CRAWFORDSVILLE, Indiana - Chase Sexton capped off his championship in style, sweeping the motos in the 2024 Pro Motocross finale at Ironman Raceway and earning his sixth consecutive overall. It was his seventh National win of the season with Hangtown in Round 2 added.
After clinching the title at the end of Moto 1, Sexton could have chosen to take it easy, but he paced teammate Aaron Plessinger by more than 26 seconds and rode away from the field despite stalling his bike briefly midway through Moto 2 to erase a four-second advantage.
After taking the checkers, Sexton ghost rode his bike over the final jump in a mirror of the celebration last year’s champion and then-teammate Jett Lawrence executed with his 2023 championship.
“Last summer was tough for me, not being 100 percent,” Sexton told Peacock’s Jason Thomas. “The Supercross season, building up, getting cut down, building back up, and then coming here to outdoors and having a really awesome season. I don’t know how to put it into words. This was my best riding I’ve had to this date.”
In second overall, Plessinger scored his fifth podium in the last six races with a worst finish of fourth at Spring Creek in that span. He finished second in both Ironman motos.
Plessinger more than doubled his podium count from 2023. He had five last year and 11 in 2024.
“I put it all out there,” Plessinger told Katie Osborne. “I was trying. I was giving it my all to just keep winning. Those last laps were tough. I left it all out there on the track.”
Plessinger finished fourth in SuperMotocross World Championship points.
On the weekend Eli Tomac announced his final SuperMotocross season will be 2025, he took the final spot on the podium in his second race back from a thumb injury after finishing fourth in Moto 1 and third in Moto 2. He was 30 seconds behind Sexton at the checkers.
“I was flowing there in both motos,” Tomac said. “It’s good to be up here. It’s a lot easier thinking at home that you can just jump right back in this, but it’s tough.”
Hunter Lawrence finished fourth overall with a third in Moto 1 and sixth in Moto 2. Lawrence finished second in SMX points and will carry that seeding into the playoffs in two weeks.
Justin Cooper rounded out the top five with results of sixth and fourth.
Click here for official 450 results
Winning Moto 1 and finishing fourth in the second race, Tom Vialle scored his first National win in the 2024 Pro Motocross 250 season finale.
“I was super-tired to be honest,” Vialle said about his Moto 2 performance. “I didn’t have a good line on the track. I was struggling and Haiden [Deegan] was pushing me hard and I couldn’t hold him.”
Vialle did not give up the Ironman sweep easily. When Deegan caught and raced him hard, Vialle put his elbows out and pressed Deegan wide. When Deegan had the inside line, he returned the favor. This was repeated for several minutes in the middle stages of the race.
Chance Hymas finished second in Moto 2 to back up a sixth-place finish in the first race for second overall.
RJ Hampshire in his third race back took the final podium position with a third in the second race and fourth in Moto 1.
After clinching the 250 Championship last week at Budds Creek, Deegan failed to podium in the final race of the year. It was the second time this season he failed to score and overall podium. Deegan won the second moto, but dug a hole in the first race by crashing on Lap 1 and finishing 11th.
“My mom called my dad after that first race and said ‘Haiden is in trouble'; he is not alloed to ride like that,’ ” Deegan told Peacock’s Katie Osborne. “She was not happy. I was kind of scared; even though I bought the car with my own money, I was afraid she would take the keys away.”
In a one-off appearance in the 250 division, Ken Roczen finished ninth overall with a 9-12.
Click here for official 250 results
4 ➡️ 1#ProMotocross #SMX #IronmanMX pic.twitter.com/YNpYjIAbIx
— Pro Motocross (@ProMotocross) August 24, 2024
In-Race Notes
A beautiful day awaits Pro Motocross riders for the 2024 finale, Round 11 of Motocross and Round 28 of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX).
The track has changed since 2023, which could provide for a few surprises. In the past year, the track has added a section through the wooded portion of the property previously used by the GNCC Racing Series and riders will struggle to move from deep shade to bright sunlight. Godzilla lurks just outside this added real estate, so their eyes will need to adjust quickly.
Tomac is back for his second race of 2024 as he preps for the SMX playoffs. Last week, he finished in the top five in the first moto.
Roczen drops down into the 250 division for one race and looks good early.
Deegan clinched the 250 Pro Motocross Championship last week at Budds Creek; Sexton could secure the 450 title at the end of Moto 1 this week and with only 21 racers earning points in the 40-rider field, nothing is guaranteed.
Between the motos, Jett Lawrence discusses his thumb injury. He’d love to have gotten back quicker, but is more than pleased with the progress.
Features
450 Moto 2
Plessinger takes the lead early as he continues to look for his first moto win.
Cooper kicks sideways but saves it and ends Lap 1 in Second.
Sexton was patient on Lap 1, but surges past both on Lap 2 and takes the lead.
Now Hunter Lawrence moves forward into third.
One lap later, Tomac takes fourth. This is the best battle on the track.
Lawrence gets a taste of what it’s like to race with Tomac. The battle for the Moto 2 podium will also decide the overall top three.
With seven minutes off the clock, Tomac takes third.
Cooper takes third from Lawrence with six minutes remaining.
Lawrence is losing pace and in danger of dropping out of the top five.
Sexton built a four-second lead but stalled his bike just past the mechanics area. This brings Plessinger right back in the contest as the moto nears the halfway point.
Sexton regains his rhythm and regains a 3.2-second lead.
Plessinger is safely in second for now with Tomac on the podium for the first time since his Supercross thumb injury.
Sexton rides away from the field and leads by 15 seconds with two laps remaining.
Anderson gets around Lawrence for fifth. They are both more than a minute behind the leader.
Click here for complete 450 Moto 2 results
250 Moto 2
Vialle gets the holeshot. He won Moto 1 and is still looking for his first overall victory.
Hymas and Ryder DiFrancesco give chase.
Max Anstie and RJ Hampshire round out the top five.
Deegan gets a much better start this time and takes fifth from Hampshire on Lap 2.
Levi Kitchen goes down at the five-minute mark.
On Lap 3, Deegan moves up to third behind Vialle and Hymas.
Deegan is on a mission; he passes Hymas for second with nine minutes off the clock.
On Lap 7, Deegan catches Deegan. Vialle doesn’t need the moto win for the overall. This is about pride.
Vialle holds the position, but this brings Hymas into the mix.
DiFrancesco closes in as well and is 2.3 seconds behind the leader.
Deegan finally takes the lead with nine minutes remaining.
As Vialle catches his breath, Hymas takes second.
Deegan stretches his lead to six seconds over Hymas as time runs off the clock.
Hampshire has passed Ville for third.
Click here for complete 250 Moto 2 results
450 Moto 1
Lawrence gets the best start as Dylan Ferrandis is involved in a violent Turn 1 crash. Ferrandis takes a ride back to the pits with the medical team, but he’s sitting up front.
Plessinger and Sexton ride second and third respectively.
Tomac is fourth on Lap 2 with Phil Nicoletti rounding out the top five.
On Lap 3, Plessinger and Sexton get around Lawrence. As they run, Sexton would clinch the title.
Sexton isn’t going to settle for second. He passes Plessinger on Lap 5.
At the midway points, Sexton leads Plessinger (second), Lawrence (third), Tomac (fourth) and Anderson (fifth).
It’s tight at the front with leader Sexton less than five seconds ahead of fourth-place Tomac.
With three laps remaining, the challenge up front has stretched out with Sexton holding a seven-second lead on Plessinger. Lawrence and Tomac have fallen to 10 seconds back, but they are close to one another.
Sexton holds on for the win with teammate Plessinger second.
Lawrence held off Tomac for the final podium spot.
Anderson rounded out the top five once again.
Click here for complete 450 Moto 1 results
250 Moto 1
The outside line is the place to start. Joey Savatgy and Jordon Smith get great starts from there.
But it’s Vialle and Hymas who lead on Lap 1.
Kitchen gets a good start as well to settle into fourth with Roczen fifth.
Deegan crashes on the first lap and falls outside the top 30.
Ty Masterpool pushes Roczen back to sixth.
In his debut, Drew Adams in seventh with nine minutes off the clock.
Deegan gets back inside the top 20 on Lap 4; he’s 19th.
Roczen slips past Kitchen and Masterpool to ride fourth, six seconds behind Vialle.
At the halfway mark, the top five are Vialle, Hymas, Smith, Roczen, and Masterpool.
With 12 minutes on the clock, Smith passes Hymas for second.
With eight minutes remaining, Masterpool surges to third, pushing Hymas to fourth and Roczen to fifth.
Pride is on the line between riding partners Kitchen and Roczen. Kitchen gets fifth for now. On the next lap, Masterpool falls; Roczen is back in the top five.
Roczen fades back to ninth.
Vialle gets his third moto win of the season; he’s still searching for his overall victory.
Kitchen made his way into second.
Smith gets his first Motocross podium finish in six years.
Hampshire in fourth and Masterpool round out the top five.
Roczen arrested his slide in ninth while the 2024 Pro Motocross champion Deegan finished 11th.
Click here for complete 250 Moto 1 results
Last Chance Qualifiers
450s
Vinny Luhovey will be part of the season finale feature after winning the Last Chance Qualifier.
He beat Jeff Walker to the line by more than 10 seconds.
Third-place Jace Kessler and Kile Epperson also advance.
Click here for complete 450 LCQ results
250s
Aiden Dickens won the 250 Last Chance Qualifier 3.179-second advantage over Marcus Phelps.
Slade Varola was on Phelps’ heels in third seventh-tenths of a second behind.
Carter Biese also advances to the Feature.
Click here for complete 250 LCQ results
Qualification
450s
Sexton wants to wrap up the championship in Moto 1 and needs only to finish ahead of or within one position of Lawrence. He is fastest in the first qualification session with a lap of 2:12.520.
Cooper (2:12.778) is close on his heels in the second position as he looks for his first Pro Motocross National win in his rookie season.
Plessinger (2:13.577) takes the third spot.
Tomac and Lawrence round out the top five.
Click here for complete times from 450 Qualification 1
Sexton (2:10.843) sweeps qualification with the top speed in Session 2. His second fastest lap of 2:10.853 was also faster than the remainder of the field. This is his sixth fast time this year.
Lawrence (2:11.013) picks up the pace in Q2 and is only .170 seconds back.
Anderson (2:11.986) posts the third fastest time in his quest for another top-five overall.
Plessinger and Cooper round out the top five in Qualification 2.
Click here for complete times from Qualification 2
Click here for combined 450 qualification times
250s
Deegan has already wrapped up the 250 championship and has nothing left to prove. He just wants to go fast this week and does so in the first session with a chart-topping lap of 2:14.395.
Hymas is second on the board, .343 seconds behind with a 2:14.738.
In his first 250 race since 2013, Roczen is third at 2:14.760.
Julien Beaumer in fourth and Nick Romano round out the top five.
Adams is making his pro debut this week after dominating the Loretta Lynn’s. He was fastest in Group B with a time that should put him in the feature.
Click here for complete times from 250 Qualification 1
Adams continued to show speed in Qualification 2 with the fastest divisional time (2:13.671) so far.
“Rookies get put into the B practice for their first race,” Adams told Peacock’s Jason Thomas. “I had a pretty good track so I expected to be pretty high up hear. Been racing all summer and just happy to be here.”
In Group A, Deegan (2:11.522) and Vialle (2:12.611) push Adams back to third in the opening laps.
Roczen (2:13.202) jumps to third with six minutes remaining in the session.
Vialle crashes in Qualification 2 as he transitions from one of the new sections of the track to the old.
On the next lap, Roczen overtakes Vialle on the time chart.
Deegan, Roczen, and Vialle hold onto the top three spots in Qualification 2
Garrett Marchbanks moves into fourth in this session and also overtakes Adams (who will be fifth overall).
Hymas in fifth in Group A qualification and sixth overall.
Click here for complete times from 250 Qualification 2
Click here for complete combined 250 times
More SuperMotocross News
While we wait for the features, catch up on some recent stories you may have missed.
Chase Sexton clinches Motocross title with Moto 1 win
Ken Roczen races in Ironman 250s
Eli Tomac renews with Yamaha for final season
Ironman Betting Odds
Tom Vialle named to Team France for MXoN
Haiden Deegan wins 250 MX title
450 Results from Budds Creek | 250 Results
Chase Sexton wins fifth straight at Budds Creek
Adam Cianciarulo’s take on the Budds Creek
RJ Hampshire returns for Budds Creek
Cooper Webb shakes off rust, but reinjures thumb
