SuperMotocross Weekly presented by Kawasaki: Pala

Image via Ned Leone

Follow along with the biggest stories in SuperMotocross every week with SuperMotocross Weekly presented by Kawasaki!

This Week: Pala, CA, Fox Raceway at Pala
When to Watch: Saturday, 4PM ET, Peacock; Monday, 2AM ET, CNBC
Last Year’s Winners: Chase Sexton (450MX), Jett Lawrence (250MX)

Last Race: For the first time in two decades, Honda claimed a Supercross championship at the highest level when Chase Sexton locked up his first 450SX title by winning the finale in Salt Lake City ahead of Aaron Plessinger and Justin Hill. Jett Lawrence’s 250 swan song saw him win the East-West Showdown over RJ Hampshire and Levi Kitchen—finishing in the same order that they did in the 250SX West standings. 250SX East champion Hunter Lawrence placed sixth.

Race Preview: The start of the Pro Motocross season provides riders with a fresh opportunity to go for a championship, and that means a shakeup to the field. Back in are names like Dylan Ferrandis and Cooper Webb, who return from concussions, with Justin Barcia, Malcolm Stewart, and Jason Anderson all set to return at some point during the season as well. Jett Lawrence has also turned his last lap on a 250, moving up to the 450 class for the outdoor season—even though he’ll need to start from scratch in SuperMotocross points as a result.

Regardless, it’s still the Honda-backed Supercross champs who won the opener in Pala last year, with 1-1s for both Sexton in 450 and Jett Lawrence in 250. Hunter Lawrence, who will remain in the 250 class, enters as the favorite with both the SMX points lead and a 2-2 to his brother last year. Despite no longer going head-to-head with Jett, Hunter’s competition will also get deeper as Michael Mosiman, Garrett Marchbanks, and Jalek Swoll return from injury in Pala.

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