Race Report: SuperMotocross World Championship Las Vegas

SuperMotocross World Championship – The Strip at The Las Vegas Motor Speedway Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Haiden Deegan secured his second consecutive 250SMX Championship. At the same time, Jett Lawrence claims the 450SMX World Championship for his 2nd year in a row.

Here is what shook down on the final race of the 2024 SMX World Championship series from The Strip at The Las Vegas Motor Speedway with race analysis, podium quotes, overall results, and series points:

The track was a true hybrid, with the front section having a Supercross feel while the back section had more of a Motocross feeling for the riders. A long rhythm section was challenging for the riders throughout the day's racing, and a tough track to pass. The riders had to be on their toes for this final round and during their first night race of the SMX Playoffs.

250SMX Moto 1

The first gate drop of the 2025 SuperMotocross World Championship saw reigning 250SMX Champion Haiden Deegan grab the holeshot, with Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Gas Gas's Pierce Brown in second and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Ty Masterpool running third. Second in championship points, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Tom Vialle slotted into fourth after the opening lap, followed by Team Honda HRC Progressives Jo Shimoda in fifth. Deegan struggled to break away from Brown in the early laps, while Vialle passed Masterpool for third after the rhythm section with 12 minutes remaining. Masterpool dropped to seventh as Shimoda pressured Vialle for the final podium spot.

At the halfway mark, Deegan stretched his lead to 3.4 seconds. With just three minutes left, he extended his advantage slightly, but a fierce battle brewed behind him for third, involving Vialle, Shimoda, Jordon Smith, and Levi Kitchen. Deegan made a few minor mistakes, allowing Brown to close the gap to 2.7 seconds. On the final lap, Brown cut the margin to 2.1 seconds, but Deegan held on for the win, followed by Brown in second and Vialle in third.

450SMX Moto 1

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Eli Tomac stormed out of the gate to grab the holeshot in the opening 450SMX moto, with Team Honda HRC Progressives Jett Lawrence and Hunter Lawrence hot on his heels. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Chase Sexton started outside the top five and was landed on by Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Gas Gas's Justin Barcia on the opening lap. This scenario injured Sexton's hand, and he was out for the night.

Tomac built a 2.5-second lead over Jett, but Jett found his rhythm through the motocross section, effortlessly navigating the rollers. As the race progressed, Jett began to close the gap, getting within two seconds with two minutes left on the clock. In a thrilling move, Jett scrubbed over the tunnel jump and went side-by-side with Tomac, taking the lead heading into the moto section.

Hunter Lawrence started to reel in Tomac, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Aaron Plessinger moved past Monster Energy Kawasaki's Jason Anderson, with Cooper Webb following suit. Jett took the win, with Tomac in second and Hunter rounding out the top three.

250SMX Moto 2

For the final 250SMX gate drop of the 2024 season, Ty Masterpool secured the holeshot, while Deegan was buried off the start but quickly recovered to move into sixth. Vialle ran second, Smith held third, and Brown passed Max Anstie for fourth. As Vialle challenged Masterpool for the lead, Anstie ran off the track and into the mechanics area, allowing Deegan to take fifth.

A few laps later Vialle was stalking and then hit Masterpool’s rear wheel and crashed, dropping to sixth. Deegan continued his charge, passing Smith for third as Brown moved into the lead after an inside pass on Masterpool. Deegan made several attempts to overtake Masterpool, eventually succeeding after the rhythm section, moving into second with seven minutes remaining. Brown maintained a 2.3-second lead, while Smith passed Masterpool for third. Despite a late charge from Deegan, Brown held on to win the moto.

Pierce Brown takes his career-first overall win in the final race of the Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Gas Gas team. Deegan’s second-place finish was enough to secure his second consecutive 250SMX Championship and $500,000 richer leaving Las Vegas.

Haiden Deegan: "Definitely super cool because I'm only 18. You know, three-time champ at 18 is definitely a gnarly goal knocked off the list. I definitely didn’t think I’d be in this position as fast as I am right now, but I have a good team around me, my family, so a lot of hard work and we’re moving."

Pierce Brown: "It was kind of like a dream day. This is TLD GasGas’ last race as a team, and I’ve been with the team my whole career, never knocked off a win for them. I waited until the last race with them, so it feels great."

Tom Vialle, 2nd in 250SMX World Championship: "Overall, it was a great season. I won Supercross, and Haiden beat me twice—the outdoor and SMX. The goal for next year is to work on that a little bit on the outdoor side and Supercross too. I still have one more race in two weeks, Des Nations, then I’ll take a little break."

450SMX Moto 2

The Lawrence brothers, Jett and Hunter, took control early, with Jett grabbing the holeshot and Hunter in second for the final 450SMX race of the season. Tomac slotted into third, followed by Plessinger and Webb. Hunter began to close in slightly on Jett at the halfway point, but Tomac held firm in third.

Jett cruised to the win, securing his 2nd 450SMX World Championship and the $1 million prize leaving Las Vegas. His back-to-back 450SMX title came down to a tie in points with Hunter, but Jett earned the overall crown thanks to his two overall wins throughout the playoff rounds.

Jett Lawrence: "Obviously, it means a lot for the team and the family. I think finishing out the outdoor season the way I did really stung and drove me to come back strong for this. It makes it even more special with Hunter and I going 1-2. That’s the hard part about this sport—you always want to see your brother do well, but in the end, the best man wins. I got a good start, and he was right there, so I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes."

Hunter Lawrence: "One of the goals I set before the season started was I wanted to be a contender every weekend... and I’m happy with that. I left it all on the track, and we just went hell for leather the whole time."

Eli Tomac: "It was a huge step forward for me just to be here and line up again. After the injury, I wasn’t sure what my future held, but being back at the races, feeling the adrenaline again, it’s where I belong. I wasn’t at 100%, but to come out and compete with these guys, especially with the level of talent here, it felt good. I’ll take this as a win in my book."