Moto Metrics: '24 SMX Playoff 1 - Concord, NC

Moto Metrics: '24 SMX Playoff 1 - Concord, NC

Key Highlights:

  • Two Thumbs Up: Eli Tomac and Jett Lawrence were dominant in lap times. Out of 24 timed laps across both motos each posted 8 top lap times. They also set the fastest lap times of the day and averaged nearly half a second faster per lap.

  • The Future is Bright: The 250 class is looking incredibly strong and consistent. In both motos, 75% of lap times were within just 5.5 seconds of each other. The average rider had above a 90 consistency score in both motos. 
  • Finishing Strong: Jordan Smith built off his impressive day at Ironman, securing the highest consistency score of the day at 96.3 in Moto 2. His Moto 1 performance was also strong, with a notable score of 94.

  • Beast Mode: Eli Tomac went full beast mode in Moto 1. He not only clocked the fastest average lap time but also achieved an outstanding consistency score of 95.8.

  • Stamp of Authority: Haiden Deegan made his mark with an exceptional performance in both motos. He charged through the pack effortlessly, setting the fastest lap times in both races and averaging over half a second faster per lap. 

The Supermotocross playoffs have returned, giving fans one last dose of moto action before the offseason. This weekend featured more than just a hybrid supercross and motocross track. Fans watched Jett Lawrence, the 2024 Supercross champion, make a speedy comeback from thumb surgery. Eli Tomac raced his first supermotocross track after missing all of last year due to an achilles tear. Recent 2024 Motocross champion Chase Sexton, along with many others, competed in a two-moto showdown this past weekend in Concord, North Carolina. 

450 Analysis:

This hybrid track, similar to last year's, featured a split starting gate, with the riders coming together on the same track after three corners. In 450 Moto 1, Eli Tomac grabbed the holeshot and never looked back. This fast, Daytona-like track suited his style, and he remained unchallenged. Meanwhile, Jett Lawrence moved past Hunter Lawrence to finish 2nd, with Hunter, Sexton, and Roczen rounding out the top 5.

In 450 Moto 2, Tomac's teammate, Justin Cooper, took the holeshot but soon gave up the lead to Tomac. While Tomac led for a time, Jett Lawrence seemed unaffected by his thumb injury. He swiftly overtook Tomac, noticeably quicker in the sand section, to secure his 3rd SMX victory in just 4 iterations of the event. Tomac finished 2nd, and Sexton took 3rd.

Track Breakdown:

 

Note: Feld used a new live timing vendor this weekend, which led to more segments than usual but also some technical issues. Segments 2, 3, and 4, in particular, were not captured for many riders on most laps. Jett Lawrence’s transponder failed to record times in segments 3 and 4 of Moto 2. We used the available times from SMX Scoring for the graphics above. This is unfortunate, as Jett's speed in the sand was clearly fast, but never recorded a time. 

With nine segments, the track maps above might seem confusing, but they clearly show which riders excelled in different sections of the track. Unlike Pro Motocross, there was no overwhelming dominance by any one rider throughout most of the track. Eli Tomac, though dominant in over half of the segments in Moto 1 and a third of the segments in Moto 2, also had sections where he struggled.

Malcolm Stewart continues to make great progress with Husqvarna, recording the fastest segment in both motos. Hunter Lawrence seemed to struggle in Moto 2, failing to claim a single fastest segment and finishing 6th in the race. Finally, Ken Roczen appeared to find his rhythm after spending most of the summer recovering from an injury, securing two fastest segments in Moto 2.

 

Moto 1:

SEG Rider Average
Time
Fastest
Time
Consistency
Score
1 M. Stewart 10.971 10.817 89.3
2 C. Sexton 5.599 5.309 63.8
3 E. Tomac 6.645 6.567 0*
4 E. Tomac 8.225 8.109 0*
5 E. Tomac 9.387 9.238 92.5
6 H. Lawrence 7.392 7.133 80.5
7 E. Tomac 19.273 19.273 89.7
8 J. Lawrence 8.911 8.911 70.9
9 E. Tomac 25.316 25.316 86.7

 Moto 2:

SEG Rider Average
Time
Fastest
Time
Consistency
Score
1 J. Lawrence 11.045 10.695 67.2
2 J. Cooper 5.739 5.496 59.7
3 K. Roczen 6.639 6.639 0*
4 E. Tomac 8.198 8.011 0*
5 M. Stewart 9.542 9.433 89.6
6 J. Lawrence 7.186 6.980 77.6
7 E. Tomac 20.072 19.728 87.6
8 K. Roczen 9.125 9.022 90.1
9 E. Tomac 25.788 25.364 90.0

 

 

Lap Time Breakdown:

The hybrid conditions result in tracks that break down like motocross tracks while retaining supercross elements such as whoops and rhythm lanes. The Concord track, in particular, developed several crisscrossing ruts and large breaking bumps after leaving the dragstrip. Times were noticeably slower in Moto 2. The histogram above shows that Moto 2 lap times have a dip around 106 seconds, highlighting the speed difference between the top riders and the rest of the field.

  • Justin Cooper set the fastest qualifying time with a 1:39.575. In fact, six riders recorded faster times in qualifying than anyone did during the motos.
  • Lap times in Moto 2 were nearly a full second slower on average compared to Moto 1, and consistency scores in Moto 2 dropped by an average of 1.7 points.
  • Tomac and Jett Lawrence were dominant in lap times. Out of 24 timed laps across both motos, Tomac and Lawrence each posted 8 of the top lap times, totaling 16 between them.

450 Moto 1 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

RIDER

MOTO

Average
Time
Fastest
Time
LAP 99

Consistency

E. Tomac M1 1:43.500 1:42.775 1:41.59 95.8
J. Lawrence M1 1:43.777 1:42.113 1:41.24 89.3
H. Lawrence M1 1:44.064 1:42.948 1:41.49 93.5
C. Sexton M1 1:44.272 1:42.571 1:41.22 89.6
K. Roczen M1 1:44.956 1:43.967 1:42.47 94.2

450 Moto 2 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

RIDER MOTO Average
Time
Fastest
Time
LAP 99

Consistency

J. Lawrence M2 1:44.023 1:42.861 --- 89.6
E. Tomac M2 1:44.320 1:42.850 1:41.52 89.1
C. Sexton M2 1:44.752 1:43.351 1:42.02 92.4
K. Roczen M2 1:45.081 1:43.939 1:42.92 91.7
J. Cooper M2 1:45.203 1:43.722 1:42.87 91.2

 

Overall Performance:

  • Interestingly, Tomac won Moto 1, but Jett Lawrence set the fastest lap time. Then Lawrence won Moto 2, and Tomac set the fastest lap time. Both riders clearly dominated, posting the best average lap times as well.
  • In Sexton's own words, he was "trying really hard," but the results didn't follow. He was half a second off the pace in Moto 1 and nearly three-quarters of a second behind in Moto 2.

LITPro 10-Lap Consistency Scores:

  • Eli Tomac was exceptional in Moto 1. Not only did he have the fastest average lap time, but his consistency score was outstanding at 95.8.
  • Despite a tough Moto 2, Hunter Lawrence was remarkably consistent with his lap times, averaging a 94.84 across both motos.

Lap 99 Analysis:

*Lap 99 takes each riders' best segment time regardless of lap and combines them as a theoretical best lap time.
  • Although we missed segment data for Jett Lawrence in Moto 2, it's safe to assume his Lap 99 time would have been well ahead of the rest of the field.
  • Chase Sexton recorded the fastest Lap 99 time of the day in Moto 1, showing he had the speed in the right places, but he struggled to put together clean laps.

Lap Time Distribution for Top 10 

In the box-and-whisker plot above, we can see how consistent—or inconsistent—some riders were. Notice Tomac in Moto 1; his box is small with no outliers, reflecting his high consistency score. On the other hand, Webb had a tough day. While his lap times were generally grouped together in Moto 1, he had a few outlier laps. In Moto 2, he struggled significantly. For his hometown race and also returning from injury, he was likely relieved when the day ended.

250 Analysis:

Moto 1 in the 250 class got started, but a gnarly crash on the start straight caused a red flag before even a third of a lap was completed. We wish Swoll a speedy recovery. Julien Beaumer was set up for success this weekend. After the restart, he not only got the holeshot but also led for most of the race. However, Haiden Deegan charged through the field as if the other riders were standing still. Starting from 9th, he sliced through the pack with impressive lines, showing why he was the 250 Pro Motocross champion.

Moto 2 played out almost exactly like Moto 1. Romano grabbed the holeshot, but Beaumer quickly took the lead, only to have Kitchen overtake him. While those riders fought for the front, Deegan came from 7th to win Moto 2 comfortably. Deegan's win was decisive, and the overall podium was completed by Beaumer in 2nd and Kitchen in 3rd.

Although Deegan was dominant in both motos, he didn’t top the track map. This was partly because he had to work his way through the field and also because of the unique features of the track. However, his corner speed, particularly in the split lane, and his aggressive riding style in the sand gave him a clear advantage. Despite finishing second overall, Beaumer only recorded one fastest segment across both motos, highlighting just how strong the 250 field is beyond Deegan.

Many hoped that 250 West Champion Hampshire and 250 East Champion Vialle would challenge Deegan. Hampshire looked promising in Moto 1 but suffered a brutal crash. Although he managed to recover, his performance was clearly affected the remainder of the day. Vialle had an interesting day; he set the fastest segment times in Moto 1 and one in Moto 2 but had a relatively quiet overall performance.

Moto 1:

SEG Rider Average
Time
Fastest
Time
Consistency
Score
1 H. Deegan 10.752 10.329 74.1
2 J. Shimoda 5.720 5.526 66.9
3 H. Deegan 6.764 6.442 0*
4 H. Deegan 8.211 7.897 0*
5 C. McAdoo 9.525 9.345 86.5
6 T. Masterpool 7.265 7.042 80.1
7 T. Vialle 19.948 19.322 78.5
8 H. Deegan 9.196 8.888 62.5
9 T. Vialle 26.189 25.902 92.4

 Moto 2:

SEG Rider Average
Time
Fastest
Time
Consistency
Score
1 H. Deegan 10.888 10.563 81.6
2 J. Smith 5.730 5.551 67.3
3 H. Deegan 6.938 6.314 0*
4 T. Vialle 8.371 8.098 67.2
5 H. Deegan 9.511 9.152 79.2
6 J. Beaumer 7.422 7.267 88.4
7 H. Deegan 19.998 19.515 77.2
8 J. Shimoda 9.222 9.077 82.4
9 L. Kitchen 26.079 25.720 91.4

Lap Time Breakdown:

The lap time histogram above might be the most unique I’ve seen all season. Notice how closely packed the times are—almost all of them are within 5 seconds. The 250 field is incredibly strong, consistent, and promising. In both motos, 75% of lap times were within 5.5 seconds. Moto 2 was about a full second slower than Moto 1, but the class averaged a consistency score above 90 in both motos.

Deegan, however, was dominant at the top. He posted an impressive 13 fastest lap times out of the 24 timed laps. Beaumer recorded 3 fastest laps in Moto 1, Kitchen had 4 in Moto 2, but no other riders managed multiple fastest laps.

250 Moto 1 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

RIDER

MOTO

Average
Time
Fastest
Time
LAP 99

Consistency

H. Deegan M1 1:44.522 1:42.121 1:40.88 81.9
J. Beaumer M1 1:45.232 1:42.287 1:42.23 85.9
T. Vialle M1 1:45.442 1:44.775 1:42.43 96.4
J. Shimoda M1 1:45.514 1:43.721 1:42.07 88.5
J. Smith M1 1:45.614 1:44.737 1:43.13 94.0

250 Moto 2 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

RIDER

MOTO

Average
Time
Fastest
Time
LAP 99

Consistency

H. Deegan M2 1:45.203 1:43.386 1:41.85 88.4
L. Kitchen M2 1:45.816 1:43.920 1:42.84 84.6
M. Anstie M2 1:46.043 1:44.767 1:43.43 92.4
J. Shimoda M2 1:46.270 1:45.519 1:43.96 94.2
J. Smith M2 1:46.485 1:45.696 1:43.99 96.3

Overall Performance:

  • Deegan was exceptional in both motos, powering through the pack with ease. He set the fastest lap time in both motos and averaged over half a second faster than his competitors in each race.
  • Despite finishing 2nd in Moto 1 and 4th in Moto 2, Julien Beaumer ended up 2nd overall but only had the 6th fastest average lap time in Moto 2.

LITPro 10-Lap Consistency Scores:

  • Deegan’s speed sometimes comes at the expense of consistency. Among the top 10 riders, he had the lowest consistency score.
  • Jordan Smith, on the other hand, found his rhythm and built on his strong finish at Ironman. He posted the highest consistency score of the day at 96.3 in Moto 2, with a very impressive score of 94 in Moto 1.

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 pushed so hard in Moto 1 that his theoretical best lap time was not only seconds faster than the rest of the class but also half a second faster than any 450 rider.
  • Julien Beaumer’s Lap 99 time was only half a second faster than his fastest lap time in Moto 1, indicating that he achieved most of his best segment times on a single lap.

    Lap Time Distribution for Top 10

    As mentioned earlier, Hampshire had a crash in Moto 1 and never quite recovered. His lap times in Moto 2 showed this struggle, as he was significantly off the pace. The 250 class had more outlier laps today compared to usual. While the riders were generally consistent, each rider is allowed two throwaway laps for consistency scoring. As shown by the dots above, many riders had laps that were well outside their typical pace.

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