Back on Track: Carson’s First Test of 2025 with the Kramer APX-350 MA
Back on Track: Carson’s First Test of 2025 with the Kramer APX-350 MA
The past two days marked a major milestone: Carson King is officially back on a roadracing bike for 2025. It’s been a wild ride getting here, with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
Our original plan was to race in MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup this year. But as things developed over the offseason, we made the call to jump into the newly-formed Talent Cup aboard the all-new Kramer APX-350 MA. Big change? Absolutely. Right move? We think so.
A Tight Timeline and a Big Fix
The Kramer arrived at our shop about a week before we had to leave for the MotoAmerica pre-season test at Motorsports Ranch in Cresson, TX. Not much time to prep, but we were excited… until we learned we couldn’t even start the bike.
Some of the other teams who’d already gotten on track ran into engine issues, and Kramer worked fast to figure out a solution. Part of that fix? We needed to head down to Texas a day early so the Kramer team could update our bike before the test started. Not ideal—but we rolled with it.
Sunday was all about the Kramer guys wrenching and getting bikes sorted while teams trickled into the paddock. And then… well, something we didn’t expect happened.
King Kenny Roberts and his son Kenny Jr. showed up. Yeah. Just hanging out, talking shop with us like it was no big deal. Chatting about the new bikes, the series, and what Carson’s got going this season. That wasn’t exactly on our bingo card for the weekend.
First Ride, Steep Learning Curve
By Monday morning, it was time to hit the track for the first time on the new bike. And let’s be honest—we knew right away we had our work cut out for us.
The Kramer APX-350 MA handles completely differently from anything Carson’s ever ridden. It’s also the most advanced bike we’ve worked on, packed with adjustments and data logging that’ll keep us busy all season. The learning curve? Pretty vertical.
But Carson did what Carson does—he got to work. He kept chipping away, improving every session as he learned the bike and the track. Meanwhile, I was elbows-deep trying to figure out the data. That part didn’t go entirely to plan.
Our homemade mount for the AiM Solo2 DL broke halfway through the day. That left us flying blind on lap times and without any data for a few sessions. We pulled together a quick fix to get through the day, but we’ve got a new mount design coming before our next test.
Cameras Rolling and Pressure Rising
Another curveball? MotoAmerica’s Pressure to Rise YouTube series was there filming. They’re following the Talent Cup riders this season, and they dropped by our pit for an interview. Look for us in the series—we were deep in conversation about gearing changes when the cameras started rolling. Guess we better keep an eye on the episodes from here on out!
Carson being interviewed by the MotoAmerica Pressure to Rise team
Day 2: Progress and Pushing Limits
Tuesday started off windy—like really windy. But Carson went out and immediately dropped some solid times on the same setup we finished with the day before, running a shorter rear sprocket.
After a few sessions, we realized that gearing wasn’t doing us any favors, so we made the call to go the other direction. Carson found more speed with a taller gear—more drive out of corners and more stability in the fast stuff.
Travis installing new gearing to try out
With Carson getting more comfortable, we started experimenting with the suspension. Softer springs front and rear gave him instant confidence—no more unexpected wheelies or rear-wheel lift under braking. We tried going softer again on the front, but by then, the tires were shot and Carson was spent. After two long days and probably 50-75 laps each day, he was still within a tenth of his best time. That’s grit.
What’s Next: CotA with MotoGP!
This test was a huge step for the whole team. Carson’s learning the bike, understanding how setup changes feel, and giving us better feedback every session. I’m learning how to read the data (and what data matters), and Travis and Jalynn are figuring out how to keep this machine dialed in.
It’s going to be a year of learning for all of us—but we’re here for it.
Next up: Circuit of the Americas at the end of March. Carson will race in the Talent Cup as a support class for MotoGP. He’ll be riding in front of the biggest crowd of his career in one of the most legendary paddocks on the planet. We can’t wait.
Stay tuned!