Hello from Hangtown! Today is round two of the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship from Rancho Cordova, California. Another exciting day of racing brought four unpredictable motos with new winners. Chase Sexton swept the 450’s in dominant fashion with Deegan again taking the overall in the 250’s.
450MX
Moto 1
Jett Lawrence’s streak officially came to an end in the first 450MX moto when a huge crash on the first lap dropped him to dead last. He remounted and finished the race but ultimately finished 24th which means he did not score points in race one.
With Jett out of the running, his brother Hunter overtook the lead and looked to continue the Lawrence sweep. Hunter led the whole race and looked to have it under control but was passed by Chase Sexton with just two minutes left on the clock. Sexton crossed first with Hunter still in second. Jason Anderson rode a strong race but a tip over cost him a shot at the win. He took third.
Moto 2
With the streak now over it opened the door for anyone to take control. Justin Cooper capitalized with a holeshot while Aaron Plessinger quickly jumped into the lead. Meanwhile, Plessinger’s KTM teammate Sexton slid out in turn two and started from dead last.
Plessinger took off with the lead and put in some strong laps to open a gap over the rest of the field. Ultimately he ended up second in the race but still earned third overall with 5-2 scores.
Jett Lawrence rebounded in moto two and ran near the front during the opening stages of the race. He passed up as far as second but later faded back to sixth after struggling with pain in his leg. 24-6 finished gave Jett 12th overall and dropped him to sixth in points.
Chase Sexton was on an absolute tear in moto two. After crashing on lap one, he crossed the line 26th before mounting a charge forward. In the closing stages of the races he put his KTM in a podium position while still closing in on the lead. On the final lap he caught his teammate Plessinger and made the pass with two corners left. A last-to-first accomplishment gives Sexton the overall with a 1-1 sweep as well as the championship points lead.
Justin Cooper held on for third in the moto but finished fourth overall.
Hunter Lawrence’s consistency paid off as he crossed fourth in race two. 2-4 finishes gave him second overall.
450MX Overall Results (Top 10)
| 1. | Chase Sexton | (KTM) | 1-1 |
| 2. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 2-4 |
| 3. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 5-2 |
| 4. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 4-3 |
| 5. | Jason Anderson | (Kaw) | 3-5 |
| 6. | Dylan Ferrandis | (Hon) | 6-8 |
| 7. | Justin Barcia | (GG) | 8-7 |
| 8. | Malcolm Stewart | (Hus) | 7-9 |
| 9. | Freddie Noren | (Kaw) | 9-10 |
| 10. | Christian Craig | (Hus) | 12-11 |
250MX
Moto 1
Chance Hymas kicked things off with a big holeshot in race one of the 250MX division. The Honda rider led nearly the entire moto before getting passed with one minute left on the race clock. He narrowly held on for second.
Haiden Deegan stalked the leaders for the entire race. The points leader made a pass on Levi Kitchen before setting his sights on Hymas for the lead. He secured a pass with just one minute left and clinched another moto win by just under two seconds.
Kitchen ran strong but couldn’t secure a pass around Hymas. He took third.
Moto 2
Moto two looked to be another Haiden Deegan sweep as he kicked things off with a big holeshot. The Yamaha rider led almost all of race two before suffering a big crash with only a few minutes left on the clock. He remounted but forfeited the lead to Tom Vialle who capitalized and took the win.
Deegan managed to cross second and still earned the overall win with 1-2 finishes. Vialle’s 4-1 gave him second with Kitchen crossing 3rd in both motos for third overall.
250MX Overall Results (Top 10)
| 1. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 1-2 |
| 2. | Tom Vialle | (KTM) | 4-1 |
| 3. | Levi Kitchen | (Kaw) | 3-3 |
| 4. | Chance Hymas | (Hon) | 2-4 |
| 5. | Jo Shimoda | (Hon) | 7-5 |
| 6. | Pierce Brown | (GG) | 5-10 |
| 7. | Jalek Swoll | (Tri) | 8-8 |
| 8. | Ty Masterpool | (Kaw) | 6-11 |
| 9. | Julien Beaumer | (KTM) | 9-9 |
| 10. | Casey Cochran | (Hus) | 12-12 |
QUALIFYING
The track crew changed up the layout and the soil for this year’s race with faster laps, more sand, and more obstacles. None of that seemed to matter to Jett Lawrence who again set the fastest time by nearly a second over the rest of the 450MX field. He continues his reign with a best lap of 1:56.4, the only 450 rider to land in the 1:56 second-range. Jason Anderson snagged the second best time with a hot lap in the second session, just ahead of 450-rookie Justin Cooper.
450MX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 1:56.408 |
| 2. | Jason Anderson | (Kaw) | 1:57.178 |
| 3. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 1:57.306 |
| 4. | Chase Sexton | (KTM) | 1:57.307 |
| 5. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 1:57.446 |
| 6. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 1:58.296 |
| 7. | Malcolm Stewart | (Hus) | 1:58.606 |
| 8. | Dylan Ferrandis | (Hon) | 1:59.001 |
| 9. | Justin Barcia | (GG) | 1:59.619 |
| 10. | Christian Craig | (Hus) | 2:00.034 |
250MX
Casey Cochran, the 250MX rookie, set the bar with the time to beat in the second qualifying session. He was the only rider in the 1:57 range and clocked in about half-a-second faster than Triumph’s Joey Savatgy, and points leader Haiden Deegan. Note the seven different manufacturers in the top seven positions.
250MX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. | Casey Cochran | (Hus) | 1:57.994 |
| 2. | Joey Savatgy | (Tri) | 1:58.492 |
| 3. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 1:58.557 |
| 4. | Jo Shimoda | (Hon) | 1:58.893 |
| 5. | Ty Masterpool | (Kaw) | 1:58.914 |
| 6. | Tom Vialle | (KTM) | 1:59.047 |
| 7. | Pierce Brown | (GG) | 1:59.093 |
| 8. | Jalek Swoll | (Tri) | 1:59.546 |
| 9. | Ryder Difrancesco | (GG) | 1:59.694 |
| 10. | Chance Hymas | (Hon) | 2:00.068 |
