Key Highlights:

• Only Needed a Start: Pierce Brown had an unforgettable day, clinching his first overall win and dominating Moto 2 by averaging half a second faster per lap. He also set the highest combined consistency score of the class at an impressive 93.8!
  
  
• Kings of Consistency: A remarkable 19 riders in the 450 class achieved a combined consistency score above 89 across both motos! With a median LITPro consistency score of 91.5 for the class.
  
  
• Brother vs. Brother: In a thrilling sibling rivalry, Jett and Hunter Lawrence were the only riders to set fastest lap times in Moto 2. Of 13 timed laps, Jett claimed 7 laps while Hunter trailed closely with 6, their average lap times separated by a mere 0.07 seconds!
  
  
• Life in the USA: Harri Kullas has quickly adapted to supercross elements, earning the fifth highest combined consistency score (92.9) and finishing 9th overall. His impressive performance highlights his potential of a strong US racing career.
  
  
• A Class Act: While Ken Roczen may not have set the fastest lap times, he impressed in Moto 2 with an average lap time just 0.5 seconds off his personal best, achieving an outstanding 97.4 LITPro consistency score. Truly an elite performance!

What happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas— the secret is out! The Supermotocross finale came down to the wire, with three 450 riders competing in a winner-takes-all shootout for the championship and a million dollars. Las Vegas is known for its unforgettable moments—both good and bad—and this year was no exception. Let’s recap all the action from Sin City.

450 Analysis:

Chaos and heartbreak unfolded quickly in the first 450 moto. Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, and Chase Sexton found themselves in a winner-takes-all scenario, but unfortunately, Sexton was sidelined early after being landed on by Justin Barcia in the opening rhythm lane. Surprisingly, Sexton didn’t crash, but with a torn jersey, a presumably broken hand, and mangled bike controls, he had to exit the race. This left a brother vs. brother showdown for the championship. However, it was Eli Tomac who played spoiler, rocketing out of the gate and leading most of Moto 1 before Jett Lawrence passed him late in the race for the lead. With Hunter finishing third, Jett only needed to place second or better in Moto 2 to secure the overall win and back-to-back SMX Championship.

In Moto 2, Jett took the early lead and never looked back. Hunter stayed right on his tail, keeping his brother honest throughout the race, with Tomac close behind in third. Jett and Hunter ended up tied on points, but Jett clinched the championship through the tiebreaker and the overall. Hunter finished second, while Tomac took third.

Track Breakdown:

 

The Vegas track showcased an excellent blend of supercross and motocross elements. While the tracks in North Carolina and Texas featured some outdoor sections, Vegas managed to maintain about half its layout with outdoor characteristics. This included long, sweeping rutted corners, some elevation change, grueling sand, and more. On the supercross side, the sections featured tight, technical rhythms and block-passing bowl corners.

In the track maps above, we highlight the riders who maintained the fastest average segment times throughout the race. In Moto 1, Tomac dominated the top half of the track, but it was Jett’s speed through the first half of the outdoor section that gave him the edge. Although Jett won both motos, he was only the fastest in 2 out of 9 sections across both motos. However, he consistently placed second or third fastest, while other top riders sometimes dropped to as low as fifth. Jett’s ability to maintain smoothness throughout the track is what allows him to be incredibly fast.

Finally, we should recognize Colt Nichols. Initially out of the race after failing to qualify through the last chance qualifier, Nichols got a second chance to compete in Moto 2 due to Sexton’s injury. He made the most of it, finishing an impressive ninth place and achieving the fastest average in Sector 3 of Moto 2. Nichols looks to have a promising future on the Suzuki.

Moto 1:

SEG	Rider	Average Time	Fastest Time	Consistency Score
1	E. Tomac	12.044	11.740	83.8
2	E. Tomac	16.773	16.467	76.8
3	A. Plessinger	5.386	5.212	91.2
4	H. Lawrence	11.126	10.817	74.3
5	E. Tomac	6.86	6.486	74.8
6	H. Lawrence	7.546	7.342	86.5
7	J. Lawrence	7.730	7.516	73.6
8	J. Lawrence	10.148	9.687	71.1
9	J. Lawrence	9.992	9.605	83.4
10	E. Tomac	9.238	9.017	85.3

 Moto 2:

SEG	Rider	Average Time	Fastest Time	Consistency Score
1	H. Lawrence	12.222	11.904	83.7
2	H. Lawrence	17.040	16.757	74.8
3	J. Lawrence	5.320	5.167	84.5
4	C. Nichols	11.461	11.210	81.6
5	A. Plessinger	6.828	6.600	0*
6	J. Anderson	7.556	7.366	84.0
7	H. Lawrence	7.701	7.551	74.1
8	J. Lawrence	10.009	9.657	76.8
9	E. Tomac	9.979	9.642	78.1
10	E. Tomac	9.147	8.873	85.2

 

 

Lap Time Breakdown:

In the histogram chart above, we see the lap time breakdowns across both motos. Interestingly, the fastest lap times in Moto 2 decreased by about half a second, while the average lap time remained the same. Even more impressive was the consistency among the riders. With everything on the line, most riders in the main event truly brought their A-game, with nineteen riders achieving a combined consistency score above 89 across both motos.

• The median LITPro consistency score for the 450 class was 91.5, the highest we've seen in any class this season.
• Out of the 13 timed laps, Jett Lawrence set the fastest lap on 6 occasions in Moto 1. While Tomac, Hunter, and even Webb recorded some fastest laps in Moto 1, it was all about the brothers in Moto 2. Jett led the way with 7 fastest laps, while Hunter had 6.
• Taking the best sector times from both motos, the theoretical fastest lap time—referred to as Lap 99—was 1:33.34. The fastest time recorded during the race was Jett Lawrence's impressive 1:36.36.

450 Moto 1 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

RIDER	MOTO	Average Time	Fastest Time	LAP 99	Consistency
J. Lawrence	M1	1:37.440	1:36.357	1:34.66	92.9
E. Tomac	M1	1:37.684	1:36.566	1:34.88	91.4
H. Lawrence	M1	1:37.869	1:36.724	1:35.46	93.9
A. Plessinger	M1	1:39.630	1:37.570	1:36.33	87.2
J. Cooper	M1	1:39.779	1:38.811	1:37.37	94.1

450 Moto 2 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

RIDER	MOTO	Average Time	Fastest Time	LAP 99	Consistency
J. Lawrence	M2	1:38.048	1:37.291	1:35.71	94.6
H. Lawrence	M2	1:38.119	1:36.900	1:35.75	90.6
E. Tomac	M2	1:38.804	1:37.828	1:36.34	93.4
A. Plessinger	M2	1:38.977	1:38.036	1:36.79	92.4
K. Roczen	M2	1:39.081	1:38.525	1:36.23	97.4

 

Overall Performance:

• Jett Lawrence came to Vegas ready to compete. He set the fastest average lap time in both motos and recorded the fastest lap of the day in Moto 1. His consistency score was impressive, reflected in his combined LITPro consistency score of 93.7, the third highest in the field.  
• In Moto 1, Jett, Hunter, and Tomac clearly operated on another level, with their average lap times clocking in two seconds per lap faster than the rest of the pack.

LITPro 10-Lap Consistency Scores:

• While Ken Roczen may not have set the fastest lap times, he excelled in Moto 2, with an average lap time just 0.5 seconds off his fastest lap, achieving an impressive 97.4 10-lap consistency score. This performance was truly elite for the veteran.
• Harri Kullas has adapted remarkably well to the supercross elements during his short time in the U.S., finishing with the fifth highest combined consistency score and taking home 9th overall.

Lap 99 Analysis:

*Lap 99 takes each riders' best segment time regardless of lap and combines them as a theoretical best lap time.

• Jett Lawrence set the fastest theoretical lap time in both races, each time approximately 1.5 seconds quicker than his actual fastest lap. Although Jett prefers to maintain a manageable 3-5 second lead while in front, his Lap 99 times suggest he could have pushed harder.
• Moto 2 highlighted the competitiveness of the class, with the top six riders all posting Lap 99 times within one second of each other, showcasing that any of them had the potential to lead and secure wins.

Lap Time Distribution for Top 10 

In the box-and-whisker plot above, we can observe the lap time distributions of the top 10 riders. Generally, a smaller box indicates more consistent lap times. However, outlier laps, marked by dots, can significantly impact consistency scores. For instance, consider Kenny’s impressive 97 consistency score from Moto 2. Although Webb and Plessinger had a smaller distribution box, their outlier laps resulted in a lower score.

250 Analysis:

The 250 class seemed all but wrapped up by Haiden Deegan before the racing even began. However, with Vegas offering triple points, Deegan couldn’t simply cruise mid-pack to secure the championship, despite his impressive points lead. Having won every moto of the series, he was the favorite heading into Vegas. In Moto 1, he delivered, grabbing the holeshot and leading every lap, with Pierce Brown finishing second and Tom Vialle taking third.

Moto 2, however, proved to be much more dramatic. Deegan got off to a poor start, while Vialle moved into second. Deegan needed to find his way to at least fifth place to clinch the championship, whereas Vialle could take it all by winning the race if Deegan finished sixth or worse. Vialle looked poised to do just that, but a tip-over after running into the back of Masterpool derailed his chances. Masterpool appeared ready to secure a moto win but struggled critically in the big rhythm lane, allowing several riders to pass him throughout the race.

In the end, Pierce Brown captured the moto win and first career overall victory in his final ride with GasGas. Deegan managed to pass several riders, finishing in second and securing back-to-back SMX Championships. Jordan Smith rounded out the podium in third and finished third overall.

 

 

Despite leading dominantly throughout Moto 1, Deegan was only the fastest in a third of the sectors. Vialle matched Deegan’s performance in 3 of the 9 sectors. However, this track proved challenging for passing, and while Deegan had a clear track, Vialle started back in fifth. Its unfortunate we rarely get to see these two battle it out.

With Deegan’s poor start in Moto 2, we saw several other riders set the fastest sector times. Multiple riders managed to achieve the quickest average sector times. Masterpool was one of only three riders to record two fastest sectors, but he struggled significantly in Sector 6, which likely cost him the victory. His Sector 6 time ranked 13th, placing him alongside Talon Hawkins and Nick Romano.

Below are the average sector times for the top riders. Surprisingly, while riders often struggled with consistency in specific sectors, they were still able to post overall lap times within half a second of each other.

Moto 1:

SEG	Rider	Average Time	Fastest Time	Consistency Score
1	L. Kitchen	12.438	12.041	77.0
2	T. Vialle	17.148	16.736	79.6
3	P. Brown	5.109	4.936	82.5
4	H. Deegan	11.344	11.124	75.1
5	J. Shimoda	6.932	6.590	78.5
6	P. Brown	7.469	7.320	85.2
7	H. Deegan	8.167	8.020	87.9
8	T. Vialle	10.491	10.259	58.8
9	H. Deegan	9.892	9.327	80.4
10	T. Vialle	9.182	8.979	84.2

 Moto 2:

SEG	Rider	Average Time	Fastest Time	Consistency Score
1	P. Brown	12.418	12.112	76.9
2	T. Masterpool	17.298	16.974	50.9
3	J. Shimoda	5.120	4.948	75.5
4	H. Deegan	11.398	10.992	85.4
5	J. Smith	6.841	6.554	90.1
6	P. Brown	7.657	7.258	79.9
7	T. Masterpool	8.105	7.860	71.4
8	C. Schock	10.364	10.111	70.3
9	J. Shimoda	9.841	9.470	74.2
10	M. Anstie	9.114	8.871	82.4

Lap Time Breakdown:

The lap time distribution in the 250 class was noticeably more distributed than the 450s. Interestingly, the average lap time decreased by a full second in Moto 2, but this improvement came at the expense of consistency. The median consistency score dropped by nearly 3 points in Moto 2. As highlighted below, all five of the top riders achieved 10-lap consistency scores in the 90s in Moto 1, but only two riders managed to do the same in Moto 2.

250 Moto 1 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

RIDER	MOTO	Average Time	Fastest Time	LAP 99	Consistency
H. Deegan	M1	1:38.935	1:37.601	1:36.09	90.5
P. Brown	M1	1:39.050	1:38.053	1:36.77	94.1
T. Vialle	M1	1:39.278	1:38.561	1:36.33	95.1
J. Shimoda	M1	1:39.321	1:38.284	1:35.85	93.1
J. Smith	M1	1:39.476	1:38.289	1:36.40	92.7

250 Moto 2 Top 5 Average Lap Times 

RIDER	MOTO	Average Time	Fastest Time	LAP 99	Consistency
P. Brown	M2	1:38.958	1:37.554	1:35.46	93.4
H. Deegan	M2	1:39.437	1:37.230	1:35.52	80.3
J. Smith	M2	1:39.695	1:38.258	1:36.76	88.3
M. Anstie	M2	1:39.708	1:39.140	1:37.00	94.6
J. Shimoda	M2	1:39.919	1:37.404	1:36.00	81.9

Overall Performance:

• Pierce Brown had an exceptional day. Not only did he secure his first-ever overall win, but he also dominated Moto 2, averaging half a second faster per lap than Haiden Deegan.
• Despite a poor start, Deegan managed to set the fastest lap of the 250s in Moto 2 as he worked his way through the pack. With a better start, he clearly would have challenged Brown for the lead.

LITPro 10-Lap Consistency Scores:

• In addition to his convincing win in Moto 2, Pierce Brown set the highest combined consistency score of the day, averaging 93.8 across both motos.
• Tom Vialle looked comfortable on this technical track, achieving the highest 250 LITPro 10-lap consistency score in Moto 1 at 95.1. If only he didn't tip over in 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.

• Jo Shimoda continued to show flashes of speed on his Honda but struggled to capitalize on it throughout the season. He set the fastest Lap 99 time in Moto 1, finishing 0.2 seconds faster than anyone else.
• Meanwhile, Pierce Brown was locked in during Moto 2, recording the fastest theoretical lap time of the 250s at 1:35.46.

Lap Time Distribution for Top 10