Round two of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) playoffs took place at Chicagoland Speedway and it was an interesting race for sure. I didn’t go to this one so viewing on the couch was what I had. I thought the track was cool and it really was pretty motocross-like. Last week in Charlotte the riders were really battling their setup, as it was a motocross track with a full supercross rhythm lane and this week, it was pretty much full motocross.
Late in the second motos, it looked like anything you would see at Millville. The lighting did seem to be a factor for the guys out there when combined with the black dirt, and overall, the guys were battling the track.
It did seem that, unlike last week, most teams and riders went to a motocross setup, and it suited them much more than in Charlotte. Not as much complaining from the guys about their stuff—this was a motocross track through and through. Ken Roczen was on the PulpMX Show Monday and said that he started with his High Point National moto setup because he didn’t have time to test, and it worked well. He also made a note that he wouldn’t even dream of hitting that track with SX stuff.
Honda guys told me although chassis stayed the same to SX, both Chase Sexton and Jett Lawrence went way more into a motocross setup for suspension. Checking in with someone at Yamaha, they went with an MX base and then ended up going a lot stiffer. By the time the second moto hit, they went back softer.
One of the things I’ve enjoyed about these SMX races is how much of a loop some of these teams and riders have been thrown for in terms of setup and all that. In the time we’re in, where the teams wanted a grate for the AMA Pro Motocross Championship because it makes their lives easier, they want the 250SX rules adjusted so they have more riders to pick from, they want amateurs racing with the pros so they don’t make as many mistakes signing kids, it’s nice to see that sometimes, things don’t always go their way.
Well last week Jett Lawrence wasn’t Jett Lawrence until about the last half of the last moto of the day. He ended up second in that moto but in Chicago, back to a more motocross-like track and he was great. 1-2 on the night for the overall. He was way more back to being Jett, which led some industry people to tell me that maybe because this was motocross, he’s better at this than indoors. I mean, he DID just go 22-0 in MX, but he’s got two 250SX titles and yeah, he’s awesome. Awesome riders are good indoors and out, so I’m not going to go there that Jett’s some sort of Mike Alessi “MX specialist” at all. Last week, to me anyway, he just had issues with getting comfy with the track and getting up for a new series that in the end, doesn’t mean that much compared to SX and MX.
But I think there is something to Sexton being a bit more confident indoors, and we saw a better Sexton in Charlotte than we did in Chicago. He was just “good” in Chicago and if you’re Sexton, you’re set up for a winner-take-all scenario this weekend in the LA Memorial Coliseum, which is basically a full SX track. It’ll be a bit tamer than a regular SX, but I would bet Sexton is feeling pretty good about this weekend compared to Chicago.
But there’s a third guy in the mix now! Kenny Roczen won the second moto in Chicago and rode great. He didn’t get the start he needed in moto one to get Sexton for second but in the second one, after he got by early leader Phil Nicoletti (?!?), he settled in nicely behind the 18. He started knocking down his time and stayed in the 1:53’s, then in two of the last three laps before getting by Jett, he was quicker, and the race was on.
Until it wasn’t. Jett slowed down, let Kenny by, and that was it. Roczen went 3-1 for second and Jett explained on the podium how he was doing the math and gave Kenny a “baby gift” of second overall. Jett getting first or second didn’t matter, he had secured the overall win and $100K.
But it was weird because Kenny passing Jett didn’t change anything for him, in terms of getting second overall. Either with this Olympic-style scoring or the old, 25-22-20-point scoring. Jett was either mistaken or was trying to cover for the fact that he maybe just let Kenny by because he knew he had the overall and didn’t want to battle with the sketchy light and track? It doesn’t sound like Kenny appreciated it either. He made a comment on the PulpMX show about how Jett “doesn’t know how to lose yet,” which could be true because, how many times has Jett lost, right?
I don’t know, it was weird for sure. I find it hard to believe Jett couldn’t hold Kenny off for three more laps if he really wanted to, and I also find it hard to believe he honestly thought gifting Kenny the win was going to A, help Kenny and B, hurt Sexton (who maybe he considers his main rival?). I mean, if you had the overall, had the $100K, and didn’t care about the win, then just let the #94 by and explain afterward you knew you had the win, Kenny was riding great, and Bob’s your uncle.
So, we are now in a winner-take-all situation for this weekend between Jett and Sexton. If either of them wins, they take home the $1 million. Roczen is 10 points back of Sexton, so if he wins, he’d need Jett to take second to earn enough points (it’s triple points this weekend) to surpass Sexton in the standings. Triple points! LA Coliseum! SMX! Catch the Fever!
Well Hunter Lawrence was probably worse than his brother last week in the SMX debut. Bad starts and two crashes led to a frustrating day for him. Well, 1-1 in Chicago worked out pretty well for him, and with the points lead he started the playoffs with, he’s back in the lead for the 250SMX title as well. It’s been more of a battle for the #96 but in the end, he showed us what he was made of.
Poor Jo Shimoda, the winner last week, he was in position to perhaps win again when he developed a bike issue and Lawrence got by. I heard it was an electrical issue and was something that happened once and kind of freaked Jo out. So, he took it easy the last few laps to bring it home into second. If you’re Mitch Payton and you watched Shimoda have an “okay” year only to turn it on to win Ironman, Charlotte and maybe this SMX thing, all the while knowing he’s leaving for Honda, you’ve got to be a tad bitter, yeah?
Haiden Deegan was looking great early in moto one and I mean, one would think he was capable of winning the thing but strangely, he dropped back. A 3-3 on the night left him probably a bit perplexed, but also, he’s in position to win the title this weekend with the triple points format. So, if Lawrence, Shimoda, or Deegan win, they win the title, and $500,000. Which I’m sure is exactly what the Feld Motorspoets guys wanted and hoped for when this SMX thing was dreamed up.
Some other news and notes:
It’s taken a long time, but Phil Nicoletti has seemingly found his niche and it’s SMX. The weirdo tracks, the two motos, it’s all added up to our guy, the 69, being a force out there. Yes, he’s still forced to ride the LCQ’s but this weekend he holeshot and led for a bit and he was 8th overall. He even beat Cooper Webb, which, he told us on the PulpMX Show, it was just the third time he’s ever done that. There’s one rider that benefitted from these SMX races and it’s Phil Nicoletti, which is not something I thought I’d be saying.
Maximus Vohland rode really well in both of his races. He started 10th and worked his way up to fifth by the end. Both Charlotte and Chicago, although good races to watch, didn’t offer up a lot of passing so when someone was able to do it, like Garrett Marchbanks last week or Maximus this week, they deserve props.
Justin Cooper went down in moto one in the first turn and then went backwards in moto two, which I assume was from feeling that first turn crash a bit? Cooper’s swan song in the 250 class hasn’t been ideal for him at these first two races but he can turn it around this weekend. I mean, he could win, right?
Cooper Webb was reportedly sick to his stomach all day in Chicago, and I can also assure you that when he couldn’t get by Nicoletti in the first moto, he probably got sicker.
I see those DM’s and social posts about judging Webb’s return to Yamaha after four motos and to that I say, you guys are silly.
Speaking of Phil, he said that when Justin Barcia was behind him in moto two (Barcia was up front and crashed early) he said it’s obscene how much he revs it and the TLD guys must have to change the motor every single race.
Dean Wilson is not having much fun out there through the first four motos. He put on Instagram that he’s not an outdoor rider anymore and this is why he gave it up!
Bummer for Tom Vialle, who was in third and charging in moto two when he broke his shifter off. That’s a DNF and it got me thinking about how many times something simple like a shifter breaking doesn’t happen to title contenders guys, you know?
Jeremy Hand was a late addition to the 450SMX thing. He was 35th overall and the OG plan was anyone outside the top 30 wasn’t getting in. But injuries, guys like Cade Clason who didn’t want money, and whatever else happened, so Jeremy got in. He didn’t make into the main at round one, made it into round two and he got 16th. He’s now 21st in the points and if he makes it into LA this weekend, he’ll get $25K for that spot in the standings. Imagine that for a guy like Hand—$25K for racing two of the three SMX races! Now, granted he’s going to have a tougher time getting into LA because he’s more of an outdoor guy, but hey, stranger things have happened. Jeremy Hand will have about $3K in expenses and could win $25K (plus his per-race money). He’s the real big winner here, folks.
Thanks for reading, should be an exciting round three of the SMX series and then, we’re done for a little bit. Whew! Email me at matthes@racerxonline.com to chat about this or anything else.
