450 Class Recap: Ironman
Chase Sexton: First-year KTM athlete Chase Sexton became the 28th different 450 Class Champion, controlling the competition with 1-1 scores at Ironman. His 13th 450 Class overall ties him with Jeff Ward for 12th on the all-time list and his 29th AMA victory ties him with Kent Howerton for 24th all-time. Sexton is now one of 23 athletes to be a 4-time AMA Champion (1 450SX, 2 250SX, & 1 450 Class).
More on Sexton/KTMs 50th: Sexton was making his 50th 450 Class start and nailed his 31st podium and 49th top-10. He is looking to make his 175th career AMA start in the SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs and challenging for his 30th AMA victory. His 7 victories on the season give KTM 50 450 Class wins in their history after not scoring an overall from 2020-2023. It was KTM’s 4th 450 Class title (2012 & 2014-2015) and 5th Pro Motocross title (2003 250 Class).
Plessinger Gives KTM 1-2 Punch: In his first career 2-2 effort in 450 Class racing, Aaron Plessinger was able to cap off an incredible 450 Class round for Redbull KTM. He was able to seal 3rd place in the Championship with 9 moto podiums in the final 11 motos. Plessinger now holds 13 450 Class overall podiums in 51 starts, while holding 52 AMA podiums in 215 starts.
Notes: Eli Tomac (3rd) Nailed a podium after a 7th in his first round back last week. He has 72 450 Class podiums in 94 attempts, the second most all-time behind only Ricky Carmichael (84). Hunter Lawrence (4th) Came into the round as the only athlete with a long shot at the Championship but settled for runner-up in the title after a 4th overall. He scored a perfect 11/11 in top 5 overall finishes with nine podiums. Dean Wilson (14th) Made his 50th 450 Class start after making his 250th AMA start in the penultimate Budds Creek round. Jaxon Pascal (33rd) Nailed down his first career 450 Class and AMA start.
450 Class: Charlotte Market Historical Facts
History Lesson: The first round held in Charlotte was on August 7, 1977 at Metrolina Speedway, and was solely a 500 Class event. Bob Hannah scored the overall on his Yamaha with a 2-1 day. Metrolina Speedway never hosted a 450 Class round but would host the 500/125 Class in the following two seasons. Rick Burgett (1-1, Yamaha) and Mike Bell (2-1, Yamaha) won the 500 Class rounds in those. The first Premier Class round in Charlotte was on May 12, 1990 at Memorial Stadium, and Damon Bradshaw scorched the competition on a Yamaha.
Market History: Supercross hosted rounds in Charlotte’s Memorial Stadium and Charlotte Motor Speedway through 1998. Memorial Stadium, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Metrolina Speedway were the only venues to host rounds in North Carolina before racing returned 25 years later to the tar-heel state with the inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs last season, the 10th event held in the state. 2024 will be #11.
History Made: Concord’s zMax Dragway was site of the first ever SuperMotocross Playoff round last year and did not disappoint. Chase Sexton (HON) swept both motos to take a 12-point Championship lead over Jett Lawrence (HON) and Aaron Plessinger (KTM, 6th overall) going into the second round. Jett struggled to 7-2 scores for fourth overall but rebounded in the double-and-triple point rounds that followed to win the Championship. Ken Roczen (SUZ) went 3-3 for second place and Dylan Ferrandis (YAM) rounded off the podium with a 2-4 day.
Championship %: Charlotte/Concord 450 (SX and Playoffs) winners have won the title in 4/10 (40%) seasons. Jeremy McGrath pulled it off three times (1993 & 1995-1996) and is the only three-time winner in Charlotte’s history across all venues and classes. Chase Sexton was not able to win the SuperMotocross World Championship after his Playoff opening win in Concord.
Manufacturer Wins in Charlotte Market (Last Win)
- Honda: 6 (2023)
- Yamaha: 3 (1998)
- Kawasaki: 1 (1994)
Top Winners in Charlotte Market
- Jeremy McGrath: 3 (1993 & 1995-1996)
- Jean-Michel Bayle: 2 (1991-1992)
- Chase Sexton: 1 (2023)
- Damon Bradshaw: 1 (1990)
- Mike LaRocco: 1 (1994)
- Kevin Windham: 1 (1997)
- John Dowd: 1 (1998)
450 Class: First Time Winners in Charlotte Market
- Kevin Windham: 1998
- John Dowd: 1997
250 Class Recap: Ironman
Tom Vialle: The 250SX Eastern Regional Champion secured his first victory of the Pro Motocross season with a 1-4 ride in Indiana. He now has an overall win a piece in his first two 250 Class seasons to go along with nine podiums and 16 top-5s. Vialle was able to steal the runner-up spot in the Championship on the final moto of the season, due to Levi Kitchen’s 35th-place finish. He will be looking for his 45th AMA start in the Playoffs. The victory also capped an incredible day for KTM, as they swept the overalls and scored 1st and 2nd in the 450 Class. It was the 5th Pro Motocross sweep in KTM’s history, first one since Ironman in 2014, and only one that didn’t include Marvin Musquin (2014 Ironman- Musquin/Roczen, 2014 Washougal- Musquin/Dungey, 2013 Tennessee- Musquin/Dungey, & 2012 Unadilla- Musquin/Dungey).
Chance Hymas: Capped off a breakout season with a podium, the fourth of his short 250 Class career. He finishes fourth in the points after eight moto podiums and one overall victory. Honda holds a five-year streak with at least one 250 Class victory (2020-2024).
RJ Hampshire: The 250SX Class Western Regional Champion improved in each of his four 250 Class motos to end the season, the only four he was able to run due to an injury before the first round. After scoring a 9-8 in Budds Creek, Hampshire improved to 4-3 in Ironman. It was his 12th 250 Class podium in 102 attempts. He now has 34 in 172 AMA starts.
Notes: Haiden Deegan (4th) Fresh off clinching the 250 Class title, Deegan clipped the competition with a moto win in the final moto, his 10th of the season. It was his 20th 250 Class top-5 finish in 24 attempts. Jordon Smith (5th) Scored his first moto podium of the season and fifth top-5 overall finish of his 250 Class career. He was making his 50th career 250 Class start. Max Anstie (8th) Climbed to 15th in the final standings after missing the first four rounds. He is looking for his 100th AMA start in the Playoffs. Ken Roczen (9th) Made his first 250 Class start since a runner-up in the 2013 Lake Elsinore finale. The top-10 overall finish keeps his 100% top-10% clip alive at 25/25. Sebastian Racine (32nd) Scores his first 250 Class and AMA start after securing a fourth-place finish in the Canadian 250 Motocross Championship.
250 Class: Charlotte Market Historical Facts
History Lesson: The first 250 Class round held in Charlotte was on August 20, 1978 at Metrolina Speedway, and Gaylon Mosier swept the event on his Kawasaki. Broc Glover scored the title one round early with 5-3 moto results and a fourth overall. Mark Barnett (SUZ) won the overall in 1979’s 250 Class round at Metrolina.
Market History: Denny Stephenson won the first 250SX Class Charlotte Supercross round in 1990 at Memorial Stadium, where the series returned through 1995. Mickael Pichon and Ricky Carmichael stole the show at Charlotte Motor Speedway from 1996-1998. Jo Shimoda (KAW) made history last year with the first-ever 250 Class Playoff round victory, a 4-1 nail-biter over Tom Vialle (KTM). Haiden Deegan’s (YAM) 1-5 was enough to go into the second round with a tie for the Championship lead with Shimoda.
25 Rounds: The three 500 Class rounds, nine 450SX rounds, nine 250SX rounds, two 250 Class rounds, and last season’s two SMX Playoff rounds give the Charlotte Market 25 total rounds held between 1977-2023. 2024’s Playoff rounds are the 26th and 27th. Honda leads the way in combined brand wins: Honda- 9, Yamaha-7, Kawasaki- 6, Suzuki- 3.
Championship %: The winner of 250 Class racing in Charlotte/Concord has won their respective Championships in just 4/12 (33%) rounds. Combining all 25 rounds in the Charlotte Market, the winner has won their respective Championship in only 9/25 (36%) attempts. Like Sexton, Shimoda was unable to hold on to the Championship lead after his opening-round win.
Manufacturer Wins in Charlotte Market (Last Win)
- Kawasaki: 5 (2023)
- Honda: 3 (1995)
- Suzuki: 3 (1994)
- Yamaha: 1 (1992)
Top Winners in Charlotte Market
- Jimmy Button: 2 (1992 & 1994)
- Ricky Carmichael: 2 (1996 & 1998)
250 Class: First Time Winners in Charlotte Market
- Jimmy Button: 1992 (First 250SX Class win, formerly 125cc)
- Gaylon Mosier: 1978 (First 250 Class MX win, formerly 125cc)