The 2023 Pro Motocross season has undergone a lot of change, mostly due to of a rash of injuries, and that means that as few as two of last year’s top-10 finishers at RedBud MX in Buchanan, Michigan will line up for this week’s Golden Anniversary. This week’s top-10 will be graced by a host of fresh faces on a track that has been part of the Pro Motocross series for 50 of its 51 years in existence.
Chase Sexton, (who finished second there in 2022), and Aaron Plessinger (ninth) are the most likely active riders to enter Round 5 of the Motocross season although Sexton’s status was still undetermined at the beginning of the week.
There are former winners in the pack, however. The 2021 overall victor at RedBud, Dylan Ferrandis hopes he can finally get the better of Jett Lawrence. Adam Cianciarulo won one of two Nationals in held there 2020 when the schedule was rearranged because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both riders have a reason to be hopeful as Ferrandis has swept the top five through the first four Motocross rounds. Cianciarulo has a worst overall finish of sixth and five top-fives in the last six rounds stretching back to the Monster Energy Supercross season.
Jett Lawrence showed the first signs he might be beatable last week at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania. For the first time this season he did not lead every lap of each moto and was not the fastest qualifier. After the race, he said he was uncomfortable on the bike, and yet he chased down Ken Roczen each time and kept his perfect record of moto and overall wins alive.
Last year in the 250 class, Lawrence crashed in Moto 1 before rebounding to win the second race to finish ninth overall. In 2021, he won the first moto in that class and finished second in Moto 2 to finish third overall.
Lawrence is the only rider with a perfect record of overall podiums. Cooper Webb and Ferrandis rank second with two each.
Ferrandis has kept Lawrence honest this season by scoring podium finishes in six of the eight motos although he has not had the same speed as the points’ leader. That changed in the closing laps at High Point, according to SuperMotocross statistician Clinton Fowler. Ferrandis set the fastest lap in four of the last five laps of Moto 2 to close in on the leader. Combined with last year’s overall win on the strength of a Moto 1 win and second in Moto 2, this is the time to make a statement.
But Cianciarulo could be Lawrence’s closest competition this week because he has been progressively improving in each round. His worst result of sixth came in the season opener at Fox Raceway and in each subsequent round he has improved by one position. He scored his first Pro Motocross podium of 2023 at High Point. Cianciarulo’s last two Monster Energy Supercross races also ended in the top five.
With several top riders still nursing injuries suffered in Supercross competition, that has opened the door for a couple of privateers to take advantage. Ty Masterpool moved up to the 450 class for Round 2 at Hangtown and almost cracked the top five overall. His sixth-place finish there was followed by another sixth at Thunder Valley and a seventh at High Point. With these strong runs, Masterpool is now 22nd in the combined SuperMotocross standings and in reach of a guaranteed starting position in each of the final three rounds of the inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship.
Garrett Marchbanks followed him into the premier class at Thunder Valley and finished sixth in that round and seventh last week.
Also carrying the banner for the privateers, Grant Harlan now has three top-10 finishes in four rounds with a season-best seventh at Fox Raceway in the opener. He closed out his 450 Supercross season with back-to-back top-10s at Denver and Salt Lake City.
In the 250 division, Hunter Lawrence kept his perfect record of overall wins alive last week despite being docked seven points for jumping on a red flag in Moto 2. The points’ deduction was applied after the race totals were tallied. He is also the only rider with a perfect record of overall podiums, but Haiden Deegan has come close with top-three finishes in three of the first four rounds.
Previous RedBud Winners
450s
2022: Eli Tomac
2021: Dylan Ferrandis
2020 Race 2: Adam Cianciarulo
2020 Race 1: Zach Osborne
2019: Eli Tomac
250s
2022: Jo Shimoda
2021: RJ Hampshire
2020 Race 2: RJ Hampshire
2020 Race 1: Jeremy Martin
2019: Dylan Ferrandis
Motocross by the Numbers
High Point
Thunder Valley
Supercross by the Numbers
Nashville
New Jersey
Atlanta
Glendale
Seattle
Detroit
Indianapolis
Daytona
Arlington
Oakland
Tampa
Houston
Anaheim 2
San Diego
More SuperMotocross coverage
RedBud celebrates 50 years with star power
SuperMotocross Power Rankings after High Point
SuperMotocross details position breakdown, points payout
Results and points after High Point
Jett Lawrence bobbles but wins High Point