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Supercross is a young man’s sport.
Most riders are done before their 30th birthday. Only a handful have raced past 35.
And no one has gone where Billy Laninovich wants to go Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
The Ramona rider is hoping to qualify for the 250cc support main event of the 42nd San Diego Supercross at the age of 41. (He turned 42 in 5 ½ weeks).
Laninovich is already the oldest rider in professional Supercross history. Every main event he makes pushes him deeper into uncharted territory.
“Everyone thinks I am crazy,” said Laninovich. “But I’m having a blast. I have no idea how long I’ll keep doing this. I’m just excited to be doing it … again.”
Motocross consists of a motorcycle race over a tortuous course of obstacles packed into a tight, half-mile course. There are high jumps, double jumps, triple jumps plus almost every bump and rut imaginable.
Every 20-lap Supercross finale produces its share of flips, falls and accidents.
Even a flawless race pounds a rider into exhaustion. And injuries are as much a part of Supercross as they are in football — which is why careers are so short.
“When you are young and making all that money, you think it will go on forever,” said Laninovich. “I was once one of those kids. Then you get hurt and it’s a wake-up call. You can only go on for so long.”
Laninovich didn’t go on unscathed. Over the past two decades, he’s had four knee reconstruction surgeries and a broken collarbone. “I know,” he says. “I’ve been luckier than most.”
But he retired twice before and had been out of the sport for 12 years before deciding to return at the start of the 2024 season. Riding a Yamaha as a privateer, Laninovich made two main events last season to become the oldest starter in Supercross history at the age of 40. Former series champion Chad Reed had held the record at 38. Both Kevin Windham and Jason Brayton rode until 37. Kyle Chisholm is still riding in the featured 450cc class as a 37-year-old.
Laninovich returned this year as a rider/coach for the SlamLife Racing team that is transitioning from off-road racing to Supercross and Motocross. The main rider for SLR’s Hondas is 18-year-old Parker Ross. The team also has four younger amateur riders.
Ross wasn’t yet born when Laninovich launched a professional career that has resulted in one race win and two fourth-place finishes in the final 250cc standings (2003 and 2005). Most of Laninovich’s career has been in the 250cc division, although he spent parts of several Supercross and motocross seasons on a 450.
Laninovich said he was on a motorcycle “about 20 times between 2016 and 2023. When asked why he returned to racing, Laninovich had a direct answer.
“I have no idea,” he said. “I was working as an electrician on major projects in downtown San Diego. A guy called asking me to train his son. When I got back on a bike and felt I could do it. I’m here for a reason. It still blows me away that I can do it. I have the reality that I can do it. But these young kids are so stinkin’ fast. I’m so far off the pace.”
Then last July, a SLR director called and asked if he would coach their young riders. Laninovich agreed if he could also try to qualify for Supercrosses.
“My job is to get Parker up to speed,” said Laninovich. Ross finished 17th in the 250cc finale at Anaheim, moving into the top 10 early before he got knocked down by a rival.
Meanwhile, Laninovich failed to qualify. He finished 12th in his heat then ninth in the last-chance qualifier after a bad start.
“The next four races will determine how far I keep going,” said Laninovich. “If I’m struggling to get into the main events, what is the point? But I still think I can do it. The San Diego race last year was awesome. I had great motivation to be racing in my hometown. The dads knew what I was doing. The kids had no idea who I was.”
It’s the same with the racing fraternity.
“None of the young riders know me,”Laninovich said. “The guys in the featured division were just coming in when I was going out. Ross realizes what I’m doing. He doesn’t want to get beat by me. I shouldn’t beat him. My job is being his coach.
“I want him to beat me. But I’d love to beat him.”
One thing that has returned from Laninovich’s past is the post-race soreness. “Getting beat up at 41 is different from getting beat up at 19,” he said. “The bikes today are much faster and smoother than when I first raced. The suspension, motor, chassis … everything is so much better.
“I’m not sure why I’m so sore right now, but I am. I do a lot of therapy for my knees and hip. I got landed on last year in San Diego in the mud race. But I’m back.”
KTM factory rider Adam Plessinger won last year’s stop at Snapdragon Stadium. Chase Sexton, the 2023 series champion, won the 2025 season opener last Saturday in Anaheim on a KTM. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) was second and Jason Anderson (Kawasaki) third.
Jett Lawrence (Honda) is the defending 450cc series champion, but finished 12th in the season opener.San Diego’s 450cc field includes five former series champions – Lawrence, Sexton, Anderson, Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac, who were fourth and fifth, respectively, at Anaheim.
42nd San Diego Supercross
When: 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Gates open at 10:30 a.m. for FanFest and qualifying.
Where: Snapdragon Stadium.
Tickets: Prices start at $49.
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