The second stop of the post-season headed to Ft. Worth, as Texas Motor Speedway played host to playoff two 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) – Second:
Getting a start is one of the key factors, but we actually made a change right before moto one and I felt like I rode pretty well, but was just way back. In moto two, I got a good start and was able to ride my own laps – I felt like I did back in Pro Motocross. It was a good race, we ended up second overall, so we will try to keep building and come out swinging for Vegas!

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Seventh:
Second playoff of SMX went okay – I rode my outdoor suspension on this one and it was a little soft. I got off to a pretty bad start in the first one, was working my way up, and jumped off the track, so finished ninth. In the second one, I got a really good start, was running up front and my shoulder started feeling it, and I ended up dropping back to seventh. Not where we want to be, but we will try to improve a little bit for Vegas and the final round.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Third:
It was a bit of a rollercoaster day. I felt good in the first moto, but I made a little mistake and ended up stalling. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fight back to second and had to settle for third. I didn’t get a great start in the final moto and clawed back to second, but that first-moto mistake really didn’t help. I’m looking forward to a winner-take-all last round – I’m ready to give it my all and let the chips fall where they may.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First:
It was an awesome day in Texas. We made the best of a really tough, gruelling race track. I’m super stoked to get this win for myself and the team – it’s the ultimate thank-you to everyone involved. I’m looking forward to leaving it all out there in Vegas. Let’s go, baby!

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Eighth:
Coming into the weekend without any time on the bike and my back still sore from my crash in Charlotte wasn’t ideal, but I was determined to line up and give it my all. The Monster Energy Kawasaki team did an amazing job setting my bike up to handle the brutal track and we had some wins to stay positive about. Battling up front in moto two felt great and I know after I am back to 100 percent that I will be up there again. One more to go and I am really looking forward to seeing how next weekend’s track shapes up.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 13th:
Fort Worth was definitely a warm one! We tried everything we could to be up there with the guys this weekend. First one, I had a bad start and that was on me, so by the time you recover it’s tough. In the second moto, it was a really good start, but I locked handlebars with another rider – just a racing incident. I need to take what I learned with that start and try to apply it in Vegas. With triple points on the line, there’s a lot to be made up yet. We’ll dig deep and try to get this bike up there toward the front! We’ll have a really great week and end this thing on a good note.

Christian Craig (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 14th:
Today was challenging, for sure. The track was super-basic, but the dirt made it tough. Qualifying was decent and then the first moto was alright as well, but in the second moto, I got caught up in the second turn, so had to come from behind. I made some passes, but then went down pretty hard, and my elbow did not feel good after that. I did what I could from there, so it was frustrating – we’ll see what we can do next week.

Justin Barcia (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas) – 12th:
Texas Motor Speedway was good, always good to be back at the races with the fans! It was a challenging day for me, just because I’m far from being my best self right now with where my body is at. I’m just glad to be here, able to ride, and doing my best. First moto, I rode as hard as I could, and then in the second moto, I had used up a lot of my energy, so nothing to write home about! I’m looking forward to Las Vegas and trying to get that little bit better for next weekend.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) – Sixth:
Today in Texas it was a funky one, honestly. I never really gelled with the track. We also tried some things on the bike. We’re on a different fork set-up and shock set-up, so it took us a little bit to figure out what works best on the track. I think for the motos we had [the settings] the best. As the track got drier it became hard to ride, but I think it got better in the second moto, so I definitely felt more in tune with the bike. I unfortunately went down in the first turn [of moto 2] and had to come from last up to sixth. We definitely had a strong ride all the way to the end… We had a really good effort here, maybe not the results that we were hoping for, but it’s all about effort and good riding. I think if we put ourselves in good position on the start, we have a chance to get on the podium and fight with the front guys. I’m looking forward to Vegas.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 10th:
Texas Motor Speedway was pretty solid for me. I had to go through the LCQ again, which isn’t ideal, but I was able to win that. Then in the first moto I had the far outside gate and tried to just work my way through the pack slowly but steadily and not do anything crazy. I ended up 13th. Then in moto two, I came back to a P10, for P10 overall, so it was a good weekend. The track was really, really hectic and I’m just glad I kept it on two wheels.

Kyle Chisholm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 16th:
I struggled a little bit at the beginning of the day just getting comfortable on the track. It was really hardpack and slippery, but we made some good bike changes. In the second moto I didn’t have a good start, but I rode much better. We made a couple little changes on the bike, kind of back to what I ran last week, and it was really good. I felt comfortable, made some good passes, and am really happy with my riding. We’ll take the momentum into next weekend in Vegas for that last round and triple points; we’ll try to just replicate what we did in that second moto there… These tracks are tricky with the Supercross portion and the motocross portion. It’s tough. The team did a really good job.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) – Second:
We are happy with the result today. The track was not easy – the same for everyone, of course – but I kept pushing until the very end. In the final moto, I was catching Haiden [Deegan] a little bit, but came up short. It was nice to be in the fight and it was a good race to get us ready for next weekend.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM) – Fifth:
It was a tough day for me. I never really had the feeling I was looking for on this track, but P5 was a good result. We got a little bit better in that second moto, so not my best day, but fifth on a weekend that I didn’t feel too good, we will take that and be ready to fight going into Vegas.

Jo Shimoda (Team Honda HRC) – Third:
I felt good in qualifying with a second, and I got decent starts all day. My fitness is great; I just need to find more pace. The goal was to still be in the fight when we get to the last round, and I’m ready to try and put it all together next weekend.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fourth:
There were a lot of positives to take from the weekend. I came into Saturday feeling good and during the first moto I got buried on the start and had to fight my way through. The entire track was challenging with the heat, but I tried to stay consistent. Moto two was definitely better for me. I got a good jump and tried to hang up front but I kept making minor mistakes and lost time. We are sitting third in points heading into Las Vegas and I am ready to leave it all on the table.

Ty Masterpool (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 11th:
Tough day for me out there in front of the home crowd. My starts were good all day, but I just kept making silly mistakes and losing the lead pack. I know I have the speed to land of the podium every weekend, but I need to fix the mistakes in order to make that happen. I am grateful for the entire team and a huge thanks to the crowd for showing me the love. I am ready for redemption in Las Vegas.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Eighth:
I always love coming to Texas and this weekend definitely showed the Texas heat in full force. I had a lot of time on the bike today, having to qualify out of the LCQ, but I was able to make it happen and make it into the motos. The track was super gnarly, being so dry, but I stayed consistent and came out in eighth. I am looking for more and I know a podium is close, so I am going to give it my all in Vegas. Thank you to the entire Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team for another great weekend.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
It was a good day. We went 1-1 in qualifying, which was awesome. The goal coming in here was to pull the holeshot, and we pulled two of them. We made it a lot easier on ourselves today. Two holeshots and two wins, that was perfect. It was hot today. This one was pretty brutal, but we fought through, had some fun and got the W.

Max Anstie (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 10th:
I got my laps in and got out of Texas in one piece. A crash on Friday took the wind out of my sails a little on race day. Our full focus is on to next weekend in Vegas.

Jordon Smith (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was a pretty good day. I got a decent start in the first moto and made my way to fourth and had a good finish. In the second moto, I went down in the first turn and just fought my way back to ninth place. It was a tough track, so I’m glad to get out of here healthy and with a decent finish.

Nick Romano (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Ninth:
It was quite a day, 13-8 for ninth overall. The track conditions were tough, and the insane heat made it an ongoing struggle. I was really happy with how I rode. In moto one, I had a good jump out of the gate but got caught up with a few riders. I ended up doing a 360 in the first turn and was dead last, but I charged hard and finished 13th. In the second moto, I was 13th but rode hard and finished eighth. After all that I’ve been through the last two years and the ups and downs that my first full pro year has been, it’d be easy to quit, but I’ve been making small gains week in and week out. I’m stoked to head into the season finale in Vegas and look to build on that.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – 15th:
It was a tough weekend. First moto, I felt pretty good, and it was decent. Second moto, I was running third, but slid off the face of the triple and went too far right into the tuff blocks. It was disappointing to end the weekend like that obviously, but my pace was good again today and that is a positive to take out of Texas.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas) – 13th:
Today was okay. My qualifying sessions were better and then I ended up going down twice in the first one, then in the second one, I moved forward to ninth but finished 11th. I’m excited to end the season on a good note in Vegas!

Pierce Brown (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas) – Seventh:
It was a better day for me. I struggled to keep it on two wheels in the first turn – I fell in both starts – but my jumps off the gate were getting better. I came from last to ninth in the first moto and then last to fifth in moto two, so that was good. I’m happy with my fitness right now and I’m excited to see what we can do in Vegas for the Final!