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Morning Report

This is it. After 16 rounds of incredible racing, which have yielded results that’ve made this one of the most unpredictable and gripping championship battles of all time, it ends tonight. Separated by just one point, Ken Roczen and Hunter Lawrence are in for the race of their lives—whoever beats the other will emerge as the 2027 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Champion. On the outside, both riders seem to be handling the pressure well. At yesterday’s press conference both of them expressed that they were trying to treat the situation like a normal race weekend. Easier said than done, no doubt, but as Roczen mentioned yesterday, the relentless work put in during the week is what helps with confidence in these pressure cooker scenarios.

As serious as this championship situation is for those directly involved, it’s equally as exciting for everyone else. For fans of the sport, could there be anything better than a championship going down to the final race in a winner-take-all situation?! Even Lawrence mentioned it in the press conference yesterday, saying this is the type of scenario he used to dream of as a kid. When asked to sum it all up his words were, “So sick!”

In the 250 Class there is literally zero pressure. Both championships have been decided, with Cole Davies taking top honors in the 250SX East Division, and Haiden Deegan winning the title in the 250SX West Division. Even so, it’s going to be exciting to see the East/West Showdown, and to watch Deegan in his final race aboard a 250.

The track is fairly basic, except for the whoops. They’re huge, and in yesterday’s riding sessions they were giving riders fits, with plenty of riders getting sketchy in them. Counting the smaller starter whoop, there are twelve, which is more than we’ve seen this season. The whoops are followed by a long, sweeping righthand sand section, which, depending on how it shapes up, could be a difference maker later tonight. It's hot here and the sun is beating down, so expect the track to get pretty dry and slick.

Qualifying is set to begin shortly, so check back soon for a report on who’s cooking in Salt Lake City.

Qualifying – First Sessions

The 250SX qualifiers are separated between the East and West riders, with the West Division going first. Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but it was all Deegan in the first qualifier. He initially set a fast time of 50.313, but he would lower that a few times, eventually closing out at 49.113. He looked like he was having fun out there, and he even pulled a nac-nac out of nowhere.

In the first 250SX East qualifier Seth Hammaker was fast early, posting a 50.423, but he quickly lowered that to 49.831. By the end of the session he’d turned a 49.830. Hammaker was up top in this one the whole time and was never challenged, even by Cole Davies, whose fastest lap ended up being a 51.045

When the 450s came out Justin Hill spent some time up top with a 50.393, but Eli Tomac quickly took over with a 49.941. Hunter Lawrence was fastest briefly with a 49.631, but Tomac retaliated with a 49.494.

Tomac had a really cool line where he was wheelieing over a single and launching off the next jump over a long gap, then landing one jump deep into the next set of jumps. It looked impressive, and we didn’t see any other riders doing it. Ken Roczen never looked like he was pushing it out there. In fact, his fastest lap, a 50.111, came on a lap when it looked like he’d made multiple mistakes!

There’s a single jump right before a 180-degree bowl turn that some riders are using to jump deep into the berm. They’re setting up for the berm in the air and are already turning as they land. It’s nothing crazy, skill-wise, but it sure looks cool! The whoops look like they’re starting to get chewed up, and a bunch of the 450 guys opted to go around them when they weren’t on hot laps.