Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Casey Cochran took the win and the Supercross Futures AMA National Championship title in front of a sold-out Rice-Eccles Stadium crowd of 49,871 at the Supercross Championship Final Presented by Utah Sports Commission. GASGAS Fly Racing’s Mark Fineis earned the runner-up spot in the series that gives young racers valuable experience competing on professional Supercross tracks as part of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. SLR Honda Monster Energy’s Parker Ross earned the final spot on the podium on a track that challenged the young racers with difficult and slippery conditions.
When the gate dropped Motobros Aektiv’s Tyler Mollet grabbed the holeshot but when Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Daxton Bennick and Orange Brigade Factory KTM’s Julien Beaumer got into the top two spots the race looked like the match-up the fans were anticipating. The two racers had each earned two wins through the four qualifying rounds, yet no points were yet awarded toward the championship. With the season determined solely by the Utah race, Beaumer and Bennick raced aggressively, trading the lead twice while behind them Cochran quickly passed his way up into third place.
Just 40 seconds into the 6-minute plus one lap race Bennick cut under Beaumer, made contact, and took back the lead. In the following corner both riders went into the muddy bowl turn hot, and both lost traction and washed out their front ends. Without contact, the crashes looked nearly synchronized. Cochran cut down on the berm and took over the lead followed by Fineis and Ross. From there Cochran put down steady laps on the muddy track and inched away from the pack. The top three held their positions with Monster Energy Stan Benson Racing’s Slade Varola and VPE Triangle Cycles’ Bryce Shelly rounding out the top five at the finish.
Bennick and Beaumer charged back from outside the top ten. Bennick climbed back to sixth. Beaumer had another crash and carded 17th.
16-year-old Casey Cochran took the checked flag and the Supercross Futures AMA National Championship. Mark Fineis brought home second place, and Parker Ross earned third. The win for Cochran, after earning two seconds and two fourths in the previous 2023 rounds, was additionally rewarding as Cochran races amateur B class, as opposed to A class. His underdog victory bodes well for the young racer who is likely to return next year to defend his AMA National Championship title.
With the Supercross Futures title settled, the amateur racers look forward to the Amateur All-Star race coming this fall, a 10-minute plus one lap event taking place the SuperMotocross World Championship Final in Los Angeles, CA. The all-new post-season SuperMotocross format brings the world’s elite racers in off-road motorcycle racing together for two Playoffs and one Final. The new series will award a $1,000,000 and $500,000 win bonus to champions in each of the professional classes. With the growth of the sport’s purse payouts the Supercross Futures and Amateur All-Star Races are gaining importance, popularity, and competitiveness.
250SX Futures Class Results
- Casey Cochran, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna
- Mark Fineis, Westfield, Ind., GASGAS
- Parker Ross, Herald, Calif., Honda
- Slade Varola, Simi Valley, Calif., Kawasaki
- Bryce Shelly, Telford, Pa., Yamaha
- Daxton Bennick, Morganton, N.C., Yamaha
- Evan Ferry, Largo, Fla., Yamaha
- Jaxon Pascal, Hudson, Colo., Honda
- Tyler Mollet, Stuart, Fla., Husqvarna
- Lux Turner, Gardnerville, Nev., KTM