With 31 races in the books for this season, the final playoff of the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) wrapped up in Las Vegas on Saturday. Quotebook features compiled comments from riders over the weekend.

450SMX

Image: Octopi Media.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) – Fourth:
Vegas was a really good. I was comfortable on the bike from the start and I had a really good start in the first one, ended up getting fourth in that, so I was pumped. Second moto, I rode really good again, and went fourth again, so after the last two weeks I will take that, for sure. We also moved to fourth in the points, so it was a good way to end the season like that.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – First:
It’s pretty awesome to finish SMX and the race 1-2 with Hunter [Lawrence], and he really didn’t let me get this easily – he was on me from start to finish all day, and I knew I couldn’t make any mistakes. I’m pumped that we got to do this for our family and the team. It’s great to say that the Lawrence brothers got to take home $1.5 million between us!

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) – Second:
One of my goals before the season started was to be in the podium conversation every weekend. Supercross was a bit of a battle at the beginning – we got better towards the end of that season, and I felt like I was a contender in all of Motocross. I was most happy about picking up some of the characteristics from my 250 career – staying consistent, being on the box, running up front. I think I was the best version of myself tonight, and I’m really excited to see what this version of Hunter looks like in another year.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 14th:
Honestly, this isn’t how I wanted to end the 2024 season. I had solid speed in moto one, but that mistake set me back, and then tweaking my back in moto two forced me out. It’s frustrating because I know I had the pace, but that’s part of the sport. Our team has made a lot of positive changes and strides this year that I am extremely happy with. I’ll take some time to recover, regroup, and come back ready for 2025.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was a tough one coming in with a cracked collarbone, but we made it to every round this season and didn’t want to miss the finale. I was able to get the track figured out pretty quickly in qualifying, even though I didn’t get the track time yesterday. It was a really smooth day. I didn’t fall, which was really good, and I just tried to do what I could. I rode two pretty flawless races and tried to minimize the mistakes and eliminate the risk. It was a painful day, but we came away with sixth overall and eighth in the playoffs, so it was worth it. I’m pretty proud of the full season aboard the 450 and am excited for some time off before getting ready for 2025.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
I finished third overall and gave it my best. I had a really good first moto. I led most of the race and got passed on the last couple of laps. Then in moto two, I started a little further back and didn’t get the holeshot like I did in moto one, but I rode pretty well. Hunter and Jett were riding at a really good pace. They kind of slowly went away from me, but overall we all were really close. It was good to get third, and a good comeback in the last rounds of outdoors and SMX. I think we’ll have some good momentum going into 2025.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fifth:
Overall it was a great day. I qualified fourth, which was a good sign. I had two solid motos. In the first one, I fell on the first lap and lost that fifth-place position. I made my way up to sixth but just couldn’t quite get my teammate. In the second one, I got a pretty good start in fifth and was right there with that lead group for a while. Then Eli, myself, AP, and Kenny [Roczen] were all together, and I ended up fifth for fifth overall on the day and fifth in the series. Obviously, we wanted a little more, but we’ll take it. I didn’t come into the series super prepared, so I’m very happy to get two back-to-back fifths and have a solid result here at SMX. Now we’ll get ready for MXoN.

Justin Barcia (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas) – Eighth:
Vegas, not where we wanted to be, but I’m glad we were better than the week before. It was a shame I had that crash in Charlotte, because it was a challenging season, and I appreciate my whole crew for putting in 100 percent behind me and am super-proud of this team. It was really cool to see Pierce [Brown] get the win tonight also! I’m excited for a healthy off-season and will see everybody at Anaheim.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) – Seventh:
We were feeling alright during qualifying. My times weren’t really there, but I wasn’t too worried about it just because I am more of a racer, so once the gate drops, I usually feel a lot better. In the first moto I got messed up a little bit in the first turn, so I had to come from about 15th. It was hard to pass on the track, but I was able to come back to eighth and was ready to finish out strong in the second moto. After the start, I was in about eighth. I made a couple of passes, found myself in sixth, and battled with another rider for the whole race, eventually coming in sixth place. Overall, I’m happy with my and the team’s effort and it was good to finish out strong.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 16th:
It was an interesting day for me to say the least. Straight up I did not execute when I needed to in the LCQ, which left me off the gate for moto one. A few guys didn’t line up for moto two, which opened up the opportunity for me to race, and I was able to salvage a P9. Overall, it was not the day I wanted, but there are a lot of positives to take away from these SMX races and some building blocks for the future. We’re looking ahead to 2025.

Kyle Chisholm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 20th:
We didn’t make very many changes from last week because the team, and Matt as well at Active Ride, did a great job getting the bike set up and working good for me. On the first lap of the first moto I got taken out. It was just a racing incident. I was looking forward to Vegas and trying to get another good finish, trying to get closer to that top 10, and I felt like we had it. The bike was great, I was riding good, I felt really good… We’ll take a week or so off and rest up a little bit get ready for the World Supercross.

250SMX

Image: Octopi Media.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) – Fifth:
I’m pretty happy, the result was good this year, and we were strong across each series. I had a bad start in the first moto and then the second one was better, but I was really frustrated after the second moto because I was feeling really good before the crash. It was a little bit up and down this season, so now I look forward to the Nations and that will be a lot of fun next.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM) – Ninth:
Tough night! My riding was really good, I just didn’t execute the starts, and on a track like this you need that track position early because it’s hard to pass. It’s been a good year, we made some big steps as a rookie, and the plan is to be up front next year.

Jo Shimoda (Team Honda HRC) – Fourth:
I was good in practice, but I messed that up in qualifying. I had a bad gate pick in the first moto, which led to a bad start. Starts are definitely something we’ll be working on in the off-season – track position is always important, but there wasn’t much passing available on this track, so you needed to start up front. Overall, we all gave it our best and learned so much from this year. Hopefully, we can build off this and be even better next year.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Eighth:
I’m not totally satisfied with tonight or how the season ended. I know I have more in me, and I’ll be using the off-season to dial things in and come back stronger. Finishing sixth overall is decent, but I expect more from myself. The positive is that I stayed consistent, fought hard through the pack tonight, and finished strong. We have made a lot of progress on the team this season which I’m stoked about. Now it’s time to put in the work so I can make 2025 my best year yet.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 12th:
Coming back from injury this season was tough, and qualifying through the LCQ isn’t ideal, but I’m happy with how I kept fighting all year. Getting 10th in the overall standings means a lot, considering everything. I had a few setbacks tonight, like that tip-over in moto one, but I’m taking the positives. I’ve missed a lot of racing, so to finish in the top 10 overall is a good step. 2025 is all about building on this foundation and coming in fully healthy.

Ty Masterpool (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Seventh:
Starting the second moto with a holeshot was a huge confidence boost, but I made some small errors that I’ll learn from. Overall, I’m proud of the effort I’ve put in this season, especially finishing ninth in the standings. It’s been a year of growth and learning for me, and I’m already looking forward to building on this progress in 2025.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 10th:
This season’s been a grind, especially with the thumb injury I’ve been battling and switching teams, but I’m proud of how I pushed through it. Finishing 12th overall is a solid result considering the setbacks. Tonight was all about fighting for positions, and I gave it everything I had. I’ve learned a lot this season about managing challenges, and I’m going to use that experience to come back stronger and healthier next year.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
I’m pretty hyped to get back-to-back SMX Championships. I wanted to go six for six with the motos, but the championship was the main goal. I got the holeshot in the first moto and won it. In the second moto, I didn’t get a great start. I just got a little cautious. I made my way to second, and I tried to make a push for Pierce [Brown], but then thought, ‘Maybe I’ve got to chill out. We’ve got a championship to win.’ So I backed it off with four laps to go, and got the title.

Max Anstie (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
I’m happy to have had the opportunity to race SMX this year and end up eighth overall. Only racing some of the outdoor rounds with the team, it was always going to be a challenge to get the settings dialed. We learned so much and finished up in Vegas with a solid fourth in moto two, and sixth overall on the night. I’m looking forward to MXON, which is coming up next.

Jordon Smith (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
It’s been a great year. We stayed healthy all year, which was one of my goals. I can’t thank the whole Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team enough. It feels good to be back on the podium and to put in some solid rides. We finally figured out the starts in the last race of the year, which I wish happened sooner, but overall I’m really happy with my riding throughout SMX and to end the season with a top-five in the championship.

Nick Romano (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 18th:
It’s not how we wanted to finish the season. It was tough out there today, and I just wasn’t gelling with the track, but we’ll take what we learned from this season and build on it.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas) – 11th:
This was a good weekend for me. Qualifying was good and so was the first moto, but it was just the last moto that wasn’t the way we wanted to end it. This year was a good building year, so I am looking forward to seeing what we can do next season!

Pierce Brown (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas) – First:
Wow, what a night! All I can say is that I’m speechless. First career win is just surreal, I’m so stoked to do it for the team and here in Las Vegas this weekend to finish off the season together.