Practice for SuperMotocross Playoffs gives a preview of excitement to come
Practice for Round 1 of the inaugural SuperMotocross Playoffs was completed early Friday afternoon and fans and competitors alike are starting to piece together how the hybrid track will race at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.
In the 450 class, Chase Sexton put down the best lap of the day in Free Practice 2 with a time of 1:13.697, .198 seconds faster than his teammate Jett Lawrence who topped Free Practice 1.
Many riders at first look at the track were shocked to find that it did incorporate a near-even amount of moto and super elements and was not just an oversized Supercross layout.
The layout of the event also borrows from both seasons as the round will consist of two motos; the same as the outdoor season, they are shortened to 20 minutes +1 lap each instead of 30 minutes +2 laps. Riders won’t know how short or long the track feels until they get racing minutes under their belt but the compromise is easy to see.
The combined points from the indoor and outdoor seasons seeded the top 20 riders, this week they reset with riders only carrying the points of a single moto. Meaning Sexton has a 25-point lead on the back of the field. This weekend they race for single points, next week at Chicagoland double points, and at The LA Coliseum in the finale, triple.
Top Three In Points Entering The Weekend:
1st Chase Sexton (25 Points)
While the outdoor season didn’t go as planned for the newly crowned Supercross Champion he was able to rebound and perform at a high enough level to stay on top of the combined SMX points from start to finish. A practice crash after Round 1 at Fox Raceway kept him off the track for three rounds before returning at RedBud but with a three-race hole to climb out of a Pro Motocross championship was out of the question especially as his teammate Jett Lawrence monopolized the top of the podiums.
Chase Sexton roars around a turn on the challenging course at zMAX Dragway. Photo provided by Dan Beaver.
Sexton’s Supercross championship came from consistency but also a tenacious run in the second half of the season that placed him in the right spot statically still battling for the championship when Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac injured themselves in back-to-back weeks. https://www.si.com/fannation/racing/auto-racing-digest/supercross/supercross-whoops-leaves-eli-tomac-with-championship-costing-injury
He showed the same traits in the outdoors but Lawrence’s success left his teammate with too much ground to make up.
“For most of my career, I’ve been a bit of an underdog and I think that’s shaped me into the person that I am,” Sexton shared after the races at Ironman, “These races that I’m obviously disappointed in, ultimately make me better. It’s a good trait to have, but I also don’t like to lose.”
“When I get beat and I have these struggles it makes me want to win more and more. Winning is addicting and it’s something I always want to be able to do. In Supercross I was able to bounce back and I think it’s just a matter of time.”
SMX is Sexton’s chance to come out on top again and with an all-but-confirmed move to another factory next year there’s building pressure for him to be the one to complete Honda’s historic season if he can be the one to claim the seventh available title for the manufacturer.
2nd Aaron Plessinger (22 Points)
Due to injuries in both the Supercross and Motocross seasons, there is not a single rider that raced every race in the 450 class, Plessinger held close, missing three rounds near the end of Supercross after crashing at East Rutherford and returning in the final round in Salt Lake City. Since coming back, he’s finished top five in all but one round, High Point keeping him comfortable in the second position of combined points over Jett Lawrence.
3rd Jett Lawrence (20 Points)
In so many ways what Lawrence did this year was remarkable, one sound bit that can be lost is his perfect season in the outdoors allowed him to join the top three of combined points without racing a single Supercross round on a 450. This of course came to be with Lawrence making the bike leap between indoors and outdoors this year; which while not uncommon, was still interesting to watch how it would affect the playoff picture in the first year.
Jett Lawrence was third in Friday's practice. Photo provided by Dan Beaver.
In some ways this weekend is a reset for the team, this will be Lawrence’s first time competing on a 450 with Supercross suspension and on a hybrid track. His streak could continue or a flaw in his game may finally be exposed. If so there are 29 riders excited to take advantage of any mistake.
“If it was Supercross or outdoors, I think it'd be a little different,” Lawrence answered during Friday’s Press Conference, “But since it's such a new thing, you don't fully know what you're going to get. I could be really good at this with the layout or I could just absolutely suck. We don't know.”
Lawrence quickly found his place in practice winning practice 1 and coming in second in practice 2.
Who’s back?
The new playoff structure gave a few riders the chance and motivation to come back to battle for their part of the 5.5 million dollar purse. Highlighted below are three riders who had minimal starts in the outdoor season due to injuries and scheduling conflicts all with their own point to prove by winning in the Playoffs.
6th. Cooper Webb (16 Points)
Webb experienced a homecoming weekend as he returned to the field and to his original team of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing after five years with KTM. Webb raced the first three weeks of the outdoor season before a practice crash ahead of RedBud sidelined him for the rest of the season. Later that same week it was announced that the rider and team decided to mutually part ways. Webb’s signing with Yamaha Star was expected but confirmed officially Friday morning.
Cooper Webb catches some good air right in front of the media center and suites at zMAX Dragway. Photo provided by Dan Beaver.
“I’m super excited to be racing again for the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team. It feels like a family reunion. It’s all the people that I started my career with, and I can’t wait to go racing with them again.
Webb has the chance to get a win in front of his hometown after a summer marred with disappointment.
“Racing in Charlotte for me is a dream come true. It’s my home race. The last time we raced
there, I had probably had my best race ever. I’m really looking forward to getting back to the
gate with this team and this bike and starting off my new chapter well.”
8th Ken Roczen (14 Points)
Roczen originally did not have plans to run any of the outdoor schedule, but he showed up and showed out at High Point where he finished second overall and was the only rider to make a successful pass on Jett Lawrence during the rookie's march to a perfect season. Roczen did not compete full-time in ProMotocross this season as he committed to running the World Supercross Schedule which conflicted with many dates and the extra weeks off gave Roczen a chance to get prepared to bring a new child into the world alongside his wife.
Roczen is the top ten rider that we’ve seen the least since Lawrence has risen to prominence this outdoor season.
10th Justin Barcia (12 Points)
Barcia; who had historically strong outdoor seasons, missed out on the first eight rounds of summer due to an injury sustained at Nashville in Supercross Round 15. He returned to Unadilla where he finished 19th, he would rebound better in the final two weekends finishing fifth overall at Budds Creek and seventh overall at Ironman. The playoffs give him a chance to steal back some of the limelight that injuries robbed him of this season.