450 Storylines: Salt Lake City Recap

CHASE SEXTON: Fell 2 points shy of his second 450SX title, which is tied for the closest 450SX finish in history alongside the 1983, 1985, & 2006 seasons. Sexton’s 36th SMX League* win puts him in sole possession of 20th all-time, while his 16th SX win is tied with Jean-Michel Bayle for 17th all-time in 450SX. Sexton’s seventh win of the season also set a new personal single-season record.

MALCOLM STEWART: Earned his third podium of the season, which equaled his career best from 2022. He finished fourth in the final standings for his second-best result, behind his third-place effort from 2022.

JUSTIN COOPER: Earned a third-straight podium to end the season after scoring just 2 in his 450SX career beforehand. He increased or tied all of his 2024 marks with 4 podiums, 9 top-5’s, 14 top-10’s, and 17 starts.

COOPER WEBB: Became just the seventh athlete in SX history with 3+ 450SX titles, joining Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Dungey, Ryan Villopoto, Bob Hannah, and Jeff Stanton. His 13 season podiums equaled the personal best he earned every season from 2019-2021, while his 16 top-5 finishes set a new personal record. He became the eight athlete to amass 100 career 450SX top-5 finishes. It was Yamaha’s 13th 450SX championship.

450 Class: Fox Raceway at Pala Facts

• HISTORY LESSON: Pro Motocross first visited to Fox Raceway for its season finale on September 11, 2010, when Suzuki’s standout rookie, Ryan Dungey, dominated both motos to secure his 10th overall victory. Dungey had already clinched the championship 2 rounds earlier. Fox Raceway made a return as the finale in 2011, with a title showdown between Dungey and Ryan Villopoto, who held a 14-point lead. Dungey triumphed with the overall with 2-1 finishes aboard his Suzuki, but Villopoto’s 2nd-place finish (1-3) allowed him to capture his first 450 Class title.
• RETURN TO FOX RACEWAY: Fox Raceway did not host another Pro Motocross round until the 2019 season. Eli Tomac earned his first of 6 overall wins for Kawasaki that season en route to a third straight title. The next year, at 2020 finale, Chase Sexton captured his first Pro Motocross victory with Honda despite never winning a 250 Class overall. Zach Osborne captured that season’s championship with a 6th-place finish (5-7).
• DOUBLING UP: Fox Raceway is one of just 3 venues to host multiple rounds in a single season, and the only to do so non-consecutively by hosting the opener and penultimate rounds of the 2021 season. In 2022, Fox Raceway hosted the opener and finale, the only time that has occurred in Pro MX history. Fox Raceway has hosted a single round since 2023, with back-to-back sweeps by Honda’s Jett Lawrence, who has an undefeated overall record in Pala. The 2025 season will signify the fourth consecutive opening round at Fox Raceway and the 11th Pro Motocross race ever at the venue.
• CHAMPIONSHIP AND OPENER %: The 450 Class overall winner at Fox Raceway has won the title 50% of the time in 10 seasons. Historically, the winner of the Pro MX opener has won the title in just over half of the 53 seasons (27/53). When combining the 250 Class and the defunct 500cc class, the winners of the season opener have become the eventual champion in 61 of 126 seasons (51%).

250 Storylines: Sale Lake City Recap

HAIDEN DEEGAN: Having already clinched the 250SX West Region title, he stormed to a seventh career 250SX victory (28th all-time) and 17th SMX League* win (44th all-time). Deegan enters his Pro MX title defense with 59 career SMX League starts, 17 wins, 38 podiums, and 45 top-5 finishes to go along with his 4 titles (250SX, 250 Pro MX, & back-to-back 250SMX).

JULIEN BEAUMER: Finished the season strong with back-to-back main event runners-up and a championship runner-up in the West Region. He brings 35 career SMX League starts and 6 podiums (5 SX, 1 SMX) into his second Pro MX season. He finished 11th in last summer and earned Rookie of the Year honors.

TOM VIALLE: Clinched back-to-back East Region titles, doing so in dramatic fashion by passing the downed pair of Seth Hammaker and RJ Hampshire to score his sixth podium of the season and 13th of this 250SX career. It was KTM’s fifth 250SX Regional Championship and its first back-to-back with the same athlete. Vialle became the seventh racer to win a regional title with 1 win or less and third to do so in the East Region (Tim Ferry in 1997, Chase Sexton in 2019).

HAMMAKER/HAMPSHIRE: Hammaker’s fourth place fell 3 points shy of his first title as Hampshire’s sixth came up 7 points shy of a second championship. Hammaker still earned his 18th top-5 finish in 29 career 250SX starts, while Hampshire tied Jordon Smith and Nathan Ramsey for sixth all-time in 250SX starts. Hampshire wrapped up his 250SX career third all-time in podiums, second all-time in top-5’s, and fourth all-time in top-10 finishes.

250 Class: Fox Raceway at Pala Facts

• HISTORY LESSON: The first Pro Motocross race at Fox Raceway was the season finale on September 11, 2010, when Dean Wilson swept both motos aboard a Kawasaki for the second overall win of his rookie season. Wilson’s teammate, Christophe Pourcel, held a 7-point lead over Honda’s Trey Canard entering the finale. Pourcel was forced to DNF both motos after a Moto 1 crash, which allowed Canard to prevail with the title following a third-place finish (4-3). Wilson also swept the 2011 finale at Fox Raceway on a Kawasaki, one week after he clinched the 250 Class title.
• RETURN TO FOX RACEWAY: Pro Motocross did not return to Fox Raceway until the 2019 season, when Adam Cianciarulo helped maintain Kawasaki’s undefeated overall record in Pala with his third career win (3-1). He went on to claim 6 overall victories that season with 12 podium finishes and the 250 Class title.
• HOW TO TIE A GOAT: After 17 SMX League starts, Jett Lawrence captured his first career SMX League victory at Fox Raceway during the 2020 finale. This began his current streak of 7 overall wins at the venue, with 4 straight in 2021 & 2022 in the 250 Class and an unblemished 450 Class record with back-to-back victories in 2023 & 2024. Lawrence has won 11 of 14 motos in 7 Fox Raceway starts. Ricky Carmichael is the only other athlete in Pro MX history to win 7 or more consecutive overalls at a single venue, winning 8 straight at Budds Creek, Spring Creek, and Southwick during his record career. Lawrence could tie that record to open the 2025 season.
• CHAMPIONSHIP AND OPENER %: The winner of the 250 Class overall at Fox Raceway has won the championship 8 times in 10 seasons (80%). The 250 Class winner of the opening round has won the title in 24 of 51 seasons (47%) and in each of the past 6 seasons.