AMA Supercross - Seattle History

Posted on March 21, 2024

As the AMA supercross championship moves to Seattle for the latest round of this very interesting 2024 season, we look back on Indy and also the history of the Seattle round. A good place for the Lawrence brothers, as both have won here in the past, while Eli Tomac has won three of the last four main events. Can he add 2024 to his already impressive Seattle stats? Amazingly, Ricky Johnson won seven times at Seattle and Jeremy McGrath, four times.

Jett Lawrence (1-1-1) scored the second ever 450SX Class Triple Crown sweep, and first since 2020 Glendale (Ken Roczen). Both athletes were riding HRC Hondas for their sweeps. Lawrence is now tied with Mike Kiedrowski, Kent Howerton, Davi Millsaps, and Trey Canard for 32nd on the all-time 450SX Class wins list. His 45th win ties him with Broc Glover for 13th on the all-time AMA wins list. Canard also scored all five of his 450SX Class wins on a Honda, and Lawrence ties him for 13th on the Honda wins list as well. Lawrence’s 45.5% winning percentage in 450SX Class racing is the highest of all-time, just above Ryan Villopoto’s 44.6%.

Ken Roczen (2-2-3) nailed his fifth podium of the season and 68th of his 450SX Class career with a second-place finish in Indy. He now has 155 podiums in 280 all-time AMA starts. Roczen’s 143 starts move him into 15th on the all-time 450SX Class starts list. Suzuki has yet to score a race or overall victory in either class of Triple Crown racing, but Roczen came very close with 2-2-3 scores.

Chase Sexton (3-3-2) earned a podium, the 29th of his 450SX Class career. He is now tied with Jeff Emig for 30th on the all-time 450SX Class podiums list. Sexton will be looking for his 75th career AMA podium in Seattle.

Notes: Jason Anderson (4th; 5-6-5) Made his 144th 450SX Class start, one more than Ken Roczen who sits 15th all-time. His 87th top five moves him past James Stewart for 10th all-time. Cooper Webb (5th; 8-5-4) Ties Jeff Stanton for 13th on the all-time 450SX Class top fives list with his 77th. Aaron Plessinger (6th; 6-4-9) 75th career 450SX Class start. Eli Tomac (7th; 4-7-10) Ties Jeremy McGrath for seventh on the all-time 450SX Class starts list with his 173rd. Larry Ward and Justin Brayton are tied for fifth and next on the list with 190.

450SX Class: Seattle Historical Facts

History Lesson: The first 450SX Class round held in Seattle was on February 18, 1978 in the Seattle Kingdome. It was the Season Opener for the Championship’s fifth season and the 1975 victor, Jimmy Ellis, won on Honda, it was his final victory. Seattle hosted the second round in 1979, and for most of the 1980s, except for their only other Opener in 1980.

King’s History: From 1978-1989 the Seattle Kingdome held Supercross rounds on back-to-back nights. The Seattle Kingdome hosted Supercross rounds 33 times before being demolished in 2000. Lumen Field was built in 2002 and took over hosting the Seattle Supercross in 2005, six years after the last Kingdome race. James Stewart won the first three races in what was formerly known as Seahawks Stadium from 2005-2007.

Lumen Field: Since Lumen Field took over hosting the Seattle Supercross, the series visited from 2005-2014, 2017-2019, and 2022-2023. After 33 races in the Kingdome and 15 in Lumen Field, 2024 will be the 49th edition of the Seattle Supercross.

Champion Odds: The winner of the Seattle Supercross has gone on to win the 450SX Class title in only 14/48 (29%) races and that number plunges to 3/15 (20%) in Lumen Field. Eli Tomac was unable to improve these percentages last season by winning Seattle but not the title.

Manufacturer Wins in Seattle/Lumen Field/Last Win

Honda: 20/4 (2013)

Yamaha: 11/3 (2023)

Kawasaki: 10/6 (2018)

Suzuki: 5/0 (1999)

KTM: 2/2 (2019)

Top Winners in Seattle

1) Rick Johnson: 7 (‘84, ‘86, ‘87, ‘87, ‘88, ‘89, ‘89)

2) Jeremy McGrath: 4 (‘93, ‘95-‘96, ‘98)

2) James Stewart: 4 (’05-’07, ’11)

4) Eli Tomac: 3 (’18, ’22-’23)

4) Mike Bell: 3 (’79, ’80, ’80)

4) Bob Hannah: 3 (’79, ’83, ’83)

4) Ron Lechien: 3 (’85, ’85, ’88)

450SX Class: First Time Winners in Seattle

Darrell Shultz: 1981

Rick Johnson: 1984

Jeff Ward: 1984

Larry Ward: 1990

Ryan Villopoto: 2009 (Lumen Field)

Andrew Short: 2012 (Lumen Field)

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Recap: Indianapolis

Cameron McAdoo (1-2-3) scored his third career 250SX Class win, and his second of the Triple Crown variety. McAdoo will hold the red plate during the Eastern Regional hiatus. His third win ties him with a large group of athletes for 69th on the 250SX Class wins list. McAdoo’s 21st 250SX Class podium moves him into 14th all-time tied with Austin Forkner, Colt Nichols, and Damon Huffman. He scored his 50th career AMA top-10 finish and is looking for his 85th AMA start when Eastern Regional racing returns.

Tom Vialle (4-3-1) lost the red plate but put in a solid runner-up ride including winning the final race of the Triple Crown. He will only be behind McAdoo by two points when racing returns for the Eastern Regional. He was making his 15th 250SX Class start and scored his fourth podium, all four of which have been in a row. He will be making his 30th AMA start when action returns, and he has accumulated three wins, seven podiums, 13 top fives, and 21 top-10s in his first 29.

Haiden Deegan (2-1-6) had the Triple Crown lead going into the final race, but another first turn knock-out put him on the comeback trail. He was able to secure a podium with some clutch passes late in the race, but he goes into the break with a double-digit points deficit (-16). Deegan has five 250SX Class podiums in his first 15 starts. He also has 14 podiums in his first 31 AMA starts.

Notes: Pierce Brown (4th; 12-4-2) Continues his consistency with another top five. He has 5-5-5-4-4 finishes on the season which places him only 11 points off the red plate. Brown has scored 17 top fives in 31 250SX Class starts. Coty Schock (5th; 5-8-8) Overcame a broken collarbone in one week to nail his second best 250SX Class finish. Schock has a punchers chance at the title being down -19. Nicholas Romano (6th; 8-10-5) Rookie scores his first top-10 finish in his fourth career start. Jeremy Martin (7th; 7-9-7) Moves into 18th in all-time 250SX Class starts (62). He became the 12th rider to earn 50 top-10 finishes in 250SX Class history, which moves him into the top-10 tied with Hampshire, Greg Schnell, and McElrath. Levi Kilbarger (20th; 20-18-19) Made 38 starts across nine 250SX Class seasons from 2008-2016. After eight seasons away from Supercross he decided to race his hometown Supercross (200 miles away from his hometown), qualified out of timed practice, and scored a top-20 overall. He is now the 21st rider ever to make a 250SX Class start in 10 different seasons.

Western Regional Refresher

RJ Hampshire nabbed his fourth career 250SX Class victory in Glendale and second of the season with his Glendale win. It is the first time in his career he has scored multiple wins in a season. RJ only trails by five points going into Seattle.

Levi Kitchen held the red plate through the extended Western Regional break, as he holds a slim four-point advantage over Jordon Smith and five points over Hampshire. Kitchen now has eight podiums, 10 top fives, and 13 top 10’s in 16 250SX Class starts across three seasons.

Jordon Smith came back from a rough accident to capture a top five in Glendale, salvaging his position in the title fight. Smith is only down by four points going into the back half of the Western Regional.

Others: Jo Shimoda has earned 4-22-4-4-3 finishes for fifth in the point standings. He remains a threat for wins in the Western Regional. Garrett Marchbanks has contended for podiums all season but a 9-5 in the previous two rounds has pushed him 19 points off the red plate. Mitchell Oldenburg and Julien Beaumer are other dark horse contenders for podiums and victories.

250SX Class: Seattle Historical Facts

History Lesson: The first 250SX Class round held in Seattle was on February 9, 1985 in the Seattle Kingdome, and was the first night of a Saturday-Sunday double-header. Mike Healey won Saturday night on a Suzuki and Bader Manneh won Sunday night on a Kawasaki. Healey’s teammate Bobby Moore scored third and fifth place finishes in the two rounds en-route to the first ever Western Regional 250SX Class Championship.

Venue History: From 1985-1999 there were 20 250SX Class rounds held in the Seattle Kingdome. Just like the 450SX Class the series returned in 2005 to Lumen Field where 15 races have been held since. 2024 will mark the 36th 250SX Class race in Seattle.

Nate Dog and K-Dub: Nathan Ramsey won the last 250SX Class race in the Kingdome in 1999 on a Kawasaki, and then six years later won the first 250SX Class race in Lumen Field on a KTM. Kevin Windham won in the Kingdome on a Yamaha in the 250SX Class and then won at Lumen Field twice in the 450SX Class on a Honda. They are the only two riders to win in both Seattle venues.

Champion Odds: In 17/35 (49%) 250SX Class rounds held in Seattle the winner went onto win the Western Regional 250SX Class title. In Lumen Field the winner took the title in 7/15 (47%) seasons. Jett Lawrence won Seattle and the Championship last season.

Manufacturer Wins in Seattle/Lumen Field/Last Win

Kawasaki: 10/2 (2007)

Honda: 9/4 (2023)

Yamaha: 8/5 (2019)

Suzuki: 6/2 (2009)

KTM: 2/2 (2013)

Top Winners in Seattle

1) Jeff Matiasevich: 4 (’88, ’88, ’89, ’89)

2) Cole Seely: 2 (’11 & ’14)

2) Ryan Dungey: 2 (’08-’09)

2) David Vuillemin: 2 (’97-’98)

2) Jeremy McGrath: 2 (’91-’92)

2) Donny Schmit: 2 (’86-’87)

2) Aaron Plessinger: 2 (’17-’18)

2) Nathan Ramsey: 2 (’99 & ’05)

250SX Class: First Time Winners in Seattle

Bader Manneh: 1985

Phil Lawrence: 1995

David Vuillemin: 1997

Broc Tickle: 2010 (Lumen Field)

Past Winners in Seattle - 450 Class

1978: Jimmy Ellis; Honda

1979: Mike Bell; Yamaha

1979: Bob Hannah; Yamaha

1980: Mike Bell; Yamaha

1981: Darrell Shultz; Suzuki

1982: Donnie Hansen; Honda

1982: Mark Barnett; Suzuki

1983: Bob Hannah; Honda

1984: Jeff Ward; Kawasaki

1984: Rick Johnson; Yamaha

1985: Ron Lechien; Honda

1986: Jeff Ward; Kawasaki

1986: Rick Johnson; Honda

1987: Rick Johnson; Honda

1988: Rick Johnson; Honda

1988: Ron Lechien; Kawasaki

1989: Rick Johnson; Honda

1990: Larry Ward; Suzuki

1991: Jean-Michel Bayle; Honda

1992: Damon Bradshaw; Yamaha

1993: Jeremy McGrath; Honda

1994: Mike Kiedrowski; Kawasaki

1995: Jeremy McGrath; Honda

1996: Jeremy McGrath; Honda

1997: Doug Henry; Yamaha

1998: Jeremy McGrath; Yamaha

1999: Larry Ward; Suzuki

2005: James Stewart; Kawasaki

2006: James Stewart; Kawasaki

2007: James Stewart; Kawasaki

2008: Kevin Windham; Honda

2009: Ryan Villopoto; Kawasaki

2010: Kevin Windham; Honda

2011: James Stewart; Yamaha

2012: Andrew Short; Honda

2013: Justin Barcia; Honda

2014: Ryan Villopoto; Kawasaki

2017: Marvin Musquin; KTM

2018: Eli Tomac; Kawasaki

2019: Marvin Musquin; KTM

2022: Eli Tomac; Yamaha

2023: Eli Tomac; Yamaha

250 Class

1985: Mike Healey; Suzki

1985: Bader Manneh; Kawasaki

1986: Willie Surratt; Honda

1986: Donny Schmit; Kawasaki

1987: Donny Schmit; Suzuki

1987: Kyle Lewis; Honda

1988: Jeff Matiasevich; Kawasaki

1989: Jeff Matiasevich; Kawasaki

1990: Ty Davis; Honda

1991: Jeremy McGrath; Honda

1992: Jeremy McGrath; Honda

1993: Phil Lawrence; Suzuki

1994: Ryan Hughes; Kawasaki

1995: Damon Huffman; Suzuki

1996: Kevin Windham; Yamaha

1997: David Vuillemin; Yamaha

1998: David Vuillemin; Yamaha

1999: Nathan Ramsey; Kawasaki

2005: Nathan Ramsey; KTM

2006: Grant Langston; Kawasaki

2007: Ryan Villopoto; Kawasaki

2008: Ryan Dungey; Suzuki

2009: Ryan Dungey; Suzuki

2010: Broc Tickle; Yamaha

2011: Cole Seely; Honda

2012: Ryan Sipes; Yamaha

2013: Ken Roczen; KTM

2014: Cole Seely; Honda

2017: Aaron Plessinger; Yamaha

2018: Aaron Plessinger; Yamaha

2019: Dylan Ferrandis; Yamaha

2022: Hunter Lawrence; Honda

2023: Jett Lawrence, Honda