Dialling into Denver – This Week in Supercross – Round 16

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Where has that gone?? Yes, it’s the penultimate round of the 2024 AMA Supercross Championship this Saturday in Denver and if the championship is going to reach a crescendo at the Salt Lake City Finale then Cooper Webb neds to pull something big out of the bag this weekend.

Images courtesy of Feld Motor Sports, Inc

Webb is 12 down on Jett Lawrence and it’s hard to see where he will be able to pull the speed from to mount a challenge and give us a last round showdown for the title, but we live in hope.

It’s over to the West this weekend in 250’s and RJ Hampshire and Levi Kitchen are separated by just two points so this could be an exciting race for their title fight before the East/West Showdown finale in Salt Lake.

Check out the Stats from and facts from this week by Feld Motor Sports, Inc below…

450SX Class Recap: Philadelphia

Jett Lawrence scored his seventh 450SX Class victory of his rookie season moving him into 28th on the all-time 450SX Class wins list. Lawrence’s 47th AMA win places him 12th all-time passing Kevin Windham. Lawrence has regained his double-digit advantage in the point standings over Cooper Webb. Honda’s seven 450SX Class wins are the most they have in a single season since 2003 when they also scored seven. Lawrence moves into the top-10 on Honda’s 450SX Class all-time win list as well, tied with Chase Sexton.

Chase Sexton scored his eighth podium of the season and 32nd of his 450SX Class career, tying him with Mike Bell and Mark Barnett for 28th on the all-time 450SX Class podiums list. It was his 45th 450SX Class top five finish which ties him with Bell in that category as well for 31st. Sexton’s 37 consecutive starts are the active lead, with Shane McElrath sitting at 31 straight for second most.

Jason Anderson rode to his third runner-up finish of the season and 49th podium of his 450SX Class career. He will look to make his 150th 450SX Class start in Denver and is seeking a milestone podium #50. A 50th podium would tie him for 15th all-time with Marvin Musquin and his 150th start would slot him one start under 13th (Davi Millsaps).

Notes: Cooper Webb (4th) Took a hit in the points hunt but still scored his 82nd top five finish. 12 points back going into penultimate round. Eli Tomac (5th) 178th 450SX Class start and 128th top five. It was his eighth top five of the season. Justin Barcia (6th) 163rd 450SX Class start (12th all-time) and 340th AMA start. 123rd top-10 finish moves him one behind Jeff Ward for 11th on the 450SX Class list. Justin Cooper (10th) Another top-10 gives him 17/19 (90%) in 450SX Class racing and 111/120 (93%) in AMA racing. Dean Wilson (11th) 125th 450SX Class start and 245th AMA start.

450SX Class: Denver Historical Facts

History Lesson: The first 450SX Class round in Denver was on May 18, 1996 in Old Mile High Stadium. It was the season finale and Jeremy McGrath had already clinched the Championship before cruising to his 14th win of the season.

Stadium History: Old Mile High Stadium was the home of the Denver Broncos from 1960-2000. The capacity peaked at 76,000 before it was demolished in 2000, serving as a parking lot for the newer stadium – Empower Field at Mile High Stadium. Empower Field hosted Supercross in 2019, 2022, and last season meaning 2024 will be the fourth 450SX Class round in Denver and third at Empower Field. The series was scheduled to visit Denver in 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Empower Field: Cooper Webb finished runner-up to Eli Tomac in Empower Field’s first Supercross in Rd. 15 of 2019 but exited with an 18-point lead in the standings, easily holding on for the Championship. In 2022, Tomac was the one with a comfortable lead going into the penultimate Empower Field round and clinched the title in his home state with a fifth place. Tomac was set for his second Denver Championship clinch last season before calamity struck in the Main Event, tearing his Achilles Tendon and handing the Denver victory and Championship to Chase Sexton.

Clinch Scenarios: For the third straight season Empower Field could host a title clincher in the 450SX Class. Jett Lawrence would score the Championship one round early with a victory and Webb finishing 12th or worse. Webb stays alive with any finish in the top-11. Webb could earn a red plate share or better with a victory and Lawrence finishing ninth or worse. Tomac and Sexton are mathematically alive in the Championship but would need both Lawrence and Webb to finish outside of the top-10 for the last two rounds.

Manufacturer Wins in Denver (Last Win)

Kawasaki: 2 (2022)
KTM: 1 (2024)
Honda: 1 (1996)
Top Winners in Denver

Jeremy McGrath: 1 (1996)
Eli Tomac: 1 (2019)
Jason Anderson: 1 (2022)
Chase Sexton: 1 (2024)

450SX Class: First Time Winners in Denver

None

250SX Class Recap: Philadelphia

Max Anstie scored his second American victory in his 34th 250SX Class start. It was his first podium since the Eastern Regional opener in Detroit. He now has six 250SX Class podiums and a shot at third in the Championship standings with one Eastern Regional round remaining (Salt Lake City E/W Showdown).

Tom Vialle stole the red plate by 15 points due to Cameron McAdoo’s Nashville injury. He can win the title with a sixth-place finish or better in Salt Lake City. The runner-up finish was his seventh consecutive and career podium in his sophomore Supercross season. He has made 32 AMA starts since coming to America and scored three wins, 10 podiums, 16 top fives, and 24 top-10s.

Haiden Deegan scored his fourth podium of the season with a third-place finish in Philly. Also in his Sophomore season, Deegan has seven podiums in 18 tries. Currently trailing Vialle by 15 points, 2023’s 250SMX World Champion could still steal the title (needing Vialle to finish 12th or lower). Deegan has also made 32 American starts, scoring five wins, 16 podiums, 23 top fives, and 29 top-10s.

Notes: Daxton Bennick (4th) Second top five finish of the season and his career, first since the Eastern Regional opener in Detroit. He has seven top-10s in his first eight starts. Chance Hymas (5th) Became the 299th different rider to score a 250SX Class top five finish. He now has 10 top-10s in his first 12 250SX Class starts. Preston Boespflug (9th) First career top-10 finish after a previous best of 13th. Kyle Peters (12th) Made his first start of the year after nailing his fifth straight Arenacross title. His 74th 250X Start is good for seventh all-time. Peters is the ninth rider to make a 250SX Class start in 12 seasons. Henry Miller (13th) Made his 100th AMA start in Philly.

Western Regional Refresh – Denver Supercross

Hampshire: RJ Hampshire earned red plate status after his third win of the season in Nashville. Husqvarna now has 15 250SX Class wins all-time, 1/3rd of them belonging to Hampshire. His 19th 250SX Class podium moves him one podium away from the top-20 all-time. Holds a two-point lead over Kitchen with two races remaining!

Shimoda: Jo Shimoda scored his fourth consecutive 250SX Class podium for the first time in his career with a runner-up in the 250SX Class East/West Showdown. He now has nine 250SX Class podiums and 27 AMA podiums in 88 starts (31%). The Western Regional went 1-2 in Nashville’s Showdown, with Eastern Regional points leader Vialle taking the third spot.

Smith: Finished fourth in Nashville and was the third highest Western Regional finisher. He is 18 points off the red plate with two rounds remaining.

Kitchen: Had to come from dead last in Nashville to salvage as many points as he could, eventually finishing 14th, now two points off the red plate. He had won three of the last four before the disastrous Nashville round.

250SX Class: Denver Historical Facts

Old Mile High: The first 250SX Class round held in Denver was on May 18th, 1996 in Old Mile High Stadium. It was the 1996 Western Regional finale and Kevin Windham won on a Yamaha, having already clinched the Western Regional 250SX Class Championship weeks prior.

Empower Field: The second 250SX Class round held in Denver was on April 13th, 2019 and Adam Cianciarulo won on a Kawasaki. The win provided him an eight-point advantage over Dylan Ferrandis, which he crashed away in the finale. Hunter Lawrence won Denver in 2022 but Christian Craig would clinch the title in the Salt Lake City finale.

2023 Denver: Jett Lawrence clinched the Western Regional 250SX Class Championship last season in Denver with a third-place finish. RJ Hampshire scored the victory en-route to a runner-up Championship finish.

Denver Combined Championship %: In the 450SX Class the winner of Denver won the title in 2/4 (50%) seasons while the 250SX Class is sitting at 1/4 (25%) for a combined Championship % of 3/8 (38%).

Manufacturer Wins in Denver (Last Win)

Yamaha: 1 (1996)
Kawasaki: 1 (2019)
Honda: 1 (2022)
Husqvarna: 1 (2023)

Top Winners in Denver

Kevin Windham: 1 (1996)
Adam Cianciarulo: 1 (2019)
Hunter Lawrence: 1 (2022)
RJ Hampshire: 1 (2023)

250SX Class: First Time Winners in Denver

None

Past Winners in Denver

450:

Old Mile High Stadium
1996: Jeremy McGrath, Honda

Empower Field
2019: Eli Tomac, Kawasaki
2022: Jason Anderson, Kawasaki
2023: Chase Sexton, Honda

250:

Old Mile High Stadium
1996: Kevin Windham, Yamaha