Welcome to Racerhead. It's Groundhog Day and we're on the road to Detroit for the fifth round of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship as well as opening day for the 250SX East Region. So far, it's been nowhere near a Groundhog Day series, as we've had different winners in both classes at every race so far, and some serious title contenders—Eli Tomac, Jason Anderson, Ken Roczen—haven't won yet. The crazy California weather and a deep field of talent are what got us here.
It's been an amazing series so far, and the competitive parity so far might be something we've never seen before in 50 years of Monster Energy Supercross. For instance, we have yet to have anyone win a second race in either class, which means four winners in four races across both divisions. Just last weekend we hade six different winners in the six different motos. We've had heavy rain twice, and decent weather twice. And now we're going outside California and inside, under a roof, for the first time in this series. And anyone who watched Detroit last year remembers the crushing heartache that Red Bull KTM's Aaron Plessinger put on full display after that gut-wrenching last-lap crash cost him what would have been the first 450SX win of his entire career. Now, one year later, the cowboy who wears his heart on his sleeve will wear red plates on his motorcycle too as series points leader. AP7 finally lassoed that elusive win two weeks ago in San Diego, and then managed to continue to hold onto the red plate, which in this field is as big an achievement as just getting it in the first place!
We'll have a new winner no matter what in the 250SX class because tomorrow means the start of the 250SX East Region and a whole new series. That means we will be seeing Haiden Deegan for the first time since he was crowned SuperMotocross World Champion last September, and Dangerboy's arrival on the scene probably can't come soon enough for Jett Lawrence. No, they aren't racing together, but Deegan will surely absorb a lot of the attention and bandwidth that's been raining down on Jettson after his post-San Diego tussle with Jason Anderson. The kid is going through it right now and could probably use someone like Dangerboy to find some relief from the spotlight. Because nothing moves the needle like the Lawrences, except for the Deegans...
So here's a cool stat I recalled from races gone by: In the 2000 AMA Supercross Series we had seven different winners of the 125 class in the first seven races. In order, they were David Pingree, Tallon Vohland, Green Schnell, Casey Lytle, and Shae Bentley (all in the 125 West Region), then Michael Brandes and Stephane Roncada to start the 125 East Region. Finally, it was Roncada on the Yamaha of Troy YZ125 who finally became the first repeat winner of 2000, and he did it before the two biggest stars in the class—the rookie Travis Pastrana and defending 125 East Champ Ernesto Fonseca—got their first wins. By the time that series was over, nine different riders had won over 17 rounds.
So far in '24 we've seen RJ Hampshire, Jordon Smith, Nate Thrasher, and Levi Kitchen win, all in the 250SX West Region. Now the East starts with Deegan of course, plus the veteran Jeremy Martin (who was out all last summer and SMX with the arm he broke at Hangtown), Austin Forkner, Seth Hammaker, and Cameron McAdoo on the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team, Honda's Chance Hymas, the veteran Max Anstie, KTM's Tom Vialle, GasGas rider Pierce Brown, and for the first time ever, Team Triumph (Jalek Swoll and Evan Ferry). Oh, and Star Racing Yamaha's Nick Romano will finally get to line up for his first SX race after missing all of last year with a knee injury. And you just know someone will probably come out of seemingly nowhere — Perhaps Guillem Farres? Enzo Lopes? Michael Mosiman?
Supercross continues this week with Round five from Ford Field in Detroit. Racing action begins live at 3 p.m. ET on both NBC and Peacock. This will be our first live NBC broadcast of the season, and they are trying something new by starting with the 450SX class. (Race Day Live will begin streaming exclusively on Peacock starting at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.)
As far as the whole schedule goes, the 450SX heats are first, then the 250SX heats. Next is the 450SX LCQ and then the 250SX LCQ. But then it gets a little funky as the 250SX main goes next, with the 450SX main being the grand finale, as usual. The problem is for the four guys in the 250SX class that qualify out of the six-lap LCQ. They will have less than 10 minutes between their checkered flag and the start of the sighting lap for the main event. The thinking is that those four probably won't want to do the sighting lap since they will have just gotten off the track, but it's still going to be rushed for those riders to reset themselves. Hopefully it all goes well.
Press day at @fordfield for the Detroit Supercross is underway! New batch of teams, riders, and bikes in the 250SX East Region! 🎥 @racerxonline @SupercrossLIVE @supermotocross #Supercross #2024DetroitSX #SupercrossLIVE #SX2024 pic.twitter.com/RRTg4hKQoq
— Mitch Kendra (@mitch_kendra) February 2, 2024
Ford Field Mitch Kendra Barry Sanders Mitch Kendra Preston Boespflug Mitch Kendra Haiden Deegan Mitch Kendra Seth Hammaker Mitch Kendra Jalek Swoll Mitch Kendra Austin Forkner Mitch Kendra Jalek Swoll Mitch Kendra Daxton Bennick Mitch Kendra Nick Romano Mitch Kendra Preston Boespflug Mitch Kendra Haiden Deegan and Will Christien. Mitch Kendra Will Christien and Seth Hammaker chatting. Mitch Kendra Cameron McAdoo Mitch Kendra Chase Sexton Mitch Kendra Aaron Plessinger Mitch Kendra Dean Wilson Mitch Kendra Seth Hammaker Mitch Kendra Chance Hymas Mitch Kendra Austin Forkner Mitch Kendra
Team Sport (Jason Weigandt)
You can run the numbers anyway you want, and they’ll indicate that this year’s racing is super close. I believe there are two reasons for that. First, the generational shift, with veteran champions who still believe they can win mixed in with a younger set that thinks the same. We had a similar dynamic when James Stewart and Chad Reed were matched against Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey and Trey Canard, and that led to great racing in those years, especially that 2011 season when they really all tangled for the first time.
The second reason is that we appear to have a season where several teams hit the marks with their motorcycles. Just look at the Cooper Webb situation as an example. Webb has been great on his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing bike. No regrets, for sure. But meanwhile his old team, Red Bull KTM, has also made strides, with Aaron Plessinger saying this year’s package is so much better that he can finally think while he rides instead of just hanging on.
The big difference for KTM is a more compliant frame and forks. Those are changes that Webb had wanted over there for the last two years. But Webb is happy with his Yamaha, too, plus we’re now seeing signs from both Eli Tomac and qualifying master Justin Cooper. After San Diego, we had two KTMs at the top of the standings, and after A2 we have multiple Yamaha riders making strides.
Kawasaki has a new bike, too, and Jason Anderson has had great things to say about it. The team is proud of the work Broc Tickle put in over the summer to get the bike ready for Anderson and Adam Cianciarulo. Plus Kawasaki relies very heavily on data these days, which has helped them speed up the process of getting a new bike where it needs to be. This bike is said to be better in corners without losing stability on straights.
Finally, we already know Honda had its bikes dialed last year, what with an amazing season where the squad swept most of the championships. There might be some more work to do as the Lawrence brothers adjust to 45S0X, but we already know that bike is capable.
Monster Energy Supercross stat man Clinton Fowler says the premier class standings in this sport have never been this close (in the top five) after four rounds. Never. We’ve also never started a season with five different winners. That’s in play this weekend. Slice the stats anyway you want to, and they’ll indicate we’ve got bikes and riders all in a good place early this season.
New Manufacturer Debut (Keefer)
Triumph will make their Supercross debut this weekend in Detroit. New manufacturers to the sport of Supercross/Motocross is a great thing and to have the British brand willing to dive headfirst into our world is pretty damn cool. Jalek Swoll and Evan Ferry may not be contenders to win Saturday night but a top 5-8th place finish for either one of these riders would be a great start to their season, as well as the brand's. I have been behind the scenes a little bit over there to witness firsthand how much work has gone into getting to the first round. Scuba, Bobby, Dudley, Dave, and all of the guys over there have been putting in long days/nights to be able to put on a professional showing come Saturday night. The Triumph TF 250-X is not just another KTM like others may think. There are some unique mix/match parts, that to a rider, make sense. A blend of KTM/Yamaha-ish looking pieces, as well as proprietary parts, make up for a well thought-out motorcycle. Just like when Ducati gets to America in 2026, let's try to be welcoming as a fan base, to encourage other manufacturers to come to our sport so it can grow. The more the merrier! It only helps us, the riders, when it comes time to purchase a motorcycle.
Unlucky Math (DC)
Following the third and final race of the 450SX class Triple Crown last Saturday night, there was a moment of uncertainty as everyone waited to see/hear what the AMA officials were going to do about Jason Anderson's off-track excursion, which happened after he went down at the beginning of the whoops. He picked his bike up, rode off the side of the track, and then down alongside the long stretch of whoops before re-entering in the next turn, right behind the back of the pack. He didn't pass anyone, but he did seem to gain some advantage in simply skipping all of the whoops, unlike Justin Barcia, who went right back into them after he also fell in the corner. Anderson would work his way up to seventh place, which when added with his 4-1 scores in the first two races gave him a total of 12 points, which was actually good for second overall behind Cooper Webb's unlikely winning score of 2-2-5.
But then word came down to the podium before the champagne and trophies had been handed out that the AMA was indeed going to dock him one position in that final moto for gaining an advantage (or at least not actually losing more time by riding around the whoops). That changed the math—a lot. Now Anderson's 4-1-8=13, which was the same tally as Eli Tomac's 5-7-1=13 and Aaron Plessinger's 6-4-3=13. But in all tiebreakers when it comes to a multiple-motos format, the better finisher in the final moto wins the tiebreaker, and because Eli won and AP7 got third, they both had better final motos than El Hombre. Suddenly, that one position in one moto that he was docked had oversized consequences for Anderson, as he lost one spot in the moto but two positions in the overall tally, falling from second to fourth. Jason went from a silver medal to off the podium completely; from 22 championship points to 18 on the night. That's one costly ride around the whoops.
That said, I have a feeling that this whole deal, plus the animosity between him and Jett, will motivate Jason more than it hurts him. And remember this little gem: Just as Detroit was the place that broke Aaron Plessinger's heart last season, it's also the place where Jason Anderson got an unexpected win in 2016 when everyone found out after the race that Ryan Dungey had been docked for jumping on the red-cross flags. Anderson found out he'd won on a stadium elevator on the way to the press conference, if I remember correctly. At least now these penalties are coming down a little timelier...
Video Vault
Hard to believe it's already been a year since Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Haiden Deegan made his supercross debut at the 2023 Houston Supercross, but it's true! Relive the action from the floor of the 250SX main event that night as Hunter Lawrence, Tom Vialle, Max Anstie, Haiden Deegan, Chance Hymas, and more battled it out in the Lone Star State.
PRADO OUT (DC)
MXGP World Champion Jorge Prado's "supercross vacation" is now over, and it went pretty well. The Spanish Red Bull/GasGas rider even extended his trip by on extra race, adding Anaheim 2 to his itinerary. That meant three more gate drops and, after two full-blown mudders, a chance to ride a dry SX race. Prado went 12-11-7-13 in the first four supercross races of his career, and he did that in the premier 450SX class. Prado was testing the waters for a possible move to America full-time in 2025, and from what he's said in interviews here, it sounds like he had a great time learning the stadium ropes.
“Just finished my racing here in the U.S. and it’s been a great experience," he said after the A2 Triple Crown. "I would say that this was my second real Supercross behind Anaheim 1, because this one and A1 seemed like the track was more realistic to SX with the conditions. I’m happy with my progress, the Triple Crown today was way different again... So much speed and intensity in the first laps, and I struggled with that, especially in the first one. I dropped back to P12 quickly, so I made more adjustments for the other two. But overall, I am quite satisfied. It’s been a good experience, for sure, and with more racing I could get better, so I am motivated for the future.”
We've heard that several U.S. teams are interested in Prado, and not just the KTM Group. Both Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha and Monster Energy Kawasaki are said to be in talks with him (and some are saying Kawi is the most likely landing spot) so stay tuned.
Related: The List: Prado vs History
The Winner Fined (DC)
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing's Cooper Webb won last weekend's Triple Crown event with unlikely 2-2-5 scores. Afterward Webb found out he would be fined for not doing a live television interview after one of his runner-up rides. Webb was not feeling well, nor was he expecting to be interviewed, as they rarely have time to interview anyone but the winner after the first two legs of each Triple Crown. It's in the rulebook that participants have to do live TV interviews upon request, so Webb was fined (the money does not go to the AMA or series, but rather to the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit). Also, team manager Jeremy Coker could have filled in for Webb if Cooper needed to go back to the rig to rest or drink or make a fix. Hopefully there will be more coordination between TV and the team the next time something like this happens.
A DAY AT THE BEACH (DC)
Got a note from our friend Paul Malin that the Le Touquet beach race (or as it’s now known, Enduropale de Touquet) will take place this weekend in France. Le Touquet is the biggest of all beach races, and has a long line of motocrossers who have participated and won over the years, including Dutch sand master Kees Van der Ven and the late Eric Geboers. That was back in the day. Now there are a whole generation of beach racing specialists over in Europe, including our friend Lars van Berkel, who came over to North America last summer and raced both AMA Pro Motocross as well as a couple of Canadian Nationals. Right now the Dutchman is currently second in the seven-race French Sand Championship Series, with Le Touquet being the final. His teammate Cyril Genot is the leader right now. Both have made the podium the last two years. Todd Kellet is the defending champion of the series and of Le Touquet. He and his teammate Milko Potisek, a multi-time winner, will both be threats to win. The Le Touquet schedule calls for a two and half-hour ATV race tomorrow and then the three-hour motorcycle race on Sunday.
According to Malin, "The first-lap track conditions will be pretty flat, but by lap two the terrain will be rougher than Southwick after a pro national. By Lap 12, it is a bomb site, but you would never think it watching the favorites carve their way through traffic as if it was their first lap."
Oh, and among other motocrossers who have won are Hakan Carlqvist back in the day, and more recently Mickael Pichon and Steve Ramon.
The 48th edition of the Le Touquet Beach Race will air on MAV-TV on both days. Check your local times.
Here Comes Brand #18 (DC)
Earlier this year the Italian brand Beta became the 17th motorcycle manufacturer in the history of Monster Energy Supercross to line up for a main event in the series, going back to 1974 and including both classes. Tomorrow will likely see the 18th brand line up when the British-made Triumph makes its AMA Supercross debut at Ford Field in Detroit. So which are the other brands to have already lined up?
Let's start with the Big Four from Japan: Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. They were all there from the very start, and so was the Austria-made KTM, albeit in the form of the U.S. brand Penton. The rider on that first Penton was the late Buck Murphy from Washington state, who finished second to Pierre Karsmakers at the 1974 Daytona SX. Also in the early mix were the boutique Spanish brands Bultaco and Montesa, the original Swedish-made Husqvarna, Germany's Maico, Czech-made CZ, and the North American brand Can-Am.
In the second year of the series Harley-Davidson lined up for the first time with Terry Clark finishing 16th at Daytona. There was another North American-made bike that lined up in 1976, the Jones/Islo, or Amex/Islo, which three-time AMA 250 Pro Motocross Champion Gary Jones was making in Mexico. And believe it or not there was one more North American-made bike that would compete in supercross, also made in Mexico, the Carabela. Billy Grossi would ride a Carabela to 16th place in the 1978 Anaheim SX.
From there we have to jump to 1985 for the next new brand to join the fray, the Italian-made Cagiva. The debutante on that bike was longtime Louisiana speedster Wendell Simmons, who finished seventh in the 125 class in the Atlanta race (the first-ever 125 East Region SX).
Next would come a very long wait for the next new brand to race SX—and not including Husqvarna's rebirth as part of the KTM Group—but it finally happened in 2021 when the Spanish-made, Austria-acquired GasGas showed up under TLD Racing's Justin Barcia and won the Anaheim SX in its maiden voyage.
Which brings us to 2024. Benny Bloss now has a place in moto trivia as the first man to compete in an AMA Supercross on the Beta, finishing 15th in the mud at San Diego aboard the RX 450. That was the 17th brand, and as I said at the top, we will almost certainly see the 18th tomorrow afternoon.
In case you are wondering, there were plenty of others that are in the Racer X Online Vault of AMA results—BSA, AJS, Rickman, Greeves, Hodaka in the early years, and more recently ATK, Husaberg and Cannondale—but they only competed in AMA Pro Motocross. And the next brand, the 19th? Look for a Ducati or two out there in 2026.
Hey, Watch It!
"He prefers it front end high" Mechanic Jade Dungey on AP's ride | Bike Breakdown
Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week
"PETA wants to replace legendary groundhog Punxsutawney Phil with a giant coin"—Reading Eagle Pennsylvania News
"‘Shitshow!’ Britain’s potty-mouthed parliament"—Politico.com
"Man shoots himself in neck while trying to steal car, police say"—MyFox8.com
"Customers enjoy cuddling with pigs at trendy Japanese cafés"—AP News (via our friend The Stump Grinder)
Random Notes
Check out the new (and well done) MXGP online magazine, with it's 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship preview.
And here's your Wes Anderson moment of the week: Our longtime friend and contributor Michael "Fresh Top End" Stusiak found this amazing photo gallery of motorcycle cops in India that also compete as stunt teams doing riding drills in cheerleader-style formations...
Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races!