This Week in Supercross: Seattle Supercross Round 11

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It’s off to Seattle this weekend for the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship and Round 11 of the series which sees the return of the West Coast 250’s…

Words and Images by Feld Motor Sports, Inc

450SX Class Recap: Indianapolis

Jett Lawrence (1-1-1) scored the second ever 450SX Class Triple Crown sweep, and first since 2020 Glendale (Ken Roczen). Both athletes were riding HRC Hondas for their sweeps. Lawrence is now tied with Mike Kiedrowski, Kent Howerton, Davi Millsaps, and Trey Canard for 32nd on the all-time 450SX Class wins list. His 45th win ties him with Broc Glover for 13th on the all-time AMA wins list. Canard also scored all five of his 450SX Class wins on a Honda, and Lawrence ties him for 13th on the Honda wins list as well. Lawrence’s 45.5% winning percentage in 450SX Class racing is the highest of all-time, just above Ryan Villopoto’s 44.6%.

Ken Roczen (2-2-3) nailed his fifth podium of the season and 68th of his 450SX Class career with a second-place finish in Indy. He now has 155 podiums in 280 all-time AMA starts. Roczen’s 143 starts move him into 15th on the all-time 450SX Class starts list. Suzuki has yet to score a race or overall victory in either class of Triple Crown racing, but Roczen came very close with 2-2-3 scores.

Chase Sexton (3-3-2) earned a podium, the 29th of his 450SX Class career. He is now tied with Jeff Emig for 30th on the all-time 450SX Class podiums list. Sexton will be looking for his 75th career AMA podium in Seattle.

Notes: Jason Anderson (4th; 5-6-5) Made his 144th 450SX Class start, one more than Ken Roczen who sits 15th all-time. His 87th top five moves him past James Stewart for 10th all-time. Cooper Webb (5th; 8-5-4) Ties Jeff Stanton for 13th on the all-time 450SX Class top fives list with his 77th. Aaron Plessinger (6th; 6-4-9) 75th career 450SX Class start. Eli Tomac (7th; 4-7-10) Ties Jeremy McGrath for seventh on the all-time 450SX Class starts list with his 173rd. Larry Ward and Justin Brayton are tied for fifth and next on the list with 190.

450SX Class: Seattle Historical Facts

History Lesson: The first 450SX Class round held in Seattle was on February 18, 1978 in the Seattle Kingdome. It was the Season Opener for the Championship’s fifth season and the 1975 victor, Jimmy Ellis, won on Honda, it was his final victory. Seattle hosted the second round in 1979, and for most of the 1980s, except for their only other Opener in 1980.

King’s History: From 1978-1989 the Seattle Kingdome held Supercross rounds on back-to-back nights. The Seattle Kingdome hosted Supercross rounds 33 times before being demolished in 2000. Lumen Field was built in 2002 and took over hosting the Seattle Supercross in 2005, six years after the last Kingdome race. James Stewart won the first three races in what was formerly known as Seahawks Stadium from 2005-2007.

Lumen Field: Since Lumen Field took over hosting the Seattle Supercross, the series visited from 2005-2014, 2017-2019, and 2022-2023. After 33 races in the Kingdome and 15 in Lumen Field, 2024 will be the 49th edition of the Seattle Supercross.

Champion Odds: The winner of the Seattle Supercross has gone on to win the 450SX Class title in only 14/48 (29%) races and that number plunges to 3/15 (20%) in Lumen Field. Eli Tomac was unable to improve these percentages last season by winning Seattle but not the title.

Manufacturer Wins in Seattle/Lumen Field/Last Win

Honda: 20/4 (2013)
Yamaha: 11/3 (2023)
Kawasaki: 10/6 (2018)
Suzuki: 5/0 (1999)
KTM: 2/2 (2019)

Top Winners in Seattle

1) Rick Johnson: 7 (‘84, ‘86, ‘87, ‘87, ‘88, ‘89, ‘89)
2) Jeremy McGrath: 4 (‘93, ‘95-‘96, ‘98)
2) James Stewart: 4 (’05-’07, ’11)
4) Eli Tomac: 3 (’18, ’22-’23)
4) Mike Bell: 3 (’79, ’80, ’80)
4) Bob Hannah: 3 (’79, ’83, ’83)
4) Ron Lechien: 3 (’85, ’85, ’88)

450SX Class: First Time Winners in Seattle

Darrell Shultz: 1981
Rick Johnson: 1984
Jeff Ward: 1984
Larry Ward: 1990
Ryan Villopoto: 2009 (Lumen Field)
Andrew Short: 2012 (Lumen Field)

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Recap: Indianapolis

Cameron McAdoo (1-2-3) scored his third career 250SX Class win, and his second of the Triple Crown variety. McAdoo will hold the red plate during the Eastern Regional hiatus. His third win ties him with a large group of athletes for 69th on the 250SX Class wins list. McAdoo’s 21st 250SX Class podium moves him into 14th all-time tied with Austin Forkner, Colt Nichols, and Damon Huffman. He scored his 50th career AMA top-10 finish and is looking for his 85th AMA start when Eastern Regional racing returns.

Tom Vialle (4-3-1) lost the red plate but put in a solid runner-up ride including winning the final race of the Triple Crown. He will only be behind McAdoo by two points when racing returns for the Eastern Regional. He was making his 15th 250SX Class start and scored his fourth podium, all four of which have been in a row. He will be making his 30th AMA start when action returns, and he has accumulated three wins, seven podiums, 13 top fives, and 21 top-10s in his first 29.

Haiden Deegan (2-1-6) had the Triple Crown lead going into the final race, but another first turn knock-out put him on the comeback trail. He was able to secure a podium with some clutch passes late in the race, but he goes into the break with a double-digit points deficit (-16). Deegan has five 250SX Class podiums in his first 15 starts. He also has 14 podiums in his first 31 AMA starts.

Notes: Pierce Brown (4th; 12-4-2) Continues his consistency with another top five. He has 5-5-5-4-4 finishes on the season which places him only 11 points off the red plate. Brown has scored 17 top fives in 31 250SX Class starts. Coty Schock (5th; 5-8-8) Overcame a broken collarbone in one week to nail his second best 250SX Class finish. Schock has a punchers chance at the title being down -19. Nicholas Romano (6th; 8-10-5) Rookie scores his first top-10 finish in his fourth career start. Jeremy Martin (7th; 7-9-7) Moves into 18th in all-time 250SX Class starts (62). He became the 12th rider to earn 50 top-10 finishes in 250SX Class history, which moves him into the top-10 tied with Hampshire, Greg Schnell, and McElrath. Levi Kilbarger (20th; 20-18-19) Made 38 starts across nine 250SX Class seasons from 2008-2016. After eight seasons away from Supercross he decided to race his hometown Supercross (200 miles away from his hometown), qualified out of timed practice, and scored a top-20 overall. He is now the 21st rider ever to make a 250SX Class start in 10 different seasons.

Western Regional Refresher

RJ Hampshire nabbed his fourth career 250SX Class victory in Glendale and second of the season with his Glendale win. It is the first time in his career he has scored multiple wins in a season. RJ only trails by five points going into Seattle.

Levi Kitchen held the red plate through the extended Western Regional break, as he holds a slim four-point advantage over Jordon Smith and five points over Hampshire. Kitchen now has eight podiums, 10 top fives, and 13 top 10’s in 16 250SX Class starts across three seasons.

Jordon Smith came back from a rough accident to capture a top five in Glendale, salvaging his position in the title fight. Smith is only down by four points going into the back half of the Western Regional.

Others: Jo Shimoda has earned 4-22-4-4-3 finishes for fifth in the point standings. He remains a threat for wins in the Western Regional. Garrett Marchbanks has contended for podiums all season but a 9-5 in the previous two rounds has pushed him 19 points off the red plate. Mitchell Oldenburg and Julien Beaumer are other dark horse contenders for podiums and victories.

250SX Class: Seattle Historical Facts

History Lesson: The first 250SX Class round held in Seattle was on February 9, 1985 in the Seattle Kingdome, and was the first night of a Saturday-Sunday double-header. Mike Healey won Saturday night on a Suzuki and Bader Manneh won Sunday night on a Kawasaki. Healey’s teammate Bobby Moore scored third and fifth place finishes in the two rounds en-route to the first ever Western Regional 250SX Class Championship.

Venue History: From 1985-1999 there were 20 250SX Class rounds held in the Seattle Kingdome. Just like the 450SX Class the series returned in 2005 to Lumen Field where 15 races have been held since. 2024 will mark the 36th 250SX Class race in Seattle.

Nate Dog and K-Dub: Nathan Ramsey won the last 250SX Class race in the Kingdome in 1999 on a Kawasaki, and then six years later won the first 250SX Class race in Lumen Field on a KTM. Kevin Windham won in the Kingdome on a Yamaha in the 250SX Class and then won at Lumen Field twice in the 450SX Class on a Honda. They are the only two riders to win in both Seattle venues.

Champion Odds: In 17/35 (49%) 250SX Class rounds held in Seattle the winner went onto win the Western Regional 250SX Class title. In Lumen Field the winner took the title in 7/15 (47%) seasons. Jett Lawrence won Seattle and the Championship last season.

Manufacturer Wins in Seattle/Lumen Field/Last Win

Kawasaki: 10/2 (2007)
Honda: 9/4 (2023)
Yamaha: 8/5 (2019)
Suzuki: 6/2 (2009)
KTM: 2/2 (2013)

Top Winners in Seattle

1) Jeff Matiasevich: 4 (’88, ’88, ’89, ’89)
2) Cole Seely: 2 (’11 & ’14)
2) Ryan Dungey: 2 (’08-’09)
2) David Vuillemin: 2 (’97-’98)
2) Jeremy McGrath: 2 (’91-’92)
2) Donny Schmit: 2 (’86-’87)
2) Aaron Plessinger: 2 (’17-’18)
2) Nathan Ramsey: 2 (’99 & ’05)

250SX Class: First Time Winners in Seattle

Bader Manneh: 1985
Phil Lawrence: 1995
David Vuillemin: 1997
Broc Tickle: 2010 (Lumen Field)

450SX Standings