Motor

SMX World Championship Kicks Off

Published On: 9/6/2024

Monster Energy Racers are seeded and ready to battle in the 3-Event Playoff of the Supermotocross World Championship.

Combining the sports of supercross and motocross here in the States into one year-long points battle with a wicked-cool three-event playoff series in September has caught the motorsports world’s attention as we’re coming down to the wire in this summer’s Pro Motocross Championship.

The 2024 Supermotocross World Championship (aka ‘SMX’) will kick off this Saturday, Sept. 7 at North Carolina’s ZMAX Dragway, the opening of three SMX Playoff rounds that’ll build up to an epic crescendo on Sept. 21, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to decide who’s the world’s top combined SX/MX racer in both the 250 and 450 classes.

With SMX being hybrid MX/SX track, designers worked to balance out the track’s features so there are equal benefits to the higher speed, flowing straight sections and wider corners that the outdoor motocross experts favor, while tighter turning, ‘jumpier’ technical sections with step ups and on/off features favor the supercross specialists. And similar to motocross, SMX races operate under the two-moto format, with each moto being 20 minutes plus one additional lap.

Right out of the gate, in the 250 class, all signs point to Monster Energy’s Haiden Deegan (Star Racing/Yamaha) as the favorite to defend his ’23 SMX World Championship 250 crowd. Deegan has been absolutely dominant all season long, winning the 250 outdoor title with Monster Energy’s Levi Kitchen (Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) placing 3rd. In Monster Energy AMA Supercross, Deegan, in his first full year racing supercross, would finish 2nd – by four points (172-168) – to KTM’s Tom Vialle in a thrilling 250 ESX series. And Kitchen would place 2nd on the other side of the U.S. in the 250 WSX series.

Also representing high on the list of top 250 class racers contesting the SMX Playoffs for Monster Energy should be Honda racers Jo Shimoda (who placed 2nd at last year’s inaugural SMX Playoffs) and Chance Hymas who are currently 4th and 5th in the SMX Playoff points chase. And “should” be contesting on account of both were injured at Unadilla a few weeks ago, Shimoda with a broken collarbone and Hymas, who said he was “bruised and beat up,” following a spectacular swap in some downhills section braking bumps at ‘Dilla. Hymas was better off and was able to start at the series’ final round – the Ironman in Crawfordsville, Ind. And back in 6th place in SMX points, who rode strong all summer long, Jordon Smith (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha). In Monster Energy AMA Supercross Smith would finish on the podium (3rd) in 250 WSX, with Shimoda right behind in 4th.

One thing’s for sure, the addition of the SMX Playoffs has led to a greater deal of intensity with the racing as the outdoor season comes to a close as, despite both the 450 and 250 titles likely being clinched early, the bar-to-bar battles have remained at a premium.

One Monster Energy racer in particular that’s been staying on the gas all summer was Jason Anderson (Kawasaki). Anderson’s quietly moved himself solidly into the 3rd place overall SMX Playoff position ahead of Honda’s ace Jett Lawrence. Justin Cooper (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha) scored the 5th seed in the SMX Playoff points for 450s with 598 points, while Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis (Phoenix/Honda), who scored his first 450 class podium finish of the summer at Unadilla (NY), is in 8th place with 435 points, and is in perfect position to play the spoiler role in the SMX Playoffs.

Leading Monster Energy out of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series in the 450 class were Star Racing/Yamaha teammate Cooper Webb (2nd overall SX) who placed 4th last year in SMX, and Cooper (4th overall in SX), who placed 6th in the SMX 250 class last year. Joining them with proper ’24 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450 class credentials will be Anderson (5th overall in SX).

As the MX Nationals season concluded in Crawfordsville, Ind., two weeks ago at the season finale Ironman MX National (Aug. 24), the points for the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship were reset for the three SMX Playoff races, with the riders being seeded based on their total SX/MX points (below).

In addition to the field of Monster Energy pro racers contesting the SMX Playoffs, Feld Motorsports and MX Sports Pro Racing recently announced that the SMX World All-Stars invitational series will return for 2024 (won by Monster Energy/Team Green/Kawasaki’s Drew Adams last year), and will no doubt feature a number of top Monster Energy-backed youth racers, many of whom won title or were on the podium at the recent Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Championships at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

From Feld & MX Sports: The SMX World All-Stars invitational series, which will serve as the culmination of the 2024 SMX Next program with a trio of championship-awarding invitational races integrated into the race day schedule of the SuperMotocross World Championship Finals. These youth showcases will allow the top racers in amateur motocross to engage in postseason competition alongside their professional counterparts, with a trio of one-off feature races across three different divisions.

2024 SMX Playoffs Schedule

Date Venue City/State

Sept. 7 ZMAX Dragway Concord, N.C.

Sept. 14 Texas Motor Speedway Ft. Worth, Texas

Sept. 21 The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nev.

Overall MX Nationals Standings (11 of 11 rounds)

250 class 450 class

1st - Deegan, 481 points 4th - Cooper, 371 points

3rd - Kitchen, 405 points 5th - Anderson, 362 points

4th - Hymas, 349 points 7th - Ferrandis, 288 points

Monster Energy Overall Combined 2024 SMX Points (SX & MX) and seeded positions

250 class 450 class