2024 Salt Lake City Supercross Photo Gallery

2024 Salt Lake City Supercross Recap

The final round of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross series on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City featured a shocking upset...

Ah, who we kidding?

The 450 class felt like the last day of school. Grades submitted, no one seemingly trying all that hard save for a few trying to get in some final extra credit that may or may not give them a bump even if the tests were mostly bingo.

To no one's surprise, Jett Lawrence won the Championship. Cooper Webb and his thumb injury had an outside shot but a DNF proved unlikely for Lawrence, something Webb pretty much needed after defending champion Chase Sexton sliced the Holeshot away from Justin Cooper and checked out for the win. For his part, Cooper (Justin not Webb) held on to take second for a career best 450 class finish.

Webb took a hard fought third but any efforts to finish first were stymied early when Sexton pulled out front. He never really came close to passing Cooper (Justin not Webb) and briefly looked like he might succumb to a charging Jason Anderson, but third it was, which, even if Lawrence DNF'd, still would land the 2024 title in Lawrence's lap.

"I think it hasn't fully sunk in yet," Lawrence said in the post-race interview. "We had times where we sucked really bad this year and also other times where we weren't too bad. I'm super happy for the team. They've been awesome, they are family now and to give them another title is the biggest thank you to them. For everyone who doubted, suck it."

The apparently not-so humble Lawrence becomes the third rookie in history to win the premier class Supercross title joining Jeremy McGrath and Ryan Dungey. Additionally, he rides a Championship streak that includes both regional coasts Supercross Championships, back-to-back 250 class Motocross Championships and last year's undefeated 450 class Motocross Championship, also as a rookie.

Lawrence caused some consternation with the old guard at the start of the season when he indicated a goal to surpass McGrath's 72 win total in Supercross. He has 64 more wins to go! In his favor, this so-called generational talent has little in the way of young competition since much of the current crop of riders and past champions have nearly 10 years or more on him in the pro ranks.

One of those, Anderson, the 2018 Supercross Champion, showed life in the later rounds this year and some fight in the finale when he dropped Hunter Lawrence like a bad habit in a berm. Anderson had a run-in earlier this year with younger brother Jett so the elder statesman clearly not showing any signs of bowing down to the Australian brothers. Hunter tried to retaliate later in the race when Anderson lapped him but it looked kind of weak though it likely helped prevent Anderson from making a move on Webb for third. Both riders were fined for the altercation.

OK, Jett Lawrence gets the #1 plate for 2025, Webb gets surgery today on his thumb with plans to come back in 2025 and Sexton, who entered the round tied in points with Eli Tomac, finishes third on the season but enters Outdoors with some momentum.

Tomac, who returned from last year's penultimate round Achilles injury which cost him the 2023 title, bowed out of the final round because of a thumb injury denying him a potential third-place for the season. He will now miss parts of Motocross though he plans to race Supercross in 2025. Ken Roczen had a crazy get-off at Nashville with multiple injuries and did not race. He was seen aided by two crutches in Salt Lake City. Anderson's late season surge 4-4-3-3-4 in the last five rounds ties him with Tomac in points but he takes fifth on the tie-breaker.

A lot of the fun in Round 17 took place with the second East / West Showdown of the season in the 250 class. RJ Hampshire and Levi Kitchen entered the race tied in points for the West class and Tom Vialle mostly needed to stay upright to fend off Haiden Deegan for the East crown with a 15 point edge.

Deegan grabbed the Holeshot and checked out leaving everything else to chance. Vialle, in his second season in the United States after a successful career racing overseas in the Motocross World Championship series, started ninth. The real race between Hampshire and Kitchen was just getting started as Hampshire started fourth and Kitchen eighth. No real mad dash to the front, Hampshire simply needed to keep Kitchen from passing or Kitchen needed to get the pass on Hampshire.

Jordon Smith, mathematically still alive for the East title, attempted to get in front of Deegan late in the race just after the whoops, where Smith excels, but went down in a berm after banging bars with Deegan right before the Finish Line jump. Deegan stayed upright, gesturing with his hand back at Smith while in the air. Smith dropped to fourth but the near carnage appeared to rattle Deegan a bit as he made some mistakes as by now Hampshire was in line behind him.

All this potential excitement and any push by Hampshire to put his title at risk by going for the win quickly ended as he smartly managed his forthcoming Championship and let Deegan remain in front. Hampshire finished second, while Smith charged back into third. Kitchen finished fifth. Jo Shimoda fourth.

An emotional and even overwhelmed Hampshire claimed his first regional Supercross Championship in 10 years racing pro and simply thanked just about everyone in his camp. Vialle, finishing ninth, said he knew he needed to get a good start which he did and said getting the championship in his second year was amazing. Vialle took the title over Deegan by four points.

Riders get two weeks to heal and celebrate, if necessary, before heading Outdoors! The 2024 Motocross season begins May 25 at Pala Raceway.