We’re already two-thirds of the way done with the inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship and Chicagoland was perhaps the most exciting race yet. Let’s dive into some behind the scenes action.
This was as close to Chase Sexton’s hometown race as it gets. The Illinois native grew up only about an hour from the Speedway and sported this custom Alpinestars kit to match. Photos: Brown Dog WilsonThe back of his Chicago Bulls inspired kit.Honda also teamed up with True Timber Camo for this special red and black livery. We dig it.This marked the second race for Cooper Webb with the Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha team. He went 8-7 for 7th. “I woke up this morning with some kind of sickness and didn’t feel well all day. I had some stomach issues, and I just felt like crap. I slept as much as I could today; it was just a really rough day. The first moto I started where I finished and didn’t ride great. In the second one, I got a little bit better start and rode a little bit better, but I didn’t have the energy and the flow at all.”Webb’s signature Bell Moto 10 with some custom touches.Rain in the second practice session made things muddier than expected.Dylan Ferrandis also has a signature Bell colorway.Ken Roczen rolling into practice. Check out the new Fox V3 RS Helmet.Roczen was fastest in the early practice sessions and used that same setup in race two.Roczen won the second moto and busted out the “Sshhhh” celebration over the finish.Even though it was only a moto win, Roczen’s victory felt like a main event overall.This new-gen start technique is next level.Jett and Kenny are some of the best in the game at their early race sprint speed.These two seemed to get along after the race.Both of these riders will be back on KTM next year.While Max Vohland is likely to be under a new tent come 2024. Also note some of the setup differences between him and Vialle (clamps, engine mounts, donuts, etc.)The AEO Powersports KTM team had a cool new look. Joe Dehart was stoked on his rider, Josh Varize, taking the LCQ win.The Supermini All Stars had their own main event this weekend. Carson Wood (260) led start to finish.The course was claiming riders left and right.Ben Townley’s son Levi raced the Supermini class.250 Start.Shimoda was arguably the fastest 250 rider of the night. Check out that custom Chicago White Sox gear!Big pileup in the first 250 moto which claimed Talon Hawkins, Josh Varize, Ryder Difrancesco, and Justin Cooper.Tough night for Ryder D after his moto podium in Charlotte. “I had high hopes coming into this round of SMX but it didn’t work out like I planned. I made a mistake in the first moto, and I was off pace in Moto 2.”Cooper rebounded and led early in race two but dropped back to sixth. “In the first moto, I got caught up in a pileup, and my arm got pretty banged up. Someone ran it over, so from there I rode through the pain in the first moto. In the second moto, I somehow got a holeshot, so that was really nice. I led a few laps and then dropped back to sixth.” Photo: YamahaHunter Lawrence made calculations easy with his 1-1 sweep. “We put a lot of effort into our starts this week and made some changes that worked out for the better. I’m happy to be leaving here with a win and right in the championship hunt. We knew that, as long as we were in the top three going into Los Angeles, we had a chance, with the way the points are structured. We just have to head into this last round with starts like today, and we’ll be just fine.”RJ Hampshire is this year’s MX2 rider for MXON. He sent it in typical RJ style for a top five.Near two-minute lap times made this the most outdoor track of the SMX playoffs.Obligatory Monster Girl shot. See you next week!
