Fresh off an intense weekend at the Supercross de Paris, Mitchell Harrison sat down with Marco Kamper to reflect on the event, the battles, and the differences he continues to notice between racing in Europe and the United States. The American, who previously spent time in MX2 with Bud Racing, spoke openly about track culture on both continents, the demands of a 40-race season, and why he still has a soft spot for pure Motocross. Harrison also touched on the evolution of SMX, the unique atmosphere in Paris, and his plans for 2026 – offering an honest and insightful look at where he feels most at home on a bike.
Mitchell, a word on your weekend in Paris. You were battling with Marshal Weltin. You go abroad and end up fighting with a guy you also race against in the U.S.!
Harrison: Yeah, you could say it felt like being at home. But the goal coming here was to battle with Tom Vialle and also with Cédric Soubeyras, because we’ve had some really good battles lately in Australia and Germany. And also to try and beat some factory riders – that’s always the goal. You always have to try to be better and improve, weekend after weekend.
You raced MX2 with Bud Racing in 2019, and a little bit in 2020 before Covid. You’ve seen both sides of the Atlantic. How different is the MX culture in Europe compared to the U.S.?
Harrison: It’s quite different. I’d say you really feel that the passion from the fans is much stronger in some European countries. In Germany and France, it’s just incredible. The fans are crazy – it’s wild to see. Even in Sweden, it was madness with all the flags and flares. It was a really special atmosphere. It almost felt like RedBud. RedBud is the best crowd ever for us. It’s unmatched, but I think Europe wins when it comes to consistency in atmosphere.
Then the tracks are really different. Their bikes have to be set up super soft for the GP’s. I think people have the wrong idea: when you think Europe, you think sand straight away. But in reality, there are only about five sand races on the calendar.
In the U.S., the tracks are much more consistent. The circuits are heavily ripped, and really deep. Our tracks are all kind of similar: a bit sandy, very rutted, big ruts, big bumps. And apart from Washougal, which is a bit less rough, they’re still pretty gnarly tracks. I think our tracks in the U.S. are better overall, in the sense that they’re way more fun to ride than GP tracks.
As for battling on track, Europe is pretty cool. But the starts… In the GP’s they heavily favour the first gate picks. I hate their start system. They always make sure the first gate is the best one. I get it – you want to reward the fastest rider, OK – but in the U.S. everything is more balanced and fair. You can get out well from any gate. I think the competition is a bit better put together in our series.
In the end, they’re two completely different cultures. It’s really hard to compare Europe and the U.S. You have the best riders on both sides. I think we have the advantage right now. But Romain Febvre is incredible. Tim Gajser is one of my favourite riders and Jeffrey Herlings just has unbelievable talent on a bike.
It sounds like you’re not the biggest fan of European tracks. Would you still consider coming back to GP racing if an opportunity came up?
Harrison: Of course, I’m open to any new opportunity. I love travelling – it’s always a great experience for me. I prefer Motocross over Supercross; it’s really my true discipline. I love it, it’s just pure enjoyment. I like European tracks too – they just have their own character. It’s simply different compared to the U.S. Honestly, it’s a championship with nothing in common with ours.
Since you prefer Motocross, what’s your opinion of the SMX championship?
Harrison: SMX pays really well and I like that [laughs]. But I think the Charlotte track this year was a bit too extreme. There were some absolutely insane jumps, the dirt was too soft… it was weird. They’re doing their best, but I’m not really a fan of that type of track. If they made something more like Daytona, it would be cooler. Or even like the Charlotte MXGP in 2016, which was awesome. I feel like they’re doing a bit too much: too many jumps, too much “show”. For me, the SMX tracks weren’t the best this season.
There are more than 30 AMA races this year. Are you the type who just says “I’ll ride as long as I can”? At what point do you say “that’s enough”?
Harrison: I’m actually reaching that point now [laughs]. I think I’m at my 38th race of the season. In total I’ll hit 40 events with the last two rounds of the Australian championship. If everything were closer geographically, it would be a lot easier. I cross so many time zones that it gets exhausting.
But all these offseason races I do are really cool. They give you a new spark, new motivation. It’s not like the cash races. Marshal does a lot of those, but if you have a bad day you win nothing, and you’re up against locals who are super fast on their home tracks. That’s not really my thing. I prefer events like Paris – the show aspect, the atmosphere… That’s what I enjoy and what makes me happy.
Paris had big whoops, but the rhythms were smaller and shorter than in the U.S. In the end, is doing this kind of event “safer” than racing in the U.S.?
Harrison: I’d say yes, it’s safer. I don’t know why, but our U.S. Supercross tracks tend to be really soft. They’re always beat up, the ruts get huge. They water early in the day, and the whoops break down really fast. It’s rough.
Then for the night show it’s fine because the track gets rebuilt. But when the 450 main comes around, it’s really sketchy. But you still have to hit every rhythm. Paris is way less risky. The whoops were big this weekend – I hadn’t seen whoops like that in a while. The traction in them was good. They got a bit cupped out, but they weren’t really dangerous.
They prepped the track more on Saturday, but on Sunday they let it get rougher, and I enjoyed that. It was nothing too crazy.
There were three ruts before the whoops. I saw Cédric in front of me: he took the high one, I took the low one. So there were still options. In the sand, some guys were taking the inside and going double–triple. I think Mookie was doing double, triple, quad. It was cool, it was different. And it wouldn’t have been possible if they had over-prepped the track.
I think sometimes it’s better to let it get rough, as long as it doesn’t reach a point where it absolutely needs to be fixed. You don’t need to redo the whoops if they’re not dangerous. I think on the first day they needed to, because they were very steep. And once they get really cupped out, it gets sketchy.
Last question: I’m curious. Do you have something lined up for next year? Staying with the same team?
Harrison: Yes. I’ll be with PRMX Partzilla Kawasaki next year. And the offseason? We’ll see. Nothing for now. I’ll see who calls me. That’s how it works for me. My team in the U.S. is really cool with it – they let me go race with whoever I want during the offseason. We’ll see!
