Roll on Texas! For the first time, the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) paddock will visit Texas Motor Speedway, located just outside Forth Worth. In a similar vein to speedway races we have seen in Daytona, Atlanta, Chicago, and Charlotte over the years, this Texas venue will be held on the infield of the car racing circuit. These infield races always have unique nuances with dirt and layout and I expect this round to be a similar feel to Daytona in layout but the dirt will have many more clay sections. How that translates to racing is what will keep us guessing all weekend long.
As mentioned, the layout and bend-over-itself style of TMS will be very Daytona-ish. The dirt will likely be more compact than Daytona’s black sand and the 100-degree temps on Saturday will only exacerbate that. The harder dirt will increase speeds and make the bumps sharper. With many more SX obstacles than Charlotte but also high speeds, watch for suspension setup to be a big topic on Saturday.
The start is in the middle of the speedway and careens towards the grandstands. A long 180 brings the start back towards the garages before diving into a sand section. This second-turn-sand-section will be interesting and possibly treacherous as riders will be bunched up. Being at the front and not having to significantly slow down through the sand will be a big coup on the first lap. After the sand, the track stretches along the speedway with a standard SX triple into a fast 180 left.
The next straight has seven similarly built jumps which will lead to either a 2-3-2 or a 3-3-1 option for most riders. This will likely be dictated by the corner. If the angle leads to riders sticking tight to the inside, watch for the 2-3-2. If the corner sets up for momentum to swing from the outside, that will allow the 3-3-1 option to work.
Riders cut back across the track with five small jumps that will be a 2-3 or 3-2. After a slight bend back to the right bringing riders alongside the speedway again and into a small triple (3-5-3 ft variety). The finish line is up next followed by a big, fast double. This section will ask riders to scrub hard and carry momentum as they head towards turn 4 of the speedway.
Up next is a split lane and I will be curious to see how this pans out. On paper, the outside line has less jumps but asks a further distance. The inside line will be slowed a bit by more jumps but again, a shorter distance to travel. Can the outside lane allow more momentum and overcome the distance, or will the inside be the preferable line as it also sets riders up to protect the next right hander? On paper, the inside (right side) line seems like a no brainer. With a long right-hand sweeper after this section, the much shorter distance coupled with the ideal inside line after it seems impossible to overcome. The outside could be used for passing but I think it will be an uphill climb to be used as the primary line.
The aforementioned sweeper bends all the way back toward the center of the speedway and is followed by two more fast sweeping turns. This is the fastest section of the racetrack and will up the aggression level. I can’t see much passing here but in the “motocross” portion of “SuperMotocross”, this feels like the spot. Another sand section is up next, and riders will likely just dive to the inside in both of these corners. In fact, there are several more 180’s without much in the way of jumps to slow things down. If riders can enter and exit without mistakes, they could protect the inside here and make this section of the track a bit one-lined. The final 180’s before starting lap two could be used as block passing opportunities with the bowl berm additions so watch for riders to really try to close the distance to the lead rider exiting the prior sand.
- SuperMotocross
SMX Playoff 2
Saturday, September 14- QualifyingLiveSeptember 14 - 9:30 AM
- QualifyingLiveSeptember 14 - 9:30 AM
- MotosLiveSeptember 14 - 1:00 PM
- Pre-Race ShowLiveSeptember 14 - 2:30 PM
- Pre-Race ShowLiveSeptember 14 - 2:30 PM
- MotosLiveSeptember 14 - 3:00 PM
- MotosSeptember 14 - 6:00 PM
- MotosSeptember 15 - 1:00 AM
Who’s Hot
Jett Lawrence returned in style, winning the Charlotte round of SMX. After only riding for three weeks post injury, this was a gigantic statement as to who is who in the sport. Incredible.
Eli Tomac went 1-2 on the day and this was likely his second-best day of racing in 2024. He looked the part from Friday on, leaning into his strengths. With another fast racetrack on deck, if Tomac can start up front, watch for more of the same.
Haiden Deegan dominated the 250 Class with a 1-1 score. He passed anyone and everyone in his way and proceeded to check out afterward. Comments be damned, he pawned the class on Saturday.
Julien Beaumer had a breakout performance at round one (or round 29 if so inclined). He got starts, he had speed, he showed no intimidation. He seemed less surprised than anyone.
Carter Gray didn’t leave with the 65cc World All-Stars win, but he certainly made a name for himself.
Who’s Not
Jason Anderson crashed big in practice and couldn’t go on Saturday afternoon. He will likely be fighting a back woe in Texas as well.
Justin Barcia attempted to come back after a long stint away and promptly crashed his way back out of racing. He will also hope to return in Texas.
Aaron Plessinger started the weekend off with a big crash on a practice start and it never improved from there. He was on a good run coming in but couldn’t find any similar pace or luck in North Carolina.
Cooper Webb seemed to struggle with starts and pace in his return. The high-speed, basic layout isn’t what I would consider ideal for Webb.
Chance Hymas tweaked his knee in the first moto and was not really in the hunt otherwise.
Nate Thrasher made his long-awaited return but a practice crash looked to derail any pep in his step.
Bold Predictions
The Supermini World All-Stars all wear shock collars and are zapped as they approach the triple.
Justin Barcia and Jason Anderson, both injured after Charlotte crashes, combine forces to create one healthy superhuman capable of blasting any competitor to El Paso.
Haiden Deegan decides to race the LCQ just to ensure global dominance and squash any uprising amongst the outlying field.
KTM buys JuJu Beaumer a pager and smashes his cell phone into bits after learning what would trigger podium finishes.
My Picks
250
Haiden
Kitchen
RJ
450
Jettson
Sexton
Tomac
