Monster Energy 2024 Supercross Preview!

It’s been 52 years since wild-eyed rock & roll concert promoter Mike Goodwin first roughed out a sketch of a tight motocross track on a cocktail napkin, then somehow convinced the LA Coliseum management to let him stage the race on the iconic Olympic venue’s stadium floor. The then “Superbowl of Motocross,” for a couple of reasons (stern warning from the NFL on the use of the proprietary Super Bowl, along with Motocross Action magazine’s shortening of Superbowl of Motocross to just Supercross in order to fit in a headline), was born – and continues with the 52nd running of what’s known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross.

Certainly a lot’s happened in the years between, but the fact remains that Monster Energy AMA Supercross is, and remains, the world’s premier proving ground for global supremacy in the gladiatorial sport of stadium dirt bike racing.

In addition to its longstanding presence as the title sponsor of supercross, Monster Energy also backs the lion’s share of the sport’s top teams and individual racers, including powerhouse factory programs Monster Energy/Kawasaki, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki and Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha. Here’s a preview of the upcoming 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, which kicks off on January 6th at Anaheim’s (Calif.) Angels Stadium and runs on 17 Saturdays throughout the first quarter before culminating with the May 11th finals in Salt Lake City.

Monster Energy/Kawasaki

The storied history of Kawasaki Motor Sales, which began as Kawasaki Aircraft and built motorcycles under the name “Meguro,” hit the main stage in 1961 with the company’s first foray into motocross racing. Since then Kawasaki dirt bike racers, aboard the lauded KX marque, have claimed an industry best 38 premier 250/450 class championships in both AMA supercross and motocross, along with 31 combined championships in the support 125/250 class via, more recently, the heralded Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team. American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Hall of Fame names like Weinert, Ward, Carmichael, Stewart and Villopoto elevated the Kawaski brand to stratospheric heights in the 1970s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. As of 2024, Monster Energy/Kawasaki is led by two of the world’s top 450 class racers and proven race winners – Adam Cianciarulo and Jason Anderson - aboard the revolutionary KX450F.

450 class racers

#9 Adam Cianciarulo – Easily one of the most successful amateur racers in the history of the sport, “AC” as he’s affectionately known, rebounded from injuries to place in the 2023 top ten (9th) overall in the premier 450 SX class, and 6th by season’s end in the SuperMotocross Championship. Trademark rocket ship starts and early race leads are hallmark to the veteran racer’s arsenal of podium-gaining weapons.

#21 Jason Anderson – “El Hombre’s” a fan favorite from coast-to-coast on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross circuit. The former supercross champion (2018) and New Mexico native placed 6th overall in the hotly contested 450 class championship chase in 2023 and is looking again to help lead Monster Energy/Kawasaki in the battle for the premier class podiums.

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki

There’s but a few guys in the sport of motocross that draw similar respect to that of famed engine tuner Mitch Payton, founder of Pro Circuit. Definitely on the sport’s ‘Mechanical Rushmore’ in terms of his ability to wring every last ounce of horsepower out of a dirt bike engine, Payton’s legendary Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teams set the Gold Standard in both 125cc two-stroke and 250 four-stroke racing over the past 30 years with 31 AMA Supercross and Motocross titles and six Motorcross Des Nations championships. For 2024 Payton’s team features returning stars Austin Forkner, Cameron McAdoo – both of whom spend much of 2023 on the sidelines with injuries, as did returner Seth Hammaker (11th overall in MX). New additions to the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team include Levi Kitchen, who placed 3rd overall in SX 250 West class racing and Max Vohland, who placed 6th in 250 West.

250 class Racers

#64 Austin Forkner – The multi-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250 overall podium placer (WSX 2019-’20), Forkner is as fast as they come in the 250 class – provided he can remain healthy given his perpetual ‘Go for it’ approach on the track. Definitely one to keep an eye on, Forkner was the 2016 Pro Motocross 250 Rookie of the Year, proving he can get it done both indoors and outdoors for Mitch Payton’s Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team.

#63 Cameron McAdoo – Straight out of Iowa, the former 2016 Monster Energy Cup Amateur All-Stars winner (’16) and Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250 WSX podium placer (’21, 3rd) looks to put the injury gremlins behind him and rip out to a start similar to ’22 when he as on the podium in the first five 250 WSX podiums – including a win.

#43 Seth Hammaker – Recovering from a rough preseason injury that ended his ’23 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, Hammaker hit the PT trail hard and rallied back in time to place a respectable 11th overall in the summer AMA Pro Motocross Championship. He then followed that up with two solid top ten finishes in the fall SuperMotocross World Championships (6th @ zMAX Dragway, N.C., and 7th at Chicagoland Speedway).

#47 Levi Kitchen – Coming over to Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki from the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha program, Kitchen is one top young racers in the 250 class, evident by his 3rd place WSX finish in 2023 and 5th place overall finish in the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The ’21 Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award winner as the nation’s top amateur racer, look for the Kitchen acquisition to pay instant dividends for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki.

#20 Max Vohland – The 2021 Marty Smith Rookie of the Year award winner in pro motocross, Vohland was the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Supermini champion as an amateur. Coming over to Kawasaki from KTM, Vohland placed 6th overall in 250 WSX, 7th on the 250s in AMA Pro Motocross and 7th overall in the 250 SuperMotocross World Championship standings.

Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha

Founded in 1999 by Mississippi entrepreneur/businessman Bobby Regan, the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha program grew from a pure privateer effort to Yamaha’s premier support program (since ’05). Regan led the team to a storied history throughout the past 23 years, which included five (of six) 250 SX West championships in recent years. Newly signed Monter Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Cooper Webb also brings back-to-back premier 450 class SX titles in 2015 and ’16 to the team, which also featured Dylan Ferrandis’ back-to-back 250 WSX titles for Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha in 2019 and ’20. Ferrandis, who’s no longer with the Star Racing program, would add the 2020 AMA Pro Motocross Championship’s 250 MX title in 2020, then followed that up with the premier 450 class title in 2021 and runner-up position in 2023. Justin Cooper would also add the 2021 250 WSX title aboard the YZ250F. But, without a doubt, it was current Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha racer Eli Tomac that’s set the precedent for excellence with his 2022 season where he won both the SX and MX championships, and led Team USA to the Motocross Des Nations title, ending an 11-year drought for the Americans. Add to that the white-hot rookie from 2023, Haiden Deegan (250 SuperMotocross World Champion, SX Rookie of the Year and MX Rookie of the Year) and Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s program will be one of the key teams to watch in 2024 in both the 450 and 250 classes, indoors and outdoors.

450 class racers

#3 Eli Tomac – Tomac had such an unbelievable season in 2022 (SX & MX titles, MX Des Nations win for Team USA) that ESPN bestowed its Action Sports Best Male Athlete ESPY on him. Tomac was on his way to another great season in ’23 when a freak, non-crash incident blew out his Achilles tendon. Back for 2024 with a supercross only contract, Tomac will look to build on his No. 2 standing in supercross all-time wins (51, behind Monster Energy’s Jeremy McGrath’s 72).

#32 Justin Cooper – Rallying back from an injury that kept him out of Monster Energy AMA Supercross for 12 of the 17 races, Cooper hit his stride outdoors, scoring the runner-up position in the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship’s 250 class. Cooper added a 6th place finish in the three round SuperMotocross World Championship this past fall, and will contest the 2024 SX/MX seasons aboard the YZ450F.

#2 Cooper Webb – The two-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross champion returns to the team that gave him his start as a pro racer. Webb, 4th on the all-time 250 class supercross wins list (11), stepped up and challenged the supercross elite this past season, finishing on the podium in 3rd place in the 450 class. Webb would also add a 4th place overall finish in the inaugural three round SuperMotocross World Championship.

250 racers

#38 Haiden Deegan – One of the sport’s brightest shining young stars, Deegan dominated the 2023 headlines in Monster Energy AMA Supercross (2nd 250 ESX) and AMA Pro Motocross Championship (4th 250s), as well as SuperMotocross World Championship (1st 250s). A human highlight reel aboard his YZ250F, Deegan is full on ‘wreckers or checkers’ when he lines up in the starting gate. A racer you just can’t take your eyes off of.

#31 Jordon Smith – Hard work during the off season led to solid ’23 results for Smith in 250 ESX (4th) and the SuperMotocross World Championship (6th). A powerful and large racer at 5-11, 167 lbs., Smith is not afraid to mix it up in his pursuit of the 250 class podium – indoors and outdoors.

#50 Enzo Lopes – The Brazilian speedster ran fast and confident during the 2023 250 WSX season, nailing five top five finishes in eight rounds of racing. Since 2020 Lopes has finished no worse than 5th in the 250 class SX standings.

#57 Nate Thrasher – When you share the name of the iconic skateboard magazine, you gotta rip. And Thrasher does, securing places of 7th, 5th and 7th in the last three years of WSX racing – despite battling various injuries. Thrasher also rung up an 8th place overall finish outdoors in 2022.

#59 Daxton Bennick – A big time Loretta Lynn’s champ in 2023, and winner of the coveted AMA Nicky Hayden Horizon Award for the nation’s top amateur racer, Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s rookie pro racer brings two Monster Energy AMA Supercross Futures 250 class wins (four podiums) to the table as he launches his pro SX/MX career in 2024.

#61 Stilez Robertson – The 2020 AMA Nicky Hayden Horizon Award winner, Robertson is in the second year of a two-year deal with Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha, and enjoyed a 3rd place podium finish last year at Anaheim (Calif.) 2.

#411 Nick Romano – Thrilling to watch as he’d blaze out of nowhere and have fans thumbing through their podium to see “Who’s number 411?” That was 2022, and this past season a knee injury sidelined Romano. Back, and reportedly riding fast, look for Romano to break back through in 2024.

(Amateur) Gavin Towers – The 2023 Monster Energy AMA Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championship Open Pro Sport champion, Towers has a ‘make it or break it’ handshake tryout deal with the 2024 Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team. Towers will contest the Monster Energy AMA Supercross SX Futures rounds, and may (possibly) line up for the team at select AMA Pro Motocross Championship rounds.

Team Honda HRC

250 class racers

#48 Chance Hymas – With three career Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250 SX Futures victories (four SX Futures podiums), the Monster Energy-backed Hymas has been a definite rising star with the powerful Team Honda HRC program. Hymas backed his supercross acumen with some eyebrow-raising AMA Pro Motocross Championship finishes, with a 5th at Thunder Valley (Colo.) and 6th at High Point MX (Pa.) in his rookie campaign outdoors.

#30 Jo Shimoda – Moving to Team Honda HRC from the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team – where he met with great success – Shimoda retains his iconic black M-claw helmet aboard Honda’s CRF250R race bike. Shimoda was the runner-up in both the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship 250 class and the SuperMotocross World Championship’s 250 class.

Phoenix Racing Honda

#14 Dylan Ferrandis – Moving over to Hondas from the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha program, Ferrandis aligns with team manager David Eller on the Phoenix Racing Honda program, with bike suspension support from Factory Connection. Easily one of the most successful racers gating at Anaheim, Ferrandis won the ’21 Monster Energy AMA Supercross championship in his rookie year racing supercross, having won the AMA Pro Motocross Championship’s 450 class the previous summer (’20). 

Team Tedder/Monster Energy/KTM

Led by former pro 250 & 2450 class racer, team manager Dakota Tedder, and again featuring the fan favorite racer out of the Pacific Northwest, Justin Hill (8th overall in the SX 450 class in 2023), the Monster Energy-backed Team Tedder/KTM program is primed and ready to hit the starting gate at Anaheim 1.

The veteran Hill, who has more than 20 career Monster Energy AMA Supercross podium finishes in his career and was the WSX 250 champ back in 2017, has signed a two-year deal with Monster Energy/Team Tedder/KTM.

#46 Justin Hill – The Oregon native capped off a highly impressive ’23 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season with a 3rd place podium run at the SLC SX finals. Placing 8th overall in the 450 class, the highest finish for a non-factory racer, look for Hill to build on his rejuvenated success in 2024.