2024 Philadelphia Supercross | Kickstart Recap & Photo Gallery

Do you use the muffler to warm your hands and, more importantly, the synthetic suede palm of your gloves before a moto? Chase Sexton made sure his Alpinestars mitts were soft before getting cut loose on Saturday morning.

The 14 made his return to action at round 15. Dylan Ferrandis explained that his absence from the races was initially to heal up a knee injury but was made more complicated by a lung infection that took weeks to get over. The Phoenix Racing Honda rider evidently did some testing during the downtime, as his CRF450R was again outfitted with Ride Engineering triple clamps, not the HRC pieces he picked up early in the season.

As with any new venue, the soil was a big question coming into the weekend and an element that riders learned more about as race day unfolded. The Dirt Wurx crew told us that the material was first acquired for Monster Jam events at the Linc and is stored under Interstate 95 overpass that runs alongside the stadium, which meant it doesn’t receive much natural moisture. Riders likened it to the typical East Coast/PA-style clay, saying it was heavy and sticky when wet and got crumblier and rockier as it dried.

Did you see what went down with Jett Lawrence and Cooper Webb during the final lap of Timed Qualifying Session Two? Webb tucking in behind Lawrence in the last sector looked tactical, and there could have been a rev at the end of the whoops, but Lawrence told us in HWYW that the tip-over in the turn was because he hit a false neutral. We’ve seen the two exchange a few small moves in practice over the last few weeks, nothing serious, but enough to notice the gamesmanship that starts well before the Main Event. Be sure to watch the RAW video from Saturday afternoons to see what we mean.

Haiden Deegan was in a fully custom gearset from THORMX, a design done by Moses Bennett that takes cues from the teenager’s interest in sneakers (elephant print Jordans) and puts a very modern spin on the Danger moniker.

Finger on the clutch, throttle cracked, aggressive form, right foot and rear tire kicking up sand, and the hub stickers on both wheels pointing up. Bitchin’.

There’s a lot to look at in a little area when it comes a Team Honda HRC CRF450R. Zoom in to see the details, different colors, and craftsmanship of parts like the braced aluminum frame, billet clamps, safety-wired steering nut, Showa fork tubes, riveted plastics, Yoshimura exhaust with o2 sensor, and the necessary wiring that’s routed throughout.

Sparring partners. Fire Power Honda and Star Racing will occasionally get together for practice days at MTF or the GOAT Farm during the week, a cooperative effort that allows riders from both groups to do laps at race-pace on tracks that get more developed and broken in.

Don’t let the Instagram heaters fool you, Marshal is more than just a free riding wheelie boy.

Seth Hammaker was determined to be in Philly. The PA native missed the prior weekend with a shoulder injury, but with no one else healthy in the Pro Circuit rig and his 91-year-old grandfather coming to a race for the first time ever, Hammaker healed up as much as possible and put together a solid day of quick qualifying laps, a Heat Race win, time at the front in the Main Event, and the eventual run-in with Swoll.

First to fly. NBC’s camera crew has made production history a few times this year by getting permission from the FAA to fly drones inside certain stadiums for the broadcast, a television industry first at venues like AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Nissan Stadium in Nashville, and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and one that has caught the attention of the NFL. We’ll have a detailed piece about this later.

Hey, Pedro!

Gonna miss seeing the number nine. Adam Cianciarulo has always been one of the biggest fan-favorites in the pits, but news of his looming retirement has turned the Kawasaki rider’s autograph lines and random appearances through the day into a must-do meet and greet.

It’s always great to meet fans at the races that follow SML. This couple made the weekend memorable by making the trip to the city and getting tattoos before spending the late part of the day at the track. Great to meet you two!

“Kiessling's piece ‘Temptation Sensation’ is the theme song for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which is the longest running live-action sitcom in American television history. The series also uses background music during its episodes from Kiessling, such as ‘On Your Bike’ or ‘Blue Blood’.” – Wikipedia

Props to Missouri native/Florida resident Carter Stephenson for making the nightshow in the 450 Class. We first met Carter through mutual friends in the STL and have become homies with the 824 as he, his wife, and young daughter hit the circuit in their van and trailer.

We randomly wondered how Kevin Moranz was adapting to the new generation KTM during the afternoon at round fifteen. If you don’t know, the privateer racer was one of the last to make the switch from the 22 frame to the current platform but like many, he’s struggled to get a grip on the handling. Kevin explained everything in detail during his HWYW interview, saying how the rough year of crashes and concussions forced him to go home for a bit, rethink things, and even get on the old bike to see what needed to be changed on the new one. His recommendation? Softer suspension.

Anthony Rodriguez is another rider that’s swapped the internals of his WP forks for KYB components, with REP doing to the work.

Like we said last week, Eli seems to be enjoying the smaller moments of success more, evident in this lookover whip after his Heat Race win.

There were some staffing changes at Red Bull KTM between Nashville and Philadelphia, as mechanic Brandon Zimmerman parted ways with the team during the week and Kyle DeFoe was assigned to finish the season with Chase Sexton. Despite the rumors and speculation that circled through the weekend, it sounds like this is a step in the right direction for everyone, as Sexton-Zimmerman didn’t break up on bad terms (Sexton’s midweek IG post clarified that Zimmerman wasn’t to blame for the Nashville crash), DeFoe is a capable wrench in the KTM roster, and Zimmerman already has other employment offers from teams in the pits.

Wouldn’t be a SX race in 2024 without a little rain. Teams were keeping an eye on a big storm cell that was set to move over the stadium, which had the potential to dump a lot of water on the track in a short amount of time, and we were ready for the elements with spare rags and camera covers. Fortunately, all that happened was a little hit, but enough to make goggle guys and photographers stressed.

While we aren’t as up in arms about the nine whoop policy as others, we do know that some riders are less than thrilled with the layouts, obstacles, and prep this year, as they feel the mellower elements and rutted, choppy conditions aren’t what SX is supposed to be. It’ll be interesting to see how this is addressed over the summer, as the months of downtime would offer the series a chance to compile data on why these changes work or talk to competitors about what could be made better.

Zoom in on Malcolm Stewart’s goggles. The rider’s first glance after crossing the finish line was to the scoring tower, which confirmed that he’d just beaten Chase Sexton for fifth by 0.433 seconds.

We’re really interested in the new generations start technique, which is to squat over the rear of the bike and pull up on the front as they barrel into the first turn.

Arenacross champion Kyle Peters lined up in the 250 East Region at round fifteen. The Phoenix Racing Honda rider is an ace in the tight confines of the AMA-run series and this year’s title was one of his biggest yet, as he overcame a very competitive field and a hand injury to earn a fifth number one plate. KP was quick all day, as he did the 20th fastest lap in Timed Qualifying for the small-bore class, finished seventh in Heat Race One, and ended the day with twelfth in the Main Event.

Another CREO masterpiece.

Battlin’. Scroll for action images of Hammaker-Deegan’s late battle for the Heat Race win.

How’s the SX season almost over?

A primetime slot on NBC was the reason Philadelphia was a day race. Afternoon action sometimes hurts crowd turnout, but that wasn’t the case at the Linc, and we looked up to full rows all the way around the bowl. Sounds like this race could become a mainstay to the schedule.

Pierce Brown’s Main Event crash, incomplete final lap, and adjusted results made the battle for third place in the 250 East Region points very close going into the SLC finale. Brown is now tied with Coty Schock at 121, while fifth ranked Max Anstie has 119. Whichever rider does best at the Showdown will get the better rank, and most likely, a season-ending bonus from their team.

Jalek Swoll helped Triumph make history by claiming the Heat Race win, the first of his career and the first for the British OEM in SX. Although many online stated that the team had to be mad with the rider for his Main Event incident with Hammaker, we saw nothing but smiles in the rig at the end of the night because of this victory.

Pick a line.

To be honest, this is all we saw of PHL, but it seemed like riders and teams made it a point to check out the city of brotherly love on Thursday and Friday, and that’s very important as the series builds in new markets.

“Yo, get those shots! But get me too!” Got you dude. Hope that Stella was good.

A lengthy chat with Martin Davalos about his role in building Fire Power Honda’s very fast CRF250R. We’ve heard about how Marty has lined up next to Anstie on the starting gate in sneakers and a helmet, and the former pro told us that Mitch Payton called to congratulate him on the team’s success and that he still feels like he could put down a top-five heater lap in Timed Qualifying. Give it a watch if you have a minute.

Cutting it close.

Be on the lookout for a Checking In With interview with Rod Lopusnak, the General Manager of Triumph’s operation in North America. The industry veteran gave us plenty of time on Friday afternoon to talk about the brand’s push to get into off-road, what it means to connect with a new rider market, and how the MX bike will be rolled out to dealers around the country.

Nothing but good things to say about the auto-focus of our A9. If anyone at Sony’s reading, we’ve recommended the setup to dozens of shooters and would love to get our hands on the all-new body, generation two of the 70-200 lens, and that new 300mm monster…

HWYW featured one-on-one talks with Swoll and Hammaker about their run-in, with both riders offering their side of the crash, how things were handled after, and what they learned from it. Both guys saw it as a racing incident, nothing more, and agreed that it cost them podium finishes. Live and learn.

Oh, shit.

Fortunately, Pierce Brown was okay after that hard wreck, but his in-the-moment decision to remount where the bike was, then roll through the whoops and hit the finish line, was deemed an incomplete lap by officials. The mistake wasn’t caught in the moment, but by Monday, a bulletin was posted on the AMA website that noted the error and corrected all of the results. Because Brown lapped multiple riders, he was credited with 18th. The rider's consistency through the season has been a big step and he's on the radar of a few teams and OEMs.

Hard to call it a feeder class when the podium includes a two-time world champion, a well-established veteran with multiple wins on his record, and a prodigy with one title already on the mantle.

Must-do moves on the starting line: set your blocks on the grate, lock in the holeshot device, and pull your pants up as high and tight as possible so they don’t slide down when you hit the throttle.

King of the corner cutdown. Jason Anderson’s ability to carve the KX and position it toward the inside line of the next section was unmatched.

On the cushion, in the fluff, taking the high line. Whatever you want to call what Hunter Lawrence is doing here, it sure looks cool.

Chase Sexton isn’t the only rider in the Pierer Mobility Group with the special forks. We learned that Justin Barcia also made the switch in recent weeks, a change that comes after he tried a production offering from the WP catalog for few rounds. Keep an eye out to see how this carries over into the summer’s Pro Motocross series.

That’s seven.

We just missed the last turn, last lap bump between Cooper Webb and Jason Anderson, but the reaction from the crowd got our attention quickly. The move cost Webb a podium and two crucial points to Lawrence in the title fight.

Anderson was quick to apologize to Webb by the podium and rationalized the pass to us in HWYW by saying that although he respects Webb for being a contender and is pulling for the number two, he also must take the opportunities for good finishes when they’re presented to him.

That’s a wrap on Kick. See you in the mountains.