As the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship heads to High Point this Saturday, a number of different dynamics and storylines have surfaced across the opening rounds. In this edition of Countdown, MotoOnline takes a closer look at a selection of trends that are emerging following the motos that have taken place so far.

Image: Octopi Media.

8. Injured riders remain in solid SMX positions:
There’s no hiding the fact that there are a number of front-running contenders sidelined from 450MX due to injuries sustained in Supercross – or in Chase Sexton’s (Team Honda HRC) case, the outdoors – in 2023. However, for the first time in the extended history of Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross, both series have combined for the lucrative SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX), commencing this year. A key part of the merge is a revolutionary SMX post-season, featuring playoffs and title-deciding round on hybrid track layouts. Combined points from both the Monster Energy Supercross Championship and Pro Motocross Championships will be used to determine each rider’s seed position into the post-season, and despite Sexton missing both Hangtown and Thunder Valley rounds, he still currently holds the number one seed spot in 450SMX, equal on points with Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). While Eli Tomac’s (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) future is not confirmed following a ruptured Achilles tendon that ruled him out of Supercross, he is fourth in the SMX rankings, as the injured Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) and Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) feature in seventh and eighth respectively.

7. Depth in the 250 category:
While injuries have left the 450MX field depleted, there is no shortage of depth in the 250MX category. Proven contenders in the class such as Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC), Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) and RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) are joined by a number of hungry rookies and fresh faces such as two-time MX2 world champion Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), Chance Hymas (Team Honda HRC) and Ryder DiFrancesco (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki), to name a few. Highlighting the depth in the field, there have been four different winners across the opening six races, and Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) became the ninth rider this season to stand on the podium in the category with his P2 result in race two at Thunder Valley. Additionally, Maximus Vohland proved he is capable of a top-three finish with a second-place result in the opening moto of the season at Fox Raceway, as the competition in the class is sure to produce some edge-of-the-seat action as the series unfolds.

Image: Octopi Media.

6. Privateers time to shine:
With a number of key contenders currently sidelined from 450MX, it has opened up the door for some privateer or non-factory teams and racers to shine. Notably, Ty Masterpool (Kawasaki) charged to an impressive fourth-place finish in the second moto at Thunder Valley, meanwhile, GasGas-mounted Lorenzo Locurcio is a solid sixth in the championship standings, delivering consistent finishes across the opening six races with a best result of P7 at Fox Raceway’s opener. Despite Ken Roczen’s (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) return for High Point this weekend, the absence of those mentioned above, plus the likes of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna duo Malcolm Stewart and Christian Craig, boost the chances for fresh names to emerge and bank a result in the premier class.

5. Red Bull KTM 450 riders building:
It’s been a relatively consistent start to the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pairing Cooper Webb and Aaron Plessinger, with the pair emerging from the opening three rounds third and fourth respectively in the 450MX standings. Webb skipped the outdoors altogether last season and entered Fox Raceway’s opener this year off the back of his 450SX title challenge being cut short with a concussion sustained at Nashville. The 450 SX-F Factory Edition rider notched 4-5 results in Pala for fifth overall and scored his first outdoor podium of the season a week later at Hangtown, with a 4-2 scorecard landing him third overall. Admittedly, a top-three result came sooner than he expected and Webb completed the most recent round at Thunder Valley third overall, notching two-five results. Plessinger is just three points in the standings behind his teammate and has scored moto podiums in race one at Hangtown and race two in Colorado, where he finished second. Following a season-best result, Plessinger will be one to watch at High Point this Saturday.

4. Ferrandis coming to grips with the new YZ450F:
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis admitted he was still searching for comfort onboard the all-new 2023 YZ450F in the opening races of the 450MX season, but believed a shock change in the second moto at Hangtown was a step in the right direction. Scoring four podiums in the first four motos of 2023, Ferrandis was then limited at Thunder Valley when he came together with Plessinger in the first bout. He rejoined at the back of the field and was able to recover to seventh, before a third-place finish in the final race saw him fifth overall for the round, a single point shy of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo in P4. In the coming races, it will be interesting to see how Ferrandis evolves with the new bike, as right now he is the closest challenger points-wise to runaway leader Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC).

3. Early promise from ‘Dangerboy’:
It’s been a promising start to the young professional career of Deegan, and the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider currently holds a solid P3 in the highly-competitive 250MX category. Deegan contested two 250MX rounds last season, before turning pro full-time in the 250SX East championship this year. Following a successful maiden Monster Energy Supercross Championship campaign, the 17-year-old then scored his first 250MX moto and overall podium during Pala’s 2023 Pro Motocross opener, finishing second in moto two and claiming P2 overall. Deegan went one better in the opening moto the following week at Hangtown, taking a milestone wire-to-wire victory, and capping off the day with a fourth-place finish for third overall. Round three at Colorado provided its challenges for the number 238 and he salvaged a 4-9 scorecard, remaining within striking distance of the red plate, 27 points from Lawrence. All things considered, Deegan has made an immensely promising start to his professional career and it will be exciting to see how he fares as he continues to gain experience.

Image: Octopi Media.

2. Composure of 250MX leader Lawrence:
Entering the outdoor season off the back of his first 250SX East crown, Hunter Lawrence has demonstrated a champion’s composure throughout the opening rounds to emerge with a 16-point lead. While Lawrence has had to charge his way forward at times, he has kept his head and salvaged as many points as possible when he has not been able to claim victory in a race. That said, he is the only rider to win a 250MX overall this season and also the only one to finish on the podium in every outing. In the immensely deep field of talent, the number 96 continues to position himself as the favourite to capture this year’s 250MX title.

1. 450MX rookie Lawrence perfect in opening six:
It’s been a remarkable start to the premier class career of 450MX rookie Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC), taking six from six victories to commence the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship. Lawrence has been untouchable so far all season, the only time where he really seemed to be pushed was in moto two at Fox Raceway where he withstood the constant pressure of teammate Chase Sexton. The Australian first competed onboard a 450 at the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) last year where he instantly made an impact and won the Open category, also helping Team Australia score bronze at the event. With this in mind and his four straight titles in the quarter-liter category between SX/MX, there was no doubt of the number 18’s potential to reach the top step, but to do so in such dominant fashion in the early stages of his premier class career begs the question of just how high his ceiling is, and has left his rivals searching for answers to try and reduce the deficit. Underlining his impressive form, he leads the 450MX standings by 34 points ahead of High Point’s fourth stop of the season.