Sexton & Shimoda top opening SuperMotocross play-off

2023 SMX World Championship

Images by Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

The first of two play-offs that are part of the inaugural 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship kicked off at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The SuperMotocross World Championship is composed of two Playoff rounds and one Final, raced over the three consecutive weekends. The points payout will double at Playoff 2 and be awarded at triple their normal payout at the Final.

When the dust has settled, the 450 Class SMX Champion will earn a cool $1,000,000 championship win bonus and the 250 Class SMX Champion will take home $500,000. The riders competing were seeded based on their combined points of the two 2023 race seasons and allotted points equivalent to one race prior to the start of the post-season.

HRC’s Chase Sexton earned two convincing Moto wins to take the overall 450 victory.

Ken Roczen returned to racing after taking most of the AMA Pro Motocross season off to finish second overall thanks to consistent 3-3 moto scores.  Dylan Ferrandis took third overall off the back of 2-4 moto finishes.

Jett Lawrence carded fourth after a poor seventh placed result in the opening moto before bouncing with a second place in the second encounter to out-score Jason Anderson.

Jo Shimoda earned the 250 event win with 4-1 Moto scores in the highly competitive and aggressive 250 class. Tom Vialle the runner-up on 3-2 results with Haiden Deegan completing the top three after winning the opening moto and taking fifth in the second bout. Hunter Lawrence carded 9-7 results for eighth overall.

450 Moto One

In the 450 Class’ first moto, Justin Barcia grabbed the early lead out of the unique split start that funneled 22 riders together at the corner exits of two separate first turns.

Ty Masterpool ran in second with Chase Sexton in third, Aaron Plessinger in fourth, and Dylan Ferrandis rounding out the top five. Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence, who had just completed an undefeated AMA Pro Motocross season two weeks prior, was off to a mid-pack start.

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Within a few laps of the 20-minute plus one lap moto Sexton used the track’s split lane to take the lead from Barcia. From there Sexton put down smooth, fast laps and pulled clear of the field.

Just before the Moto’s midpoint Jett Lawrence tipped over on the track’s off-camber corner and remounted back in tenth place. Roczen was the rider on the move, getting up to third place behind Ferrandis as Barcia found himself back in fourth.

As the race clock ticked down, Sexton held a lead of more than eight seconds while behind him the battle tightened up for second place. At the checkered it was Sexton, followed by Ferrandis, Roczen, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson, and Plessinger. Lawrence managed to climb back to seventh at the finish.

450 Moto One Results

450 Moto Two

The second 450 Class Moto and final race of the day saw privateer Ty Masterpool grab the Holeshot ahead of Adam Cianciarulo, Roczen and Plessinger.

Roczen wasted no time, slipping into second in the first few turns then taking over the lead in the first pass through the track’s long rhythm section. One lap into the Moto Roczen was pulling a gap on the field of Masterpool, Cianciarulo, Anderson, Sexton, and Barcia while Jett Lawrence sat in tenth.

On the next pass through the rhythm lane Cianciarulo crashed, handing third place to Anderson. Sexton was on the charge and moved into third as Lawrence reached seventh place back in the pack. Before five minutes was off the race clock Sexton was into second place and looking up the track at Roczen, who held a 5.5 second lead.

Sexton inched up on Roczen, then just after the Moto’s mid-point he quickly closed the gap. Sexton used an inside line on the off-camber turn to take over the lead and pull out a comfortable gap.

With just over two minutes left on the race clock Lawrence leapt past Roczen to grab second place. Sexton went unchallenged to the checkers to sweep both Motos, take the event overall win and its $100,000 win bonus, and extend his points lead in the post-season.

450 Moto Two Results

450 Round

Chase Sexton wasn’t headed for the playoff with his 1-1 result and full points, while Roczen’s consistency ensured second, ahead of Ferrandis who ran 2-4.

Jett Lawrence landed fourth after a poor opening moto for 7-2, while Jason Anderson rounded out the top five, followed by Plessinger, Barcia, Webb, Marchbanks and Nichols.

In the SMX points, Sexton now sits on 50-points, Lawrence second on 38 and tied with Plessinger who landed third. Ferrandis and Roczen were fourth and fifth on 37 and 36-points.

Chase Sexton – P1

“I definitely had a point to prove after the outdoor season; I was pretty disappointed with it. I was really happy when I got back on supercross testing because I felt like I picked up right where I left off. It calmed my nerves and let me focus on my riding. My preparation was good, and I was confident coming into today that I was going to be good. I know when I’m comfortable that I should be winning races. We’re not done yet–two more races to go, so let’s keep this thing rolling.”

Ken Roczen – P2

“Amazing weekend in Charlotte. I went 3 -3 for 2nd overall! I lead a bunch of laps in the second main, had a little vision issue that made it tough to hold my pace. I don’t know if I could have held Chase and Jett off but I could have at least put up more of a fight and stayed closer. I had a big gap to 4th so i brought it home and got 2nd overall on the podium. Very happy with the overall effort and excited to get back to it next weekend!”

Jett Lawrence – P4

“The first SMX didn’t go the best. I just didn’t have my starts down and need to go back to working on that. It was a tricky start, and I didn’t execute all day. The start was so key, since this track was so one-lined. The first race I didn’t have the best setup, but we made some changes before the second race and I was able to ride a lot better. I just have to put myself in a better position off the start in Chicago.”

Jason Anderson – P5

“The SMX track was fun and the layout was something new for us, which I liked. I had some good battles with the top guys and ended the day in fifth. Now having a better idea of the SMX track layouts, we plan to do some more testing this week before Playoff 2 in Chicago.”

Justin Barcia – P7

“We really got thrown a bit of a curve ball. Everyone has to deal with the same conditions on the track, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to find a happy medium between Supercross and Motocross with our settings, so we kind of fought it all day. We should have been near the podium, with how I felt body-wise, but I struggled with some arm pump today. We’re going to go home, regroup, try some stuff out, and come out swinging next week in Chicago.”

450 Round Results

SMX 450 Points

250 Moto One

In the 250 Class’ first Moto, Seth Hammaker grabbed the Holeshot ahead of three Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammates Levi Kitchen, Justin Cooper, and Haiden Deegan, as well as Ryder DiFrancesco.

Kitchen used the track’s split lane to take over the lead on the first lap. Just two minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap Moto the 2023 Eastern Regional 250SX Class and 250 AMA Pro Motocross Champion, Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence, washed out his front end and fell, going from a mid-pack spot to last place in the 22-rider field.

Hammaker was next to crash, in a near replay of Lawrence’s fall the lap before. Hammaker’s slide-out dropped him from second place back to sixth. Five minutes into the Moto, Kitchen held first place ahead of Deegan, DiFrancesco, Red Bull KTM’s Tom Vialle, and Jo Shimoda.

Just past the race’s midpoint Deegan started applying heavy pressure on Kitchen for the lead while about eight seconds behind them DiFrancesco and Vialle scrapped for third.

With just over five minutes left on the race clock Deegan took the lead via a different option in the split lane. Shortly after, a battle for third place saw Vialle emerge with the spot.

At the checkers Haiden Deegan grabbed the first-ever SuperMotocross post-season victory, Kitchen earned second, and Vialle took third.

250 Moto One Results

250 Moto Two

Ryder DiFrancesco took the Holeshot in the second 250 Class Moto but Vialle was around him just after the holeshot stripe. Shimoda, Hammaker, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith were close in tow.

First moto-winner Deegan was in 13th and post-season favorite Hunter Lawrence was 19th after tipping over in the first corner. Shimoda put early pressure on Vialle but could not break through.

Between the two racers, the Moto winner between them would take the overall victory and the $50,000 race win bonus. Deegan reached fifth place before the race’s midpoint and, with the front pack still running very close, had the lead within sight.

Further back, Hunter Lawrence seemed unable to climb higher than 12th place. With just over six minutes left on the race clock Shimoda used an outside line to pass Vialle in one of the tracks’ wide, sweeping turns.

Shortly after that the top four broke away from Deegan, putting the rookie’s chance at an overall win out of reach.

Shimoda built a 2.6 second lead by the final lap and cruised into the sport’s history books as the first event winner in SuperMotocross post-season racing.

250 Moto Two Results

250 Round

The win went to Shimoda, ahead of Vialle and Deegan, while Rydey DiFrancesco was fourth with a 7-3, and Jordon Smith fifth with an 8-4 result. Rounding out the top-10 were Hammaker, Kitchen, Hunter Lawrence (9-7), Justin Cooper and Pierce Brown.

The SMX 250 Points see Shimoda on 42-points, tied with Deegan, while Hunter Lawrence is third on 39-points. Vialle and Kitchen are fourth and fifth on 38 and 35-points respectively.

Jo Shimoda – P1

“Wow, what a feeling. I knew finishing 4-1 would be hard to bring home the overall, but as soon as the team let me know I won, the emotions began. This is what it’s all about and over the past couple weeks I have been enjoying riding more than ever. Thank you to the fans and my amazing team for their endless support.”

Tom Vialle – P2

“I felt really good here in Charlotte, especially with this mixed track between supercross and motocross. There were sections where it was more supercross and others motocross, but overall, I was really happy with the circuit and my bike worked great in both conditions! I got a strong start in the second race and could really just focus on what I was doing – now I can’t wait for the next round in Chicago!”

Ryder DiFrancesco – P4

“I knew this time would come; my career best finish and a Moto 2 podium! I cannot express how grateful I am for everyone sticking behind me and believing in me and my program. I am looking forward to the next two rounds.”

Seth Hammaker – P6

“The day started off great, taking the top qualifying spot, but it slowly began to go downhill. I had great starts, but costly mistakes put me in a spot I did not want to be in. I am glad I’m healthy and we will get back to the drawing board for Round 2.”

Hunter Lawrence – P8

“It was a rough day in the office–we sucked. Two crashes today wasn’t ideal, especially one in each moto. It was a sub-par day. We need to go back and be perfect in the next two.”

Pierce Brown – P10

“For round one of the playoffs, it was a decent day. Qualifying went good, and I felt good in both motos. It was difficult in both motos to come through the pack. I finished tenth overall, so a decent day. It could be worse. We’re going to get back to work with only two to go, so we’ll make the most of it.”

250 Round Results

SMX 250 Points

2023 AMA SuperMotocross Calendar