Round 2 of the SuperMotocross World Championship at Texas Motor Speedway in Forth Worth, Texas, featured two of the most exciting motos of the season with a final result that produced a third playoff victor and a winner-take-all scenario for the season finale.
Texas loves to boast that things are bigger and better there, and on Saturday afternoon, they were correct.
In the end, Hunter stood on the top box of the podium. Sexton finished second, while in a surprise twist, Jett was third, and with the value of this round doubled, he lost 10 points to his brother, who emerged as the new SMX Championship leader.
Click here for in-race updates and a recap from Texas Motor Speedway
Hunter left Texas with a one-point advantage over Sexton and nine above Jett. Points will be tripled in Las Vegas, so each rider controls their fate with a win.
Hunter swept the podium at Texas, winning Moto 1 and finishing third in the second race. He almost threw the overall victory away on the final lap when he jumped wide as he attempted to catch Jett for second, but he kept his composure and held Cooper Webb at bay. Hunter became the third winner of a SuperMotocross playoff race, joining Jett with three and Sexton with one.
Sexton entered Round 2 with a huge question that needed to be answered: How would he respond to growing criticism that he was mentally beaten by the mere reappearance of Jett to the roster? Sexton got a poor start in Moto 1. He was well back in 10th at the conclusion of Lap 1, and despite working his way through the field, he landed fourth at the checkers. That six-place charge through the field reinforced his confidence and Sexton dominated Moto 2.
Sexton began the playoffs determined to get stronger in each round instead of fading like he did in 2023. Finishing third at zMax Dragway and second at Texas, he will be the champion if he picks up that remaining position.
However, he will have to beat Jett, which has been difficult since the Young Gun’s rise to the 450 division. Jett swept the podium in Texas with results of third in Moto 1 and second in Moto 2. He lost the overall position to Sexton via the tiebreaker formula of the best finish in the second moto. By the numbers, Vegas is not a must-win round for Jett, but given the strength of his competition, that is practically the scenario.
Tomac challenged Hunter and Jett for the win in Moto 1 but when those riders overcame their poor starts in Moto 2, Tomac was unable to follow them through the pack. Tomac finished fifth in Moto 2 and fourth overall in a very tight grouping of Olympic-style total points.
Webb rounded out the top five with results of fifth in Moto 1 and fourth in Moto 2. He is 32 points behind the leader with no real chance of winning the championship, but this momentum will encourage him in the offseason.
Here are the 450 Motocross results and points standings after Round 2 in Forth Worth, Texas:
Results
Click here for the official 450 results from Texas Motor Speedway
Qualification Results
Moto 1
Moto 2
Combined
Last Chance Qualifier
Moto 1
Results
Fastest Sector Times
Individual Lap Times
Moto 2
Results
Fastest Sector Times
Individual Lap Times
Here is the finishing order of Round 2 at Texas Motor Speedway:
1. Hunter Lawrence, 1 - 3
2. Chase Sexton, 4 - 1
3. Jett Lawrence, 3 - 2
4. Eli Tomac, 2 - 5
5. Cooper Webb, 5 - 4
6. Ken Roczen, 6 - 6
7. Aaron Plessinger, 9 - 7
8. Jason Anderson, 8 - 8
9. Dylan Ferrandis, 7 - 9
10. Colt Nichols, 13 - 10 *
11. Dean Wilson, 14 - 11 *
12. Justin Barcia, 12 - 13
13. Malcolm Stewart, 11 - 17
14. Christian Craig, 10 - 18
15. Shane McElrath, 15 - 14
16. Kyle Chisholm, 18 - 12
17. Harri Kullas, 17 - 16
18. Marshal Weltin, 22 - 15
19. Grant Harlan, 16 - 22
20. Freddie Noren, 20 - 19
21. Phillip Nicoletti, 19 - 21
22. Jerry Robin, 23 - 20 *
23. Justin Cooper, 21 - 23
* Advanced from LCQ
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