At each round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship we see locals come out to try and qualify for the pro 250cc and 450cc divisions. Retired pros, privateers, and top amateurs come out and give it their best shot in front of family and friends. Well, at this year’s Southwick National there will be one extra rider to keep an eye on: Tony Lorusso. The Brockton, Massachusetts, native first raced pro at the 1990 Pro Motocross round at The Wick 338, finishing 16th overall in the 125 Class and last made the motos at the 2012 Unadilla Naitonal, finishing 30th overall. But on Saturday, at 52 years old, Lorusso will look to qualify for the 250 Class motos at his home track.
Lorusso will be in the 250 Class B group qualifying session—the first on track to start the day. If Lorusso does qualify, which he very well could being first on the track and from the reports we are hearing from locals, he could be the oldest rider to ever qualifying for the motos. At 52 years old, we believe Lorusso would break the record for oldest rider ever to qualify. The last rider over 40 years old to qualify for the motos was Robert Fitch, who qualified for the 2021 Thunder Valley National at 41 years old. We believe only would Lorusso be the first rider over 45 to qualify for a Pro Motocross race, but he would be the first rider over 50 to do so!
At the 2023 Southwick National, retired pro racer Jimmy Decotis made the motos in impressive fashion. The Massachusetts native put down a 2:06.592 in the first 250 Class B group qualifying session (again, first session on track) and was the fastest overall 250 Class qualifier. [Note: Decotis’ time was only bested by Jett Lawrence’s 2:05.422 on a CRF450R.] “The Rippah” finished 12-17 for 15th overall in his first pro race since February 2020. And qualifying fastest out of the B group happens quite often. We also saw Yamaha’s Daxton Bennick top the 250 Class overall qualifying from the B group the previous week at the RedBud Naitonal in his pro debut and Matti Jorgensen finished P2 in overall 250 Class qualifying the week prior at the High Point National during his respective pro debut. Both the High Point and RedBud conditions were a little muddy in the morning, but still both Bennick and Jorgensen came out swinging, and Decotis followed suit.
So, long story short, being the first qualifying session can make a big difference, especially at a track like The Wick 338. Muddy or not, Lorusso will have a shot at a few clean laps on Saturday. Watch for the #778 Yamaha YZ250F machine on Saturday as he looks to make history.
Main image by Fran Kuhn
