Doubling Down
The SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Playoffs are unlike motocross and supercross in many ways, and one of the biggest differences is the scoring. At the second round, riders will earn double the number of points as usual, which means that a win will earn 50 point instead of 25, second place will earn 44 instead of 22, third will be 40 instead of 20, and so on. With that system in place, the potential is there for there to be some pretty big point swings if someone has some hard luck this weekend in Texas. -Aaron Hansel
Still Leading
Although he finished third last week in North Carolina, Chase Sexton still has the points lead. Confused? Riders don’t come into SMX with zero points, they start with bonus points based on their ranking from the AMA Supercross and Motocross seasons. Sexton was ranked first, so he came into SMX with 25 points. That, combined with the 20 points he earned for third, is enough to keep the red plate on his KTM. Will he still have it after the weekend? -Hansel
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Qualifying Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 561 | 156 |
| 2 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 669 | 156 |
| 3 |  Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO  | 349 | 129 |
| 4 |  Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | 601 | 116 |
| 5 |  Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | 350 | 109 |
Tomac Attack
If Eli Tomac isn’t back on point, he’s pretty darn close! The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider was excellent in North Carolina, winning the first moto unchallenged and leading a ton of laps in the second moto before succumbing to a hard-charging Jett Lawrence. If he puts in another performance like that this weekend we could see him get his first win since the St. Louis SX back in March. -Hansel
The Phenom
Speaking of riders who are clearly back on their game, how about Jett Lawrence? Him walking away with the win in Concord wasn’t exactly a widespread expectation, but somehow that’s what happened. He did it convincingly too, running down Tomac in the second moto after Tomac had built up a decent lead. One win isn’t necessarily a harbinger of dominance, but with a rider like Lawrence, who was expected to take more time to get back to race pace, it’s a bad sign for the competition. Will he do it again in Texas? -Hansel
- SuperMotocross
SMX Playoff 2
Saturday, September 14- QualifyingLiveSeptember 14 - 1:30 PM UTC
- Pre-Race ShowLiveSeptember 14 - 6:30 PM UTC
- MotosLiveSeptember 14 - 7:00 PM UTC
- MotosSeptember 14 - 10:00 PM UTC
- MotosSeptember 15 - 5:00 AM UTC
The Danger Zone
The other 250SMX riders are probably getting tired of getting beat by Haiden Deegan, and they probably don’t like some of the things he says on the podium and in social media. But, at least for now, he’s backing it up, and unless the competition is beating him, there isn’t a whole lot they can say. Will Deegan dole out another beatdown in Texas, or will someone step up and fire back with a win of their own? -Hansel
What Broken Collarbone?
Jo Shimoda broke his collarbone at Unadilla, which took place on August 10. Then he came out and went 3-5 for fourth overall last week at the opening round of the SMX Playoffs. That’s less than a month’s time! The fact that Shimoda even raced is an astounding feat itself, and him ending the day just a hair off the podium is incredible. With all that speed already at his disposal, how much better is he going to be in Texas? -Hansel
The Breakout
Julien Beaumer is a talented rider, and we know he’s fast. He’s employed by Red Bull KTM, after all! That said, he didn’t really spend 2024 leading laps and battling for podiums. Well, that changed in Concord, as Beaumer led laps in both motos, finished second in the first moto, and ultimately went 2-4 four second overall. Will this success propel Beaumer to the next level? -Hansel
The Rebound
Levi Kitchen was pretty quiet after his third place at SMX Playoff 1. Surely after winning three of the last five Pro Motocross races, a third overall was not the result he was looking for. However, he had a bit of bad luck on his side when he was out front the first moto, only for it to quickly be red flagged due to Jalek Swoll going down. We all know how dangerous he can be when he gets out front. The second moto he again found himself in the same position, only to bobble and miss a double, letting Deegan by. Can he get back to his winning ways this weekend? -Sarah Whitmore
Lights Out
No need for the bright speedway lights this weekend as they will once again be racing during the day. The first gate drop will be at 2 p.m. local (Central) time. The only problem with not waiting to race until night, is that it is still very hot in Texas. Temperatures could reach the high 90’s, so expect to see the fittest riders up front at the end. - Whitmore
Something For Everyone
Split lanes, two sand sections, over/under, and high speeds, there’s no doubt that speedways offer the space to include all the obstacles. Last week most riders stuck with supercross suspension, will that be the case this weekend or will some riders go back to their motocross settings? -Whitmore
