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The pinnacle of offroad four-stroke performance wrapped in iconic Yamaha Racing livery. Get the look and feel of a Yamaha factory ride with your own Monster Energy®‑inspired YZ450F.
Ask anyone over the age of 6 which era in this sport was the coolest and the immediate answer is: The ’90s. Frosted tips, two-strokes, kidney belts, Lake Havasu, no cell phones… just dudes having fun on their dirtbikes.
Hell, the era was so cool, The Vurb Company (that’s us), made a mini-series on YouTube for Red Bull a few years back about how awesome it is.
Yes, the ’90s were cooler and there is no changing our minds.
You know who else is cool? Team Solitaire Heartbeat Hot Sauce Yamaha. As Troy Dog wrote about a few years back, the team just gets it. They aren’t the biggest. The don’t have loads of cash. But, they have good marketing and they have fun. Because, at the end of the day, that is what dirtbikes is all about. Having fun with the boys on two wheels. Plain and simple.
A few weeks back, Team Solitaire’s Chris Elliott hit me up on the Twitter and told me about this Jeremy McGrath replica they were building and that Robbie Wageman would race at this past weekends 2-Stroke World Championship at Glen Helen. He asked if we wanted in. Unfortunately we had World Mini last weekend and could not make it, but you bet your buns I was going to write about it.
Yes, this is a little late, but here is what Chris sent me prior to the weekend and check out some cool photos and a video from Dylan Kelley at the event.
This weekend, at the 16th Annual 2-Stroke World Championship at Glen Helen Raceway, Heartbeat Hot Sauce Yamaha will field two Yamaha YZs model paying tribute to “The King”.
Back from a late-2024 wrist injury that kept him sidelined for most of the Monster Energy SuperMotocross season, Robbie Wageman is ready to return to racing. But his 2025 season debut isn’t just another gate drop. It’s a celebration of heritage, speed, and style, brought to life with the help of Heartbeat Hot Sauce and an unmistakable nod to one of motocross’s most iconic figures—Jeremy McGrath.
Wageman will line up aboard Yamaha’s latest 125cc and 250cc two-stroke models, but these aren’t your standard race bikes. They’ve been transformed with a visual identity that pays homage to McGrath’s golden era—specifically the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the seven-time Supercross champion didn’t just dominate podiums, he defined the culture of the sport.
The build is part performance showcase, part rolling time machine. From the styling cues to the gear kit, it’s all engineered to pull at the collective memory of a generation raised on Crusty videos, baggy pants, and McGrath’s effortless nac-nacs.
To get the details right, Team Solitaire left no element untouched. The helmets are custom painted by Korsace, blending retro flair with modern design. The gear is entirely one-off and was meticulously designed to echo the colors, cuts, and textures of McGrath’s heyday. And under the hood? Race-tuned motors from Race Tech with the help of Wossner, Moto Tassinari, FMF, and fueled by ETS Racing Fuels to ensure that the bike’s performance is every bit as bold as its appearance.
For Team Solitaire’s Chris Elliott, the project was a fun and meaningful one. “All of us grew up watching McGrath. I don’t think I ever saw a bad photo of him,” Elliott says. “It wasn’t just the way he rode – it was everything. His helmets, his gear, his bike, even his hair. He was the sport in that era to me and I hope we never stop celebrating what his did for the sport. Huge thanks to Yamaha and our partners for giving us the freedom to bring this vision to life, this was a fun-one and is for all our boys in the vet classes.”
For behind-the-scenes and all other things Team Solitaire Heartbeat Hot Sauce Yamaha, be sure to follow the team on all platforms: Instagram | TikTok | X – @teamsolitaireSX
Get your Heartbeat Hot Sauce at www.heartbeathotsauce.com and stop by the Team Solitaire rig all season long for some Heartbeat Hot Sauce goodies.
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Image and video: Dylan Kelley
