The second half of the SMX World Championship regular season fired into life over the weekend with the opening round of the 2024 Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Riders took to Southern California’s Fox Raceway at Pala for the 18th round of the combined championship – the Pala Casino Spa & Resort Fox Raceway National Presented by Fox Racing – where a sun-soaked track and mild temps set the scene for two standout performances.
Jett Lawrence returned from an ACL injury to pick up right where he left off, dominating both motos in the 450 Class and maintaining his undefeated record at the venue. In the 250 Class, Haiden Deegan kicked off his title defence with a commanding 1-1 effort at his home track.
450 Class
It was a familiar sight when the gates dropped for the opening 450 Class moto – the Lawrence brothers, Jett and Hunter, shot out side-by-side and nearly collided in the first turn, with Jett Lawrence narrowly edging out the Pro Motocross Holeshot. Hunter Lawrence was shuffled back by Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper, while reigning champ Chase Sexton slotted into fifth on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine.
Sexton faced trouble early, forced to remove his goggles before ducking into the mechanics’ area for a new set. Things only got worse when he crashed on the following lap and retired from the moto with a DNF.
Out front, Jett Lawrence was untouchable, extending his lead into double digits and leading every lap to take his fifth consecutive moto win at Fox Raceway. Justin Cooper held strong for a career-best second, while Hunter Lawrence came home third. Eli Tomac finished fourth, with Aaron Plessinger rounding out the top five.
In the final moto of the day, Hunter Lawrence nailed the Pro Motocross Holeshot, but Jett Lawrence and Plessinger quickly slipped past, with Tomac just behind. Hunter clawed his way back into second before Tomac pushed through into the runner-up spot, setting up a heavyweight duel with Jett Lawrence.
For the first time in Pro Motocross, Tomac had Lawrence within reach and applied constant pressure, closing the gap to under a second with around eight minutes remaining. “I was trying my heart out and it was close for about 25 minutes,” Tomac said. “We both had our strong spots on the track, so we were constantly trading momentum. It was definitely a pleasure to race against Jett.”
Despite the challenge, Lawrence remained composed. “I had a few good beast mode attacks from [Tomac] and I had to do everything I could to fend him off,” Lawrence explained. “I knew I had a stronger section, so I made sure I nailed it every time. With about five laps to go I had to give it everything and I tried to use the lappers to my advantage.”
Lawrence crossed the line 11.8 seconds clear for his sixth straight moto win, while Tomac held on for second. Plessinger managed to wrestle third from Hunter Lawrence in a late-race scrap.
In three 450 Class appearances at Fox Raceway, Jett Lawrence has won all six motos and led every lap, extending his staggering form with a third straight 1-1 result and his 16th win in 17 career starts. Tomac, contesting his first opening round since 2022, finished second overall (4-2), while Hunter Lawrence rounded out the podium in third (3-4).
“It was a pretty average day, but I’ll take it. There’s a lot to build on,” Hunter Lawrence said of his podium. “I had a great battle with [Plessinger] in Moto 2 and made a little mistake right at the end and he was there to capitalise. That’s frustrating to end the day like that, but happy to be on the podium.”
Jett Lawrence leaves Fox Raceway with a 10-point lead over Tomac in the standings, while Hunter Lawrence sits 12 points behind in third.
250 Class
The 250 class opener saw Chance Hymas grab the holeshot and take early control after fending off Ty Masterpool, who briefly led. Julien Beaumer worked into second while Haiden Deegan steadily climbed through the pack after a sixth-place start.
At the halfway point, Hymas lost the front navigating a rut, handing the lead to Beaumer and then Deegan, who quickly made his move into the top spot. Hymas remounted and fought his way back to second before Jo Shimoda joined the mix, climbing into second with passes on both Hymas and Beaumer.
From there, Deegan put the hammer down and checked out, winning the moto by 6.6 seconds ahead of Shimoda, with Hymas in third. Tom Vialle was fourth, while Beaumer rounded out the top five.
Vialle and Beaumer led the charge early in moto 2, with Vialle claiming the holeshot. Deegan settled into third, with Shimoda again in pursuit. Beaumer made a move on Vialle to take the lead, while Deegan worked his way past both KTM riders as the race progressed.
With just over 12 minutes to go, Deegan attacked up one of the track’s steep hills and snatched the lead from Beaumer. Shimoda mirrored the move a lap later to grab second, and Vialle got by his teammate for third.
Deegan kept Shimoda at bay to complete a clean sweep at his home track for the second year in a row. “I’m really excited to get this series going,” he said. “I felt strong and back to full health, and I’m ready to keep going.”
Shimoda crossed the line 5.3 seconds back in second, with Vialle rounding out the top three.
With another dominant 1-1 showing, Haiden Deegan starts his 250 Class title defence just as he did in 2023, scoring the eighth win of his career. Shimoda logged his best-ever season opener in second (2-2), and Vialle claimed third overall (4-3).
After a dominant 1-1 sweep, Haiden Deegan reflected, “It was a good day, but we could still be better. This track is so gnarly, but it’s outdoors, you’ve got to dog it out. We went 1-1, same as last year, so I’m stoked.”
Jo Shimoda admitted the day hadn’t started smoothly, saying, “Today had a lot of surprises. I wasn’t feeling that great coming in. I just told myself to get a good start and get a lap in and that’s what we did. It’s been a rough year, but it feels really good to be on the podium.”
Rounding out the top three, Tom Vialle conceded he was aiming higher, noting, “I want to be better (than third). This race was a tricky one and it’s good to be on the podium, but I’m working to be better than that. I’m looking forward to next weekend.”
After the first round, Deegan leads the championship by six points over Shimoda, with Vialle a further six points back.
Round two is set for Prairie City SVRA Rancho Cordova, CA next weekend
| 450 Class – Overall Results – Pala, CA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Hometown | Bike | Motos | |
| 1st | Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | Honda | 1st – 1st | |
| 2nd | Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO, United States | Yamaha | 4th – 2nd | |
| 3rd | Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | Honda | 3rd – 4th | |
| 4th | Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH, United States | KTM | 5th – 3rd | |
| 5th | Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States | Yamaha | 2nd – 8th | |
| 6th | Jorge Prado | Lugo, Galicia, Spain | Kawasaki | 7th – 6th | |
| 7th | Jason Anderson | Edgewood, NM, United States | Kawasaki | 9th – 5th | |
| 8th | Joey Savatgy | Thomasville, GA, United States | Honda | 8th – 10th | |
| 9th | R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL, United States | Husqvarna | 6th – 12th | |
| 10th | Benoit Paturel | France | Suzuki | 11th – 9th | |
| 11th | Phil Nicoletti | Cochecton, NY, United States | Yamaha | 10th – 11th | |
| 12th | Derek Kelley | Hesperia, CA, United States | GasGas | 12th – 13th | |
| 13th | Dean Wilson | Scotland | Honda | 13th – 15th | |
| 14th | Christian Craig | Temecula, CA, United States | Husqvarna | 15th – 14th | |
| 15th | Marshal Weltin | Ubly, MI, United States | Yamaha | 14th – 16th | |
| 16th | Fredrik Noren | Sweden | Kawasaki | 16th – 17th | |
| 17th | Ryan Surratt | Corona, CA, United States | Yamaha | 17th – 18th | |
| 18th | Jerry Robin | Hamel, MN, United States | Yamaha | 20th – 19th | |
| 19th | Tristan Lane | Port Orange, FL, United States | KTM | 22nd – 20th | |
| 20th | Bryce Shelly | Elizabethtown, PA, United States | Yamaha | 19th – 26th | |
| 21st | Jake Masterpool | Paradise, TX, United States | Kawasaki | 18th – 28th | |
| 22nd | Justin Rodbell | Prince Frederick, MD, United States | Kawasaki | 26th – 21st | |
| 23rd | Kenneth Steeves | Sylvania, OH, United States | Yamaha | 23rd – 24th | |
| 24th | Rob Windt | Canada | KTM | 24th – 25th | |
| 25th | Bryson Gardner | Temecula, CA, United States | Honda | 21st – 30th | |
| 26th | Cory Carsten | Bay City, MI, United States | Suzuki | 25th – 27th | |
| 27th | Austin Politelli | Murrieta, CA, United States | KTM | 28th – 29th | |
| 28th | Kilian Poll | Austria | KTM | 27th – 31st | |
| 29th | Scott Meshey | Dover, FL, United States | GasGas | 30th – 32nd | |
| 30th | Tanner Ward | Canada | KTM | 29th – 33rd | |
| 31st | Chase Kessler | Bay City, MI, United States | Suzuki | 31st – 34th | |
| 32nd | Ben LaMay | Wasilla, AK, United States | Kawasaki | 32nd – 35th | |
| 33rd | Kai Aiello | California, United States | GasGas | 33rd – 36th | |
| 34th | Chance Blackburn | Washougal, WA, United States | GasGas | 34th – 37th | |
| 35th | Jake Runkles | Centerville, MD, United States | GasGas | 35th – 38th | |
| 36th | Hunter Schlosser | El Paso, TX, United States | Yamaha | 36th – 39th | |
| 37th | Gared Steinke | Woodland, CA, United States | Kawasaki | 37th – 40th | |
| 38th | Alex Nagy | Harvard, IL, United States | Honda | 38th – 41st | |
| 39th | Dillan Schwartz | Alpine, CA, United States | Yamaha | 39th – 42nd | |
| 40th | Collin Jurin | Monroe, WA, United States | Kawasaki | 40th – 43rd | |
| 41st | Alex Ray | Tennessee, United States | Kawasaki | 41st – 44th | |
| 42nd | Kai Haase | Germany | KTM | 42nd – 45th | |
| 250 Class – Overall Results – Pala, CA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Hometown | Bike | Motos | |
| 1st | Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA | Yamaha | 1st – 1st | |
| 2nd | Jo Shimoda | Suzuka City, Japan | Honda | 2nd – 2nd | |
| 3rd | Tom Vialle | Avignon, France | KTM | 4th – 3rd | |
| 4th | Chance Hymas | Pocatello, ID | Honda | 3rd – 6th | |
| 5th | Julien Beaumer | Lake Havasu City, AZ | KTM | 5th – 4th | |
| 6th | Garrett Marchbanks | Coalville, UT | Kawasaki | 6th – 5th | |
| 7th | Seth Hammaker | Bainbridge, PA | Kawasaki | 8th – 7th | |
| 8th | Michael Mosiman | Sebastopol, CA | Yamaha | 11th – 8th | |
| 9th | Maximus Vohland | Sacramento, CA | Yamaha | 12th – 10th | |
| 10th | Ty Masterpool | Fallon, NV | Kawasaki | 7th – 15th | |
| 11th | Drew Adams | Chattanooga, TN | Kawasaki | 9th – 14th | |
| 12th | Casey Cochran | Portsmouth, VA | GasGas | 14th – 11th | |
| 13th | Ryder DiFrancesco | Bakersfield, CA | GasGas | 17th – 9th | |
| 14th | Parker Ross | Herald, CA | Yamaha | 16th – 12th | |
| 15th | Mikkel Haarup | Silkeborg, Denmark | Triumph | 15th – 16th | |
| 16th | Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | Kawasaki | 10th – 38th | |
| 17th | Enzo Temmerman | Visalia, CA | Kawasaki | 18th – 17th | |
| 18th | Jordon Smith | Belmont, NC | Triumph | 13th – 23rd | |
| 19th | Dilan Schwartz | Alpine, CA | Yamaha | 24th – 13th | |
| 20th | Lux Turner | Gardnerville, NV | KTM | 19th – 18th | |
| 21st | Jeremy Martin | Millville, MN | Yamaha | 20th – 20th | |
| 22nd | Alexander Fedortsov | Hallandale, FL | Yamaha | 22nd – 19th | |
| 23rd | Avery Long | New London, MN | KTM | 21st – 29th | |
| 24th | CJ Benard | Peoria, AZ | KTM | 34th – 21st | |
| 25th | Lance Kobusch | New Florence, MO | Honda | 25th – 25th | |
| 26th | Chandler Baker | Tulsa, OK | Husqvarna | 27th – 24th | |
| 27th | Jack Chambers | Kawasaki | 30th – 27th | ||
| 28th | Ryder Floyd | Paris, TX | Honda | 29th – 28th | |
| 29th | Kyle Wise | Modesto, CA | Yamaha | 26th – 31st | |
| 30th | Crockett Myers | KTM | 28th – 30th | ||
| 31st | Austin Forkner | Richards, MO | Triumph | 40th – 22nd | |
| 32nd | Cole Timboe | Yamaha | 36th – 26th | ||
| 33rd | Gavin Towers | Venetia, PA | Honda | 23rd – 40th | |
| 34th | Hunter Yoder | Menifee, CA | Kawasaki | 33rd – 32nd | |
| 35th | Patrick Murphy | Clinton, IA | Honda | 31st – 37th | |
| 36th | Brayden Lessler | Ramona, CA | KTM | 35th – 34th | |
| 37th | Dalton Venter | Meyersdale | Yamaha | 38th – 33rd | |
| 38th | Nate Thrasher | Livingston, TN | Yamaha | 32nd – DNS | |
| 39th | Wyatt Mattson | El Dorado Hills, CA | Yamaha | DNS – 35th | |
| 40th | Vincent Varola | Simi Valley, CA | Husqvarna | DNS – 36th | |
| 41st | Brock Bennett | Husqvarna | 37th – DNS | ||
| 42nd | Blake Gardner | Canyon Country, CA | Husqvarna | DNS – 39th | |
| 43rd | Stilez Robertson | Bakersfield, CA | Triumph | 39th – DNS | |
