Hunter Hunting
To say Hunter Lawrence was good in Denver would be a gross understatement. The HRC Honda rider holeshot the main and led 11 laps before his brother, Jett, got by. Well, this weekend a different story could play out. In Denver Jett still needed all the points he could get to bolster his championship, but in Salt Lake City, it’s not hard to imagine Jett riding a safe race to seal the deal. In this scenario, a holeshot for Hunter could equal the first 450SX win of his career. -Hansel
Breaking Through
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson has been surging lately, thanks in part to the drier, slicker tracks the championship has seen in recent races. Well, guess what? Salt Lake City, as long as there isn’t any weather, usually features that same type of dirt, making it a prime stop on the schedule for Anderson to notch his first win of the season. -Hansel
The Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown
In case you didn’t know, the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown is this weekend, which combines both 250SX east and 250SX west into a single class. It’s always fun to watch both regions face each other, both for points and for bragging rights, and it’s especially entertaining when it’s the last race of the season and so many guys have absolutely nothing to lose. Who’ll win the last 250SX race of 2024? -Hansel
- Supercross
- QualifyingLiveMay 11 - 6:30 PM UTC
- Pre-Race ShowLiveMay 11 - 11:30 PM UTC
- Night ShowLiveMay 12 - 12:00 AM UTC
- Night ShowLiveMay 12 - 12:00 AM UTC
- Nigh Show (Re-air)May 12 - 6:00 PM UTC
- Nigh Show (Re-air)May 13 - 5:00 AM UTC
Championship Math – 450SX
Not much to report here, as Jett Lawrence is currently enjoying a 20-point lead over Cooper Webb, who made it public last week that he’s dealing with a torn ligament in his thumb. With such a huge points advantage, all Lawrence has to do is finish 17th or better, no matter what Webb does, and the championship is his. Lawrence could probably do that on a 1986 CR250R with stock suspension and a clapped out top end, so unless he inexplicably fails to qualify for the main, or his bike let’s go immediately in the main and Webb gets second or first, this championship is Jett’s. -Hansel
Championship Math – 250SX East
Things are a little different in this class than the 450SX class, but not by much. Tom Vialle leads Haiden Deegan by 15 points, and they both have two wins apiece. If Deegan wins, which is not a guarantee, especially in the Showdown, Vialle will need to finish 11th or better to wrap up the title. Yes, there will be additional talent to deal with, but considering Vialle hasn’t finished off the podium all season (minus the season opener, which had a huge pileup on the start), it seems like a pretty safe bet for him to become a champion in America this Saturday night. -Hansel
Championship Math – 250SX West
This is where the action is! Jordon Smith and Jo Shimoda are still barely in this thing, but they’d need to have something catastrophic to both RJ Hampshire and Levi Kitchen, who are tied for the lead heading into the finale. The real race is between Hampsire and Kitchen, and the goal is simple—beat the other guy and win the championship. The execution? Not so simple, especially in the Showdown. Predicting a winner would be pure guesswork, but whoever gets the better start is going to have a huge advantage. Buckle up, this one’s going to be crazy! -Hansel
![RJ Hampshire]()
RJ Hampshire Align Media ![Levi Kitchen]()
Levi Kitchen Align Media
Last Dance
If you don’t like Adam Cianciarulo, Phil Nicoletti, or Dean Wilson, go slap yourself in the face, call your parents, and ask them where they failed you. All three of these riders are some of the most likeable racers in the pits, each with their own, very unique personality. Unfortunately, Saturday night is the last time we’ll see any of them line up for Monster Energy AMA Supercross, as all three are retiring from SX after SLC. Take a minute to enjoy watching them race, it’s the last chance you’ll have. -Hansel
Déjà Vu
I feel like we have seen this before, a winner takes all situation, between a Pro Circuit Kawasaki and a Rockstar Energy Husqvarna. Only in 2017 it was the veteran Zach Osborne who took out the Kawasaki mounted Joey Savatgy in the second to last turn to claim his first ever supercross title. Now I am not saying we will see the same thing unfold in SLC. RJ Hampshire has even admitted he likes Levi Kitchen, and the title fight might be easier on him if he didn’t like him so much. But a championship is a championship and if they are that close in the last turn, it might be easier to ask for forgiveness after the fact. -Sarah Whitmore
Another Tie
Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton are tied for third in the 450SX Championship. However, it is doubtful we will see any 2022 Justin Barcia vs Malcolm Stewart style take out moves over third place between these two. If they can race each other clean while racing for championships in 2022, they will race clean in Salt Lake as well. -Whitmore
One More
A look at the 250 East points will show that Pierce Brown and Coty Schock are also tied for third in that championship. Brown does not seem to shy away from aggressive riding, and one can bet that after the Haiden Deegan incident in Birmingham, Schock is not going to be leaving any insides open. Money and bragging rights are on the line so it could be interesting if these two find each other on the track in SLC. -Whitmore
