After a packed crowd in Detroit, the Monster Energy Supercross Series heads back to the western half of the country for Round 6 in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona after the 450 class had its first repeat winner of 2024 in Jett Lawrence.
Saturday’s race marks the eighth trip to this venue and the 18th time Supercross has hosted a race in the Phoenix area.
After a difficult day in Detroit, Eli Tomac languishes 16 points out of first with four riders between him and the leader, Chase Sexton. Tomac’s 2024 season has been a seesaw affair with results of ninth or 10th interspersed with a couple of runner-up results. If the pattern holds, he is due another podium but without improving his consistency the season will begin to slip from his grasp.
The good news is that Tomac has five wins in the Phoenix area, including the last two in Glendale, which is the most all time.
Aaron Plessinger’s sixth-place finish in Detroit cost him the red plate but it also means that no rider in the field has a perfect streak of top-fives. According to Clinton Fowler at WeWentFast.com, two riders, Sexton and Cooper Webb, survived this far into the 2023 season with a top-five streak.
By his own admission, Lawrence doesn’t pay a lot attention to statistics but if he can win his third race of 2024, he becomes the favorite to win the championship - historically, at least. The first rider to three wins has taken the title home 66 percent of the time. Since 2000 that number has increased to 74 percent even with notable exceptions in the past three seasons.
Recently that trend has changed. Last year Tomac was the first to three but lost the title to Sexton with his Achilles tendon injury in the penultimate race in Denver. In 2022 Anderson got to his third win first before handing the top spot to Tomac. The pattern held in 2021 with Ken Roczen bowing to Webb.
Fowler also notes this week that starting position has been incredibly important in 2024. None of the winners of a Main event or any of the three features in Anaheim 2’s Triple Crown format have completed Lap 1 outside the top three. Lawrence has earned the holeshot in both of his victories this season, at Anaheim in the season opener and last week in Detroit.
On the other hand, in the three races when Lawrence struggled, he averaged an 11th-place position at the conclusion of Lap 1.
As the focus shifts back to the 250 West riders, it is notable that the most unique winners to start in that division was five in 2000. That year Max Vohland’s father Tallon Vohland was part of the streak. Max is still seeking his first career win.
If there is another unique 250 West winner, the focus shifts back to the East for the following four rounds. The most winners for the combined series has been seven.
Previous Glendale Winners
450s
2023: Eli Tomac, (followed by Chase Sexton and Justin Barcia)
2022: Eli Tomac (Malcolm Stewart, Chase Sexton)
2020: Ken Roczen (Eli Tomac, Jason Anderson)
2019: Blake Baggett (Jason Anderson, Ken Roczen)
250s
2023: Jett Lawrence, (RJ Hampshire and Levi Kitchen)
2022: Hunter Lawrence (Christian Craig, Jo Shimoda)
2020: Austin Forkner (Dylan Ferrandis, Michael Mosiman)
2019: Adam Cianciarulo (Colt Nichols, Shane McElrath)
By The Numbers
Detroit
Anaheim 2
San Diego
San Francisco
More SuperMotocross News
SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Detroit
Starting experiences separate 2024 from 2023 for Austin Forkner
Jett Lawrence is SX first repeat 2024 winner with dominant Detroit
Triumph Motorcycles to debut in the heart of American Motors
Adam Cianciarulo out on week-to-week basis
Aaron Plessinger returns triumphantly to Detroit
Cooper Webb, Levi Kitchen keep unique win streak alive
Garrett Marchbanks sizzles in the mud
Jason Anderson, Jett Lawrence fined for SD altercation
Aaron Plessinger earns first 450 win
