450 Storylines: Thunder Valley Recap

JETT LAWRENCE: Scored a third straight victory to open the season, giving him a 25-point lead as the championship heads east. He now has 18 career wins in 19 career 450 Class starts, which is tied with Kent Howerton for eighth on the all-time list. Jett remains 10th on the all-time SMX League* wins list with 58.

ELI TOMAC: Finished runner-up with 3-2 finished and moved into second in the championship, 25 points behind Lawrence. Chasing a 75th career 450 Class podium at High Point, which is second all-time behind Ricky Carmichael (84). Tomac also has 99 combined Pro Motocross podiums and will seek the 100 milestone at High Point.

AARON PLESSINGER: Earned his 15^th career 450 Class podium with an impressive 2-5 effort for third overall. Plessinger is poised to become the 42nd athlete in SMX League history to score 60 combined podiums if he can earn a spot on the box at High Point.

NOTES: Justin Cooper (4th): Was the fastest qualifier and earned his 11th top-5 finish in his first 14 starts.

Hunter Lawrence (5th): A perfect 14 for 14 in top-5 finishes since he joined the 450 Class. He went 4-4 at Thunder Valley and now has 80 top-5’s in his SMX League career.

Cooper Webb (6th): Set to make a landmark 50th career 450 Class start in High Point.

Valentin Guillod (9th): First career SMX League top-10 finish for the longtime Swiss MXGP athlete.

Conner Lords (34th), Damon Strobel (36th), Dean Gall (37th), & Whisper’n Smith Jr. (39^th): All made their first career SMX League and 450 Class start.

450 Class: High Point Facts

• HISTORY LESSON: The first 450 Class race at High Point Raceway was on May 29, 1977, for the premier class finale. Tony DiStefano held a comfortable points lead over Honda teammates Jim Pomeroy and Marty Smith. DiStefano earned the win via 1-2 finishes to clinch his third straight championship.
• 47 SEASONS OF HISTORY: High Point Raceway is hosting its 48th race since 1977, only missing the 2020 covid-shortened season. The track holds the unique distinction of hosting the 100th and 200th rounds of 450 Class competition. In 1982, Rick Johnson won the 100th round and in 1995 Doug Henry won the 200th. The track was originally named Hi-Point Raceway after a sponsor that never came to fruition. Track promoters and organizers decided to keep the name but change the spelling to High Point.
• CHAMPIONSHIP AND OPENER %: The winner of the 450 Class at High Point has won the title in 26 times in 47 seasons (56%) and 5 of the previous 6 years. It only happened twice in the 90’s (1997 with Jeff Emig & 1999 with Greg Albertyn).
• GOAT ON MT. MORRIS: Ricky Carmichael’s dominance at High Point from 2001 to 2007 is legendary, winning 13 out of 14 motos and every overall. David Vuillemin managed to win the first moto in 2001 before Carmichael embarked on a 13-moto winning streak at the venue. The track was also the site of rare misfortune for the “GOAT,” as 1 of just 2 races in his 450 Class career in which Carmichael finishes outside the top 10. Carmichael also achieved sweeps at High Point twice in the 250 Class, amassing a total of 17 moto victories and eight overall victories at the track. However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Carmichael at Mt. Morris. Two of his three worst career MX finishes occurred here. His 13th overall finish in 1997 was the only time he finished outside the top-10 in his 250 Class career (then 125cc). Additionally, his 11th overall finish in 2000 was one of only two times he finished outside the top-10 in his 450 Class career (then 250cc). For context, the GOAT made 127 combined MX starts and finished inside the top-10 124 times, with two of the three exceptions happening at High Point.

250 Storylines: Thunder Valley Recap

CHANCE HYMAS: Achieved his third career SMX League* victory and second in Pro MX competition. Despite a 19th-place result at Hangtown, Hymas is currently third in the point standings. He has 5 podium finishes in 19 career Pro MX starts. Honda secured 1-1 finishes in both classes for the first time since the 2022 opening round with Chase Sexton & Jett Lawrence. Prior to the 2022 season, the last Honda sweep was in 1996 with Jeremy McGrath & Steve Lamson.

HAIDEN DEEGAN: Scored 2-2 finishes for a runner-up result, his 18th podium in 27 career starts. He sits tied with Dean Wilson for 58th all-time with 41 career SMX League* podiums. Deegan already holds a 25-point lead over Jo Shimoda in the championship standings.

LEVI KITCHEN: Rebounded from an eighth in Moto 1 to finish third in Moto 2 and earn his 11th career podium in his 38th start. He sits 4th in the point standings, but has yet to put together two solid motos.

NOTES:

Tom Vialle (4th): Made his 25th career start and earned his 18th top-5 result. It was also his 60th SMX League* start.

Michael Mosiman (15th): Made his 50th career start.

Hayes Edwards (32nd): First career 250 Class and SMX League* start.

250 Class: High Point Facts

• HISTORY LESSON: The first 250 Class race held at High Point Raceway was on May 29, 1983, when Mark Barnett swept riding a Suzuki. Johnny O’Mara finished third and Jeff Ward finished fourth, with both finishing above Barnett in the final point standings. This blocked Barnett from a fourth straight 250 Class title, something that has never been done.
• 41 SEASONS OF HISTORY: High Point Raceway has a separate timeline in 250 Class and 450 Class racing. While 450 Class racing started in 1977, the 250 Class didn’t show up in Mt. Morris until 1983. Last season High Point celebrated its 41st 250 Class race.
• MITCH PAYTON AND PC AT HIGH POINT: Mitch Payton’s Pro Circuit squad not only earned its first Pro MX win at High Point, but last year Ty Masterpool helped them capture a 300th victory with a stunning upset in an incredible race. Brian Swink secured the first Pro MX win for Payton at High Point in 1991. All told, Payton’s team currently boasts 306 combined victories and 126 Pro MX victories alone.
• CHAMPIONSHIP %: The winner of the 250 Class at High Point has won the title just 13 times in 41 seasons (32%), including 4 of the last 6 years. The winner failed to win the title for 8 straight seasons from 2009-2017 and again last year when Masterpool shocked the sport with an upset victory.