The 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season continues to roll along. The fifth round brought us the first 250SX East Region round. Here's a quick look at some Detroit Supercross stats, rider vlogs and videos, and more.
Detroit SX Quick Stats
250SX East Region
Austin Forkner’s 13th 250SX win (active 250SX field leader)
Max Anstie’s fifth 250SX podium
Daxton Bennick’s first 250SX podium in his first ever 250SX start.
450SX
Jett Lawrence becomes first repeat fastest 450SX qualifier this season
Jett Lawrence’s first career 450SX heat race win, second career 450SX win. Also becomes first repeat 450SX winner of 2024.
Chase Sexton’s 27th 450SX podium
Ken Roczen’s 65th 450SX podium
Aaron Plessinger becomes first 450SX rider to earn a second heat race win this season
Jett Lawrence earns first career 450SX heat race win
SX Rookie Debuts
The following riders made their AMA Supercross debuts, competing in their maiden points-paying main event. Here are their main event results.
Daxton Bennick: 3rd
Guillem Farres: 8th
Trevor Colip: 11th
Preston Boespflug: 13th
Nick Romano: 14th
Bryton Carroll: 19th
Evan Ferry: 22nd
![Daxton Bennick]()
Daxton Bennick Align Media ![Guillem Farres]()
Guillem Farres Align Media ![Trevor Colip]()
Trevor Colip Align Media ![Preston Boespflug]()
Preston Boespflug Align Media ![Evan Ferry]()
Evan Ferry Align Media
Other Topics
Why Tomac Struggled
When Eli Tomac went from a second-place start to a tenth-place finish, without crashing, it was a head-scratching moment. Some rumors online started saying things from bike issue to injury, but Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager Jeremy Coker explained in a text message to our team today:
“Yes I would like to [respond]. There was not a shock failure in any way. His current shock setup is good on harder, drier tracks. When we got to the sticky, rutty dirt like this weekend it sucked the rear of the bike down and in turn gave him arm pump.”
Sharing the Points
In the last ten years (2014 through 2024), this is the lowest points P1 in the 450SX standings has had after five rounds. Chase Sexton leaves the fifth round with 98 points, the only time P1 has been under 100 points in the last ten years. The second lowest was in 2014 when Ryan Villopoto had 104 points.
Note: the points structure was slightly different from 2018 through the 2023 season.
Closest Gap from Between P1 and P2 in 450SX Through first 5 Rounds (2014 through 2024)
| 2024 | Rider | Points | Deficit |
| 1st | Chase Sexton | 98 points | - |
| 2nd | Jett Lawrence | 97 points | 1 |
| 3rd | Aaron Plessinger | 96 points | 2 |
| 4th | Cooper Webb | 92 points | 6 |
| 5th | Jason Anderson | 84 points | 14 |
| 2021 | Rider | Points | Deficit |
| 1st | Eli Tomac | 113 points | - |
| 2nd | Chase Sexton | 111 points | 2 |
| 3rd | Cooper Webb | 109 points | 4 |
| 4th | Jason Anderson | 93 points | 20 |
| 5th | Ken Roczen | 92 points | 21 |
| 2014 | Rider | Points | Deficit |
| 1st | Ryan Villopoto | 104 points | - |
| 2nd | Chad Reed | 102 points | 2 |
| 3rd | Ken Roczen | 87 points | 17 |
| 4th | Justin Brayton | 86 points | 18 |
| 5th | James Stewart | 80 points | 24 |
Close Points Gap
This 450SX championship gap after round five in 2024 is also the tightest of the last ten years. Sexton leads Jett Lawrence by one point, which beats out the two-point gap in 2021 and 2014, the three-point gap in 2020, and the four-point gap in 2019.
The gap from Sexton (current points leader) to Jason Anderson (currently fifth) is the smallest gap in the previous ten years, as there are only 14 points separating the #1 and the #21. In 2020, P1 Roczen (113 points) had an 18-point gap back to P5 Webb (95 points).
Gap from First to Fifth in 450SX Through first 5 Rounds (2014 through 2024)
| 2024 | Rider | Points | Deficit |
| 1st | Chase Sexton | 98 points | - |
| 2nd | Jett Lawrence | 97 points | 1 |
| 3rd | Aaron Plessinger | 96 points | 2 |
| 4th | Cooper Webb | 92 points | 6 |
| 5th | Jason Anderson | 84 points | 14 |
| 2020 | Rider | Points | Deficit |
| 1st | Ken Roczen | 113 points | - |
| 2nd | Eli Tomac | 110 points | 3 |
| 3rd | Justin Barcia | 98 points | 15 |
| 4th | Jason Anderson | 96 points | 17 |
| 5th | Cooper Webb | 95 points | 18 |
Back-to-Back
“Hey Alexa, play ‘Back-to-Back’ by Drake.” That’s right, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki has taken back-to-back 250SX main event wins with Levi Kitchen (round two Anaheim 2 SX) and Austin Forkner (round five Detroit SX). This gives Mitch Payton his first AMA Supercross back-to-back wins for the first time since…March 2021! In March 2021, Cameron McAdoo won round nine Daytona SX (his first ever win) then rookie Seth Hammaker won the round 10 Arlington 1 SX (his first ever win).
(1/2) Levi Kitchen (round 4 Anaheim 2 SX) and Austin Forkner (round 5 Detroit SX) claim back-to-back 250SX wins for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team for the first time since March 2021. #SXHistory #Supercross #2024DetroitSX #SupercrossLIVE #SX2024
— Mitch Kendra (@mitch_kendra) February 5, 2024
![Levi Kitchen]()
Levi Kitchen Align Media ![Austin Forkner]()
Austin Forkner Align Media
PC’s Double Red Plate
With Kitchen’s win in the fourth 250SX West Region round and Forkner’s win at the 250SX East Region opener, the duo will both have the red plate at their next respective rounds. Kitchen will share the 250SX West Region points lead as we enter this weekend’s Glendale SX round, and Forkner will have extra red on his Kawasaki at the next East Region round in Texas February 24. Last time the team had a red plate on each coast at the same time was in 2019 with Adam Cianciarulo (West Region) and Forkner (East Region), although neither ended up with a title.
This brings up an interesting question as to how many 250SX AMA Supercross titles has the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team won over the last 10 years? Only one: Justin Hill’s 2017 250SX West Region title. The team dominated both the 250cc AMA Supercross and Motocross ranks in the 1990s, 2000s, and the very start of the 2010s, but since Brock Tickle claimed the 2011 SX Lites West Region title, the team only has Hill’s 250SX title and Adam Cianciarulo’s 2019 250cc AMA Motocross title.
Romano’s Racing Return
Nick Romano returned to racing for the first time since the 2022 Unadilla National in August 2022. Romano was set to make his AMA Supercross debut in 2023 until a knee injury (torn ACL) sidelined him for the entire year. So, Saturday at the Detroit Supercross, Romano returned to racing 549 days after his last pro race. He said before the race:
“I got hurt after Unadilla in ‘22 and missed the last three outdoors. Then did all of the off-season in 2022, then leading up to the opener last year I did my knee. So, that was six months. Then I came back from that, rode for about a month and a half and then had another injury that set me back for about another month and a half. So, I’d say I’ve been on the couch more than I’ve been riding the last year and a half or so, whatever it has been. I’m just grateful to be here. At one point, it just felt like it was a century away. So, I’m happy. …I’m happy to be here, happy to be here healthy, and just learn each time we hit the track and see where it ends up.”
Unfortunately, he got collected in the first-turn pileup off the main event start. He came through 14th.
Penalty Report
The AMA has released the Detroit #Supercross post-race penalty report. Nothing of significance in this week's report, as the only two infractions came from failed 450SX qualifying sound tests. #2024DetroitSX #SupercrossLIVE #SX2024 pic.twitter.com/OKCnkJnA3A
— Mitch Kendra (@mitch_kendra) February 6, 2024
Post of the Week
It was a nutty 2024 debut for Cameron McAdoo at the season opener…
Vlogs
CAMERON GOES BALLS OUT IN DETROIT
RACING WITH THE BEST -Shane McElrath Supercross Vlog
DETROIT SUPERCROSS | Christian Craig Round 5 Vlog
DBDRacing Detroit Supercross | Madness in the Motor City!
Adam Cianciarulo: PLUGGED IN PODCAST | Detroit Recap
