The first chapter of the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship Series (SMX) is complete, as the 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship once again captivated audiences around the world with an incredible winter of the sport’s most technical discipline. A combined total of 16 different racers emerged with a Main Event victory across the 450SX and 250SX classes, which produced a trio of first-time champions last Saturday night in Salt Lake City. MX Sports Pro Racing would like to congratulate these newly crowned titleholders in Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence (450SX), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire (250SX West), and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle (250SX East), who will now set their sights on what is poised to be a thrilling summer of competition alongside a star-studded field of international talent during the 53rd season of the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. A total of 11 rounds and a combined 44 motos await at the sport’s most hallowed grounds, where the sleeping giants of American motocross’ most storied venues will once again be awakened for the grueling and prestigious journey to see which two riders will hoist the coveted Edison Dye Cup (450 Class) and Gary Jones Cup (250 Class) at season’s end.
“Year in and year out, we’re left in awe of the spectacle that is Monster Energy Supercross. Each winter, the hype of a new season never disappoints as this highly specialized discipline produces compelling drama unlike anything else in the sport, attracting hundreds of thousands of fans to fill stadiums across the country,” said Davey Coombs, President, MX Sports Pro Racing. “We commend our partners at Feld Motor Sports for another incredible championship, one which was befitting of their golden celebration of 50 years of Supercross. We’re proud to welcome them into the half-century club and are excited to build off the momentum of the past 17 rounds with a summer of festive weekends full of racing, 40-rider gates, and the sport’s ultimate battle of man and machine. Let’s take it outside!”
Following a memorable, history-making debut in the premier class last year, Jett Lawrence’s meteoric rise as the sport’s most compelling figure has continued as he rewrites the record books with each passing championship season. Lawrence backed up last summer’s undefeated rookie Pro Motocross campaign and inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship with one of the most memorable rookie Supercross seasons of all time. The 20-year-old Australian became the first rider to win his 450SX debut and went on to secure eight Main Event wins and 10 podiums to join Jeremy McGrath and Ryan Dungey as the only rookies to capture the premier class crown. However, unlike his counterparts, Lawrence did not have any previous 450SX experience prior to his debut campaign.
With a perfect season, SMX title, and new Supercross championship in tow, Lawrence enters the Pro Motocross Championship as the odds-on favorite to successfully defend his No. 1 plate. His immediate success in the premier class is an extension of the dominance he held in the 250cc division dating back to 2021, in which he consecutively won a pair of Pro Motocross titles and a crown in both 250 East and 250 West Supercross. As a result, Lawrence is in search of a stunning eighth straight championship this summer. Only Ricky Carmichael has amassed a longer streak, with 12 consecutive titles between the 2000 and 2006 seasons, albeit he did sit out the 2004 Supercross season with an injury.
“What Jett Lawrence has accomplished at such a young age is nothing short of incredible,” stated Coombs. “He’s truly a generational talent that has seamlessly transitioned into one of the most decorated 450cc divisions in history, which consists of 10 past AMA National Champions across Supercross and Pro Motocross, to continue a reign of dominance that now encompasses both divisions over the past four years. With everything he’s accomplished, it’s incredible to realize Lawrence is still just 20 years old, with his best days still ahead of him.”
With both Jett and Hunter Lawrence graduating to spearhead Team Honda HRC’s 450SX efforts for the 2024 season, the title vacancies they left behind in the 250SX regions opened the door for a multitude of riders to contend for this year’s East and West championships. Collectively, the division saw 10 different riders grab victory, while seven different riders took a turn at carrying the red plate as point leader. In the end, both RJ Hampshire, one of the division’s most experienced competitors, and Tom Vialle, a two-time FIM MX2 World Champion, claimed their first-ever AMA titles and both will surely be in the hunt for the Gary Jones Cup in the 250 Class this summer. The incredible parity throughout Supercross bodes well for an unpredictable championship battle in Pro Motocross that will also include the likes of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s reigning Rookie of the Year and SMX Champion Haiden Deegan, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen, the breakout rider of 2024 thus far, Team Honda HRC’s Jo Shimoda, with back-to-back championship podium finishes, and many more.
“With its unique mix of youth with raw speed and experienced veterans, the 250 Class is always intriguing. However, this year we could be in for something special,” added Coombs. “Look no further than the Supercross season, with its 10 different Main Event winners and regional championships that went down to the wire, as a testament to how wide open this division and championship truly is. There’s no shortage of captivating storylines surrounding each of our contenders, which will have the fans at full tilt each and every time the gate drops.”
In addition to the crowning of the sport’s newest champions, additional accolades were celebrated at the conclusion of the Monster Energy Supercross season. Lawrence’s 450SX Championship was accompanied by 450SX AMA Rookie of the Year honors, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer was recognized as the 250SX AMA Rookie of the Year after an impressive debut season that saw the Supercross Futures and Scouting Moto Combine graduate finish seventh in the 250SX West Region. The SMX Next initiative that fosters the development of the sport’s next generation hosted the final Supercross Futures gathering of the season in Salt Lake City, from which New Zealand native Cole Davies prevailed to become the first international competitor to capture the Supercross Futures AMA National Championship. Rounding out the season awards was the Supercross Manufacturers’ Championship, which was captured by Yamaha Motor Corporation following a strong combined campaign across the 450SX and 250SX divisions, highlighted by 10 Main Event wins from the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing stable coming from championship runner-up Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac in 450SX along with Haiden Deegan, Jordon Smith, and Nate Thrasher in the 250SX East and West regions. Yamaha also swept Main Event victories at the Arlington and Foxborough rounds.
Less than two weeks remain until the roar of 40-rider gates greet the most passionate fans in motorsports for another sensational summer of the Pro Motocross Championship. The 11-round campaign will travel to 10 different states, with visits to the hallowed grounds of Fox Raceway, Hangtown, Thunder Valley Motocross Park, High Point Raceway, The Wick 338, RedBud MX, Spring Creek MX Park, Washougal MX Park, Unadilla MX, Budds Creek Motocross Park, and Ironman Raceway.
