AMA Pro MX Southwick National – An illustrated recap

2024 Pro Motocross Championship
Round Five – The Wick 338, Southwick MA

After a week off, the AMA Pro Motocross Championship returned to action for the fifth round of the 2024 season with an annual visit to Western Massachusetts and the iconic sand track at The Wick 338. The 43rd running of the Crestview Construction Southwick National was greeted with overcast skies, cool temperatures, and a huge crowd of passionate fans, which set the stage for another memorable day of racing.

In the 450 Class, defending champion Jett Lawrence parlayed 1-2 moto scores into his fourth win of the season for Team Honda HRC, while the 250 Class saw Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan prevail with 1-2 finishes of his own and add to his point lead with his fourth win of the summer.

450 Moto One

The opening premier class moto began with the familiar sight of Team Honda HRC mounted Lawrence siblings at the head of the pack, with Jett securing the holeshot over Hunter. Right behind them was Team Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton. With a clear track ahead of him, Jett Lawrence was able to sprint out to an early lead of more than 2.5 seconds before the completion of the opening lap.

As the moto wore on, the young Australian continued to add to the advantage over his brother, which eventually approached 10 seconds. Behind them, Sexton asserted his hold of third, which allowed the top three to move upwards of 30 seconds over the rest of the field.

Jett Lawrence managed the margin through the final stages of the moto and wrapped up a wire-to-wire effort to secure his fifth moto win of the season by 6.4 seconds over Hunter Lawrence, with Sexton alone in a distant third. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson followed in fourth, with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper in fifth.

450 Moto One Results

450 Moto Two

It was more of the same to begin the second and deciding moto as Jett Lawrence once again led Hunter Lawrence through the first turn for the holeshot, while Sexton gave chase from third. Sexton was aggressive on the opening lap and made the pass on Hunter Lawrence for second. Right after that he began to look for a way into the lead around Jett Lawrence. Sexton’s forward momentum then stalled out, which allowed Hunter Lawrence to close in and reclaim second.

Hunter’s push wasn’t finished as he got alongside his brother and made the pass on Jett to grab control of the lead. Jett settled into second, while Sexton and his Red Bull KTM teammate Aaron Plessinger pursued from third and fourth, respectively.

The pace remained calm through the heart of the moto but the intensity picked up in the final 10 minutes when Hunter Lawrence briefly went off track. That allowed Jett Lawrence to close in and apply pressure on his brother. Jett was able to make the pass happen with a handful of minutes to go and easily distanced himself, but all eyes were on Sexton who was the fastest rider on the track. Sexton made quick work of Hunter Lawrence to take over second and then set his sights on the lead.

The KTM rider put on a charge to close in on Jett Lawrence and initiate a fight for the lead with less than two minutes to go. Sexton got alongside Lawrence and briefly nosed ahead, but the Honda rider battled back to hold onto the position. Sexton didn’t relent and his persistence ultimately paid off as he seized control of the moto just before time ran out. From there, Sexton checked out over the final two laps.

Sexton took his third moto win of the season by 8.5 seconds over Jett Lawrence, who needed to fend off a late push from Hunter Lawrence on the final lap.

450 Moto Two Results

450 Round

Jett Lawrence’s consistency proved to be the difference maker in the overall classification as his 1-2 effort was enough to clinch his fourth victory of the season and the 15th of his career, which moved him into a tie with Jeremy McGrath for 10th on the all-time 450 Class wins list. Sexton’s impressive second moto triumph moved him into the runner-up spot (3-1), while Hunter Lawrence maintained his podium streak in third (2-3), which now sits at five races.

The podium finish for Hunter Lawrence allowed him to maintain his lead atop the championship standings, which now sits at just three points over Jett Lawrence and Sexton, who sit tied for second.

Aussie wildcard entrant Kyle Webster carded a hugely impressive top ten for the round on the back of 17-7 placings in the two motos. That 17th place in the opening moto came after an early crash left the Mobile X Honda rider dead last and forced him to battle his way up through the pack.

Jett Lawrence – P1

“I’ve been having to rely on my legs more [managing a shoulder injury] and wore them out. Chase was just riding too strong in that one [Moto 2]. I tried to give him a fight, but this was just one of those races that was his. We’ll need to go back and do some work and come back better.”

Chase Sexton – P2

“This track has never really been my absolute favourite for some reason, but I had to put that behind me after the first moto, because I didn’t want to over-ride the track or push past the limit. In the second moto, I finally started to get a good flow going towards the end, picking some different lines, and it all came together for me. I was able to kind of jump around the track and make it more fun – when you’re doing that you go faster. That was the whole thing for me today and we’re happy to leave here with a moto win this afternoon.”

Hunter Lawrence – P3

“I was definitely riding my heart out. I was just going for it. This track is really gnarly and it’s tricky to get the bike set up for it. We gave it our all and that’s all I can ask for. We’ll keep working and come back stronger.”

Aaron Plessinger – P5

“Southwick could have gone better, but also could have been worse! I actually qualified fourth and was really good in practice, then I got a good start in the first moto, but stalled the bike coming down a hill and laid it down. I picked it back up, got some dirt in my goggles, and had to stop for new ones, so finished up 12th. Second moto, rebounded and rode a really, really good race for fourth. I almost caught the boys on the podium and I can’t ask for much more from that one! The first moto could have dictated the day, but it didn’t, and we’ll bounce back again for RedBud!”

Justin Barcia – P7

“Today was an eventful day, a lot of stuff going on! I qualified P7, which was pretty good, and the motos were decent for where we’re at. I was sixth in Moto 1 and then had a first turn crash in the second moto, but made a hard charge to 11th. Unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with some knee injuries since about the week before Salt Lake City, and I’ve been pushing through it. One knee has a torn/sprained MCL, and my other knee had bursitis, with a little bit of a tear in the meniscus – not too bad, nothing that requires surgery. Because of the swelling, two of my tendons finally let go at High Point, but the good thing is that technically they will just scar up and be fine. I haven’t been riding during the week at all, just been trying to race on the weekends for my fans and the crew, but it’s got to the point now that we have a really good bike, my riding is really good, and these knees are holding us back. We want to be better than fifth-to-eighth, so we are going to take some time off. I will still be able to train quite a bit, do PT on the knees, and see what we can do to get better. All in all, they just need some time to heal up, so the goal right now, I would say, is to come back for Unadilla. I won’t miss too many races if everything works out, which I believe it will, and then we’ll come back swinging!”

Kyle Webster – P10

“What an experience. I have a lot more to learn and improve on, and I am excited to get to work. There were some positives today, but the best thing to come out of racing my first race in America is realising we have a lot to improve on, including my riding, fitness, and the bike. Tenth overall is great but we need to be further up.  One thing is for sure: the intensity in the first five laps is something I haven’t experienced. I need to improve my sprint speed and stamina. It won’t happen overnight, but we now have something to work towards. I am looking forward to Redbud.”

Malcolm Stewart – P11

“I actually had a good time here at Southwick.  It’s been 11 years since I raced this race and the number one coolest thing for me today was the fans. Practice was good, I forgot how fast this track can be early on, and that’s important to get a good lap in. First moto was okay, got off to an okay start, and fought my way up to eighth. In the second one, my start was actually better than the first one, but we went down in the first corner and I was able to keep going for 16th. It obviously wasn’t the best ride we’ve had, but we’ll take this thing to RedBud and I’m excited for that… I’m going to give it everything I’ve got!”

Christian Craig – P14

“Southwick was tough, just struggled with the setting on this track in the morning, and then went in the wrong direction for the first moto.  In the second moto, we went back to my base settings, got a better start, felt more comfortable, and it was an improvement. Today wasn’t great overall, but my second moto finish in P8 was the best of the year so far. That was better, but there was still some inconsistency, so we’ll move onto RedBud and try to keep building.”

450 Round Results

450 Championship Points

250 Moto One

The first moto of the afternoon got underway with the red plate of Deegan’s Yamaha leading the field through the first turn for the holeshot over his rivals in Team Honda HRC’s Chance Hymas, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle. The clear track gave Deegan an early advantage that he took full advantage of as the point leader soon established a multi-second advantage over the field.

While Deegan continued to build on his lead Vialle was on the move forward. The Frenchman started the moto in fourth but rode a consistent pace that allowed him to work his way around both Kitchen and Hymas and secure second place. He faced a deficit of just over eight seconds with a little more than 10 minutes left in the moto and was able to ride faster lap times than Deegan, which allowed Vialle to gain ground on the lead. The gap between the top two closed to about five seconds before Deegan responded, emphatically, and pulled away to establish his largest lead of the moto.

Deegan went wire to wire and charged to his sixth moto win of the season by a margin of 15.3 seconds over Vialle. Hymas fended off a late challenge from Kitchen to secure third, while Triumph Racing’s Joey Savatgy rounded out the top five.

250 Moto One Results

250 Moto Two

The second moto started with each of the top five finishers from Moto 1 at the front of the field exiting the first turn, with Kitchen leading the way. However, a red flag for a downed rider necessitated a restart. When the gate dropped for the second time Kitchen once again put his Kawasaki out front for the holeshot, but Deegan went on the attack to take the lead from Kitchen with an aggressive pass. Behind them Vialle slotted into third, with Team Honda HRC’s Jo Shimoda in fourth.

As Deegan started to inch away from the field, Vialle put the pressure on Kitchen and was able to make the pass for second to give chase to Deegan. The Frenchman was able to close in and apply pressure on Deegan, who tucked his front tire and crashed out of the top spot. Vialle was forced to take evasive action but inherited the lead, while Shimoda and Kitchen followed through in second and third, respectively. Deegan remounted in sixth but made a quick pass to move back into the top five.

With the lead in hand, Vialle opened a lead of 4.5 seconds on the field as Deegan continued his recovery effort with a move into the top four and then engaged in a battle with Kitchen for third. Deegan waited for his opportunity and made an easy pass to break into the top three. Vialle was able to stabilize his hold of the lead through the majority of the moto, but Shimoda started to close in the closing minutes and got the gap to within three seconds as Deegan lurked a few additional seconds behind in third. As the pace increased up front Deegan responded and was able to catch Shimoda with two laps to go.

Soon the top three were separated by less than a second and Shimoda found himself alongside Vialle with a pass for the lead. Vialle and Deegan then engaged in a battle for second, still in pursuit of Shimoda out front. As they took the white flag the top three were within 1.5 seconds of one another. As Vialle looked to make a move on Shimoda he slid out and went down, which handed second to Deegan as Vialle remounted in third.

Shimoda closed out his first moto win of the season and his first with Team Honda HRC by a margin of 6.3 seconds over Deegan. Vialle settled for third.

250 Moto Two Results

250 Round

Deegan’s 1-2 finishes put him atop the overall standings for his fourth win of the season and the sixth win of his career, while Vialle’s late falter from first to third in the final moto relegated him to the runner-up spot (2-3). Shimoda’s Moto 2 triumph vaulted him onto the overall podium for the first time this season in third (9-1).

With another win to his credit Deegan added to his lead in the championship standings, which now sits at 42 points over Hymas, who finished fourth (3-5). Vialle is one additional point back in third, 43 behind Deegan.

Haiden Deegan – P1

“I look past those doubts [about riding in the sand]. I’m a motivated person and I’m willing to just put in the work. I was stalled out in third [in Moto 2], but then I saw those two guys [Shimoda and Vialle] and knew I had to dig deep at the end to try and make it happen. Tom went down and that’s what I needed for the [overall] win.”

Tom Vialle – P2

“I had a good first moto and when I got to second it was a big gap to the lead, but it was okay. In the second moto I was leading almost the whole race, before I got stuck a little bit with the lapped riders around three or four laps to go, so Jo [Shimoda] caught me really quick. I tried and really wanted to pass Jo again and fight for the win, but I crashed on the last lap – we were all pushing really hard, so it was a nice race anyway.”

Jo Shimoda – P3

“I crashed in the first moto and had to do a lot of work. I came out ok on the restart [in Moto 2] and just never gave up. Vialle was getting away from me, but I kept pushing. The last three laps were just insane, but I’m really happy to get the moto win.”

Pierce Brown – P9

“In the first moto I struggled, but we made some changes for Moto 2, and I felt a lot better. Unfortunately, I fell on the first lap and had to come back from 40th to 12th, so my riding was there, but obviously it didn’t show on paper. We don’t get sand like this in California, so it is hard to prep properly for this race – we’ll move onto RedBud and keep charging.”

Ryder DiFrancesco – P11

“Southwick was okay. It was an improvement from last year, I got a little bit better in the sand, but a mistake on the last lap cost me a couple of spots overall. It was a step in the right direction, we had two solid motos, and I’m ready for RedBud.”

Julien Beaumer – P24

“It was a tough first moto. I crashed in the first turn and then made a good comeback, but crashed late in the moto again and lost my goggles. In Moto 2, I made a bad start, then unfortunately got tagged by another rider as I went down, and was run over. I spent some time in the medical unit, but am happy to be healthy, so we will see the neurologist this week and see if we’re able to race next weekend.”

250 Round Results

250 Championship Points

Next Up

The 2024 Pro Motocross Championship will reach its halfway point over Independence Day weekend as Michigan’s legendary RedBud MX will kick off its second half century with the Bob The Cooler RedBud National on Saturday, July 6.