supercross starts in 2021, but as they were in the 250SX West series, each moto was only 15 minutes. So, the SMX opener was his true inauguration into premier class Supercross racing.
However, his rookie colors were barely evident, as Masterpool pulled off two nearly-flawless starts, running second to Justin Barcia off the line in moto one and grabbing the holeshot in moto two. While he faded back to finish 11th overall (11-12), Masterpool was pleased with his potential.
“I felt like I showed glimpses of my speed, but it was hard — I only had like three laps in me,” he said. “I was a little bummed to get those starts and not hang up there.”
Provided his appendicitis stays in check, Masterpool is antsy to take another stab at it during the next SMX round at Chicagoland Speedway in Illinois.
“I gotta be thankful. I mean, last week I was in the hospital for two-and-a-half days and I didn’t think I was going to be here,” Masterpool said. “I think for everything I’ve been dealt, it’s pretty good. I’ll live to fight another day.”
He plans to race his first full Supercross campaign next year.