Preview: This week in Monster Energy Supercross – Round 6 – Glendale

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The 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship rolls into the State Farm Stadium, Glendale, this Saturday for round six of the series.

Facts, Stats and Images by Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

The 450SX standings are super tight at the top, with the lead four riders separated by just six points. Heading the field is Chase Sexton, with the first double winner of 2024 Jett Lawrence just one point behind with the popular Aaron Plessinger just one point further back in third. Lurking with intent in fourth and just six points behind Sexton is Yamaha’s Cooper Webb.

After a brief foray into the East where we got to cheer on Max Anstie, it’s back to the West this weekend for the 250’s for their fifth round. Jordan Smith and Levi Kitchen are tied on 84 points as it stands on top of the leaderboard but if RJ Hampshire can keep his cool and string together a few results he is a surefire contender being only 8 points shy of the leaders..

450SX Class Recap: Detroit

Jett Lawrence: Jett scored the second victory of his rookie 450SX Class season in his fifth start. He is tied with Marty Tripes and Tony DiStefano for 42nd on the all-time 450SX Class wins list, and his 42nd AMA victory moves him into 14th in all-time AMA wins. Lawrence now has 70 top five finishes in 86 AMA starts.

Cowboy Passes Plate to Chase: Aaron Plessinger was making his 70th 450SX Class start and scored his 52nd top-10 finish with a sixth. His teammate Chase Sexton nailed down his 27th 450SX Class podium and KTM will move the red plate from one bike to another. Sexton is looking to make his 50th 450SX Class start in Glendale.

Roczen Knots Up With Wardy: Ken Roczen earned his 65th 450SX Class podium with a third place finish in Detroit. He is only one podium behind Jeff Ward for ninth on the all-time list. Roczen tied Ward in top fives for eighth (90), and in top-10s for ninth (124). Roczen was making his 275th AMA start and has 152 podiums.

Notes: Jason Anderson (5th) 85th 450SX Class top five finish, only one behind James Stewart for 10th on the 450SX Class list. Dean Wilson (17th) Officially inside the top-25 in all-time 450SX Class starts with 120 tied with Stewart. He has 240 AMA starts. Mitchell Harrison (18th) Made his first career 450SX Class start.

450SX Class: Arizona Market Historical Facts

History Lesson: The First 450SX Class race held in Arizona was on May 10, 1986 in Tempe’s Sun Devil Stadium, and was the penultimate round. Rick Johnson won on a Honda and clinched his first 450SX Class title. In 1987 Jeff Ward won in Tempe just missing a title clinch by two points. He sealed the deal over Johnson in the L.A. finale. Sun Devil Stadium hosted three more races in 1991, 1997, and 1998.

Chase Field: From 1999-2015 Supercross moved to Chase Field in Phoenix and became a mainstay, holding a round for 17 years in a row. Only nine 450SX Class venues have hosted Supercross for more years in a row than Chase Field. In the first 450SX Class race in Chase Field in 1999, Jeremy McGrath won the first Chase Field 450SX Class round on a Yamaha, his first of eight wins en-route to his sixth Championship. In the final Chase Field Supercross in 2015, Cooper Webb (250SX) and Eli Tomac (450SX) earned their first career victories in their respective classes. They continue to be Championship rivals nine seasons later in 2024.

30th Anniversary: State Farm Stadium was built in 2006 and is the home of the Arizona Cardinals. Supercross made its first voyage to Glendale in 2016 and Ken Roczen won on a Suzuki. Supercross has hosted a Glendale round every season since, except 2021. Arizona has hosted five races in Tempe, 17 in Phoenix, and seven in Glendale. This will be the 30th 450SX Class race held in Arizona and the eighth for State Farm Stadium.

Arizomac: The winner of the Glendale Supercross is only 1/7 in winning the 450SX Class title. Eli Tomac in 2022 is the only rider to do this and has now won two years in a row in State Farm Stadium. He is the winningest rider in Arizona 450SX Class racing and looking for his sixth win in Arizona. He earned his first 450SX Class win in Chase Field and won a 250SX Class race there in 2013. Arizona Supercross winners are 14/29 in winning the title.

Manufacturer Wins in Arizona Market (Last Win)

Kawasaki: 9 (’18)
Honda: 8 (’20)
Yamaha: 6 (’23)
Suzuki: 4 (’16)
KTM: 2 (’19)

Top Winners in Arizona Market

1) Eli Tomac: 5 (’15, ’17- ’18, ’22-‘23)
2) Ricky Carmichael: 4 (’01- ’02, ’05- ’06)
2) James Stewart: 4 (’07- ‘09, ’11)
4) Ryan Dungey: 2 (’10, ’12)
4) Ken Roczen: 2 (’16, ‘20)

450SX Class: First Time Winners in Arizona Market

2010: Ryan Dungey, Suzuki (Chase Field)
2013: Justin Barcia, Honda (Chase Field)
2015: Eli Tomac, Honda (Chase Field)
2019: Blake Baggett, KTM (State Farm Stadium)

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Recap: Detroit

Forkner Fries Ford Field: Austin Forkner became the second winningest rider in 250SX Class history with his Eastern Regional opening victory in Detroit. He has 13 250SX Class victories tying him with Jett Lawrence, Jeremy McGrath, and Nathan Ramsey. Forkner only sits three wins behind the all-time record (Stewart, 16). Forkner was making his 40th 250SX Class start, scored his 21st podium (14th all-time), and 25th top five (22nd all time). The veteran has 90 AMA starts and is the first rider to hold the red plate in the 2024 Eastern Regional 250SX Class.

Max Not Messing Around: Max Anstie proved his third-place overall finish in the 2023 Eastern Regional Championship was no fluke with a runner-up finish to start his 2024 run. He scored his fifth podium, 10th top five, and 20th top-10 finish in 27 250SX Class starts after a solid Detroit performance. Anstie and Club Yamaha’s Coty Schock split the factory riders in the top four two to two. Schock earned his first career 250SX Class top five finish and is also in his fifth year of 250SX Class racing along with Anstie.

Detroit Daxton Deals: Star Yamaha rookie sensation Daxton Bennick rode to a podium finish in his first career 250SX Class start. He is the first rider to complete this feat in almost 10 full years. On February 15, 2014 Adam Cianciarulo podiumed his first ever 250SX Class start, and 166 races since nobody has been able to accomplish this. Until Daxton Bennick broke the streak that had previously never gone more than three years without occurring with his breakout Detroit ride. Overall, 29 riders have earned a podium in their first 250SX Class start. Before Cianciarulo, Wilson and Tyla Rattray succeeded in their maiden voyages in 2011. Bennick is the first Yamaha rider to do this since Ernesto Fonseca in 1999. Kevin Windham, Damon Bradshaw, and Eddie Hicks are the other riders to podium their first 250SX Class races on a Yamaha.

Notes: Pierce Brown (5th) 13th 250SX Class top five finish. Looking to earn his fifth podium. In his fifth season along with Anstie and Schock. Jalek Swoll (6th) First ever start for Triumph Motorcycles in Supercross racing. Swoll nailed down his 22nd top-10 finish in 26 tries, working his way up from crashes in both Heat Racing and the Main Event. Evan Ferry (22nd) Triumph’s second bike in the 250SX Class Main Event. Rookie Ferry won the LCQ but wrecked out of the first turn. He is credited with 22nd, the same position his dad Tim finished in his first 250SX Class start. It was also the Eastern Regional Opener in 1992. Bennick (3rd), Guillem Farres (8th), Trevor Colip (11th), Preston Boespflug (13th), Nick Romano (14th), Bryton Carroll (19th), and Ferry (22nd) were all making their 250SX Class debuts.

Western Regional 250SX Class Refresh

Triple Crown Propels Kitchen to Red Plate: Levi Kitchen used his second straight A2 Triple Crown victory to steal a share of the points lead going into Glendale. In his third season Kitchen has 15 starts with nine top fives and seven podiums. Pro-Circuit Kawasaki has not won a Western Regional title since Justin Hill in 2017. Pro-Circuit is in play to double up on 250SX Class titles for the first time since 2010 now that Austin Forkner has nabbed the red plate in the Eastern Regional. Max Vohland is the other PC rider in the Western Regional and was looking good after a fifth place finish in the Anaheim Opener. He suffered an injury after the second round and his status is unknown for the remainder of the season.

Smith and Thrasher Starring for Yamaha: Jordon Smith won the San Francisco mudder in the second round and is tied atop the standings with Kitchen. Smith is one podium away from tying for fifth on the all time 250SX Class podiums list and one top five finish away from tying for fifth on the top fives list. One of his top competitors for the rest of the season will be Star Yamaha teammate Nate Thrasher. After disaster struck in the first two rounds, he has scored a victory in San Diego and a podium in the A2 Triple Crown. While he is 34 points off the points lead, it stands to reason he could be a top three competitor the rest of the season.

Hampshire/Shimoda/Beaumer: RJ Hampshire won the Anaheim Opener and was the clear favorite for the title in the week leading to San Francisco. Hampshire suffered multiple setbacks in the San Francisco and San Diego mud but crept back to only eight points off the red plate with a second overall in the A2 Triple Crown. Hampshire has made 60 starts in 10 seasons of 250SX Class racing, scoring three wins, 16 podiums, 32 top fives, and 49 top-10 finishes. Honda’s Jo Shimoda has fourth place finishes in three of the four Main Events, but a DNF in San Francisco has him sitting sixth in the point standings. Another one-man squad rider, Julien Beaumer, is turning heads in his rookie season. The KTM rider scored sixth and seventh in Anaheim but struggled in the mud, finding himself ninth in the point standings.

The Best of the Rest: Garrett Marchbanks (4th) has a legitimate chance at winning the title. He’s only 14 points behind Kitchen and Smith in the lead, and six behind Hampshire in third. Marchbanks profited heavily in the mud with third and second place finishes but has finished seventh and ninth in the bookend Anaheim rounds. Anthony Bourdon (5th) has quietly placed his Suzuki in the top-five after 11-6-10-6 finishes. He could be a podium threat as the season moves on. Mitchell Oldenburg (7th) is finding himself climbing the ladder in multiple 250SX Class record book categories. His 82 250SX Class starts are good for fifth all time. Ryder DiFrancesco (12th) has three top-10 rides in his rookie season, but a 21st in San Franisco has him playing catchup in the points.

250SX Class: Arizona Market Historical Facts

History Lesson: The First 250SX Class race in Arizona was on May 10, 1986 in Sun Devil Stadium. It was the penultimate round of the Western Regional Championship and Donny Schmit held a 24-point lead on Willie Surratt. Surratt would win in Tempe and the L.A. Coliseum finale but came up 12 points short of the title.

Chase Field: The 250SX Class holds the same venue history as the 450SX Class racing in Tempe five times through 1998 before moving to Phoenix’s Chase Field in 1999. Nathan Ramsey won the first 250SX Class Supercross in Phoenix and won it again in 2006, seven seasons after his 1999 victory. It’s the longest a 250SX Class rider has gone between winning at any specific venue.

30th Anniversary: The 250SX Class held a Western Regional round in Chase Field every season from 1999-2015 before moving to State Farm Stadium in 2016. 2024 marks the eighth 250SX Class round in State Farm Stadium and 30th in Arizona.

Championship %: The winner of the Glendale 250SX Class round has won the Western Regional title in 3/7 seasons. The overall percentage across 250SX Class racing in Arizona is 12/29 (41%). The Lawrence brothers have won the previous two State Farm Stadium rounds, Hunter in 2022 and Jett in 2023. They each won the Western Regional title in those seasons.

Manufacturer Wins in Arizona Market (Last Win)

Kawasaki: 11 (’20)
Honda: 7 (’23)
Yamaha: 6 (’18)
Suzuki: 3 (’09)
KTM: 2 (’14)

Top Winners in Arizona Market

1) James Stewart: 2 (’02- ’03)
1) Jake Weimer: 2 (’08, ’10)
1) Nathan Ramsey: 2 (’99, ’06)

250SX Class: First Time Winners in Arizona Market

1999: Nathan Ramsey, KTM (Chase Field)
2000: Casey Lytle, Honda (Chase Field)
2005: Broc Hepler, Suzuki (Chase Field)
2007: Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki (Chase Field)
2008: Jake Weimer, Honda (Chase Field)
2015: Cooper Webb, Yamaha (Chase Field)
2016: Christian Craig, Honda (State Farm Stadium)

Past Winners in Arizona Market

450:

Sun Devil Stadium

1986: Rick Johnson, Honda
1987: Jeff Ward, Kawasaki
1991: Jean-Michel Bayle, Honda
1997: Jeff Emig, Kawasaki
1998: Ezra Lusk, Honda

Chase Field

1999: Jeremy McGrath, Yamaha
2000: David Vuillemin, Yamaha
2001: Ricky Carmichael, Kawasaki
2002: Ricky Carmichael, Honda
2003: Ezra Lusk, Kawasaki
2004: Kevin Windham, Honda
2005: Ricky Carmichael, Suzuki
2006: Ricky Carmichael, Suzuki
2007: James Stewart, Kawasaki
2008: James Stewart, Kawasaki
2009: James Stewart, Yamaha
2010: Ryan Dungey, Suzuki
2011: James Stewart, Yamaha
2012: Ryan Dungey, KTM
2013: Justin Barcia, Honda
2014: Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki
2015: Eli Tomac, Honda

State Farm Stadium

2016: Ken Roczen, Suzuki
2017: Eli Tomac, Kawasaki
2018: Eli Tomac, Kawasaki
2019: Blake Baggett, KTM
2020: Ken Roczen, Honda
2022: Eli Tomac, Yamaha
2023: Eli Tomac, Yamaha
250:

Sun Devil Stadium

1986: Willie Surratt, Honda
1987: Donny Schmit, Suzuki
1991: Jeff Emig, Yamaha
1997: Kevin Windham, Yamaha
1998: David Vuillemin, Yamaha

Chase Field

1999: Nathan Ramsey, Kawasaki
2000: Casey Lytle, Honda
2001: Ernesto Fonseca, Yamaha
2002: James Stewart, Kawasaki
2003: James Stewart, Kawasaki
2004: Ivan Tedesco, Kawasaki
2005: Broc Hepler, Suzuki
2006: Nathan Ramsey, KTM
2007: Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki
2008: Jake Weimer, Honda
2009: Ryan Dungey, Suzuki
2010: Jake Weimer, Kawasaki
2011: Josh Hansen, Kawasaki
2012: Dean Wilson, Kawasaki
2013: Eli Tomac, Honda
2014: Jason Anderson, KTM
2015: Cooper Webb, Yamaha

State Farm Stadium

2016: Christian Craig, Honda
2017: Justin Hill, Kawasaki
2018: Aaron Plessinger, Yamaha
2019: Adam Cianciarulo, Kawasaki
2020: Austin Forkner, Kawasaki
2022: Hunter Lawrence, Honda
2023: Jett Lawrence, Honda

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