After an off-week to allow riders to catch their collective breaths, America’s elite dirt bike riders head to The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts for Round 5 of Pro Motocross, Round 22 of the SuperMotocross World Championship.
One 450 rider has a perfect record of top-fives, and if not for one fourth-place finish in Moto 2 at Hangtown, red-plate holder Hunter Lawrence would have stood on the podium in every race.
Lawrence’s success through four rounds of the 2024 season gives him a six-point advantage over Chase Sexton, who has one finish outside the top five. Sexton finished sixth in the first moto of Thunder Valley but expressed frustration over mistakes made last week at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania.
And while he is eight points out of the lead, Jett Lawrence is the rider everyone is watching. With moto sweeps in the season opener at Fox Raceway in Pala, California, and again last week at High Point, Jett would have the red plate affixed to his Honda if not for the crash suffered at Hangtown. Jett has been beaten in head-to-head competition once this season when he was still showing signs of injury in Moto 1 at Thunder Valley MX Park in Lakewood, Colorado.
At High Point, Jett was not 100 percent and would not have swept the motos without tip-overs involving Hunter and Sexton.
Several other riders have perfect records of top-10s in the outdoor season. They are Justin Cooper, Jason Anderson, Justin Barcia, Dylan Ferrandis, and Malcolm Stewart.
There is still plenty of time before the SMX Playoffs begin in September. Still, according to SuperMotocross statistician Clinton Fowler, 13 of the 20 spots guaranteed for feature starters have been locked up. Three of these riders are sitting out with injuries, but Cooper Webb got back on the bike earlier this week for some turn track training. Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen are also expected to return in time for the playoffs.
Kyle Chisholm (eight points under the cutline) and Dean Wilson (13) look to assail 20th-place Derek Kelley.
The math is a little fuzzier in the 250 division, primarily because of the unknown returns of Coty Schock, Nate Thrasher, RJ Hampshire, and Cameron McAdoo from injury.
Max Anstie is currently seeded 15th for the playoffs and hopes to improve his ranking now that he’s signed with Star Racing Yamaha.
Garrett Marchbank’s plans to move into the 450 division are in question after he suffered a thumb injury before the season opener at Fox Raceway. He’s 16th in the 250 standings and could decide to return to that when cleared.
Previous Southwick Winners
450s
2023: Jett Lawrence (followed by Chase Sexton, Dylan Ferrandis)
2022: Eli Tomac (Chase Sexton, Aaron Plessinger)
2021: Dylan Ferrandis (Ken Roczen, Justin Barcia)
2019: Marvin Musquin (Zach Osborne, Eli Tomac)
2018: Marvin Musquin (Eli Tomac, Justin Barcia)
250s
2023: Tom Vialle (Justin Cooper, Jo Shimoda)
2022: Jett Lawrence (Jo Shimoda, Justin Cooper)
2021: Hunter Lawrence (Jo Shimoda, Justin Cooper)
2019: Adam Cianciarulo (Dylan Ferrandis, Justin Cooper)
2018: Dylan Ferrandis (Alex Martin, Shane McElrath)
Motocross by the Numbers
Thunder Valley
Hangtown
Fox Raceway
Supercross by the Numbers
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Denver
Philadelphia
Nashville
Foxborough
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Seattle
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Birmingham
Daytona
Arlington
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More SuperMotocross News
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Cooper Webb returns to training on turn track
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Max Anstie released from Firepower Honda | signs with Star Yamaha
Austin Forkner has brain surgery
Jorge Prado crashes in Italian GP
450 Results from High Point | 250 results
Jett Lawrence wins both High Point motos
Malcolm Stewart climbs in Motocross
Carson Mumford joins Firepower Honda