Jett Lawrence Continues Undefeated Streak in 450 Class,
while Haiden Deegan Asserts Himself Atop 250 Class

PALA, Calif. (May 25, 2024) – The 53rd season of the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, kicked off in the motocross epicenter of Southern California under sunny skies and balmy temperatures. Pala’s Fox Raceway was the site of the season-opening Honda Fox Raceway National Presented by Fox Racing, where the reigning SuperMotocross World Champions both made a statement with dominant performances in their respective divisions. In the 450 Class, Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence picked up where he left off from last year’s perfect season to remain undefeated in premier class competition with his 23rd and 24th consecutive moto wins and a seventh straight victory at Fox Raceway. In the 250 Class, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan shined in front of the hometown crowd with an impressive 1-1 effort in which he showed an ability to come from behind and run from the front.

450 CLASS

Moto 1
The opening premier class moto started with the Lawrence brothers leading the way aboard their Team Honda HRC rides, with Jett edging out Hunter for the MotoSport.com Holeshot. They were joined by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger, who pushed hard early to move into second behind the young Aussie. As Lawrence asserted his control of the lead, Plessinger settled in to keep him honest.

Jett inched away as the moto wore on and soon built a lead of more than five seconds, which left the battle for second to take shape between Plessinger and Hunter Lawrence. The KTM rider held strong for the majority of the moto, but the elder Lawrence went on the attack as the moto entered its final 10 minutes. Hunter made the pass for second and quickly put distance on Plessinger.

Out front, Jett cruised to his 23rd straight moto win dating back to last season, crossing the line five seconds ahead of Hunter to complete a Lawrence 1-2 in their first 450 Class race together. Plessinger followed in third, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton fourth and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper in fifth.

Moto 2
The Lawrences led the field into the first turn to open the final moto, with Hunter edging out Jett for the MotoSport.com Holeshot. Jett then made an early push to slip by his older brother and seize control of the lead, while Hunter briefly dropped to third behind a hard-charging Phil Nicoletti aboard his Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha. Hunter reclaimed the position, while Sexton followed into third.

The top three set a torrid pace early and put several seconds on the rest of the field. Soon, a sibling battle unfolded as Hunter closed onto Jett’s rear fender. The champ fended off the challenge, but it allowed Sexton to close back in from third to make it a three-rider pursuit for victory. As Jett continued to lead, Sexton was able to make the pass on Hunter for second and mount an attack for the top spot. Sexton kept Jett within reach for several laps, but went off track just before time ran out on the moto and lost considerable ground to end the threat.

Sexton gave it his all over the final two laps and got back within sight of Lawrence, but it wasn’t enough. The Honda rider wrapped up the 1-1 effort by 1.3 seconds over Sexton, with Hunter Lawrence a distant third.

Overall
Jett Lawrence wrapped up the 12th overall win of his career and moved to 24-0 in 450 Class competition, spearheading a historic Lawrence brothers 1-2 in their first race together following Hunter’s 2-3 effort. Sexton rebounded strongly from a challenging first moto to round out the podium in third (4-2).

With the win, Jett Lawrence has established an eight-point lead over Hunter, while Sexton sits 10 points out of the lead in third.

It’s the third straight season that Team Honda HRC has finished 1-2 at the opening round.

Jett Lawrence, Team Honda HRC
“Mid-race [in Moto 2] I looked back and saw [Hunter] behind me, then I looked back again and it was Chase [Sexton]. I couldn’t let up at all. It was a great day and now I’m tied with James [Stewart] at 24-0 [in motos], which is pretty cool.”

Hunter Lawrence, Team Honda HRC
“I knew the points situation [in Moto 2] and made a change [on the bike] that we’ll get better with. I just took what it gave me. I didn’t want to do anything silly. I’m stoked to put it on the box [in my first race].”

Chase Sexton, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
“I went off the track at the top of the hill and thought the race was over. I picked the pace up and got close to Jett [Lawrence] on the final lap, but he picked it up [too] and that was it. We got off to a good start and will look to build on this next weekend.”

450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish // Points)

1. Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (1-1 // 50)
2. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (2-3 // 42)
3. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., KTM (4-2 // 40)
4. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Honda (7-5 // 32)
5. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., GASGAS (6-6 // 32)
6. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (5-8 // 31)
7. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki (10-4 // 30)
8. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (3-12 // 30)
9. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Husqvarna (8-7 // 29)
10. Phil Nicoletti, Cochecton, N.Y., Yamaha (9-9 // 26) 

450 Class Championship Final Standings

1. Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 50
2. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 42
3. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., KTM – 40
4. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Honda – 32
5. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., GASGAS – 32
6. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 31
7. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki – 30
8. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM – 30
9. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Husqvarna – 29
10. Phil Nicoletti, Cochecton, N.Y., Yamaha – 26

250 CLASS

Moto 1
The first moto began with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine of Tom Vialle leading the field through the first turn for the MotoSport.com Holeshot, but the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki of Levi Kitchen slotted right into second. Kitchen showed patience early but went on the attack during the opening 10 minutes of the moto and took control of the top spot. With the lead in hand, Kitchen opened up a multi-second advantage over the field, while Vialle and Deegan engaged in a battle for second. Deegan soon made the pass to move into the runner-up spot.

Deegan showed a quicker pace than Kitchen through the middle portion of race and slowly chipped away at the deficit until he eventually closed to within a few bike lengths as the moto entered its final 10 minutes. The battle was on from that point forward as Kitchen responded, leading to trades of momentum. An off-track excursion briefly slowed Deegan’s momentum but he regrouped and continued to put the pressure on the Kawasaki out front.

Kitchen appeared to have control of the moto as they took the 2-Lap Board, but an errant track marker became lodged in his boot, which slowed the Kawasaki’s momentum while he removed it and allowed Deegan to slip into the lead. The Southern California native dropped the hammer to sprint away and grab the first moto win of the season, 7.2 seconds ahead of Kitchen. Vialle followed in third, with Team Honda HRC’s Chance Hymas fourth, and Triumph Racing’s Joey Savatgy fifth.

Following the race, officials determined that Vialle was in violation of Rule 1.6.20 Track Cuts/Unfair Advantage of the series rulebook after the Frenchman went off track early in the moto. As a result, Vialle was docked one position to fourth, which moved Hymas into third.

Moto 2
The final moto saw Deegan pick up where he left off with the MotoSport.com Holeshot as Triumph Racing’s Jalek Swoll and Kitchen gave chase. Kitchen didn’t waste any time with a pass on Swoll for second and positioned himself right behind Deegan. The early pace of the top-two finishers from the opening moto allowed them to pull away from the field. Swoll, meanwhile, came under fire from Vialle, but the KTM rider tipped over and lost positions.

Deegan and Kitchen both settled in through the middle portion of the moto, with about one second sitting between them. Behind them the battle for the overall podium heated up as three riders were in position to capture third overall. Swoll’s third-place positioning on the track gave him the edge, but both Vialle and Hymas were also in the mix. With five minutes to go, Swoll, Vialle, and Hymas were running 3-4-5 on the racetrack, separated by mere bike lengths. Vialle went on the attack and successfully made the pass on Swoll for third, which gave him the advantage in the overall classification. Hymas then made the pass on Swoll for fourth.

Back out front, Deegan picked up the pace in the waning moments to prevent a late push from Kitchen and extended his lead on the final lap. He wrapped up a 1-1 sweep of the motos by 1.9 seconds over Kitchen, with Vialle finishing strong in third.

Overall
The second career 1-1 performance by Deegan resulted in the third win of his career, kicking off the season in dominant fashion in front of the hometown crowd. Kitchen secured a solid runner-up effort with his 2-2 scores, while Vialle (4-3) edged out Hymas (3-4) for the final spot on the podium via the second moto tiebreaker.

With maximum points scored at the opening round, Deegan has established a six-point lead over Kitchen in the championship standings. Vialle and Hymas sit tied for third, 12 points out of the lead.

Haiden Deegan, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“I’ve put in a lot of work [preparing for this championship]. I go out and grind. I put my heart into this sport and you guys saw that. Great job to Levi [Kitchen], he kept me honest the whole time and didn’t make it easy on me. I’m stoked to start the season with a win.”

Levi Kitchen, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
“We [Deegan and I] know each other pretty well from years training together [at Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing]. I didn’t know if I could make a push at the end. As soon as I tried, he tried. I’m stoked to come out of here with a podium and start the season off this way.”

Tom Vialle, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
“The track was really hard to pass on and everyone was riding really well in the second moto. I just wanted to finish as good as I could in the second moto, so I’m happy with the result. I’m looking forward to next weekend [at Hangtown].”

250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

1. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (1-1 // 50)
2. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki (2-2 // 44)
3. Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM (4-3 // 38)
4. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda (3-4 // 38)
5. Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Triumph (6-5 // 33)
6. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Kawasaki (8-6 // 30)
7. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha (11-7 // 26)
8. Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS (10-8 // 26)
9. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Triumph (5-13 // 26)
10. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., GASGAS (9-12 // 23)

250 Class Championship Standings (Round 1 of 11)

1. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 50
2. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 44
3. Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM – 38
4. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda – 38
5. Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Triumph – 33
6. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Kawasaki – 30
7. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha – 26
8. Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS – 26
9. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Triumph – 26
10. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., GASGAS – 23

The 2024 Pro Motocross Championship will continue next Saturday, June 1, with the second round from Northern California’s Prairie City SVRA. The Michael’s Reno Powersports Hangtown Motocross Classic Presented by Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles will be shown live in its entirety on Peacock, beginning with Race Day Live Presented by MotoSport.com at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET. Coverage of the motos begins at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET.

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MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., manages and produces the world’s premier motocross racing series – the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. MX Sports Pro Racing is an industry leader in off-road powersport event production and management, whose mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., organizes events for thousands of racing athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators.

Visit www.mxsportsproracing.com for more information.

Pro Motocross Championship
The Pro Motocross Championship features the world’s fastest outdoor motocross racers, competing aboard homologated bikes from one of eight competing manufacturers on a collection of the roughest, toughest tracks on the planet. Racing takes place each Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into two classes: one for 250cc machines, and one for 450cc machines. MX Sports Pro Racing, the industry leader in off-road powersports event production, organizes the Pro Motocross Championship series.

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The SuperMotocross World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the SuperMotocross World Championship combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, into a 31-event series that culminates in a season-ending two round playoff and SuperMotocross World Championship Final.

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STRONG START FOR TRIUMPH DUO IN PRO MOTOCROSS

Sun 26 May 2024

• Savatgy narrowly misses out on fastest qualifying time
• Fifth overall for Swoll in Pala

Round one of the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross season marked another historic moment for Triumph Racing. Competing for the first time in the prestigious series, riders Jalek Swoll and Joey Savatgy placed fifth and ninth overall, respectively, in Pala, California. 

The return of the outdoor season at Fox Raceway also saw the first chance for Savatgy to experience a gatedrop on the Triumph TF 250-X, having been forced to sit out the Supercross season. The first round of the 2024 Pro Nationals season is also crucially Round 18 of the SuperMotocross Series, which combines the indoor and outdoor season for an overall champion.

Looking for a fairytale return to Pro Motocross, Savatgy came into the second qualifying session on a mission in order to get the first gate pick. Setting the fastest time by almost a second, the #17 rider held that spot until the very last moment of the session when he was bumped to the fastest time by 0.2 seconds. Swoll on the #33 bike was also on the pace in a fiercely contested session and finished with an overall fastest lap to place 11th.

When the gate dropped for the huge contingent of riders, Swoll led the charge for Triumph Racing in 10th with Savatgy a few spots behind in 13th at the first turn. Once the pack settled and the riders found their rhythm, Savatgy and Swoll soon moved up the order to sit in sixth and seventh. With a top five as his mission, Joey spent most of the moto chasing down Chance Hymas.

Aa Savatgy closed in on Hymas in the final stages of the moto, their pace was enough to reel in the recently crowned 250 Supercross East champion, Tom Vialle, ahead in third. With the flag out, Joey sat comfortably in his goal of a top five on his return to the 250 class.

With the two Triumphs side by side on the gate for the second moto, it was a race within a race when the gate dropped. It was Jalek who was able to take full advantage of the Triumph TF 250-X’s starting prowess, narrowly missing out on the holeshot to grab second at the first turn.

Unable to avoid a crashed rider in front of him, Joey went down in a first turn pile-up that would put him at the back of the field. Unhurt and quick to remount, the experience of the 30–year old would see him quickly up to pace and just outside the top 30 that lap.

At the sharp end of the pack, Jalek was holding strong in third and would remain there until the final five minutes of the moto. A great battle ensued with him and Vialle, with the two-time MX2 World Champion making a pass stick with two minutes left. Jalek’s chance to grab third overall on the day began to slip as, with two laps to go, Hymas made a move on Swoll to push the Triumph rider to fifth at the chequered flag and resulting in fifth overall.

For Joey, it was a case of regaining as many places as possible to gain more points for the long season ahead. With the flag out, it was 13th place and a big shame for a day that had the possibility to deliver more for the returning rider, earning him ninth overall.

Jalek Swoll #33

“It’s a good day to leave here in the top five. Although we reached our goal, I’m also kind of annoyed as I wanted a little more. But we leave here in a position we wanted. There’s another round to go in this county and then the season really gets going. I just need to keep crushing those starts, putting myself in good positions and we will eventually be on the box, fighting for those wins.”

Joey Savatgy #17

“I think the day went well. Top five was the goal coming into this, so I’m a little bummed with the overall result. The speed was good in qualifying and considering I haven’t had a gate drop in a while, fifth in the first moto was equivalent to par for me. I would have liked a better start and pace in the second moto, but we just need to stick to our programme and we’ll be ok. The results will come.”

Bobby Hewitt – Triumph Racing Team Principal (US):

“It’s been another historical moment for our journey with Triumph with both riders being the first two guys to ride in an AMA outdoor National for the brand. The day went well, we improved during qualifying and had a good first moto. If the track hadn’t been smoothed out so much I think both guys would have probably done better. 

In the second moto I thought Jalek was going to get the holeshot! He rode a strong race and that was his best finish in Pala. For Joey, after such a strong first moto it was tough to see him go down in the incident at the start of the second race. But I’m really proud of him for how he fought and came back to 13th to finish 7th overall. 

This weekend we’ve learned even more about the bike and where to improve, but overall I’m very pleased.  As a team, we have work to do to improve the bike set-up and get it even stronger and I know we will.”

Results AMA Pro Motocross 250 MX – Round 1, Fox Raceway, Pala (Ca)

1st Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 1-1

2nd Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 2-2

3rd Tom Vialle (KTM) 4-3

5th Jalek Swoll (Triumph) 6-5

9th Joey Savatgy (Triumph) 5-13

Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 1 of 11 rounds

1st Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) – 50 points

2nd Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) – 44

3rd Tom Vialle – 38

5th Jalek Swoll (Triumph) – 33

9th Joey Savatgy (Triumph) – 26