Words: Simon Makker

This weekend marks the commencement of the second running of the high-profile SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) post-season at ZMax Dragway, which will be the first of three consecutive SMX races. In Rewind, we look back to the inaugural 2023 season captured by Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan.

SMX sees the 20 highest point-scoring riders – plus those who qualifying via the LCQ at each playoff and the final – from both the 450 and 250 classes across the combined Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross championships race for the largest prize money in the sport.

Last year, Team Honda HRC’s Lawrence and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Deegan respectively claimed the $1-million and $500,000 prize purses when the checkered flags flew in Los Angeles.

October 2022 marked the start of a new era for the US racing scene, when promoters Feld Motor Sports and MX Sports Pro Racing announced they were joining forces to create a brand-new championship platform, complete with $10-million in prize money on the line.

While both Supercross and Pro Motocross would continue to crown their own champions in their series, SMX adds relevance in the later stages of the year, with the revitalized end goal in mind. The tracks themselves were also hugely different, combining elements of both SX and MX at all three venues in an effort to find the best all-round racers.

The points structure was also introduced for the first time, since the top 20 riders from each class were seeded into the playoffs using one event’s worth of points, with two wildcard spots available from LCQ races at each round.

Each class raced two 20-minute motos, using Olympic scoring at each stop. The tiered points-structure then saw a maximum of 26 points awarded to the winner at the first round, while double points were on offer at the second, and triple points awarded at the final round.

The 2023 playoffs kicked off in spectacular style at North Carolina’s ZMax Dragway, complete with a split start, alternative lanes and a wide-open circuit.

Off the back of a perfect Pro Motocross season, all eyes were on Lawrence to see if he could continue his roll. But the opening round was disappointing for the then 20-year-old as he dealt with crashes and bad starts to end the day in an unfamiliar P4.

Instead, it was his Team Honda HRC team-mate, Chase Sexton who came firing out of the blocks to sweep both motos, leading Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki’s Ken Roczen (3-3) and Monster Energy Yamaha’s Star Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis (2-4).

In the 250SMX class, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda continued his strong late-season form to take the round honours with a 4-1 result from the two motos, while Red Bull KTM’s Tom Vialle (3-2) and Deegan (1-5) completed the podium.

Round two at Chicagoland Speedway had a similar look and feel to Daytona, and Sexton opted for supercross suspension at his home round. It proved to be the wrong call, which allowed Lawrence to march away to a comfortable win in the opening race, then controversially waved Roczen past him in the second moto.

Lawrence’s 1-2 saw him finish on top, with Roczen (3-1) in second and Sexton (2-3) third, while in the 250SMX class, Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) swept both motos to take control of the championship, as Shimoda finished 2-2 and Deegan 3-3.

It was all to play for in both classes as the championship headed to the LA Memorial Coliseum for the final round. In the 450SMX division, Sexton held a two-point lead entering Los Angles, but that advantage only lasted for the first race as Lawrence put in a great ride to work his way forward and take the win from Roczen and Sexton.

The final race of the year was full of drama as Sexton looked set to win the race, but a major crash late in the race saw him DNF, handing the victory to Lawrence. Either way, by that point, the title was Lawrence’s to lose since second would have sealed him the crown.

In the 250s, points leader Hunter Lawrence took a big hit in Friday’s practice session, which ended his weekend and title hopes, leaving the door wide open for the likes of Shimoda and Deegan.

However, it was Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith who stormed to the first win of the night, as Shimoda and Deegan battled for fourth and fifth respectively.

In the final moto of the championship it was another Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider, Levi Kitchen, who put in a flawless race to take the win, but Deegan rode solidly to P2.

After two unpredictable races, the young Californian’s 5-2 result was enough to claim the round win and the 250SMX title. Shimoda’s 4-4 result saw him finish the round and series in second, while RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) claimed third with a 2-6 scorecard.