2024 Thunder Valley Motocross | Kickstart Recap & Photo Gallery

“I thought the Rocky Mountains would be rockier.” Extensive efforts have gone into the Thunder Valley circuit one of the best on the Pro Motocross Championship, including the ongoing process of mixing organic material like mulch into the Colorado soil for improved traction and moisture retention. Don’t get us wrong, there are still plenty of stones and slick spots around the 1.24-mile loop, but the racing surface is deep and loamy when compared to the hardened walking paths and fire truck roads.

David Clabaugh (second from left) is the man responsible for everything at Thunder Valley, as the Lakewood native has overseen the property for twenty-five years and fulfilled his lifelong dream of bringing the AMA Nationals back to the Denver area. An excellent article by Kyle Newman of the Denver Post ahead of the race weekend outlined the many steps Clabaugh followed along the way, like the five years he worked with the series’ labor crew so he could visit other tracks and see what they did, the miles of excavation and trenching to tap into waterlines near the JeffCo Fairgrounds, and the filling in a 15-acre ravine that’s now the pro pit area. https://www.denverpost.com/2024/06/08/thunder-valley-motocross-25th-anniversary-david-clabaugh/

One very important detail of the article was the track’s future, a significant matter considering Denver’s continuing sprawl and the recent purchase/closure of the nearby Bandimere Speedway dragstrip by a Texas auto sales corporation. Fortunately, it sounds like there are a few things that should keep the off-road area from meeting the same fate, including its location on the Dakota Hogback, the overhead powerlines, and most importantly, Clabaugh’s unwavering dedication.

Lance Kobusch’s racing effort in 2024 is backed by Smith Pro Rodeos, a successful operation out of Texas that’s won the PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year award eleven times and has been passed down from father Stace to son Riggin.Looking up the regional outfit Kobusch once worked for sent us on a web search about the official sanctioning body, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Much like our AMA, the PRCA officiates over seven disciplines, nine championships, the National Finals Rodeo event, and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado. One thing we have to commend the organization and their website on is having bios and earnings for each cowboy clearly stated; compared to the secrecy of motocross purse payouts, the rodeo is practically celebrating the money guys like eight-time and reigning all-around champion Stetson Dell Wright ($9,984 in 2024/$479,620.60 in 2023/$2,382,950 career) to 20th ranked pro steer roper Coleman Proctor ($41,253 in 2024/$26,243.07 in 2023/$1,585,460 career) make at their events. Those totals do not include personal sponsorships that riders can make from western clothing and boot brands, energy drinks, cooler companies, and powersport vehicle manufacturers.

There are dozens of key terms and phrases that riders use to explain the way a bike feels to their suspension technician, but nothing can convey the message more than a hand gesture. We caught Kyle Chisholm letting Matt Andruk know what the RM-Z was doing on the track.

Mid-session suspension debrief for Justin Barcia and the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing crew. We know that BAM has tried a few different things on the MC 450F lately and his top-five finish makes whatever he was on at Thunder Valley seem solid, but really, we added this photo to show the blue background that helps his pit board standout in the signal area.

Giddy up. As important as it is for gear brands to put riders in sets and styles that are sold to the public, we’d have to think that an occasional one-off kit, like the farmhand shirt and pants THOR MX made for Aaron Plessinger, has just as much of an influence on the consumer to buy something as a rider’s win wearing a catalog offering would.

Thunder Valley did not go the way Joey Savatgy had hoped. The Triumph Factory Racing rider has shown good speed and stamina in his return to the 250 Class, and past results at the Colorado track made a podium in this year’s visit seem attainable. Instead, he got collected in the first-turn pile-up and charged back to 17th in Moto One, slugged it out in Moto Two for 8th place, and finished the day 12th overall. Although Savatgy is currently 10th overall in the championship standings, down 84 points to the leader, he could easily make moves in the tighter 5th-10th group at the upcoming rounds.

Jorgen Talviku has extended his in the US with a summer-long spot with Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/Rides Unlimited. An Estonian now living in Oklahoma, Talviku started the year racing the General Tires Arenacross Outlaws and East Coast Region of Supercross with Jeff Crutcher’s CREO effort. The rider was one of ten international imports in the 250 Class at Thunder Valley, a diverse roster that comes from France, Japan, Canada, Chile, South Africa, and Uganda.

Jersey flapping and an unbuckled chest protector strap. Nick Romano had all sorts of swag going in Timed Qualifying.

Find your spot, stand your ground. Gate selection is serious business outdoors, especially on the uphill start riders face at round three.

Jett Lawrence’s loss of the point lead meant his Team Honda HRC was done-up with the SMX champion backgrounds, not the red plates. We’re among the majority who liked the look of the purple and gold, especially on the CRF.

Christian Craig competed in Fox Racing’s Speed Suit RS for the first time outdoors. We mentioned some details about the super-aero gear in the Hangtown Kickstart, and riders on the Santa Cruz Syndicate team ran the downhill MTB setup at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round in Austria over the weekend.

Indoors or outdoors, 250 or 450, the blue bikes are hard to beat off the start.

Coincidence or coordination? We’re thinking the latter. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s 450 Class riders were both outfitted in eye-catching blue gear at Thunder Valley. Malcolm Stewart was in a dark set from SEVEN…

While Christian Craig had a brighter hue with matching boots from Fox Racing.

Matt Burkeen wasn’t going to race Thunder Valley, but after some convincing from girlfriend Top Chick, they loaded a new YZ450F into the little red pickup and drove cross-country for the first of a few Nationals. Matty B made it in with the 35th fastest lap in Timed Qualifying and 36-38 for 39th overall. Be on the lookout for the people’s champ this summer, because he says he doesn’t plan to sign up for too many rounds.

Justin Cooper’s holeshot and early gap in Moto One is exactly the sort of “clean air” riders are always hoping for in the opening laps of a race...

While Jett Lawrence’s fifth place start, blocked lines, and heavy roost are exactly the sort of “dirty air” riders dread getting stuck in during the opening laps of a race.

The back and forth between Hunter and Jason is one of many storylines we’re paying close attention to on the track this summer. There’s a mutual willingness to run it in on each other and neither one is willing to give an inch.

There were a few ways to do the speed check jump on the mountain side. Justin Cooper stayed so low over the mound that he drug his front tire off the top…

Jett Lawrence blipped the throttle and turned down over the crest…

Jason Anderson stayed off the brakes and launched all the way to a small roller some 40 feet down the hill.

Another angle of El Hombre’s huck. Fredrik Noren was the only other 450 Class rider we saw go with this line lap after lap.

Grant Harlan had a tough early go after the clutch lever on his Gizmo Mods/Rock River Yamaha got knocked out of reach in the opening laps, but after a short adjustment period, the Texan tapped into his weekly technique work and treated the race like a “No Clutch Moto.” GH told us that the issue actually helped him get a grip on the track, and he went 12-14 for 14th overall.

Jett Lawrence told us that Thunder Valley was one of the harder days to be behind brother Hunter, as his sibling’s better starts, strong pace, and similar line choices made it difficult to setup or execute passes. It’s wild to see the differences and parallels between the two on the track, and all of it could get even more nuanced as they go further in their careers.

This shot shows how close the battles are from 19th to 25th and who’s in them. For reference, it was taken before the hillside’s last descent and shows sixth rider Justin Barcia going over the tunnel turn.

A lot can happen in seven days, especially when it comes to dirt bikes. Chase Sexton made it very clear that Hangtown was one of the defining moments of his pro career so far, as the 40th to 1st charge earned him the overall and championship lead, but the same rider went down multiple times and didn’t put nuanced his Red Bull KTM on the box. Sexton could be one of many we hear saying his bike has been greatly improved from week to week as the series goes to softer, more rutted terrains.

Hunter Lawrence’s first 450 MX win came with an 8.057 second gap to the runner-up Jett Lawrence.

Every minute matters. A firm live TV slot on NBC, wound even tighter by the pre-race delay, limited the post-race interviews after 450 Moto One. Justin Cooper didn’t mind, as it allowed him an early ride on the team golf cart and more time to recover in the rig.

Yes, the YZF advantage is dwindling due to their competitor's progression, rider's improved techniques, and advanced electronics, but it’s hard to outdo pure horsepower.

StegPegz sighting on Jalek Swoll’s TF 250-X.

One jump, two angles with Tom Vialle…

Chance Hymas…

Levi Kitchen.

Haiden Deegan’s first attempt on Tom Vialle over the tunnel. The late-race battle between the two budding rivals had our full attention, as you’ll see by the following shots and the images in the gallery below.

The look over.

The crash.

The win.

First through fifth in the early moments of 450 Moto Two and a beautiful backdrop. Does it get much better than this?

Romain Pape’s stand-up style on the long downhill sweeper…

Scotty Verhaeghe’s the seated, leg out method on the same corner.

Jett Lawrence has three Moto wins and two Overall victories to start the season, but not the points lead. We spoke with Jett about what caused the Hangtown crash, his outlook on the streak ending, and what he thought of the deficit he faced on Friday for a Checking In With interview. Here’s the cliff notes: suspension setting changes that rider and Team Honda HRC agreed on in the preseason subdued the bike’s snappy handling, and per the rider, is why he was unable to hop from the bump to the downside. Yes, he knew the jump was changed, but was confident he could make it happen. The young rider got over the emotional part of the loss with some help from his father and is using the points gap as motivation for the rest of the summer. Scroll the homepage to watch the video.

“Hey, brother.” Jett’s push from third to first in Moto Two came at the cost of Hunter, who lost out on his first Overall victory in the 450 Class but picked up the point lead. Hunter later said he’d rather of gotten the win than the red plate, and considering the bonus factories pay for a win, we can’t say we blame him.

Wear and tear.

$411 of Oakley product on display to viewers around the world ($191 for Airbrake goggles with Iridium lens, $220 for HSTN sunglasses from the Metal Coalesce Collection).

How many times will we see this podium over the course of the summer and through the coming years?

Jo Shimoda made a step forward at round three. The Team Honda HRC rider went 5-3 for 4th overall and showed late-race speed in Moto Two, but he’s already a considerable number of points down to the front runners in the championship (45 behind Deegan, 20 behind Kitchen).

Sounds like Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki will finish the summer with Ty Masterpool and Levi Kitchen, as injuries continue to sideline the rest of the roster. The duo is doing their part to keep the green bikes near the front, as Kitchen is in title contention after a top-five day and Masterpool showed speed with the fastest lap in Timed Qualifying and a seventh-place overall result.

First win feelings. Chance Hymas led every lap of 250 Moto Two to take his first career win. The Team Honda HRC rider faced a few ups and downs already this year, including a torn ALC before SX, but recent changes to his diet and program have helped him reach another level on the track.

Like the 450 Class, how many more times will we see this podium over the summer and in the years to come?

Time to cross the country and head to round four. Thanks for reading.