2024 Salt Lake City Supercross | Kickstart Recap & Gallery

92, never forget. Fox Racing and D’Cor Visuals gave Adam Cianciarulo some special send-off kits for Friday’s riding session, including a jersey with all of the skull and bones iron-ons the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider won during his pro career. AC says he’ll be a common sight at the SoCal spots in his retirement, but we have to wonder: will he be a professional practice rider with numbers, or will he be low-key and run blank side plates?

John Short had a special section of fans on Friday afternoon, as Carol Brinkman’s fifth grade class finished their season-long “Motovated” course which followed the racer through the SX series with a field trip to Rice-Eccles Stadium. The way that Brinkman uses the races to teach general education like geography and facts about the cities or stats and results for mathematics is very creative, and it also helps students see the importance in setting personal goals and developing ambitions for adulthood.

Who gets gold, silver, bronze from Friday’s Best Whip contest? Text to vote for Dean Wilson…

Hunter Lawrence

Chase Sexton

And Justin Barcia

It’s been a while since we’ve seen fork warmers in the pits, but WP got the heated blankets back out for the final rounds of SX so that the suspension internals were at consistent, desired temperature from the first free practice session on. The units are made by Capit, an Italian racing brand founded by the Cappelletti family that specializes in electric tire blankets for MotoGP and F1. The company also has an industrial line, Warmit, that custom makes thermo-control wraps.

Fox Racing made sure AC’s going away party was celebrated.

Bling-bling. Evan Ferry will be alongside Lorenzo Locurcio on a WildCat Racing GASGAS 250 during the summer’s Pro Motocross Championship.

RJ Hampshire was on it all weekend and from the outside, never seemed stressed by the situation. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider looked at ease during Friday’s press conference and put down a number fast, smooth laps during Saturday’s Timed Qualifying sessions.

Fair to say Anthony Bourdon was the breakout rider of the year? The French rider was a top-ten mainstay in the 250 West Region, a feat for it being his first year here, and that added a few Main Events in the 450 Class to his results sheet is even more impressive. Toyota of Redlands/BARX/Suzuki has already signed a deal to bring him back for 2025.

Cooper Webb outlined his thumb injury in Friday’s press conference, stating that the injury initially happened in the Birmingham run-in with Jett Lawrence, that limited riding during the week helped manage the problem, but that the last-turn bump from Jason Anderson in Philadelphia “finished it off.” Webb has already undergone surgery and should be back in action by mid-summer, which is enough time to do a few Nationals and be ready for the SMX finals.

Caption This. Ryder D and Jordon Smith found each other a few times during Session One of Timed Qualifying, first on the track during someone’s hot lap and then after the checkered flag, where very heated words were exchanged.

We’ve been trying to see the back of this one for a few weeks. apdesigns did an incredible job at putting the NYC skyline onto the back of Justin Cooper’s Alpinestars lid. Zoom in to see the hand-done details.

It's the little things that make a difference.

Scot Steffy gave us a set of the all-new EMIG Signature Series by Viral on Saturday morning. The frame that Fro’s new goggles feature several interchangeable components, including the ability to swap out the magnetic face foam, the outrigger tabs, woven straps, and lenses.

Top of the board. Chase Sexton has been quick this year, no doubt, but the Red Bull KTM rider’s lack of fastest laps of Timed Qualifying was a noticeable difference in his stat line through 2024. The rider’s comfort on the SX-F Factory Edition is encouraging going into the summer.

PR Podium Essentials

We see this data logging reel on the Red Bull KTMs more often than not during Timed Qualifying, a part that goes back to the Dungey years. The information it’s collecting now from the KYB internal components would be interesting to see compared to the WP parts (full disclosure: we probably wouldn’t know how to read the graphs even if they showed us).

Several teams and riders paid tribute to Damian Campos at SLC, as the Toyota of Escondido boss was a supporter to many, and his recent passing was sudden and unexpected. Our thoughts are with the Campos family and his long list of friends.

Cole Davies’ Supercross Futures hardware. The New Zealander made a name for himself in just a few gate drops at select amateur races in America and will be a top prospect when it’s time to go pro.

Last walk into Thunderdome.

FXR and FTA added the number plates from Phil Nicoletti’s pro career to the jersey sleeves for his last SX. Phil’s Filthy Crew merch seems to be popping off, as we noticed quite a few fans in SLC with shirts or hats from the pleasantly disgruntled racer.

Flick it flat.

Behind the scenes. Only the finest white flour is used for the first turn edges and holeshot stripe.

Add that 250 West Region Heat Race to the offseason replay list. The way RJ and Levi linked up in the first turn and went at it all the way to the checkered flag had everyone eager for the Showdown.

Salt Lake City and Rice-Eccles Stadium getting the finale has been a bit of a talking point over the years, as some would rather have the “vibe” of Vegas than the sponsorship money paid by the state’s Sports Commission. Regardless, the Utah race is certainly becoming a favorite for fans and teams, as nearly every seat at the renovated stadium was occupied during the finale and the people working in the pits praised SLC for its food, scenery, and accommodations.

It was very interesting to hear what both riders took from the Heat Race, as Levi pondered if winning and then getting first gate pick for the Showdown actually hurt him, while RJ said the laps were just what he needed to get ready for the title-decider.

0.470 seconds.

Pit Board? Check. Marker? Check. Headset? Check. iPhone? Check.

Big G is proof that being a nice person is the key to staying young.

Cooper Webb’s lunge at Jett Lawrence in 450 Heat Race One happened right in front of us, and after playing it back a few times, it looked like a bold move that went slightly awry when the YZ-F caught traction. Props to CW for riding it out over the first jump in the long rhythm.

The lightning delay wreaked havoc on the night’s schedule, but it was great to see that the KTM JR SX and Stacyc Holeshot Challenge were still featured between the Heat Race and LCQs.

The hell was that? Mitchell Harrison and Tristan Lane’s last-turn, last transfer spot crash was another moment that went down right in front of us, and it wasn’t until the second or third replay that we really understood what went down (Harrison washed out while going for the high line, Lane slid to avoid the sudden crash).

Kevin Moranz was just as confused as the rest of us, but the misfortune by the other two put the KMR rider into his second Main Event of the season.

We knew the start of the 250 East-West Showdown was going to be intense, so we headed up the stands for a higher vantage point of the action. RJ Hampshire and Haiden Deegan were quick to box in the Pro Circuit teammates of Hammaker and Kitchen, early moves that determined the outcome of the race and West Region title.

Did you like the special gear that O’Neal made for Julien Beaumer? JuJu’s birthday kit had a lot of white, which apparently is a hard sell when it comes to the consumer line, but if you’d like to see it in production, we’ll tell you the email address to send your requests and or demands.

Haiden Deegan’s Showdown win was a statement. Getting to the front early was the best way to attack Tom Vialle’s point lead, and although Deegan came up short of the East Region title, the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider certainly gained a lot of confidence from leading every lap, fending off two experienced rivals, and beating the combined field of both coasts.

How many fist pumps do you see between RJ Hampshire and the fans in the stands?

Tom Vialle did just enough to clinch the East Region title. The Red Bull KTM rider made it into the Showdown with a ninth place result in his Heat Race, stayed out of the fracas in the fifteen minute and one lap finale, finished in eighth place, and had a four-point advantage over Haiden Deegan in the championship standings. On Friday Vialle told us that the biggest difference from 2024 to 2023 is the confidence he has when it comes to the tracks, as he is much more comfortable with the obstacles and layouts.

Vialle’s celebration included a tribute to former Red Bull KTM MX2 teammate Rene Hofer. The 711 was scribbled onto the back of the plate by Vialle’s father before he stepped onto the podium.

You like them spinnin’ tires?! After a night of revs and burnouts, we’ve got to commend the engine builders at KTM, Husqvarna, and Honda for building strong, durable powerplants.

Time to put the light-up board back into storage.

We’ll have a brand breakdown of the 250 East-West Showdown and the top-22 in 450 Class points up next week, but one thing we can say now is that Honda had a heavy presence when it comes to big bikes, and there were seven CRF450Rs on the track in the last Main Event of the season.

Jeremy Hand ended a very solid run in Supercross with a sixth Main Event appearance in the 450 Class and 28th overall in the point standings, the highest-ranking rider that was not part of an organized team.

The back and forth between Dean Wilson-Colt Nichols one of the many battles we had an eye on, as the 15 and 45 clicked off lap after lap, maintained a high pace, and traded moves for tenth. If this is indeed Dean’s last AMA SX, it was nice to see him go out with a solid result that was hard-earned over one of his close friends.

Chase Sexton was a on mission in the 450 Main Event. Although the title defense did not go as rider or team expected, as the switch to Red Bull KTM and the very different 450 SX-F took some getting used to and a hand injury slowed their momentum midseason, the team and rider state the significant changes made to the motorcycle and their shared mindset through highs and lows will make them better for this summer’s Pro Motocross series.

A lot to take in from this shot of the Lawrence brothers and Jason Lawrence. It’s no secret that the two groups are currently at odds, and the on-track action, post-race comments, written warnings, and AMA fines ($2500 from Hunter for Conduct of Conduct violation) only added to the rivalry.

Jett clinched his first SX title with his second-worst result of the season. The Team Honda HRC rider looked feisty early, especially after the skirmish with Anderson, but a timely mistake trying to three-on to the tabletop convinced him to back it down.

“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” plays in the background…

A few weeks back we thought about Cooper Webb’s “Best Offseason Ever” in 2022 and how the time working with Michael Byrne and the Lawrence Family shaped the title fight that played out in 2024. We brought it up to the riders during the Friday press conference, and both agreed that they learned a lot during the practice days in Dade City and that the respect for one other remains. We don’t think this is the last time they square off for a number one plate.

That’s one.