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Rookies romp: Jett Lawrence, Haiden Deegan win SMX titles; Chase Sexton has heartbreak in last ride for Honda

Originally posted on FanNation Auto Racing Digest
By Victoria Beaver | Last updated 9/24/23

The inaugural SuperMotocross Championship Final was advertised as a winner-take-all epic event.

Walking into The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on the morning of September 23rd, three riders in both the 250 and 450 classes had near-even odds of winning. To keep the action going through the three-week playoff series, points were doubled and then tripled from round to round, and the points reset after the two regular seasons. zMAX Dragway was worth 25 points, Chicagoland Speedway was worth 50 points and the SMX World Final was worth 75.

The battle for the 450 title came down, for the most part, to Pro Motocross 450 champion and rookie Jett Lawrence, 2023 Supercross champion Chase Sexton, and defending World Supercross Champion Ken Roczen.

Honda teammates Sexton and Lawrence were both positioned to win the championship with an overall win. Roczen's fate was slightly less in his hands as Lawrence needed to finish second or worse and Sexton needed to finish third or worse. Through qualifying and Moto 1, the three riders were so clearly matched with each riding to their highest abilities and waiting for the others to make even the smallest mistake.

The opening laps of the first moto saw carnage as Justin Barcia crashed hard after passing Adam Cianciaulo for the lead. The Alpinestars team of medics worked as fast as they could but ultimately a red flag had to be thrown so they could safely assist Barcia off the track on a backboard. At the time of the red, Jason Anderson just finished the third lap from the lead followed by Roczen. That lap mattered, with the AMA rulebook using a completed third lap as the deciding factor between a total restart at the gates or a staggered restart.

“If more than three laps are completed by the leader, racers head back to the starting gate for a staggered restart,” per the AMA rulebook.

Anderson got to keep his advantage and the three championship contenders lined up behind him, with Roczen in second, Sexton in third, and Lawrence in fourth.

As the race resumed with 16 minutes remaining, the three riders quickly got to work, Lawrence made a pass on Sexton and set his sights on Roczen, who was focused ahead on getting to Anderson. Roczen would make his move on Anderson for the lead after chasing him through the iconic peristyle at the Coliseum and making his pass in the sand.

Lawrence followed shortly after and focused on Roczen, a rider he let pass him in the previous round in a botched attempt of strategy. Lawrence made the pass in the final rhythm section of the track and would hold on to win Moto 1.

The three championship contenders filled the podium with Roczen in second and Sexton in third.

The stage was set for Moto 2, since in the second moto riders are naturally more exhausted the finish positions can be used as a tiebreaker for the Olympic style scoring, i.e. a 2-1 beats a 1-2. The three contenders had premium gate picks and Sexton pulled away to the holeshot showing he was clearly the class of the field.

The field had flashbacks to zMAX where the rider went 1-1 in a dominating fashion after being blocked from winning all of the outdoor season. Sexton was back and it was his motto to win or lose.

Lawrence followed his teammate with Roczen stalking both Honda’s from third. The major focus during the first half of the moto was if Roczen could pass Lawrence, Sexton would secure the championship. After the “Baby Gift” drama between Lawrence and Roczen last week, this would be quite the birthday gift from the 94 to the 23.

With less than nine minutes remaining, Sexton entered the sand obstacle after riding down from the peristyle. He lost his front end and went hard face-first into the track. Heartbreak in his final ride with Honda.

Lawrence narrowly missed hitting his teammate's bike as the caution came out, while Sexton retired from the track. Crashing from the lead was the tragic theme of Sexton’s 2023 Supercross season as he pressured through for his first Indoor title but there is no time to bounce back from this one.

The rider is reported to be okay but banged up, the full extent of his injuries yet to be announced.

With Sexton out the table shifted and now it was winner-take-all solely between Roczen and Lawrence.

Lawrence held on to win the SMX Championship Final with a 1-1 and proved that he will continue to be a threat in the indoor season after a shaky start three weeks ago.

The 20-year-old found himself $1 million dollars richer and Florida car dealerships are chomping at the bit for the young star to enter their showrooms.

A record year for the rookie saw three championships: 250 Supercross West, 450 ProMotocross, and the inaugural SuperMotocross Finals. 22 straight wins during his outdoor campaign cemented his name in the record books next to Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart as just the third rider to have a perfect season and the first to do so in their rookie year. Both legends of the sport were at the Coliseum to help call Lawrence’s victory.

Roczen would finish in second for the event’s overall and the championship, passing Sexton to claim $500,000. Sexton would finish in third for the championship, but fell off the podium of the event overall.

Cooper Webb, who has seen improvement from week to week in his playoff run, would complete this week’s podium and finish fourth overall. Just hours before the start of the first round Webb was announced to be back with Star Yamaha for 2024 after splitting from KTM earlier in the summer.

Webb’s 2023 seasons were marred as he was sidelined with three rounds remaining in Supercross while second in the points, and returned for only one Motocross event before getting injured again. This led to a team switch as it was announced shortly after his summer crash that he would be leaving KTM.

450SMX Final Results

1. Jett Lawrence, Australia, Honda (1-1)

2. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki (2-2)

3. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (5-3)

4. Adam Cianciarulo, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki (7-4)

5. Colt Nichols, Muskogee, OK, Kawasaki (8-5)

6. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha (6-7)

7. Ty Masterpool, Paradise, Tex., Kawasaki (9-9)

8. Fredrik Noren, Lidkoping, Sweden, Suzuki (11-8)

9. Phillip Nicoletti, Bethal, N.Y., Yamaha (12-10)

10. Chase Sexton, LaMoille, IL., Honda (3-20)

450SMX Class Championship Final Standings

1. Jett Lawrence, Australia, Honda (163)

2. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla. Suzuki (146)

3. Chase Sexton, LaMoille, IL., Honda (126)

4. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (120)

5. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (104)

6. Adam Cianciarulo, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki (96)

7. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha (92)

8. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki (91)

9. Colt Nichols, Muskogee, OK, Kawasaki (90)

10. Ty Masterpool, Paradise, Tex., Kawasaki (84)

**************************

250 Haiden Deegan lives up to legacy; Hunter Lawrence unable to compete

In 2023, Haiden Deegan the son of bike legend Brian Deegan and younger brother of NASCAR star Hailie Deegan, was not even supposed to run the full season, but a fourth in his debut at Houston followed by a fourth at Tampa was enough to change to gameplan.

The 250 rookie finished second in the 250 East Supercross championship this year behind Hunter Lawrence. He went on to be one of only two riders to pull off a 1-1 in the outdoor season due to a stacked lineup of riders before ultimately finishing fourth behind the elder Lawrence brother, Justin Cooper in his final 250 season and Jo Shimoda.

The stage in the 250s was set nearly identical to that of the 450s as Australian native Hunter Lawrence, Deegan, and Shimoda were all in a winner-take-all position. This would quickly change as fans watched Lawrence exit the second qualifying session and not return.

A crash during Friday's free practice led to a back injury that the dual champion was trying to battle through. Honda announced through social media just a couple of hours before the opening ceremonies with the heartbreaking news that he would not be competing.

This ended Honda’s chance of a historic seven-championship year and meant that the Lawrence brothers would not be able to celebrate their championships side by side as they did at the end of their respective 250 East/West championships and at Ironman National.

Going into the weekend there were constant references to his father's sole Supercross victory in the same venue 26 years ago, 11 years before Haiden was born. In a notorious display after his win, Brian ghost rode his bike off the finish line, many speculated that if Haiden won it all he would recreate the moment if at all possible. Deegan would go on to win the Overall and the Championship with a 5-2 finish.

Moto 1 saw Jordon Smith explode to a decisive win while the two remaining championship contenders Shimoda and Deegan battled further back in the top five. Shimoda rode as aggressively as we’ve seen since his explosive run in the back half of the ProMotocross season and his playoff run. A last-lap pass on Deegan set him as the favorite into the second moto, as Deegan would finish fifth to Shimoda’s fourth.

Between Smith on the top step and the championship fighters were RJ Hampshire and Tom Vialle, both with amazing runs.

In the second Moto, Levi Kitchen was riding ticked off. With no tear-offs, the rider decided to put himself into the position to lead or perish. He captured the holeshot and led all 20-plus minutes of the moto. His brash and bold move paid off in spades.

“This is getting pretty old, I guess I have to have more confidence in my ability because when I show up, I can do really well,” a motivated Kitchen said of his victory after a disappointing Moto 1. “We’re going to be a different person next year.”

Deegan continued to pressure Kitchen throughout the second moto but would settle for second as he flew across the finish line. There would be no ghost ride but a swarm of family, friends, fans, and photographers engulfing him and his blue Yamaha machine.

“This is a dream come true, and I just want to say to the haters is I love you guys,” Deegan said while looking up to the thunderous crowd, surrounded by his mother, father and big sister Hailie. “You pushed me to win this.”

The 17-year-old’s brash personality has created a fair share of critics and fans alike. The noise from the crowd proved that it was made up of more of the latter.

Shimoda lost just the slightest amount of speed from the first moto to the second and found himself pressuring Justin Cooper from fourth in the final laps. To win the overall, Shimoda would’ve had to pass Cooper and battle it out with Deegan. The Kawasaki rider came up short but secured second in the 250 SMX championship.

250 SMX Final Results

1. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (5-2)

2. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Kawasaki (4-4)

3. RJ Hampshire, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Husqvarna (2-6)

4. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (7-3)

5. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Yamaha (10-1)

6. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Yamaha (1-10)

7. Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS (8-5)

8. Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Husqvarna (6-8)

9. Maximus Vohland, Granite Bay, Calif., KTM (9-7)

10. Tom Vialle, France, KTM (3-13)

250SMX Class Championship Final Standings