2024 Philadelphia Supercross | Race Report and Results

Presented by FXR Racing

The Monster Energy Supercross Championship returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s Lincoln Financial Field for round 15 of the series, and while the championship points chase didn’t tighten in either class, the action was spectacular. Firepower Honda’s Max Anstie earned a hard-fought win and doubled his career victory count, and Jett Lawrence did exactly as he needed to in the main, leading every lap after floundering in his heat race earlier in the program.

450 Heat 1

The first 450 heat race of the day was stacked, with Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb, and Jett Lawrence all on the line. The Honda HRC rider was mired at the start, then came into contact with the rear of another rider’s rear tire in the first corner and went down. Lawrence remounted in last place while Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha riders Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb took control of the first two positions. Lawrence sliced through the field quickly and was into qualifying position within only a few laps At the checkered flag, Tomac enjoyed a comfortable gap over Webb, while Gas Gas rider Justin Barcia came home third. Lawrence passed 16 riders after his crash to come home fourth.

“I’m just trying to continue what I had going on last week,” said Tomac. “I was able to get a great start and passed for the lead in the first rhythm lane. Going to try to keep it going in the main.”

450 Heat 2

Fast qualifier Hunter Lawrence, defending Supercross Champion Chase Sexton, Jason Anderson, Justin Cooper, Dean Wilson, returning rider Dylan Ferrandis, and more lined up for the second heat race. When the gate dropped, Anderson was quickest into the first corner and led Lawrence, Ferrandis, and Malcolm Stewart onto the track. Hunter Schlosser fell in the first corner and took several riders with him, including Sexton and Cooper. Stewart went down on the second lap in the sand and lost touch with the lead group. 

Stewart and Sexton seemed to link up and the duo sliced through the pack quickly and worked into the top fifth and sixth, respectfully. Up front, Lawrence pressured Anderson throughout the race but Anderson made no mistakes and earned the first race of the year for the Monster Energy Kawasaki team. Lawrence was next, followed by Ferrandis and Colt Nichols on his Beta.

“I wish this would have happened a little bit sooner,” said Anderson. “I’m just trying to be a little bit better. Hopefully, I carry this momentum into the main event.”

450 LCQ

Cooper holeshot the LCQ and checked out with an easy win aboard his Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha. Kevin Moranz, Josh Cartwright, and Jeremy Hand, had control of the final qualifying positions early on, while Shane McElrath and Cade Clason were on the outside looking in and charging hard. McElrath took a brief off-track excursion and allowed Clason to sneak past and into qualifying position when Hand stalled in the following corner. McElrath found his way past CLason on the last lap and made it into the main, but he didn’t stop there. The Suzuki rider also snuck past Cartright and Moranz for second at the flag. Clason also made some last-lap passes and found his way into the main with a fourth-place ride.

450 Main

Jett Lawrence executed a perfect start at the stop of the main event and led Tomac, Webb, Anderson, and the rest. Tomac charged hard on the opening lap and circulated the track only a few inches behind the leader. On the third lap, Tomac started to lose touch with Lawrence and moved over to allow his teammate and championship contender, Webb, to pass to chase after the points leader. Sexton ran fourth and Anderson was fifth at this point of the race.

Tomac made a mistake in a rhythm section just before the halfway point and Sexton went past to take control of the final podium position. Once into third, two seconds sat between the champion and Webb, who was 3.5 seconds behind Lawrence. Sexton found his way past Webb with around five minutes left on the clock, and the two came together in the next corner when Webb tried to retaliate. Once into second, Sexton broke clear of Webb and set out to cut into the five-second lead enjoyed by the leader.  

Anderson used the inside line in the sand to pass Tomac and take over fourth. With that, the top five finishing positions were set until the final lap. Though Sexton did chip away at Lawrence’s lead, Jettson took home his seventh win of the season and further extended his points lead over third-placed Webb. Anderson was fourth, ahead of Tomac. A spectacular battle between Justin Barcia and Hunter Lawrence on the last lap nearly overshadowed an insane charge by Anderson that saw him overtake Webb for third, only one corner before the finish. During the pass, the two riders came into contact and Webb went down. The Yamaha rider remounted in time to salvage fourth, but the damage was done and he lost another two points in the championship chase.

“There was really only one option, and it was to get a good start,” said Lawrence, who now holds a 12-point advantage over Webb. “I knew I had to execute and that’s what we did.”

“That was good,” said Sexton. “I came from pretty far back and made it back up to the front. I am starting to get back to my form and I want to win another one before the series is done.”

“I’ve been working hard with the team to be better,” said Anderson. “The whole team and I have been busting out butts and we are going to keep charging.”

“It was a tough race,” said Webb. “I felt good at the beginning but I started to get tight. I just tried to survive and be there until the end. It was slippery and hard to go fast.”

250 Heat 1

Seth Hammaker grabbed the holeshot in the first 250 heat and led Haiden Deegan, Daxton Bennick, and Arenacross Champion Kyle Peters. The crowd went nuts as hometown hero Hammaker led the way, while Deegan tried almost every opposing line to gain an advantage over the leader. Deegan’s jumping technique in the whoops was much quicker than Hammaker’s blitzing method, but the Pro Circuit rider was quicker elsewhere on the track and held onto hold onto the lead for a hugely popular win. Deegan, Bennick, Preston Boesfplug, and Chance Hymas, who passed Peters on the last lap.

“I love being home in Philadelphia and it gives me a boost of energy with all my friends and family here,” said Hammaker. “I’m looking forward to sending it in the main and trying to get that win!”

250 Heat 2

Jalek Swoll snagged a masterful holeshot aboard his Triumph and led Coty Schock and Tom Vialle. Fast qualifier Max Anstie gated fourth. Vialle and Schock traded the runner-up position a couple of times early on before the Frenchman took control for good and set his sights on Swoll. Vialle shadowed Swoll for the last half of the race, but the Triumph rider rode a smart race and scored the first heat race of his career and the first for Triumph. Anstie was a distant third.

“We’ve all been busting our butts to get to this point and this one feels really good,” said Swoll. “Obviously, this is just a heat race but it’s the first step in the right direction.”

250 LCQ

Hardy Munoz avoided a big first-turn crash and led the way in the 250 LCQ  aboard his Kawasaki KX250. Arenross regular Crockett Myers and Marshall Weltin gave chase. Weltin made his way past Myers with a solid  ove, then set out after Munoz. Weltin was unable to overcome the six-second deficit he faced in the final two laps, and Munoz came home with the victory. Myers and Vinny Luhovey scored the final two tickets into the main. 

250 Main

When the gate dropped on the 250 Eastern Regional main event, Hammaker snagged the holeshot and led Anstie, Swoll, and and Pierce Brown. Points leader Vialle and Deegan completed the first lap in ninth and 10th, but both were on the move. Vialle was masterful as he sliced through the pack and past his competitors, but Deegan seemed to match his every pass shortly after. 

Up front, Hammaker kept the Philadelphia crown on its toes as he held a slight advantage over Anstie. The big action, however, was a bit further back in the field as Deegan closed in on Vialle and looked to make the pass. Vialle made his way past Shock efficiently and pulled out a small gap over Deegan, who took longer to work past the Club MX rider. Vialle used an inside line in the sand section to work past Bennick.

At the halfway point, Anstie turned up the pressure on Hammaker and the Englishman really began to challenge for the lead. Swoll, meanwhile, held strong in third and began to close on the lead duo. A intense few corners saw Anstie and Hammaker trade the lead a couple of times, but the Brit took control with four minutes and change left on the clock. With a clear track, the Firepower Honda rider looked to pull away. Vialle found his way past Brown to take over fourth, but Deegan was unable to do so as quickly as he had matched the Frenchman’s earlier passes. 

With two laps left, it all fell apart for Hammaker and Swoll in the sand section. Hammaker went wide, Swoll saw an opportunity and sent it too hard on the inside. Swoll wasn’t able to stay in the inside line and came into contact with Hammaker, sending both into a race-ruining collision. Brown then found himself in second, but he cross-rutted on the face of the finish line jump and crashed spectacularly off the track. 

At the finish, Anstie scored the second win of his career with a comfortable margin over Vialle, who fended off a last-lap charge by Deegan and further extended his championship points lead over the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider. 

“It was so loud it was crazy,” said Anstie. “The crowd was going nuts for Seth but I needed this win.”

“I had a bas start and knew it would be tough,” said Vialle. “We had a really good pace and I pushed at the end. I am really proud of my ride tonight.”

“That was so gnarly,” said Deegan. “A lot of the best guys got bad starts, and it was crazy. It was a good race coming from the back. I gave Tom a wheel here and there, but he is a tough competitor.”