2024 Denver Supercross | Kickstart Recap & Gallery

Billy Laninovich isn’t done. The Vet Class rider was back on the line after taking months to heal busted ribs from the San Diego crash, and he told us on Friday that all signs point to him doing it again in 2025 if he can stay healthy from now until January. How long does Lano think a racer could race? “I think they could go past 40. I don’t know if they’ll still win races, but they could be competitive. Everyone is getting older now, staying in the sport longer. I was surprised that I was able to come back and do it. I felt great, just needed to stay healthy. But if someone wanted to stay… 45 maybe? I’d like to be the test rider for that.”

The red boots, goggles, and gloves look good with the white, Rojay.

Friday afternoon at Mile High featured the PulpMX LCQ Challenge, a two-race face-off with some of the top independent riders who were on the cusp or in a few Main Events through the 2024 season. Moto One was a standard gatedrop that saw the field race to the first turn, while Moto Two was a staggered start with an inverted lineup. Let’s do a quick brand breakdown on the 22 bikes: seven Yamahas, six Kawasakis, six KTMs, three Hondas.

Chaos. As bad as this looked and was for Hunter Schlosser, the Next Level Racing rider rebounded from the first lap crash in Moto One to win Moto Two, without a rear fender.

Logan Leitzel went with an interesting strategy in Moto Two, as he pulled all the way over to the side of the lane, let all his competitors by, then circled the track at the tail of the field. Why? For 500 bucks that was put up by SML for the rider at the bottom of the result sheet. Last place, but well paid.

Determination at elevation.

Did you catch swap’s recent Midweek Podcast with Bob Morales? The BMX icon has had a hand in multiple two-wheel companies over the years, including the revolutionary ASV levers, and efforts by the brand to increase its presence in the pro pits are paying off. | https://www.swapmotolive.com/bob-morales-of-asv-inventions-on-the-factory-backing-midweek-podcast/podcasts/mid-week/

Qdoba, a fast casual Mexican-inspired chain with roots in Colorado and 750 restaurants around the country, sponsored the Next Level Racing team for the Denver round and provided the crew with breakfast and lunch on Saturday. What is “Qdoba?” A word created by ad agency Heckler Associates in 1999 to distinguish the growing chain (known at the time as a Z-Teca) from similar sounding places (Z'Tejas and Azteca).

Josh Hill raced his was to the overall win with a podium finish in Moto One and a charge through the field in Moto Two, an effort that earned him roughly 25K from the total 131,400-dollar purse.

Squat over the rear…

Or sit toward the front?

No litter. Chase Sexton peeled a few tearoffs from his goggles while waiting on the line for Session One of Timed Qualifying, then handed the discarded laminates to mechanic Kyle DeFoe so they wouldn’t clutter up the starting grid. If you ever catch the grid and formation laps for MotoGP, you’ll notice the road riders also pull sheets to reduce glare and clear up vision through the shields and that mechanics are quick to take the trash so it doesn’t get run over or sucked into bikes at the start.

Another killer lid by Korsace.

We’ve gotten to know Jeremy and Carl Hand over the last few years, and as we’ve written many times in Kickstart, it’s great to see a father-son effort make Main Events in both the 450 Class and 250 East Region this season, including a fourth-place result in the LCQ Challenge and 20th in the 450 Main Event. Congratulations Carl on your recent retirement from Ford.

On the gas for a fast lap…

Coasting to see P1 on the pit board.

Grant Harlan and Jerry Robin’s setups were very similar given their mutual sponsors and part suppliers, and yet, the final looks were much different.

Is Luke Kalaitzian going to be the only 450 Class rider in history to be listed in the final championship standings with no points? The California qualified for Anaheim Two’s Triple Crown, but didn’t complete the three races and was scored 22nd on the night, which merits nothing under the current SMX point payout. Sounds like this rule and structure will be adjusted in 2025, as 21st place moto finish in this year’s Nationals will be awarded a single point for the first time ever.

Entrepreneurial privateer Preston Taylor has let fans in the pits sign his race bike for a few bucks, an ongoing effort that’s garnered some extra money for the Nebraska privateer. Denver was the first 250 Main Event appearance for Taylor, a five year dream that he’s pursued while lining up at events around the Midwest and racing Arenacross.

Noah Viney made his 250SX debut in the mountains with Smartop/MotoConcepts/Honda. The California racer has been tied in with the team for a few years, as his family and the Alessis have spent ample time together at their backyard practice tracks and working toward the goal of getting the nineteen-year-old ready for this moment.

250 Heat One style check with winner Jo Shimoda…

And third place finisher Talon Hawkins.

As mentioned in News Break and the Kickstart Podcast, Dirt Wurx spent a good part of the week adding sand into the hard packed clay and watering it as much as possible. After some initial issues, including a very muddy Free Practice, riders said that the dirt was better in some areas and could tell that all the work from the heavy equipment and their own tires had mixed it in more.

We were excited about the back-to-back bowl turns, but unfortunately, the track’s setup, preferred lines, and high speeds didn’t make for a lot of passes. Here’s Nate Thrasher ripping the middle rut during 250 Heat Two.

Another line of praise for the Sony A9’s auto focus…

And its ability to fire off multiple shots in a split second. Anthony Rodriguez showcases two of the camera’s qualities in these frames.

Wild Card entry Marshal Weltin added 3300 to his LCQ Challenge payout through the various prop earnings, including $2000 from the Bassett Family and $100 from Michael Antonovich for making the most passes.

Racers helping racers. With Cameron McAdoo not racing (Denver was a West Region round, but the PC rider is done for SX due to a shoulder issue), close friend and practice partner Adam Cianciarulo made use of the custom made, titanium starting blocks.

Another shot of the sand that was mixed into the soil. This will likely be an ongoing process when the series returns to Mile High next spring.

Although we’re in a time when getting a pro rider in production looking gear is the biggest marketing strategy, it’s cool to see companies do special kits for their marquee guys. Chase Sexton’s white/blue/pink/orange was not part of Alpinestars’ 2024 catalog (2025?!), while Jason Anderson’s black and green setup was a spin on the black and white Hana style in their Racer line.

Every team has their own theories on tires. Some believe that a fresh, clean rubber is the way to go, especially for the start on the grate, while other think doing a practice session puts the knobbies through a heat cycle and that it helps with grip.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing sliced some of the center knobs on RJ Hampshire’s rear in half, a trick that the rider said helped with traction and braking on the hard pack.

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki is a big proponent of tire grooving, as shown by the added lines in the middle and second row of knobs. The slices make the blocks more flexible and create more surface edges for them to grip against.

Team Honda HRC, meanwhile, ran the tire how Dunlop gave it to them.

If you’re looking to travel to a SX or MX round, put the Denver races on your list. The Colorado city is easy to get to from most places thanks to the massive airport on the edge of town, but driving in and seeing the terrain change is even more fun. We’ll be back at the base of the mountain in just a few weeks for round three of Pro Motocross.

Land rush to turn one. Julien Beaumer’s outside line left the door open for Jo Shimoda and Levi Kitchen to sneak by at the apex of the corner.

Hunter Yoder is doing is best to literally limp through the final rounds of SX. The Partzilla/PRMX rider strained muscles in his leg at Seattle, and despite his best efforts to recover and stretch during the breaks, the demands of racing immediately erase any progress. Fortunately, it sounds like surgery is not needed and time off the bike will the best way to help. Yoder finished the 250 Main Event in 14th.

Shoutout to Carter Stephenson and Jeff Crutcher’s CREO team for making their first 250 Main Event. Stephenson, a Missouri native that follows the series in the 450 Class, was picked up by Crutcher’s crew for a one-off ride at the team’s last SX round of the year, qualified 22nd overall in the small-bore class, finished third in the LCQ, and completed the feature in 20th place, a result that got the rider and organization their first championship points.

Rookie of the Year contenders on the West Coast. What’s more impressive: Beaumer’s top-ten finishes and four seventh place results in a row, or DiFrancesco’s Heat Race win in SFO and his laps at the front through the season?

Not to make too big of a deal about Levi Kitchen’s boots coming unbuckled in the Main Event, it happens, but we’re glad that race officials didn’t try to intervene out of “safety concerns,” as the rider was able to manage the situation and get to the finish. I mean, compared to what Cameron went through in Detroit, this is nothing.

We expected someone other than these two to get the win in Denver, but we did not think that they’d finish 2-3 and tie the points up going into the finale. The Showdown is going to be something.

Despite the title winning pressure, Hampshire and Kitchen have been very friendly with one another through the year, and even with the current situation, both shared a laugh on their way down from the podium and soaked Main Event winner Jo Shimoda with their bottles of sparkling wine. Who’s your pick for the 1W?

Congrats on your first big win, Ben.

That’s a keeper.

What sort of suds are the top finishers popping? Cooks. Let’s hope for some big CostCo bottles on the podium this weekend.

Everyone does something before the gate drops. What’s your routine when it’s time to race?

Hunter Lawrence has had the rookie season one would expect in the 450 Class, as he’s shown speed, had to adapt to the bigger bike and stacked roster, missed time with injury, put in fast qualifying laps, been bumped around, and now, has claimed a holeshot and led laps over the best in the field. The Team Honda HRC rider’s time at the front last week might be the breakthrough he needed to become a top-five/podium contender at every race.

All eyes were on Eli Tomac at Denver, both for his home race and return to the site of last year’s Achilles injury. Unfortunately, the day didn’t go great for ET3, as he had a few incidents in practice, crashed while running at the front in the Main Event, and slid back to tenth at the checkered flag. As you’ve seen by now, the morning crash left the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider with a thumb injury, and he’ll miss SLC and the first Nationals to let the Bennett’s Fracture heal up.

14 & 15

Was Jett going to let Hunter win? Was he biding his time? Did Anderson force the move? Only these two know the real answer.

One to go. It’s been great to see so many people get time to see Adam Cianciarulo in his final pro races and he’s certainly enjoying the moments as they wind down. If you’re wanting to see AC this weekend, get to the Monster Energy Kawasaki rig early.

That’s eight.

Jett and Hunter became the first brothers to step on the podium together for a 450 Main Event, a massive moment for the sport, Team Honda HRC, and family that moved around the world in pursuit of their two-wheel dreams. Father Darren Lawrence shared his thoughts on the accomplishment and the boys during Monday’s PulpMX show, and it’s a must-listen to understand how they’ve got here.

One more.