Coty Schock Signs with Muc-Off / FXR / ClubMX Yamaha 8

The Muc-Off / FXR / ClubMX Yamaha team has added a fifth rider ahead of the 2024 season, Coty Schock is now joining the squad after training at their facility for two years.

Michael Lindsay – Vital MX: We have some positive news in this rider check-in, especially considering we talked a few weeks ago when things weren't as positive. We're talking to Coty Schock with the Muc-Off/ClubMX/Yamaha team. You're back on a blue bike, Coty.

Coty Schock: Yeah, we are back on a blue bike, and it feels good.

Vital MX: Before you and I worked together, you rode for the Traders team in your first year doing Supercross. That team helped you out when Kenny Day and Tony Archer were there, and at one point, they combined with ClubMX, and you were on Yamahas. It's kind of weird how it all comes back around.

Coty: We're full circle now. My skill level has, thankfully, advanced because it was rough.

Vital MX: We all get there in time. Especially on Supercross. You mess around, and you find out. You have a couple of moments and learn things.

Coty: Yeah, sometimes you learn, "I can do it," and sometimes you learn, "Oh, I should not do that." So, yes, we are still learning. 

Vital MX: As a reminder, last time we talked, you had just found out that you would not have a ride for 2024. People were trying to figure things out and put things in the works. As we said, November is not a good time for these things to happen. It had to feel like the sky was falling. This announcement is about a month later, so how has the last month been?

Coty: It's been an emotional rollercoaster, to say the least. Anytime I felt like I had something going, things would change. Or another deal would pop up. It was the first time I'd been at the highest of highs, down to a low, back to a high and then another low. It was not stable at all. I learned more about myself and also my fiancé and I's relationship, and in a good way. We worked really well together on figuring out everything and what the next best move was for me. Now, I am relieved and excited. I'm putting away everything from the past and am excited to move forward and start working with those guys.

Vital MX: It has to be a cool situation because anything you would have done on your own meant figuring out new people, a new bike, blah blah blah. In this situation, you've already been training at Club for over a year. Yes, you have to learn a new bike with the Yamaha, but you've ridden them in the past. You've been around Brandon (Haas), Mike (Bonacci), the mechanics, and all the guys multiple times a week for the last year. The transition has to be a lot mellower.

Coty: The transition was really easy. It wasn't any new faces. It was just forming a working relationship, but being there three to four days a week over the last two years has made it exciting. It's not, "Hey, what's up," and just small talk. Now I'm in the shop and talking with the guys. They're all super genuine, and the 'shop talk' is funny. I like how everyone works well together; when it's time to go to work, they go to work. There's a good balance between work and play. It's cool to see everyone's motivation to be the best and their goal is to win. That's awesome, and I love being surrounded by those guys. Being able to ride with JMart (Jeremy Martin), Phil (Nicoletti), (Garrett) Marchbanks, and Jett Reynolds. It's a really good group of guys, and I'm trying to learn from each one of them every single day so I can be the best version of myself.

Vital MX: How did the deal come about? After we talked last, for a week or two, the Club guys had an extra shop 450 they were letting you ride. I'm sure at some point you asked, "Can we do anything?" How did it go from "Is there any support available?" to now you have a deal?

Coty: It started with me showing up with my two-stroke the day after I got let go. They asked, "What are you doing?" I said, "I need to ride. I just want to ride." Mike said, "We have a 450 for you to ride if you want. It's the shop bike, and the mechanics use it when they want to ride. Just use that until you figure something out." Mike was helping me call teams and see what was available. In the middle of November, there's nothing. I thought I had an idea of what I wanted to do. Then he pulled me into his office and asked, "What about this?" I then talked to Brandon, and he said, "We have this, this, and this. Would that work for you?" I said, "Yeah." We started discussing all the details and figuring out what would make sense and what would work for them because their budget was already maxed out. It just so happened that they were able to help. They've been seeing my riding and believe in me as much as I do, so why not connect everything and go racing?

Vital MX: What does your deal entail for those wondering? I believe you will be racing 250 East, correct?

Coty: Yes. I believe I will be 250 East and it's Supercross only.

Vital MX: Depending on how things go, is there potential to do outdoors? Is it, "Let's wait and see?" I imagine Supercross is the focus right now, and it has to feel like a giant weight off your shoulders. 

Coty: For outdoors, I have no idea. There has been no discussion about that. This is more them doing me a favor to keep me on a bike. This is Supercross only, and I'm excited that I'm on a really good bike. It's proven to win races and be on the podium, and that's what I want. There are no excuses now.

Vital MX: What do you think of the new Yamaha? You got to jump on the new '24 chassis. What do you think?

Coty: It's impressive. It was definitely different than the Honda. I've been on the Honda since 2020. Going from the Honda to the Yamaha was a learning curve with how the bike flexed. They both have an aluminum frame, but I'm learning how the chassis works in between the rhythms, in the corners, and especially the whoops. Then, the power delivery is completely different. Both are good, but the Honda has that bottom-end hit and that torque. I'm still getting used to it, but it's a good change. Fortunately, I'm able to adapt to a new bike pretty easily. Right now, I'm adapting to it and not rushing the process. When you rush the process, things go South, and I can't afford to have that happen. I'm taking each day as a learning day, and we still have a month and a half to prepare.

Vital MX: The bright side is, even though it's a little bit of a late start, with your prior team, you already had some time riding Supercross. It wasn't too much lost time. You mentioned all the riders on Club you've been riding with for the last year or two, and now you're on the same equipment. You can hear what they say about their bikes, and now you can work with them. We all know what JMart's credentials are. Garrett and Phil are badass. You can translate all that together instead of just riding with them and joking about lines and what each guy is doing differently. Now, you can relate the entire package.

Coty: Being on a different brand of motorcycle for a while, it's hard to understand how those guys were doing stuff easier, in a way. Because every bike has its strengths and weaknesses, I understand what they've been talking about now that I'm on the same equipment. I'm able to go out and replicate that now. It's like, "Oh, I see what you were saying. It's not that hard. You just have to do this or that." I feel as though I have progressed even more on the Yamaha. I still have a lot of room for improvement, and I'm working on my consistency. Being around those guys is awesome. The amount of knowledge they have is endless. It's a good work environment, and that's the most important thing right now.

Vital MX: Who would you like to thank for making all this happen?

Coty: Brandon Haas, Mike Bonacci, and Ben Graves. Everyone at ClubMX. It wasn't just one person who decided to make this happen. It was pretty much the whole team because they understood my situation and saw the hard work I've been putting in. It hasn't been easier for them. They are working overtime now by adding a fifth guy to the roster. It's a lot running two or three guys. Or even four. Having a fifth is cutting things thin. Even you, ML, for putting out there what happened and people reaching out. It was cool to see the amount of support I had. Without that, I don't think this would have happened. I'm glad to have my core support group with me. I'm thankful for this whole situation because I proved to myself that no matter how bad things get, you can always come back. It forced me to open up and not be so quiet. I had to fend for myself and learned much about myself. It's part of growing up. Life isn't fair, but it's all what you make of it. 

CHESTERFIELD, SC – December 11, 2023: They say the difference between major and minor surgery is .. minor surgery happens to someone else. The same is true when you hear of someone getting terminated from their job. It is not a big deal until it happens to you. November 13, 2023 was that pivotal moment in the career of Coty Schock. He was let go from his current professional ride and reached a crossroad in life with no apparent direction. Before we reach the finish line of this story, let’s look back at Schock’s racing career to this point.

The Delaware native started racing at the young age of eight years old in the popular Delmarva MX series and District 7. As time went on and success followed, the family started traveling as far as five hours away so they could race and still be back at work on Monday. The story is the same for many families, but Schock had something special in the desire to compete at the highest level. Even at a young age, he displayed his “full send” style that stays with him to this day. With Justin Barcia as his idol and role model, the puzzle pieces were starting to make sense. It was not just racing all the time, however. Schock still pursued his college education and received his CAD degree.

By the time 2016 rolled around and with some success at Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National, the decision was made to turn professional and took the first opportunity to race the 250 class at Unadilla. The rookie debut went well by qualifying straight into the main event by qualifying 36th overall. A huge accomplishment by any measure. Cooper Webb went on to win the race that day, but Schock was hooked and knew he wanted to go all in.

Throughout his career, Schock bounced back and forth between the 250 and 450 and had some real highlights with nine top ten finishes in between classes. Motocross was his focus and really never planned on racing Supercross but in 2019 the opportunity came about to race and like everything else in his life, he went “all in” to learn it. There is a certain amount of pride that comes along with racing the most prestigious racing series in the world and Schock embraced the challenge and became a real threat for the podium.

THE REST OF THE STORY: Like so many other racers, he endured many ups and downs throughout his career and to this point does not really care where he was, only where he is going. Are there hurdles? – yes, Can it be painful? – yes, Is he going to quit? – NO! Coty Schock has the good fortune to be training at ClubMX on a full-time basis. When the news came down in mid-November that he was out of a ride, the timing could not be worse. Every team is full, and budgets are closed at that point. He showed up for training that day on his own 250 2-stoke just to stay active and start to build his plan to race the Supercross Eastern Regional series as a solo privateer effort.

ClubMX team owner Brandon Hass explained: “ClubMX was founded on giving guys an opportunity to race at the highest level that were overlooked or underfunded. Coty is a good guy and currently rides better than he has ever ridden in his life. Unfortunately, the timing was horrible and like everyone else, budgets are closed. We gave him the shop bike to ride on the moto track to stay in shape and he was very grateful. Then, I thought about it for a couple of days and decided to let the team vote on it. It was going to be added work for the crew, the shop, the motor department and so on. During our Wednesday staff meeting, I outlined the situation, and opened it up for discussion, questions, and then a vote. The crew was seeing the same thing that I saw because it was unanimous to figure out a way to help him. We went to work making calls to Muc-Off, FXR, and Yamaha and put a program together to get him racing for our team for Supercross.

On December 11th Coty Schock will be signed to race for ClubMX for the 2024 Supercross season. When finding out the news Schock said: “I am overwhelmed. I am already training at the best place in the world and really had no expectations this was going to happen. They let me borrow a bike and helped me get more gear to keep going but never said they were working on a ride for me. Now I get to ride their bike, which is a freakin’ rocket ship. It is hard to put into words how grateful I am, but they all know I am going to prove them right. I will be working my ass off to pay them back with results. When one door closes, another one opens and this one takes me to the big time.”

Follow him on Instagram: @cotyschock_ and ClubMX: @clubmx