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Salt Lake SX - Rider Comments

Salt Lake SX - Rider Comments

May 12

  • News

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Chase Sexton took the win, his second of the season, at the final round of the 17-round 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. Rice-Eccles Stadium hosted the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Final for the fifth straight year. A weather delay temporarily paused the racing, but the storm passed, and the track provided great racing to crown four Supercross championships.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Justin Cooper delivered his season-best performance in his rookie year and took second place inside Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Cooper Webb, riding injured yet with a mathematical chance at the championship, finished in third place, netting him second overall on the season. Team Honda HRC's Jett Lawrence, after racking up eight wins in his rookie 450SX Class Supercross season, rode near the front early, but appeared to back it down to finish a safe seventh place and secure his first Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in the 450SX Class. Lawrence became only the third rider in the sport’s history to take the title in his rookie season.

In the 250SX Class, both Regional Championships battled in the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Haiden Deegan grabbed the holeshot and defended the lead against several challenges to take the win, the third of his career and his first East/West Showdown victory.

Chase Sexton: “It definitely means a lot. I had to kind of claw myself back to where I felt like I was riding good. It’s been a tough journey. The team and I have put a lot of work in. It’s taken us about, I don’t know, 16 rounds to get it good, but we’re in a good spot now. Today was a big day for me. I feel like I had really good speed and a really good start in that Main Event. I tried second gear [on the gate] for the first time all day and it paid off. I needed a good start and just rode a solid race. But overall, I’m looking forward to outdoors. I’ve been doing a lot of outdoor riding and testing and [I’m] ready to start a new championship. It’s a good way to end this one and head into that new season.”

Justin Cooper: “I was looking for this podium all year and it just happened to come at the last round. We saved the best for last. I just have to give it up to the whole team. Yamaha, they gave me a chance this year and really took me under their wing and worked hard with me. I had some great teammates this year and they pushed me the whole way. I’m glad to end on a high note. I just gotta give it up to the whole Star Racing Yamaha crew, Monster Energy, Alpinestars, Oakley, Dunlop, Toyota of Escondido – we lost a great one there, Damian, this one’s for him.”

Cooper Webb: “It’s been a great year. Second in the championship’s not what you want, but as we can see Jett’s a once-in-a-generation guy and he’s the real deal. I’m proud of my year, I’m proud of my team, I’m proud of my family. I truly know what we’ve been dealing with these last few races and rounds, I don’t know if there’s many guys that would’ve finished this season, so I can hang my head high on that. And I know I’ll be back stronger next year, and with some fight, and we know what we need to work on. Congrats to Jett and [that] whole team, they killed it this year. I just want to give it up to my team; they really invested a lot into me this whole year and they believed in me from the start, and I got back to championship form this year and probably the best version of myself. So, I’m super proud of that, super proud of the way I held myself in there all year. And it’s going to be a great thing, we’ll get surgery Monday on this thumb and enjoy my second baby coming and some down time. So yeah, we’ll be back next year, I know that’s for damn sure.”

Jett Lawrence: “I think it hasn’t fully sunk in yet, but, I mean, we had times when we sucked really bad this year then also times when we weren’t too bad, so, nah, [I’m] super happy for the team and doing it for them. They’ve been awesome. They’re family now and to give them another title is just the biggest ‘thank you’ to them, I feel like. So thank you to them, to everyone around me… I couldn’t do it without the team around me, I’m just super happy… [when asked to look back on what it took to get to this point] There’s so many hard moments that we’ve had that you can’t even put it in an interview, it’s just so long. No, I’m just super happy just for my family and the team and yeah, I’m just going to leave it at that because it's too much.”

Haiden Deegan: “That was sick. That was my first East/West Shootout win. I came into this race, I’m like, ‘You know what, I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m just going to go out there and execute what I do,’ and that’s what I did today. I was top of the board all day long, so that was perfect. I kinda feel like I’ve come around now. At the beginning of the season, obviously [there were] a few things [an injury], no excuses though, congrats to Tom, congrats to RJ, that’s dope. And yeah, got the Dub, that’s awesome.”

RJ Hampshire: “Man, [I’m] just so thankful. From the beginning, like my dad, the Grondahls, Kevin Keen, just so many people have helped me get to this point right here and just believed in me. So [I’m] thankful to my wife, my daughters, it’s truly special. This whole Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing team from Nate to Murph to my mechanic Amos, Aldon, Throttle, all the guys back home. They know how much I put into this, so it’s truly special. Just a massive thank you to Salt Lake. Man, you guys are going to be one I’m always going to remember. It’s truly special tonight. Thank you.”

Jordon Smith: “It was a bummer how it went down [with the crash]. I felt good all night, felt like I had the speed to win, and yeah, we [Deegan and I] started playing games there about halfway through. I was just trying to be smart. I kind of backed off for a couple laps. I knew I was faster in the whoops, and kinda of catching him a little bit everywhere, so I was just trying to be smart and got a run on him in the whoops. [I was] just trying to stay low [in the following corner] and he came across and I think my fork guard got caught on his bike. It almost pulled us both down. It was a bummer, [I’m] not very pumped about how that went down, but we live to fight another day. Happy to be back on the box. Shout out to the whole Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team. Toyota of Escondido, a big shout out to those guys. We lost Damian this past week. He’s been a huge supporter of this sport and of us racers for a long time and this podium’s dedicated to him…”

Tom Vialle: “I had a bad Heat race. I mean, the day was really hard. Actually, [before the Main Event] I was like, ‘Okay, this is the moment I need to do the start.’ I had a great start, actually. The last five laps I was really nervous, but I made it. I’m really happy. You know: coming from Europe, moving here to the U.S., and I’ve already got the Supercross title in my second year. It’s amazing, so I’m very happy. I want to thank everyone on the team who believed in me, my family, and I’m really happy about the day. Thank you.”

Justin Barcia: "Salt Lake City was a good way to end the Supercross season. I felt very comfortable all day, which landed me finishing second in the Heat race, and I’m happy to end the season with a top-five finish on my GASGAS MC 450F Factory Edition. I’m focused and ready for the outdoors now!"

Ryder DiFrancesco: "I started out today decent and kept working to improve throughout the day. It wasn't what we wanted overall, but going into the outdoors fresh now and am looking forward to that."

Malcolm Stewart: Final round, at the end of the day, it was a great Supercross season. We had some ups and downs, but finished every single round, and ended this one with a better result in P6. I felt great all day and am very, very happy for everybody at Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing. A huge shoutout to my teammate, RJ, for clinching the 250 championship tonight! I'm really looking forward to the outdoors and we're going to keep digging to improve ourselves."

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