Moto Metrics: '24 High Point National

Moto Metrics: '24 High Point National

Key Highlights:

  • Speed vs. Consistency: Multiple riders struggled with muddier conditions in Moto 1. Chase Sexton posted the fastest lap times in both 450 Motos, but his inability to maintain the pace throughout Moto 1 resulted in him falling well short of the composed Lawrence brothers.

  • Moto 2 Nearly 6 Seconds Faster: The track significantly evolved between the motos, with Moto 2 being nearly 6 seconds faster per lap on average compared to Moto 1. Only two riders in each class were able to master both conditions: Jett and Hunter in the 450s, and Deegan and Masterpool in the 250s.

  • The New KTM Diesel: Despite finishing no higher than 5th in either moto, Aaron Plessinger secured 4th overall. His standout consistency, averaging a score of 94.6 across both races (93.4 in Moto 1 and 95.8 in Moto 2), underscored the critical role of steadiness in racing.

  • A Masterclass PerformanceTy Masterpool clinched his first-ever overall victory on his fourth outing for Pro Circuit Kawasaki. His performance was a masterclass in consistency and composure, particularly highlighted in Moto 2 where he successfully held off strong competition, despite Deegan setting some of the fastest lap times.

  • Who Needs a Start: Battling through the pack in both Motos, Haiden Deegan had relentless speed, securing the fastest lap time, fastest average lap time, and Lap 99 time in both races. In Moto 1, he claimed 9 out of the 15 fastest laps, and in Moto 2, 6 out of 15, demonstrating his exceptional pace and competitiveness.

    Tucked away in the scenic mountains near Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, High Point Raceway, also known as the "Country Club of Motocross", held the fourth round in the 2024 Pro Motocross championships on June 15th. Each week, join us as we deep dive into rider, track, and race metrics, offering a fresh perspective on Pro Motocross. 

    450 Analysis:

    As, the Jett and Hunter Lawrence machine continues to ramp up, they are increasingly pulling ahead of their competitors with impressive speed and reliability. This past weekend, only Chase Sexton could keep pace with them in terms of speed. However, despite a lackluster performance in Moto 1 and an epic battle in Moto 2, Sexton fell short. This allowed Jett to clinch his 14th career overall victory, sweeping both motos and finishing the day with a flawless 1-1 record.

    Track Breakdown:

    The track is split into 5 distinct segments by the live timing system. Check out the map above to see which rider held the fastest average time in each segment across both motos. Once again, the Lawrence brothers dominated the track. But this week, Sexton tried to shake things up by owning Segment 2. Hunter and Jett held two distinct larger sections of the track, demonstrating the 'yoyo' effect that happens between riders throughout a lap.

    Below, you'll find a table with each rider's average segment time, overall fastest time, and their LITPro consistency score. These scores often dip a bit compared to full laps because it's tough to maintain the same pace as the track changes between motos. Section 2 proved to be the trickiest part of the track, showing the highest variability in consistency scores.

    SEG Rider Average
    Time
    Fastest
    Time
    Consistency
    Score
    1 H. Lawrence 19.255 18.665 87.8
    2 C. Sexton 38.665 36.843 81.2
    3 J. Lawrence 32.535 30.465 82.3
    4 J. Lawrence 24.145 22.824 82.6
    5 H. Lawrence 19.209 18.538 80.0

     

    Lap Time Breakdown:

    Take a look at the histogram above—it breaks down the lap times for each rider in both Moto 1 (red) and Moto 2 (blue). The chart vividly shows how the track evolved between races. Contrary to typical weekends, Moto 2 was significantly faster, averaging over 5.7 seconds faster per lap compared to Moto 1. This was largely due to nearly muddy conditions in practice. As the track dried out, it became faster each race.

    • Despite finishing Moto 1 over 30 seconds behind, Chase Sexton nailed the fastest lap with a time of 2:14.035. He also had the quickest lap in Moto 2 at 2:09.497

    • Even though Moto 2 was way quicker overall, both races had 15 timed laps. In Moto 1, Hunter and Jett each set the fastest overall lap six times, and in Moto 2, Sexton set the fastest overall lap nine times. 

    • As the track dried out, it got progressively faster. The ultimate Lap 99 Time (the best possible lap time) for the track ended up being an impressive 2:06.607. This demonstrates just how much further the riders could push the pace.

       

      450 Moto 1 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

      RIDER

      MOTO

      Average
      Time
      Fastest
      Time
      LAP 99

      Consistency

      J. Lawrence M1 2:15.729 2:14.128 2:12.50 92.9
      H. Lawrence M1 2:15.836 2:14.365 2:12.76 93.5
      C. Sexton M1 2:17.925 2:14.035 2:12.06 78.9
      A. Plessinger M1 2:18.130 2:16.046 2:15.16 93.4
      J. Cooper M1 2:18.593 2:14.692 2:12.59 79.0

      450 Moto 2 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

      RIDER MOTO Average
      Time
      Fastest
      Time
      LAP 99

      Consistency

      C. Sexton M2 2:12.241 2:09.497 2:07.443 89.8
      J. Lawrence M2 2:12.281 2:09.674 2:07.932 89.2
      H. Lawrence M2 2:12.549 2:10.559 2:09.342 90.6
      A. Plessinger M2 2:14.115 2:12.783 2:10.980 95.8
      J. Cooper M2 2:14.146 2:12.260 2:10.587 91.5

       

      Overall Performance:

      • In Moto 1, Jett and Hunter Lawrence were the standout riders, clocking average lap times that were 2 seconds quicker than Sexton's and over 3 seconds faster than the rest of the top 5.
      • Moto 2 saw Sexton join and surpass the Lawrence brothers, securing both the fastest average lap time and overall fastest lap, but couldn't put the entire package together, finishing second.

      LITPro 10-Lap Consistency Scores:

      • Despite not leading on speed, Plessinger nearly topped the consistency charts in Moto 1 and maintained a solid 95.8 score in Moto 2. He ended up with the highest consistency score overall in the 450 class, leading by nearly 4 points.
      • Justin Cooper faced significant challenges in Moto 1, with a nearly 4-second gap between his fastest and average lap times, resulting in a consistency score of 79.0. This highlights that even top riders can struggle at times and a swift departure from his Thunder Valley high. 

      Lap 99 Analysis:

      *Lap 99 takes each riders' best segment time regardless of lap and combines them as a theoretical best lap time.
      • In Moto 2, nearly every rider in the top 5 posted faster average lap times than their Moto 1 Lap 99 times.
      • Chase Sexton showed mixed results in Moto 1, achieving the fastest Lap 99 and overall lap times but struggled to maintain the pace similar to Cooper. He also recorded the fastest Lap 99 time in Moto 2.

      Lap Time Distribution for Top 10 

      The box plot above illustrates the distribution of lap times for each of the top 10 overall finishers by moto (sorted top to bottom by fastest lap). Generally, a smaller box, the more consistent the rider. For instance, Aaron Plessinger, identified as the most consistent rider, clearly has the tight boxes for both motos. This graphic also depicts the speed difference between Moto 1 and 2. 

      Power Rankings:

      Putting everything together, rankings for each rider can be established. The table below showcases the key metrics used to determine the weekend's top riders and is crucial for shaping weekly power rankings.

        *Coloring from red-to-green only highlights disparity between top 10 and not representative of the entire field. All of these riders are near the top compared to the rest of the riders. 

      For this week's scores, Jett Lawrence secures the top spot having nearly perfect weekend with 99.74 points, followed by Sexton (93.87) and Hunter (93.62). 

      Latest Power Rankings:

      Rank Rider Power Ranking Change
      1 Hunter Lawrence 92.5 NC
      2 Jett Lawrence 90.6 +1
      3 Chase Sexton 90.4 -1
      4 Justin Cooper 86.7 NC
      5 Aaron Plessinger 83.7 NC
      6 Jason Anderson 82.7 NC
      7 Dylan Ferrandis 78.9 +1
      8 Justin Barcia 77.0 -1
      9 Malcolm Stewart 74.2 NC
      10 Freddie Noren 65.2 NC

       

      250 Analysis:

      The 250s became an instant classic for the storybooks. Ty Masterpool, fill in rider for Pro Circuit Kawasaki, made headlines by securing his first moto win and overall win, marking a milestone 300th team victory for Pro Circuit. While Haiden Deegan, the fastest rider on the track, faced early challenges in both motos, Ty held his composure, fending off fierce competition throughout the races.

      Despite the broadcast narrative that Deegan was the master of the track, Ty Masterpool had the fastest average segment time in two sections and Hymas had one.

      SEG Rider Average
      Time
      Fastest
      Time
      Consistency
      Score
      1 C. Hymas 19.208 18.276 84.9
      2 H. Deegan 39.092 37.091 73.4
      3 T. Masterpool 33.253 32.050 83.1
      4 T. Masterpool 24.336 23.083 73.7
      5 H. Deegan 19.995 18.183 75.1

       

      Lap Time Breakdown:

      Much like the 450 class, the 250s also saw much quicker times in Moto 2 averaging nearly 6 seconds faster per lap for the class. 

      250 Moto 1 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

      RIDER

      MOTO

      Average
      Time
      Fastest
      Time
      LAP 99

      Consistency

      H. Deegan M1 2:16.731 2:14.093 2:11.853 85.3
      T. Masterpool M1 2:17.558 2:15.990 2:13.342 90.5
      J. Shimoda M1 2:18.042 2:14.992 2:13.345 88.3
      C. Hymas M1 2:18.644 2:15.593 2:13.707 77.9
      J. Beaumer M1 2:21.393 2:19.048 2:15.026 87.1

      250 Moto 2 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

      RIDER

      MOTO

      Average
      Time
      Fastest
      Time
      LAP 99

      Consistency

      H. Deegan M2 2:13.158 2:10.695 2:09.060 90.6
      T. Masterpool M2 2:13.841 2:11.150 2:10.051 86.3
      C. Hymas M2 2:14.117 2:11.690 2:10.311 91.3
      T. Vialle M2 2:15.213 2:11.893 2:10.206 80.6
      J. Shimoda M2 2:15.251 2:13.859 2:11.543 94.1

      Overall Performance:

      • In Moto 1, Deegan, was clearly the fastest rider despite his poor starts. Passing over half the pack, he secured Moto 1 victory. Along the way, he held the fastest average lap time by nearly a second, and set 4 of the 5 fastest laps of the race, two of which were the last two laps.
      • Moto 2 saw Masterpool match Deegan's average times, but Deegan's fitness proved tough to hold back. Deegan once again set 3 of the 5 fastest laps of the race, two of which were the last two.

      LITPro 10-Lap Consistency Scores:

      • Having himself another relatively quiet day, Jo Shimoda found his groove in both motos, taking the top overall consistency spot with a combined score of 91.2.
      • Chance Hymas clearly had speed in both motos, but the track proved too difficult for him to keep it, specifically in Moto 1. Dropping nearly 3 seconds off his fastest pace in Moto 1, he clearly struggled with a score of 77.9. Hymas would regroup and have the second best consistency of Moto 2. 

      Lap 99 Analysis:

      *Lap 99 takes each riders' best segment time regardless of lap and combines them as a theoretical best lap time.
      • Haiden Deegan was the only rider to have significant time differentials between his fastest lap and his Lap 99. Battling through traffic both motos, he was still fast. If Deegan secured a holeshot in either moto, he would have checked out.
      • Ty Masterpool had one of the lowest differentials between his fastest times and potential. The mature and experienced rider demonstrated restraint not to ride outside his comfort zone.

        Lap Time Distribution for Top 10

        Similar to the 450 class, the 250s saw only three riders stand out in terms of competitiveness this weekend: Deegan, Hymas, and Masterpool. Among them, Deegan asserted his dominance with outstanding fitness, composure, and speed. As Deegan continues to mature, he is poised to widen the gap he has already established in the class.

        Power Rankings:

        *Coloring from red-to-green only highlights disparity between top 10 and not representative of the entire field. All of these riders are near the top compared to the rest of the riders. 

        Although Deegan had quick times, and even won Moto 1, his poor starts kept him just shy of the top power ranking spots. Masterpool led with 97.9 points, followed by Deegan (95.0) and Hymas (94.2). No other rider was in the 90s.

        Back to blog

        Leave a comment