Last week, we saw Star Yamaha's Daxton Bennick make his first pro start post-Loretta Lynns, and now, two of his fellow now-former amateur rivals are set to join him tomorrow at Budds Creek. Both are set to give some much-needed reinforcements to the KTM group for this year and beyond. Firstly, Rockstar Husqvarna's Casey Cochran, who just won this year's Supercross Futures Championship in Salt Lake City, and newly signed Red Bull KTM rider Julien Beaumer, who nearly joined the Star Yamaha ranks earlier this year. Here's more of what you need to know about both going into the Budds Creek National.
No. 790 Casey Cochran (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing)
Amateur Career Accolades: Reigning Supercross Futures AMA National Champion. Six-Time Loretta Lynn's Champion (51cc Limited '13 and '15, 65cc Limited '17, 125cc Jr. B/C and Schoolboy 1 '22, and Schoolboy 2 '23). FIM Junior Motocross World Championships Winner (Nations Classification '22. Finished fourth in the 125 class)
It's been a monster start to the year for the 17-year-old out of Portsmouth, Virginia, and now Cochran is getting his shot to test himself against pro talent for the first time. You see his resume and it's impressive as it looks. Not to mention a great find for the Husky brand. Cochran has only been on a Husqvarna since the beginning of last year, having spent most of his amateur career on a Suzuki before one year on a GasGas.
We got a sneak peek of what Cochran is capable of at the RedBud scouting combine when he swept both Motos after running second in both qualifying sessions. That event featured guys like Beaumer, other amateur stars such as Preston Boespflug, Mark Fineis, Drew Adams, and even recently crowned back-to-back Canadian National MX2 Champion Ryder McNabb. Cochran won both Motos by an average of nearly 12.5 seconds, but who's keeping track? Definitely young, even by Motocross standards, but Team Manager Nathan Ramsey seems to think he's up for the task.
"Casey has had an unbelievable season so far this year. He has checked all the boxes and I feel like it’s time for him to get his feet wet in the professional ranks – what better way to do it than at a Pro Motocross event." - Nathan Ramsey
No. 929 Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM)
Amateur Career Accolades: One-Time Loretta Lynn's Champion (450B Limited '21). Two-Time Supercross Futures Main Event Winner in 2023 (Glendale and East Rutherford)
Not often do you see guys turn down the opportunity to run for Star Yamaha, especially after testing for them, but that's exactly what Beaumer did earlier this year. The Arizona native has bounced around several bikes over the last several years (Suzuki, Husqvarna, Yamaha). Still, after impressing at Supercross Futures at Anaheim 2, KTM's orange brigade program jumped at the opportunity to support him for the rest of the year.
KTM was rewarded instantaneously, as Beaumer took home SX Futures Main Event victories in starts No. 2 and 3 aboard a 250 SX-F. And although a couple of sub-top-10 finishes cost him a win in the 250 Pro Sport class and a podium in the Open Pro Sport class, he put together four other great Motos, including a pair of wins in the former. Never mind the fact that Beaumer would have likely finished second in that Moto Combine Event at RedBud last month if not for a wheel/brake issue early in Moto 1.
Just going back and watching those two SX Futures win at MetLife Stadium, he did a great job managing things on a super rutty track after a big start. His only mistake was not going to the inside on the final corner with a lapper splitting the way. Very lucky that Daxton Bennick didn't knock him out of the club just feet from the finish line. Regardless, this is a great move for Red Bull KTM, with Max Vohland set to exit the team after this year. Speaking of, here's what Team Manager Ian Harrison and Beaumer had to say about this new multi-year deal.
"We are excited to welcome Julien to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and look forward to having him debut with the team at Budds Creek this weekend. Julien really showed up on our radar at the Anaheim 2 Supercross Futures race this year, where he demonstrated impressive skills and natural talent as a privateer entry. He has been such a pleasant and super-nice kid to deal with, all the while very motivated and driven. I’m happy we were able to enter into an agreement and have him join our Orange Brigade amateur program earlier this year and we have been watching him very closely ever since. His winning performances at both Glendale and East Rutherford really stood out and we are now excited to see what we can achieve together as he transitions into this next chapter of professional racing. Our goal right now is for Julien to gain racing experience alongside the factory team at the last two motocross nationals and then to turn his focus to preparing for his first season in the 2024 AMA Supercross series." - Ian Harrison
"Being a part of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team means the world to me. I've worked my entire life to get to this point and I can't thank everybody enough for the opportunity to ride for such an amazing team. My goals for these last two rounds are to learn each weekend, get better with that experience, see where we stack up, and also what we need to improve on going into next year." - Julien Beaumer
Main Image via Rockstar Energy Husqvarna