The post-season is well and truly underway, as ZMax Dragway kicked off playoff one of the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX). Quotebook features compiled comments from riders over the weekend.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM) – Third:
We definitely have a lot to improve on. It felt a little bit like a re-run of Chicago last year – I was trying super-hard, but wasn’t really going that fast. I’ve gotta find some more comfort, but these guys are riding really well, so we have to get better. We have two more rounds, the ones that really count because this one was just single points, and then we go into double points and triple points, so we will be trying to improve to really capitalize at that last race.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Eighth:
Charlotte was quite the struggle. I had a practice crash on Friday, which left my shoulder a little sore, and then today I felt pretty good. First moto, I got a pretty good start and made some passes, so ended up sixth. In the second moto, I was in good position again, but slid out and got up in last. I worked my way back up to 11th, so overall, we’re leaving in one piece and we’ll see what Texas brings!

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First:
I feel like I surprised myself more than anyone else today. Practice and qualifying went okay, but it’s a lot easier to put down one fast lap than it is to do an entire 20-minute moto. In both races, I felt like my lines and flow were really good, but I just had trouble staying close to the leader in the first one. Hopefully we can build off of this one and keep improving. Race intensity is a lot different than practice, so it was good to get some real gate drops under my belt.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth:
I’m happy to put a respectable run on the board and keep the points close to start the playoffs. A big thank-you to the team for the setup today, because I felt we were very prepared compared to where we were last year. I’m looking forward to getting better in Texas.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – DNF:
I’m really disappointed to have missed playoff one due to the crash in practice. It’s frustrating to be sidelined, especially when I was looking forward to racing, but I was too sore to safely ride today. I’m focusing on my recovery now and will be working hard to get back to full strength. Thanks to everyone for their support, and I’m determined to come back stronger and make up for lost time in the next round.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was a good day overall, and some positives to take away. The first moto, I got off the gate pretty badly, which made for a tough moto there, but I regrouped and moto two was really good. I was able to fight with those guys a little bit. I felt like they had a little bit more than me, which is tough to deal with, but it was an all-around good day and a good start to the series.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
It was a good day overall, but it stings getting second. I won moto one and was leading moto two, but I missed the rhythm section too many times, which cost me. Otherwise, Jett [Lawrence] and I were super close. It’s frustrating because I felt so good all day. Man, it was right there, but overall, this was a good step forward. We are improving each weekend since I’ve been back this summer. I’m excited for the next two.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 10th:
It was a tough day, but it was good to be back at the races, especially in front of my home state fans. I had an unfortunate off-track excursion in the first race that led to a six-position penalty. Then I charged forward as best as I could in the second race after starting outside the top 20. I’ve had a lot of success in Texas, and I am looking forward to getting some redemption next weekend.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Seventh:
Charlotte was fun and this was my first time racing SuperMotocross. First moto we were P8 and then second moto seventh, so that placed us seventh overall and it was a great start for us. I’m learning the bike in this format and we’ll take what we learned into Texas and keep building. Huge shoutout to the whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing crew – we’ve been pushing hard all season and I look forward to the next couple of weekends.

Christian Craig (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 14th:
The day started off pretty good. Qualifying was decent and I was riding not bad. First moto, quarter of a lap in, I went down and got hit in the back of the head pretty hard, so had to make my way back up, but got a tuff block cover stuff in my back brake pedal and I had to stop to get that out. I regrouped for the second main, got a decent start, and was in the mix for a little bit to end up ninth. It wasn’t my best ride, but all in all, we’ll regroup and get ready for Texas next week.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) – Fifth:
Here today at Charlotte we actually had a really good weekend. It’s definitely something to build on. We went 5-5 for fifth overall… I was able to push both motos. We made tiny adjustments to the bike, and it was actually a really fun day racing. It’s a great position to build off of. We’ll hopefully come back next week and just keep building in the right direction, be up front in the starts, and I think we can be on the podium.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – Ninth:
It was a pretty good round. The track was extremely, extremely fast. I need to get out of the gate a little bit better but a solid 10-10 [is a] pretty good start for the SMX series for me, so I was pretty excited. I just need to get a little bit better starts and be up there at the beginning of the races. But overall, it was a very good weekend for me, I was pumped.

Kyle Chisholm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 21st:
The bike was good. The bike [set-up] worked pretty good – it’s tricky with these races the way the tracks are set up. But I just didn’t ride my best. I didn’t have the best starts, and that made it tough because there’s not a lot to separate us out there… I don’t think we have a lot of work to do on the bike. We just need to try to get some good practice in this week and come back swinging in Texas.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) – Fifth:
I went 4-7 today – my starts were really bad – so I finished fifth overall. I’m still third in the championship and we all know that the next couple of races are most important with double and triple points available, so we will come out swinging next week.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM) – Second:
Getting good starts like that and leading those laps is very important for confidence. After the first moto I felt good, just made too many mistakes in those early laps of the second one, but I was happy with the result. I’m very excited to be up here on the podium, so I’m looking forward to Dallas next!

Chance Hymas (Team Honda HRC) – 16th:
The first SMX race of my career was disappointing – I just didn’t ride like I know I can, and my starts weren’t where I needed them to be. It was a struggle all day, but we’ll be looking to rebound in Dallas.

Jo Shimoda (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth:
Overall, a solid day. I need some more pace to keep up front and battle for the win, but I’m excited about where we are so far. I’m positive going into the week, and I know we’ll be in a better place at the next round.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
I was pumped to grab the holeshot in moto two, but the restart really threw things off. After that, I pushed hard and managed to get back to sixth, finishing fifth. In moto two, I had a great start and led for a bit, but I made a mistake in the rhythm section and dropped to second. It was a mixed day, but I’m feeling positive about the speed I showed and I can’t wait to come back even stronger for Texas.

Ty Masterpool (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 12th:
Finishing 12th after starting in ninth was a bit of a letdown, but I gave it my all. Moto one was challenging with the restart, and I struggled to make up ground. Despite that, I’m staying focused and looking forward to the next round. I’m using today as a learning experience and am excited to come back with a fresh mindset and aim for a better finish. Time to regroup and put in the work to be ready for the home race next weekend.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 10th:
Starting in 18th was definitely a tough spot, and falling to 15th in moto two due to a mistake didn’t make it any easier. But I’m really stoked with how I was able to fight back to ninth place. It was a challenging day, but I’m proud of the progress I made and the way I handled the adversity. This experience has me feeling motivated and ready to use the momentum to improve further in the rest of the SMX Playoffs.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
It worked out, with 1-1 on the day. I had some of the worst starts of my life, so I made it difficult for myself. I think I was sixth or seventh in the second moto, but I was buried in the first one and was around 13th. I had to catch up to the leader and ended up getting a pretty good gap in both motos. It was good racing. We’ve got some work to do this week.

Max Anstie (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Seventh:
It was a solid second moto and opening round of SMX. I’m happy with the progression. We will keep pushing on to round two in Texas.

Jordon Smith (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was a pretty good day. The track was very hard to pass on, for everyone but the number one machine. He made it look not so hard. I was struggling to make passes, but I rode really well. I just didn’t get off the gate great. So, it’s the same thing as outdoors. I just need to try and figure out the starts, and we can be in it. Looking at the track map, I think next weekend is going to be a little more technical, with a bit more rhythms, which I think will benefit me. We’ll keep pushing.

Nick Romano (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 14th:
My first SMX race was fun. The biggest thing for me was the pace in the motos. The moto two holeshot was an eye-opener, but it’s nothing we can’t fix. We’ll go back to work this week on some intensity and be stronger for the next two.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Ninth:
Today started off really good, qualifying fastest. In the first moto I made my way into second, but caught a rut in the rhythm, which shot me left, into the tuff blocks and the barrier. That kind of messed my day up, but we fought through it for 10-8 finishes and ninth overall. We’ll keep getting better this week and try to land on the box in Dallas.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas) – 13th:
It was an okay weekend in Charlotte. I had pretty good starts all day, but in the first moto I just didn’t have the speed, and then in the second race my start wasn’t as good, even though I actually rode better. I need to stack some points for the next two!

Pierce Brown (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas) – 11th:
That was a tough day for me. Coming into the weekend, I was unsure if I was going to race because I had a pretty big crash this week, so all in all I’m just happy to be here and to get some points. The next two rounds are double and triple points – I’m looking forward to those and there are a lot of points to be made. We have improvements to be made, but I feel like my ceiling is way higher than where I am at this stage.