2024 Anaheim Two Supercross | Kickstart Recap & Photos

“Initial action to the suspension’s stroke,” demonstrated by RJ Hampshire and the WP forks mounted to the front of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna FC 250.

Anthony Bourdon has been a big surprise for the Toyota of Redlands/BARX/Suzuki squad. As we stated in the A1 Kickstart, the Frenchman is here for the first time with his girlfriend and got paired with mechanic Tyler Mickelson in the 250 West Region. The Triple Crown saw the rider go 8-6-8 for sixth overall, and 11-6-10-6 results through the season have him ranked fifth in the championship points.

Count the M Claws. We see eight. Monster Energy’s growth in the drinks category will continue with the recently announced “Nasty Beast,” a 6% ABV hard tea that will be produced and distributed by the group’s CANarchy Craft Brewing division. A recent investor statement by the company states one or more of the energy drinks in the company portfolio are distributed in 158 countries/territories, with much of the world coverage being handled by Coca-Cola System Bottlers. https://investors.monsterbevcorp.com/static-files/4d228451-b20f-4452-96cb-99de55fabe85

Jorge Prado’s one-week extension was said to be aided by the “looming cancellation” to the opening round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Argentina, a developing and politically-influenced situation that has since caused stops of the MotoGP and World Superbike series to be removed from the 2024 calendar. However, Adam Wheeler of OnTrack OffRoad recently said on the Paddock Pass Podcast that the opening round of the MXGP series had been saved by the local promoters, and it will go ahead as planned in March. Here’s hoping fans turnout to see the action at Villa La Angostura.

Another wild week of weather in Southern California influenced the track at A2. Chase’s chat with Ross Blakenship of DirtWurx in the new Inside SML video covered the how-why lanes were changed in right field, a decision that was made after an entire day got spent scrapping mud from the stadium floor. Left field, which is almost always in the sun, dried much quicker than the areas shaded by the upper deck and was dusty and slick during Friday’s press session. We could hear the tires chirping across the hard pack as riders braked for the corner.

One whoop set, two angles with Ken Roczen.

Jason Anderson boosted some of the bigger jumps at A2, including a triple-in on the third base rhythm lane that got him by a few fast competitors. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider looks up to speed on the new KX450, a bike he will be on through 2025, and his recent talk Gypsy Tales touched on everything from current motivations, what he sees in the sport, and plans as his time on the gate winds down.

Robert Hailey, the tallest racer on the starting line. To be honest, he doesn’t look “that” big on the YZ250F, but off the bike, the Team Faith rider is significantly bigger than his competitors in the 250 West Region.

Step-off style check with Cooper Webb…

Jason Anderson

Dean Wilson

Ken Roczen

And Hunter Lawrence

Justin Cooper was on it in Timed Qualifying. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider put in a few heaters and had the top spot in Session One until Malcolm Stewart’s flyer at the checkered flag, then found more pace in Session Two, did three more quick runs, and ended the afternoon in P1 with a 57.933 clocked on the final lap.

Are you following SML on race day? Our website, YouTube, and Instagram are updated constantly through the weekends, and it’s been incredible to see how quickly the views rack up, even during the peak hours of Timed Qualifying.

The coolest thing about Josh Hill’s race whenever program in 2024? That is father, Monty, is the one going with him to the line and standing in the signal area with the pit board. Watch the Big Hill’s Moto Road Trip series on YouTube to see all the action from the time on the West Coast.

Justin Starling outlined the recurring issues he’s having with the CRF450R in our Pre-Race News Break video. “I think I have done a total of seven or eight laps out of four races, and I’ve only seen the checkered flag in one of them because at A1 I refused to pull off. It’s been a very rough start to the season, my roughest ever,” the privateer stated on Friday. “It all leads back to the Paris Supercross, I broke a shim there, but didn’t know what it was at the time and have had the same issue the last couple of weeks. I believe we have it solved this weekend, but I haven’t ridden this week; press riding will be my first time to see if it will work… My confidence is really low, wondering if it’s going to happen again or what it could do type of thing. We were going to skip the next two to find the issue and get back to myself, but we decided the best way to find out was at the race.”

ONE Industries is back. The graphic company turned gear brand is being relaunched with off-road racer/model Trevor Stewart and do it all amateur rider Kelana Humphrey. Early word is that the pants and jerseys will be marketed premium products with innovative fabrics and athletic tailoring.

What are the wagons teams take to the gate? The most common setup is the Foldit Cart by Tipke Manufacturing, which can hold up to 330lbs of cargo, collapses flat for easy storage on the hauler, and retails for $350.

Ever see the video of Alley Semar pulling a crushed expansion chamber off Kevin Windham’s YZ at Glen Helen? Phoenix Racing Honda keeps a pair of high-temperature Grill Gloves next to the spare FMF Racing exhaust in case they ever need to make the same sort of pit stop.

Team Honda HRC has fabricated a special rack to hold two sets of wheels (one for a CRF250R, another for a CRF450R) and backup Yoshimura exhaust systems for their Foldit Cart, which also gives mechanics enough room to reach into the fully equipped trackside toolbox.

Everything from umbrellas to tires to impact guns has a proper place on Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s wagon.

Built, not bought. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s rig was made by the company’s in-house fabrication department and features hydraulic brakes, ample storage, and a custom stand that folds flat.

Eli Tomac’s preferred Dunlop rear tire. We’ve heard a lot about rubbers from the brand, including a new versatile off-road offering with a tread pattern that suits different types of terrain depending on the direction its mounted to the wheel.

One jump, two angles with Malcolm Stewart.

Off the side, on the gas with Jason Anderson.

Malcolm Stewart

And Jett Lawrence. What do you see of the three riders and their very different builds and riding styles?

Rolling to the line. We posted these shots of riders on their way back to the gate after the sighting lap for 450 Race One on Instagram the other, but the full-size images reveal more happening in the background than a 4X5 ration could ever show.

Jett Lawrence had an eventful evening at A2, as a tense welcome in opening ceremonies was followed by a crash at the start of 450 Race One and another get-off on the final lap of 450 Race Three that ultimately cost him a spot on the overall podium. But all things considered, it wasn’t that bad of night for the rookie. Sure, people booed, but others cheered, and he was literally able to walk out of both incidents and remount the bike. Lawrence is now ranked fourth in the championship, down eight points to leader Plessinger/four to Sexton/two to Webb but up two to Tomac/three to Anderson/ten to Ferrandis.

1-11-2. Chase Sexton’s speed at A2 was hard to argue, as he was second-quick in Timed Qualifying, dominated 450 Race One, climbed from 15 after a lap one run-in back up to eighth before another incident in 450 Race Two, and was a solid second in 450 Race Three. The numbers, especially in Race Two, put Sexton one point down to Plessinger and Anderson in the night’s combined scores and fifth overall.

RJ Hampshire explained how he got past the sting of San Diego’s Main Event in our Pre-Race News Break. “It was a silent drive home Saturday night, just pissed off, thinking about what I could have or what I could have done differently. That kind of goes through your mind all week. I was over it by Sunday, because when you wake up with your family out here, you forget about all the negatives,” he stated. “This is my job, that’s my family, and my daughters will never see that in me. I feel like kids always remember certain things in their life, I know I do when I look back on my dad, and you always remember certain things. I don’t what that to be a memory for my daughter. We talked about not getting a trophy, and she said, ‘That’s alright Daddy, you can try again next week.’”

The final lap of 250 Race Two are why Triple Crown races kick ass. Seeing two guys going for the night’s win (and the championship as a whole) all the way around the track is the sort of excitement that the format brings early in the night, but as we watched in Race Three, the outcome is sometimes determined midway through the last moto and riders back it down once they’re aware of the potential overalls.

What does an 0.870-second margin of victory look like? The distance between RJ Hampshire and Levi Kitchen.

We said it last week, but after seeing it in action multiple times, it’s worth repeating: Jorge Prado’s starting technique is something that should be studied and emulated by every developing amateur rider. The 111 blasted out of the gate, carved a tight line through the left-hand sweeper, and came around the first turn near the front of the field in all three motos. Video comparisons with him and Vince Friese would be fascinating to watch.

That’s a big one-footer, Benny.

Aaron Canard, older brother of former pro racer Trey, is part of the NBC crew for 2024 and has been given prime placement on the track or in the stands at the first four rounds. Being a camera guy isn’t just about capturing the action; someone’s gotta get the fans excited for the between-race crowd shots.

The Supercross Futures rounds are always wild and exciting. A few moments during the afternoon practice and the night’s Main Event made us stop and say “Oh, wow,” like Landon Pepperd’s viral flip into the berm that happened right at our feet or the back and forth battle between Cole Davies and Gavin Towers for the win. The young guns will line up again at Daytona, a big addition to a round that’s just as unique and challenging as it is iconic.

RJ Hampshire made it through 250 Race Three with a flat tire. The rider said that a few odd movements with the bike made him realize something was wrong, and after one big kick in the whoops, he backed the pace down and nursed the rear wheel to the finish line. Fortunately, no spokes appeared to be missing from the hoop.

Pop a top.

Either Chase Sexton is a really good guesser or he’s figured out the start procedure for the 450 Main Event. For the second time in four rounds, the Red Bull KTM rider aced the gate drop and was almost a bike ahead of the pack going into the first turn.

Eli Tomac’s 450 Race Three win was a classic show of force from the two-time champion. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider’s efforts in Race One and Two were hampered by bad starts and big packs of fast competitors, but quick moves on Chase Sexton and a barrage of fast laps in the early minutes put him four seconds ahead at the half point. The race win and overall podium boosted Tomac’s morale going into the next rounds, as he stated in the post-race press conference, “I was pretty frustrated after those first two. I was like, okay, here, I'm just, what am I now? A fifth-seventh place guy right now? I don't know, I just had to go do something.”

A2 could go down as a key moment in Cooper Webb’s championship chase. The rider’s overall victory without winning a moto helped him take back important points from Sexton-Lawrence-Tomac, and he did it while being under the weather (evident by heavy coughing in the press conference).

The split-second between the cork blasting out of Cooper’s bottle and right at the lens of Trevor Nelson’s camera.

A seven-minute interview with Alex Campbell capped off the A2 Pre-Race News Break, and even though the video is a week old, the mechanic’s attention to detail is worth a re-watch. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha wrench explained that although they built a second bike for the Triple Crown, he’ll maintain the same motorcycle at every round, as well as the tips and tricks he’s picked up rebuilding on a weekly basis.

Four 450 SX titles, four points between them after four rounds. Will this championship come down to the teammates, or will one of the many contenders get in between them? We’re ready for Detroit.