Words: Simon Makker

The stakes are rising as the 2024 Pro Motocross Championship heads into its final chapter. In this edition of Q&A, MotoOnline answers some of the key questions eight rounds into the current season

Image: Octopi Media.

Q: Is the 250MX championship now Haiden Deegan’s to lose?

A: It’s been a strong outdoor season for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Deegan, with the 18-year-old on track to add a 250MX championship trophy to his mantle. With just six motos left to run, Deegan has stretched out an imposing 54-point buffer over his nearest rival, Red Bull KTM’s Tom Vialle. It’s been one of those seasons where even when he’s a rough day (such as Millville where he had to fight hard for a 3-4 result), he’s still managed to extend his points lead. Still, there’s no denying Deegan has been the fastest, most consistent rider of the 250MX field, having won five of the eight rounds and finishing on the podium at every round except RedBud, where he finished P5.

Q: What led to Chase Sexton pulling a 28-point lead in the 450MX points?

A: Red Bull KTM’s Sexton has been at his devastating best, and seems to get stronger with each win. While it was his incredible last-to-first moto victory at Hangtown that’ll go down as one of the great moments of 2024, he has refused to take any prisoners all season. He’s now enjoying an unbeaten streak of seven motos that extends back to Southwick. When you experience a run of form like that, the points gap quickly expands, especially when your nearest rival, Hunter Lawrence, experiences an off-day at Washougal and finishes 5-4 for P4 overall. Sexton’s 28-point advantage means Lawrence now has to consistently beat him if he wants to keep the Pro Motocross trophy in the family’s cabinet this year.

Image: Octopi Media.

Q: Can Lawrence grab his first-round victory before the season finishes?

A: Having experienced an inexplicable drop in form since his crash at RedBud, the three-week break in the championship has come at the perfect time for Lawrence. The Team Honda HRC rider held the red plate from Hangtown until RedBud but is yet to take a round win, as current champion Jett Lawrence, then Sexton clocked up the better two-moto tallies. As Red Bull KTM’s Sexton took control of the championship and turned the screws on the field at both Millville and Washougal, Lawrence finished a somewhat uncharacteristic fourth overall last time out. It was the first time the 450MX rookie had finished off the podium this year, but he seemed uncertain why he wasn’t able to bring the fight to Sexton at the two most recent rounds. If he’s made the most of this extended season break – and he will be equipped with the 2025 CRF450R moving forward – there’s a good chance Lawrence will return refreshed and could still potentially take his first premier class overall.

Q: How could the return of Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb and Ken Roczen affect the title hopefuls?

A: Having missed all of the Pro Motocross Championship to date, three of the main SMX World Championship playoff contenders are expected to return across the closing outdoor rounds. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing duo Tomac and Webb have both been recovering from thumb injuries, while Roczen (Progressive Ecstar Suzuki) is returning after breaking his leg in that dramatic crash at Nashville. Like Webb (who’s in for all three remaining), Roczen will make his comeback this weekend at Unadilla, but then he will make a one-off appearance in the 250MX class at Ironman, plus Tomac is likely to return at Budds Creek. These three racers won’t be solely focused on fighting for wins straight up, but to gain valuable seat time in the lead-up to the three-round, big-money playoffs that start on 7 September in Charlotte. As such, don’t expect them to cause the likes of Sexton and Lawrence too many headaches, but they could feature in the top five, if not better.

Image: Octopi Media.

Q: Who has been the biggest surprise in both classes?

A: There have been several stand-out performances so far this year, particularly in the 250MX class. Having missed most of the 2023 championship with a torn ACL, Team Honda HRC’s Chance Hymas has shone, especially in the first half of the championship when he claimed his first moto win at Thunder Valley, then scored his first overall at RedBud with a 4-1 result. A leg injury during Millville’s second moto saw him DNF, then he had to fight through the pain – and a first-turn crash in moto two – to ninth overall a week later at Washougal. But perhaps the most popular overall win this year has to go to Ty Masterpool, who took a memorable round victory at High Point. The Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider held off a fierce charge from Deegan to win the second moto and the overall on countback. In the 450MX class, we’ve got to give kudos to Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper. The 26-year-old has been solid all season, and after a sixth overall at the Fox Raceway opener, Cooper hasn’t finished a round any lower than P5 and has taken two podiums along the way. Cooper’s consistency sees him sit third in the points, while Red Bull KTM’s Aaron Plessinger – who’s enjoying a strong run of late-season form – is just three points behind.

Q: Is there any word on who will represent Team USA at the MXoN?

A: While a number of countries are starting to confirm their rosters for the 2024 Motocross of Nations (MXoN) at Matterley Basin, the US team is still to be confirmed. Last year the three riders – Aaron Plessinger, RJ Hampshire and Christian Craig weren’t announced until mid-September, so we could be waiting a while yet… most likely we will know by Budds or Ironman. What we do know is, you can almost count on Sexton making the commitment, and there’s a wide range of A-listers willing to join in this time around by all indications. For now, the focus remains on Pro Motocross and the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) post-season, which will run through much of September, before this year’s MXoN will be held at the beginning of October.