This week in US Powersports racing.

---

Chase Sexton Sweeps Again at Spring Creek to Extend Lead in Pro Motocross Championship

MILLVILLE, Minn. (July 13, 2024) – The second half of the 2024 Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, officially got underway on Saturday with the series’ annual visit to the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” and the dynamic layout of legendary Spring Creek MX Park. The FXR Spring Creek National Presented by Frescados Tortillas signified Round 7 of the summer campaign, where high humidity and temperatures in the mid-80’s gave way to late thunderstorms to present arguably the most challenging race conditions of the season. In the 450 Class, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton further asserted his ascension to the top of the division with a second straight sweep of the motos, one week after he moved atop the championship standings. In the 250 Class, a season already filled with memorable performances added another as Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen broke through for his first career Pro Motocross victory following a 1-1 effort.

450 Class

Moto 1

The opening moto of the afternoon saw the field emerge from the longest start straight on the schedule with the Team Honda HRC of Hunter Lawrence at the head of the pack ahead of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Aaron Plessinger and Sexton, with the Monster Energy Kawasaki of Jason Anderson in fourth. From there the top four settled into their respective positions through the opening 10 minutes.

After biding his time for the opening period of the moto, Sexton started to pick up his intensity and was able to make a pass on Plessinger for second, which put the points leader just a few bike lengths behind Lawrence. The championship rivals traded momentum, showing strength at different points on the track, which allowed Lawrence to manage a lead hovering around one second. Their battle heated up at the halfway point, but Lawrence kept Sexton at bay. However, the KTM rider persisted and was able to get a run going up the 500-foot Mount Martin that allowed him to make the pass. Lawrence battled back, but Sexton completed the pass on the downside of the hill.

Once out front, Sexton was able to build a comfortable gap over Lawrence and the rest of the field, eventually surpassing 10 seconds. He brought home his sixth moto win of the season, and his fourth in a row, by 10.1 seconds over Lawrence. Plessinger finished solidly in third, while Anderson and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper rounded out the top five.

Moto 2

The second and deciding moto got underway with the Yamaha of Cooper out front ahead of Lawrence and Anderson, while Sexton narrowly avoided going down and found himself outside the top five. Cooper withstood early pressure from Lawrence to establish his hold of the lead and led to the top three settling in. Meanwhile, Sexton bided his time in fifth after Plessinger went down in front of his teammate. Sexton then took fourth from Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis.

As the first 10 minutes of the moto wound down, Lawrence began to push the pace and apply pressure on the lead. Behind them, Sexton made the pass on Anderson for third and was the fastest rider on the track. Soon enough the battle for the lead became a three-rider affair as Sexton joined Lawrence and Cooper. Lawrence sensed the moment and muscled his way by Cooper to take the lead right at the halfway point of the moto. Sexton then went to work for second and made the pass on Cooper to set the stage for another head-to-head battle with Lawrence.

The pace of the leaders increased dramatically, which allowed them to sprint away from the field. Sexton was patient and made his move count, seizing control of the moto with 10 minutes to go. Once in the lead, Sexton sprinted out to a three-second advantage that he continued to build on. As Sexton distanced himself from the field Lawrence found himself in a battle for second with Cooper.

Heavy rains came on the final lap, but the championship leader put the finishing touches on a sweep of the motos by 12.9 seconds over Lawrence, who withstood Cooper’s late charge.

Overall

Sexton’s second straight 1-1 outing secured his third win of the season and the ninth victory of his career. Lawrence’s 2-2 performance placed him in the runner-up spot and continued the unblemished podium streak to open his 450 Class career, which now stands at seven. Cooper’s strong second moto landed him on the overall podium for the second time in the premier division in third (5-3), earning a tiebreaker over Plessinger.

Sexton’s back-to-back sweeps have now placed him 13 points ahead of Lawrence in the championship standings with four rounds remaining. Cooper remains third, 61 points behind Sexton.

1st: Chase Sexton, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (1-1)

“These last two races I’ve been wanting to capitalize on. I’ve been sluggish in the middle of the season [previously] so I’ve been focusing on turning that around. I got a decent start [in Moto 2] and the track was in better shape, and that allowed me to get a really good flow. It’s been fun and I want to keep this going.”

2nd: Hunter Lawrence, Team Honda HRC (2-2)

“I was [tired] and Chase [Sexton] has been riding unreal all day today. I tried to make it tough on him, but he was like a freight train. It’s been a tough day today and we’re working through it. It’s my job to give 100% and that’s what I did today.”

3rd: Justin Cooper, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (5-3)

“We put on a paddle tire for Moto 2 and that made the difference [on the start]. I sprinted as hard as I could through halfway, but those guys got me. I settled down a bit and made another run at the end and was able to get close to Hunter [Lawrence]. We’ll take the podium and move forward.”

450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish // Points)

1. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., KTM (1-1 // 50)
2. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (2-2 // 44)
3. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (5-3 // 37)
4. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (3-5 // 37)
5. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki (4-4 // 36)
6. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Honda (6-6 // 32)
7. Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Husqvarna (7-7 // 30)
8. Phil Nicoletti, Cochecton, N.Y., Yamaha (9-8 // 27)
9. Harri Kullas, Tallinn, Estonia, KTM (10-12 // 22)
10. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Husqvarna (8-15 // 21)

450 Class Championship Standings (Round 7 of 11)

1. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., KTM – 310
2. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 297
3. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 249
4. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM – 239
5. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki – 221
6. Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 210
7. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Honda – 204
8. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Husqvarna – 185
9. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., GASGAS – 148
10. Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Husqvarna – 136

250 Class

Moto 1

The first moto saw point leader and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider Haiden Deegan edge out Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rookie Casey Cochran for the MotoSport.com Holeshot. The prime track position allowed Deegan to assert his hold on the early lead while Cochran lost multiple positions to Kitchen, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle and the Team Honda HRC duo of Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas.

Deegan enjoyed a firm grasp of the lead through the opening minutes of the moto but lost traction in a rut and tipped over, which allowed both Kitchen and Vialle to move into first and second, respectively, while Deegan remounted in third. Out front, the clear track allowed Kitchen to establish a multi-second advantage over Vialle, but as the moto surpassed the halfway mark Kitchen had a quick tip over, which allowed Vialle to close onto the rear fender of the Kawasaki. Meanwhile, Shimoda was able to pass Deegan for third.

Shimoda soon became the fastest rider on the track and it allowed him to make an easy pass on Vialle through the sand whoops and set his sights on Kitchen, who had reestablished his advantage. The Honda rider inched closer and closer to Kitchen inside the final 10 minutes and soon a battle unfolded for the moto win, which also allowed Vialle to close in from third. As the lead duo encountered heavy lapped traffic it allowed Kitchen to gain some breathing room.

With two minutes to go the top four all increased their pace, as a push from Deegan in fourth saw the lead group tighten up once again. Vialle surged with two laps to go and made the pass on Shimoda for second, which brought the top three within two seconds of one another. Deegan then caught Shimoda off guard with a pass for third, but Shimoda battled back to reclaim the position. Deegan moved into third once more as they took the white flag.

Back out front, Kitchen captured his first moto win of the season, and the fourth of his career, by 1.5 seconds over Vialle, with Deegan a close third. Shimoda settled for fourth, with Hymas a distant fifth.

Moto 2

The final moto was delayed briefly for weather, but once the gate dropped it was Deegan who led the field into the first turn. Unfortunately, contact with Hymas took the point leader down along with several other riders, including Shimoda. Out front, Cochran grabbed the MotoSport.com Holeshot, followed by Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Daxton Bennick and Vialle. Kitchen also positioned himself in the lead group, but misfortune early caused him to drop outside the top five. Further back, Deegan resumed deep in the field with exhaust damage to his Yamaha, but was able to move forward and break into the top 20 within the first handful of minutes. As a result of the incident, Hymas was forced to retire from the moto, while Shimoda needed his motorcycle tended to in the mechanics area and was ultimately unable to finish..

Out front, Cochran took full advantage of the clear track and opened a lead of more than five seconds on the field. Vialle looked to move forward and attempt a pass on Bennick, but lost control of his motorcycle and went down, ultimately remounting in eighth. He was later forced to come into the mechanics area for new goggles and made another stop deeper in the moto in need of attention for his KTM. Kitchen, meanwhile, continued to rebound from his early trouble and found himself third, closing in on Bennick for second. The Kawasaki rider made the pass a little more than 10 minutes into the moto.

Bennick continued to lose positions, as Toyota Redlands/BarX Suzuki’s Dilan Schwartz moved into third briefly before giving way to Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Max Anstie. Back up front, Kitchen erased the deficit to Cochran and started to apply pressure with a little more than 10 minutes to go. The rookie fended off several pass attempts by Kitchen, but the Moto 1 winner moved into the top spot with a little more than 5 minutes remaining.

As Kitchen appeared to have the moto in hand, the attention shifted to Deegan and an impressive come-from-behind effort riding a compromised Yamaha. The point leader kept his head down and continued to gain positions, breaking into the top five as time ran out on the moto. He then made a pass on Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco for fourth.

Back up front, Kitchen finished strong to wrap up his first-ever sweep of the motos, taking the checkered flag 21.7 seconds ahead of Cochran, who completed the single best moto of his young career in second. Anstie finished third, just ahead of a hard-charging Deegan in fourth.

Overall

Kitchen’s first career Pro Motocross victory came in emphatic fashion with a 1-1 performance and makes him the 94th different rider in history to capture a 250 Class victory. He’s also the third different rider to achieve that feat this season alone. Deegan’s resiliency paid off with a runner-up finish (3-4), while Cochran became the newest face on the overall podium in third (9-2).

Deegan’s ability to fend off what could have been a difficult afternoon in the points chase allowed him to see his championship advantage grow further, now 51 points clear of Kitchen, who made a huge move from fifth to second in the standings with the win. Vialle, who finished seventh (2-17), remains third, 54 points out of the lead.

1st: Levi Kitchen, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki (1-1)

“It’s been a bit of a struggle [to start the season] and people quickly forget when you’re not up there [battling for wins]. I’ve been working really hard and trying to get back to where I belong. The last moto was fun because you could really ride around on the track and just had to be patient. It feels great to get this done.”

2nd: Haiden Deegan, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (3-4)

“Chance [Hymas] came down and tried to get the edge off the start, next thing I know I flipped over and had to kick my exhaust back into place. This was the time to show I got that dog in me. I sent that all the way to the end. P2 and I’m pretty stoked about that.”

3rd: Casey Cochran, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (9-2)

“I can’t explain the feelings right now. I got a great holeshot [in Moto 2] and got a good lead. I’m just shocked. I crossed the finish in second and I’m stoked that I got third overall. It’s just an unreal feeling.”

250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

1. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki (1-1 // 50)
2. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (3-4 // 38)
3. Casey Cochran, Portsmouth, Va., Husqvarna (9-2 // 35)
4. Max Anstie, Newbury, England, Yamaha (7-3 // 35)
5. Dilan Schwartz, El Cajon, Calif., Suzuki (10-6 // 28)
6. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., GASGAS (12-5 // 27)
7. Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM (2-17 // 27)
8. Ty Masterpool, Paradise, Texas, Kawasaki (8-10 // 26)
9. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Yamaha (6-13 // 25)
10. Julien Baumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM (15-8 // 21)

250 Class Championship Standings (Round 7 of 11)

1. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 314
2. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 263
3. Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM – 260
4. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda – 251
5. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Kawasaki – 231
6. Ty Masterpool, Paradise, Texas, Kawasaki – 214
7. Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS – 162
8. Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Triumph – 159
9. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Yamaha – 149
10. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., GASGAS – 147

The 2024 Pro Motocross Championship will continue next Saturday, July 20, with a return to the West Coast and the scenic Pacific Northwest. Washington’s famed Washougal MX Park will host a Military Appreciation Race at the MotoSport.com Washougal National Presented by Peterson CAT for Round 8 of the season, which will feature a one-hour network showcase of 450 Class Moto 1 on NBC at 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET. Additionally, Peacock will carry live streaming coverage of the event from start to finish, beginning with Race Day Live Presented by MotoSport.com at 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET, followed by uninterrupted moto coverage starting at 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET.

---

Jacobsen Over Scholtz In Supersport, Wyman Tops Mission King Of The Baggers

For the majority of Saturday’s Supersport race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, it appeared as though Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was closing in on his seventh race win of the season. But Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen had other ideas.

With just a few laps to go in the race, Scholtz was circulating about as comfortably as you can with a lead that was always just a bit under a second. But things changed in the Corkscrew when the South African encountered a lapped rider right in the middle of the track. Scholtz made his way through, but Jacobsen was suddenly locked in on his rear wheel.

On the next lap, Jacobsen made an unexpected move in turn six, a corner not known as a passing spot. From there he put his head down and gapped Scholtz, who started making mistakes while trying to close back in on the New Yorker.

N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis made a return to the podium with his third-place finish, his first since the Barber Motorsports round back in May.

Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis ended up forth, just a second clear of TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott’s miserable season continued as a mechanical problem knocked him out of the race before it even started. Scott is the only rider other than Scholtz and Jacobsen to win a Supersport race in 2024.

“I was sitting behind him for most of the race,” Jacobsen said. “I felt quite comfortable, but our pace I thought was very good. We were consistently doing 27.0 to 26.8. It was always one, two tenths. You’re going around Laguna, one or two tenths every lap is a lot. So, to make a small mistake or if you get backing in, or a small movement from the rear coming off the corner, let the other guy get away quickly. So, I feel like it kind of shows here a bit more at Laguna when you make a mistake because we’re so close in the lap times. So, it’s very difficult. We’re on the edge and the lap time is just consistently the same. But when that guy went down the Corkscrew, he kind of backed up (Mathew) Scholtz back to me. I feel like I was there, but then it seemed like I don’t know if he slowed down at that point because of grip issues or what, or if I went faster. I’m not really sure, but it seemed like I was able to then latch onto him again. Then I saw the whole race at turn six that he was struggling quite a bit. Now he knows for tomorrow. But it was a great overtake. The last two laps when I passed him, I felt like I just had to push. But I didn’t have too much grip, either. I feel like he was really killing me off of that turn two. So, we have to work on that as a team tonight, and also the last corner as well. Just too much spin off the bike. So, we need to go back and do our homework. They’ll do their homework. I’m sure the race pace will be even a bit faster tomorrow and even another crazy race.”

Stock 1000 – Gillim Bounces Back

Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim didn’t get the start he was hoping for, but he certainly got the finish he wanted as he bounced back from a fourth-place start to take his fifth win of the Stock 1000 season.

Starting second on the grid, Gillim was fourth into turn one and he had work to do. He was helped a bit by OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe when the polesitter ran wide in turn two on the third lap. Gillim wasted little time in keeping the hammer down and he took the lead from Motorsport Exotica’s Andrew Lee shortly thereafter. From there he never looked back.

Gillim’s championship rival Uribe managed to finish second after fending off what ended up being a four-rider battle for third place early on, but it allowed Gillim to gain five more points in the title chase. The Kentuckian now leads Uribe by 11 points heading into the season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park in September.

Third ended up going to BPR Racing’s Bryce Prince with his third podium of the season ending a four-race streak without finishing in the top three. Prince had struggled at the past two rounds at Brainerd International Raceway and Ridge Motorsports Park, two tracks he’d never seen, and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was a welcome sight for the Californian. He was able to pass Lee late in the race to take the spot.

With Lee fourth, FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith rounded out the top five.

“I definitely didn’t,” Gillim said of not getting the start he wanted. “This year has been great with starts. I’ve been getting really great starts. I holeshotted a few. I think I was just too antsy and wanted to try and get a good start and try and get to the front if I could. There was a little bit longer light than I was expecting it to be, so then by the time the lights started going off, I had kind of blown my wad a little bit. Gave ourselves a little bit of work. It was good. The bike, we made some changes from this morning. The bike is a lot different from what it was at the Ridge. We’re kind of back to where we were at Brainerd, setup-wise. We’ve just been chasing some chatter and haven’t been able to get away from it. It got better in the race, but we’re trying everything. Then I’m struggling with rear grip coming out of turn two, three, four. Just spinning the thing up. Struggling on dries a little bit. So, it was tough to make the passes. Luckily for me, Jayson (Uribe) ran wide the one lap into turn two and I was able to get by him. Then that lap, I got a good run out of six on Andrew and made the pass into the Corkscrew. It took them a little bit to get by Andrew and I was able to get a little bit of a gap. Then the last five laps or so, that gap came down pretty quick from me to Jayson. He made me push a lot harder than I wanted to at the end of the race, especially with having crashed a few of the last races.”

Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman In Control

The Mission King Of The Baggers Championship returned to the track where the hugely popular race series began in 2021: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Saturday’s final qualifying and three-lap Challenge portended things to come as Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman earned the pole with a record lap and won the $5000 in the winner-take-all dash for cash. Wyman was having a good day. Then, it got even better. The New Yorker notched his fifth win of the year and his 25th all-time AMA/MotoAmerica victory of his career with a dominant start-to-finish performance where he was never headed.

Wyman’s win enabled him to leap-frog over championship leader Troy Herfoss and take the points lead. Herfoss crashed his S&S/Indian Motorcycle and, while he managed to get back in the race, he finished 11th.

Rounding out the podium were RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines teammates Rocco Landers and Hayden Gillim with young upstart Landers taking advantage of a late-race bobble by veteran Gillim to overtake him and finish second to Gillim’s third-place result.

“We’ve done a really nice job this week,” Wyman said. “The whole team has worked super hard to get me comfortable and keep chipping away at it. Try to start fast and continue from there. It’s been really good. I haven’t had a race like this this year, where I could get out front and control the pace like I have in years past. So, it feels really, really good to get that kind of up my sleeve for 2024. It’s definitely confidence-inspiring to go wire to wire. That’s the kind of momentum I want to carry on throughout the rest of the season and just be smart about it and have a plan and be patient. That’s where my approach is, at the moment.”

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – O’Hara Finally

Although it’s somewhat hard to believe, defending Mission Super Hooligan National Championship Champion Tyler O’Hara had yet to win a race in 2024 when the series rolled on to the Monterey Peninsula. But that streak was snapped on Saturday with his first victory of the season coming at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

The race was wild and somewhat sloppy with five riders battling for victory with that win ultimately going to O’Hara and his S&S/Indian FTR by .206 of a second over Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson’s Cory West after a ferocious last-lap battle.

KWR Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Schultz earned his second podium of the season with his third-place finish on his Pan America. Schultz had put a hard pass on O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss in the final corner that also allowed Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson’s Jake Lewis to beat the Australian to the flag.

“These short races, they kept getting shorter and shorter,” O’Hara said. “We kept going. We kept doing restarts and red flag. Trying to take care of my clutch and not fire the clutch. Just get out there and get out front and control the pace. Having a plan in these races doesn’t work. You got to just use your instinct and go for it. We got our strengths. To be honest, I feel like the bike is running awesome. It can turn on a dime. I can put it anywhere I want. I got a string of podiums. I’m scoring points. I got a lot of momentum right now. I’m really enjoying riding. I’m working with my passion and I’m enjoying it. I’ve also been working my ass off, too. My team has been working really hard as well, and they deserve this. I think we put in the effort. This one is my team. Shout out to my dad. It’s his birthday. He’s been battling the flu and some stuff, so he couldn’t make it. He’s my biggest fan. He has always believed in me and supports me. That’s a big part of racing is the support system away from the track. It’s been a while since I won. I’ve had to dig deep and work for this. These guys made a big step this year. It’s a lot of fun. Cory (West) is an awesome guy to race with. We race each other hard. We race each other clean. We’re rubbing, but rubbing is racing. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I enjoy it. To get the trophy from Scott Parker (multi-time AMA Grand National Champion) is special. I named my first son after Scott Parker – Parker O’Hara. So that was the icing on the cake. Get a picture with Wayne. My whole SNS Cycle, Indian Motorcycle team, Mission Foods, everybody that supports us. Paul Langley, thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity five years ago when we came here on the King of the Baggers and prolonged my career. I’m really enjoying it. I’m really hungry. We had a lot of adversity this weekend in the other class. We’re just going to keep fighting. We never give up. It’s a long season. I think he was having some issues with his bike off the start. I don’t know what was going on. I saw him working on it during the red flag. His bike kind of intermittent was missing shifts or something. I kind of didn’t want to follow him really because it was intermittent. But they made a big step, and it makes it fun. Two manufacturers, three, four manufacturers going for it. The depth is there. But I think we’ve worked really hard for this, and I think we deserve it.”

PJ Jacobsen (15) came out on top of a battle with Mathew Scholtz in Supersport action from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Hayden Gillim (1) won the Stock 1000 class on Saturday over Jayson Uribe. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Kyle Wyman (33) leads the Mission King Of The Baggers race over the hill and into turn two with Hayden Gillim (1) and the rest giving chase. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

The Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race gets going with Jake Lewis (85) and Cory West (13) leading the way. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Saturday photos available HERE

Saturday results:

Supersport
Stock 1000
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship
Mission King Of The Baggers

Complete practice, qualifying and race results are available HERE.

---

Beaubier Wins His Fourth, Title Chase Tightens Even More At Laguna Seca

If you thought the points race in the 2024 MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Championship was close coming into the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca round, turns out you were wrong. Now it’s close.

How does three points separating the top three sound? That’s what we have with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin now atop the championship by one point over Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne, who in turn is just one point ahead of his teammate Cameron Petersen.

So, who among those three won Saturday’s first of two Steel Commander Superbike races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca? None of them.

The win went to five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier, the rider who is trying to claw back the most points on the lead group in the championship after missing several rounds with a broken heel.

On Saturday, Beaubier was dominant and claw back he did. Going into today’s race, Beaubier trailed Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong by 55 points. Following his fourth win of the season today, Beaubier now trails Herrin by 41 points.

Beaubier beat Herrin to the line by 1.1 seconds, though the margin was much bigger before the slow down and celebration in the final few corners.

Herrin had his hands full with Petersen for most of the race, but the South African had jumped the start and incurred a five-second penalty. Thus, Herrin was never in any real danger of losing the spot. The second place was Herrin’s sixth podium of the season, and it moved him into the points lead, albeit by just a point.

Petersen rode hard and it was enough to give him third place, despite the five-second penalty. At the finish he was seven seconds behind Herrin and some three seconds clear of EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly with the Floridian also fighting through after incurring a five-second jump start penalty.

Somehow Gagne and his arm-pump issues managed a top-five finish as the three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion continues to garner points despite his physical condition. He is planning on getting surgery following the Laguna Seca weekend. Through all of this, Gagne is just a point behind Herrin in the title battle.

Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was sixth, less than a second behind Gagne and well clear of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Xavi Forés, who barely beat his teammate Brandon Paasch to the finish line.

Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis was ninth and the winner of the Superbike Cup, a class within a class for Stock 1000 spec bikes. Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates rounded out the top 10 and was second in the Superbike Cup.

Notables not finishing the race were Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach and Wrench Motorcycles’ Fong with both riders crashing out in separate incidents. Fong suffered the most as he lost the lead in the championship and now trails Herrin by 11 points.

Earlier in the day, Beaubier earned pole position with a new lap record in Q2 of 1:22.556 to break Herrin’s record from 2018.

Herrin leads the title chase with 169, followed by Gagne with 168 and Petersen with 167 points. Fong is fourth with 158, 26 more than Baz. Beaubier is sixth with 128 points, eight ahead of Kelly.

Superbike Race 1

1. Cameron Beaubier (BMW)
2. Josh Herrin (Ducati)
3. Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
4. Sean Dylan Kelly (BMW)
5. Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
6. Loris Baz (Ducati)
7. Xavi Forés (Suzuki)
8. Brandon Paasch (Suzuki)
9. Danilo Lewis (BMW)
10. Ashton Yates (Honda)

Quotes

Cameron Beaubier – Winner

“To be honest, I’m pretty tired. The last month has been a roller coaster, from breaking my heel and flying straight down to Dr. Brian to get it fixed, then watching these guys race at Brainerd and just knowing how good we started the season and how good I was feeling on the bike and how hard the team has been working to just see it thrown away in front of me. It was pretty tough. Like I said before, I saw the points going into Ridge and I felt like if I could just go get a couple points there, we could be in contention towards the end of the year, just with how the way everything is shaking out. But yesterday felt amazing – just to ride the bike like I know how to ride it. I can ride at 100 percent, I can push. I feel good. Yeah, I’m definitely struggling a little bit with my fitness because I haven’t done anything in the past month. I’ve ridden the bicycle a couple times and been to the gym a couple times, but definitely not my normal program. It feels amazing to get this today.”

Josh Herrin – Second Place

“I saw him (Cameron Petersen) and SDK (Sean Dylan Kelly) creep at the beginning, but I just saw plus whatever it was on the board. For some reason I thought I saw plus 2.5, which wouldn’t have made sense because he had a five-second penalty. I don’t know. I was just in my head like, ‘what’s going on?’ I had a feeling that that’s what it was from, but I was trying to shake my head at him to just let me focus on what I got to do in front of me instead of what’s behind me. I knew he was there no matter what. It’s not like I’m going to slow down. I raced here last year with a broken ankle, so I know it’s a difficult track for your ankle and obviously just your foot in general. So, I just kept pushing as hard as I could, just in case something happened at the end and he (Beaubier) started fading a little bit, that I was there. I didn’t want to worry about what my gap was to the guy behind me. But he never got it and it just stayed plus five. But I figured, about halfway through I’m like, that must be what it’s for. Like I said, every time Cam (Petersen) went by me, I just would fight right back just in case I could make some way on Beaubier at the front, but he was just riding too good today, so it wasn’t possible. Just hoping that tomorrow can be a little bit better.”

Cameron Petersen – Third Place

“Yeah, I knew straightaway. As the lights went out, I knew I jump-started. I saw my number up on the yellow board. I kind of figured what was going on. Josh (Herrin) did have some really good pace at the end there. I was kind of struggling to hold onto the back of him. I had a few big moments right there and then because I knew even if I did make the pass, it wouldn’t have changed anything. I just kind of decided to settle down a little bit. At the same time, I kind of chilled for a couple laps. Then I remembered, I still got to beat the guys by five seconds behind me. So, I put my head down again. But they held the lights for a long, long time and SDK (Sean Dylan Kelly) just crept next to me and I kind of went off of his movement. But, stoked to be back up on the podium. Hopefully, we don’t do the same stupid mistake tomorrow.”

Cameron Beaubier (6) got the jump on the field, including Cameron Petersen (45) and Josh Herrin (2), and led every lap of Saturday’s Steel Commander Superbike race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Josh Herrin beat Cameron Petersen to finish second. Herrin leads the Steel Commander Superbike Championship by a single point. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Miguel Duhamel (far left) joined Josh Herrin, Cameron Beaubier and Cameron Petersen on the podium. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Saturday photos available HERE

Saturday results:

Superbike 

Complete practice, qualifying and race results are available HERE.

---

Ducati North America and Warhorse HSBK Racing Extend Partnership through 2029

Ducati North America (DNA) is proud to announce the renewal of its partnership with Warhorse HSBK Racing as the exclusive U.S. Superbike Factory-Supported Team in the MotoAmerica Superbike championship series. This renewed agreement ensures that Warhorse HSBK Racing will continue to receive specialized technical assistance from Ducati, promoting the Ducati brand and its products through its racing activities.

The partnership between Ducati North America and Warhorse HSBK Racing began in 2020 using the Panigale V4 R in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.  Since 2020, Warhorse HSBK Racing has achieved several historical victories, including two Daytona 200 wins (2023, 2024) and two Supersport Champions titles (2022, 2023).

“Ducati North America is proud to continue our partnership with Warhorse HSBK Racing as the team and its leadership share a passion for developing and winning Superbike racing in the U.S.,” said Jason Chinnock, Chief Executive Officer at Ducati North America. “This collaboration not only strengthens our presence in the MotoAmerica Superbike championship series but also showcases the exceptional performance of our Panigale V4 R motorcycle. We look forward to many more successful seasons together.”

Under this partnership, Warhorse HSBK Racing will continue to utilize the Ducati Panigale V4 R to maintain its competitive edge in the MotoAmerica Superbike championship series. To further support Warhorse HSBK Racing, Ducati Corse provides the team with a Chief Engineer to provide specialized technical assistance, ensuring the team maximizes the potential of the Ducati Panigale V4 R bikes.

“Our relationship with Warhorse HSBK Racing has been very successful since its beginning over three years ago, and we are very happy about the extended agreement with them. Working with a professional team in MotoAmerica is crucial to the development of our motorcycle racing activities in the USA,” said Paolo Ciabatti, General Manager of Ducati Corse Off-Road and responsible for the main national SBK Championships for Ducati. “This team is very well organized, has great technical competence, and knows how to push the bike to victories, together with the direct support of Ducati Corse.”

This contract renewal underscores Ducati North America’s commitment to supporting Warhorse HSBK Racing and the MotoAmerica Superbike championship series. The partnership will remain in effect through the 2029 racing season.

---

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA ROOKIE CASEY COCHRAN STARS WITH SPRING CREEK 250MX PODIUM

Teenage rookie Casey Cochran has claimed a spectacular first-career podium finish at the Spring Creek National, leading the majority of 250MX Moto 2 this afternoon on his way to a P2 finish, which resulted in third position overall in a breakout ride at Round 7 of the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

After qualifying in ninth position, 18-year-old Cochran matched that result in the opening encounter on his Husqvarna FC 250 Rockstar Edition. It was another encouraging effort well inside the top 10, but his best was yet to come in Moto 2.

Following a serious amount of rainfall before gate-drop, it was the second outing that Cochran really made his mark in, leading for more than half race distance and eventually bringing it home in P2. That placed the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing revelation a well-earned third overall and he’s now 11th in the point standings.

“I can’t even explain the feelings right now!” Cochran said. “I got a great start, amazing first laps, got a good lead, and I was just shocked… I’m looking back, like, ‘Where did everyone go?’. To cross the finish second, I was stoked, and then to come in third overall, it’s an unreal feeling. All the hard work is paying off, so I’m ready to keep building and to keep progressing.”

Both Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing 450MX riders, Christian Craig and Malcolm Stewart, raced to top 10 finishes on their Husqvarna FC 450 Rockstar Edition machinery in Millville, led by Craig in P7 and Stewart in 10th place overall.

Craig was impressive throughout the weekend at the Spring Creek National, setting the sixth-fastest lap-time in qualifying. He started strongly in the races and managed seventh-place results across both motos, which placed him seventh overall. Craig is currently 10th in the premier class standings.

“Today started off good with my best qualifying all season,” commented Craig. “All-in-all, I got better starts, was riding better all-round, and stayed off the ground. We put in two solid motos for my best finish of the season so far – I can’t be mad, but we’re always striving for more.”

As for Stewart, he qualified eighth and then scored P8 in Moto 1, before having to settle for a 15th-place finish in the final race, which saw heavy rain arrive in the closing stages. The end result was 10th overall in his full-time return to the outdoors, still ranked eighth in the series with four rounds remaining.

“I actually had fun today,” Stewart recalled. “First moto, I went down, but made a lot of passes for eighth and that was great. Second moto, not a terrible start, and then I got together with another rider. I put a hard charge on, went down again, and – I’ll be honest – I kind of gassed myself out at that point. It’s part of racing when you’re on the edge and getting going again. We’ll take what we got and learn, so I’m looking forward to getting back to Washougal next.”

Next Race: July 20 – Washougal, Washington

Results 450MX Class – Spring Creek National
1. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
3. Justin Cooper (USA), Yamaha
4. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
7. Christian Craig (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
10. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing

Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 7 of 11 rounds
1. Chase Sexton, 310 points
2. Hunter Lawrence, 297
3. Justin Cooper, 249
4. Aaron Plessinger, 239
8. Malcolm Stewart, 185
9. Justin Barcia, 148
10. Christian Craig, 136

Results 250MX Class – Spring Creek National
1. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki
2. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
3. Casey Cochran (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
6. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), GASGAS
7. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
10. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
14. Pierce Brown (USA), GASGAS

Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 7 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 314 points
2. Levi Kitchen, 263
3. Tom Vialle, 260
7. Pierce Brown, 162
10. Ryder DiFrancesco, 147
11. Casey Cochran, 137
12. Julien Beaumer, 128

---

CHASE SEXTON EXTENDS 450MX ADVANTAGE WITH SPRING CREEK NATIONAL SWEEP

 Current 450MX Class points leader Chase Sexton has extended his advantage in the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship following a commanding 1-1 performance at the Spring Creek National, making it five moto wins in succession for a third overall victory of the season.

After qualifying in fourth position, Sexton was unmatched on his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION in sweeping both motos this afternoon. He climbed from third position in the early stages of Moto 1 to take over the lead just after halfway and go on to win by 10.130s at race’s end.

In the second outing he was P6 as lap one was completed, again storming to the front of the field by lap 10, and taking the checkered flag 12.919s clear of the chasing pack just as heavy rain began to fall. In claiming his seventh race victory of the year and back-to-back overalls, Chase now has a margin of 13 points at the top of the points table following Round 7 of 11.

Chase Sexton: “These last two races, I really wanted to capitalize on, because in the past I’ve been sluggish in the middle of the season, so I have been focused on keeping the momentum going. I had a pretty good start in both motos, just got pushed wide in the second one, so had some work to do. Overall though, I had a really good flow, the track felt a lot better in that final moto for me, and I was able to put in some good laps. Thanks to the whole group behind me – this is fun, so let’s keep it going!”

Spring Creek was also kind to premier class teammate Aaron Plessinger, qualifying directly behind Sexton in P5, and then putting in a solid ride to third place in the opening race. Despite an early crash in Moto 2, he charged from as far back as eighth to fifth position, which sealed P4 overall for the weekend, and he has moved forward to fourth in the championship.

Aaron Plessinger: “Millville started off really awesome. Moto 1, I got off to a great start and Chase went around me, then I kind of just stayed in third. Second moto, we got a mid-pack start and I was riding so good, but unfortunately, I lost the back-end around one of the corners and lost a few positions. I got back up and was on it again, before I kind of hit a wall there towards the end. I wish I could have caught those guys, one more position would have landed me on the podium because I was tied for third, but ended up fourth. It was a good weekend though, we’re coming out healthy, and I’m excited for Washougal.”

The 250MX Class saw Vialle qualify quickest this morning and he carried that form into the opening moto by finishing second in dry conditions. Rainfall delayed the start of the second encounter, but when the gates finally dropped the two-time MX2 World Champion was in the podium fight before he fell in the opening portion the moto. Following multiple stops in the mechanic’s area, he salvaged points in 17th, which landed him seventh overall. Vialle retains P3 in the standings on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.

Tom Vialle: “The first race was a fight, the whole moto, and I tried to push to the end – second was a good result. Unfortunately, the second moto was tough after I crashed, but we will keep pushing into Washougal next week.”

Rookie Julien Beaumer made a welcome return to action in Millville after missing Round 6, qualifying in eighth position and then recording a 15th-place score in the first race. A consistent ride in the rain-soaked final moto of the day saw him take the checkered flag in P8, placing him 10th for the round and now sitting 12th in the series.

Julien Beaumer: “First moto, I was a little bit sluggish, couldn’t quite get back into that race pace that we’ve been doing, so it took me a minute to get going again. Moto 2, I had a bad start, but came through to eighth and was happy with our progress throughout the day. It’s really good to be back at the races and I’m ready for Washougal!”

Next Race: July 20 – Washougal, Washington

---

RYDER D MATCHES CAREER-BEST 250MX RESULT AT MILLVILLE WITH SIXTH OVERALL

RYDER D MATCHES CAREER-BEST 250MX RESULT AT MILLVILLE WITH SIXTH OVERALL

TOP-FIVE SCORE IN MOTO 2 A HIGHLIGHT TO COMPLETE CONVINCING SEVENTH ROUND

RYDER DIFRANCESCO – TLD RED BULL GASGAS FACTORY RACING – SPRING CREEK

Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco impressed with his highest overall finish of P6 in the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Spring Creek National, also matching his career-best and managing a top-five moto result in the rain-delayed final outing.

• Ryder D matches his career-best result at Spring Creek
• Fifth in Moto 2 also equals highest result of the season
• A difficult day for PB amidst ongoing health challenges

DiFrancesco qualified in 13th position and then found himself outside of the top 20 at the start of Moto 1, but managed to slice his way through the pack on his GASGAS MC 250F Factory Edition to salvage 12th place and a decent haul of points for his efforts.

After being delayed due to storms, the second moto saw riders facing a rain-soaked track when the gates dropped, and this time around Ryder D was able to benefit from improved track position. He completed lap one in P6 and rode hard from there, taking the checkered flag in fifth, which equaled his second moto result from High Point. That elevated him to sixth overall and he stays 10th in the title race.

Ryder DiFrancesco: “Millville was good. It started out rough, but got better throughout the day. We need to sort out the first motos, because the second motos have been good – I just need to put the two together. Washougal is next and one of my favorites, so I’m excited to go back west at this stage of the season.”

For Brown, his qualification was solid in seventh position, before he raced to 13th in the opening race of the weekend. With rain falling at the beginning of Moto 2, he was further impacted by a first-turn pile-up that left him fighting from the back of the pack, eventually climbing to 14th. That put him P14 overall for the weekend, which sees him maintain seventh in the championship standings.

Pierce Brown: “It wasn’t a good day here at Millville for me, unfortunately. I haven’t been feeling like myself lately with some sicknesses, so we will have to figure that out, but we did what we could today in the end. Onto Washougal!”

Next Race: July 20 – Washougal, Washington

---

Share