Words: Simon Makker

With the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Final holding center-stage in Las Vegas this weekend, MotoOnline’s Rated feature takes a closer look at the form of the top riders in the 450SMX and 250SMX categories.

Image: Octopi Media.

Rider: Hunter Lawrence
Rating: A
Rundown: Hunter Lawrence has timed his run to the finals perfectly. The rookie Team Honda HRC Progressive rider stormed to his first 450 win last weekend in Fort Worth, TX, and has jumped into the playoffs points lead, courtesy of the double points that were on offer. However, it was how he did it that was most impressive. In the opening moto he came under all sorts of pressure from Jett Lawrence and Eli Tomac, but he refused to roll over and claimed his first 450SMX win in the process. Hunter’s lead is just one point over Sexton and eight over Jett, but with nine points being the difference between first and second this weekend, Las Vegas is a winner-take-all affair.

Rider: Chase Sexton
Rating: A-
Rundown: Playoff 2 at Fort Worth was a must-win for Red Bull KTM’s Chase Sexton, and in his typical resilient fashion, the 2024 Pro Motocross champion bounced back when it mattered to deliver a convincing performance. The second moto at the Texas Motor Speedway was Sexton’s most emphatic of the post-season as he scored the holeshot, quickly distanced himself from his rivals, then coasted to a 10-second win. Off the back of a relatively quiet third overall at the Charlotte round, Sexton’s Texas performance has well and truly put him back in the frame for the $1-million prize that’s on offer this weekend.

Image: Octopi Media.

Rider: Jett Lawrence
Rating: A
Rundown: Last year’s inaugural SMX world champion was clearly unhappy with himself following the two motos at Fort Worth, when he placed 3-2 for third overall. Lawrence’s campaign had got off to a solid start by claiming the overall at Charlotte, but especially when he got the upper-hand of Tomac after a tense second moto where the pair punched and counter-punched for most of the race. Off the back of that performance, the Team Honda HRC Progressive rider entered Texas just behind Sexton, and early in the opening race he was able to take the lead from his older brother. It was only a brief advantage – a mistake soon afterward saw him drop back and ultimately settle for P3. Lawrence still finds himself in the sudden-death championship mix with Hunter and Sexton, meaning there’s everything to play for on Saturday night.

Rider: Eli Tomac
Rating: A-
Rundown: Questions about whether Tomac was fit and ready for the Playoffs were emphatically answered at the first gate-drop, when the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider quickly edged his way into the lead and charged to the moto win. The second moto again saw him start strong and lead most of the race, before Jett Lawrence found his way past him late. After dicing with the Lawrence brothers in the opening Fort Worth moto, the second race was more subdued as he struggled to fight his way through the pack from a less-than-ideal start. He finished the day fourth overall and finds himself fourth in the SMX points. Barring an incredibly chaotic night at Vegas, Tomac’s hopes of a seven-figure payday are likely off the table, but it’s still been an inspiring return to racing for the Colorado native.

Rider: Haiden Deegan
Rating: A+
Rundown: Of every racer across both divisions, no-one is in the form that Haiden Deegan is enjoying right now. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider has simply been unstoppable, and short of an absolute catastrophe, he’s set to coast to his second 250SMX championship. Deegan was forced to come through the pack at Charlotte after two average starts, but still managed to find creative lines, work his way to the front and sail to a 1-1 result at ZMax Dragway. In the span of a week he’d also resolved his starts, as he holeshot both Fort Worth motos – vital with such a short start straight – and logged two wire-to-wire victories. Deegan is brimming with confidence as we head to Vegas, and even with triple points up for grabs, he’s in the box seat for a major payday.

Image: Octopi Media.

Rider: Tom Vialle
Rating: B+
Rundown: The playoffs have been something of a mixed bag for two-time MX2 world champion Tom Vialle. The Red Bull KTM racer has certainly showed better pace and consistency on the hybrid tracks than he did last year, which sees him currently positioned second in the standings, albeit a distant 19 points behind Deegan. Bad starts and early incidents saw the Frenchman leave Charlotte in fifth overall, but he enjoyed an improved showing last weekend. Two good starts saw him positioned within the top three early in both races, and in the second moto he was able to catch and pass Levi Kitchen for P2, and finish four seconds behind Deegan for second overall.

Rider: Levi Kitchen
Rating: B
Rundown: Similar to Vialle, the playoffs campaign of Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen hasn’t gone according to his script. As a result, he finds himself in a disconcerting position of having Vialle just three points ahead, but a fast-finishing Jo Shimoda (Team Honda HRC Progressive) just two points behind. ‘The Chef’ left Charlotte in third overall, as early mistakes saw him claw his way back to P4 in the opening moto, then he led most of the second race before surrendering to a rampant Deegan with two laps to go. Fort Worth was equally mixed. After a bad start to the opening race, he struggled to make clean passes and finished seventh. Moto two started positively, as he locked onto Deegan’s pace early, but eventually lost the tow and drifted back. Two late passes saw him slide to P4 and fourth overall.