SuperMotocross Weekly presented by Kawasaki: Tampa
Image via Ned Leone
Follow along with the biggest stories in SuperMotocross every week with SuperMotocross Weekly presented by Kawasaki!
This Week: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
When to Watch: Saturday, 7PM ET, Peacock; Sunday, 4PM ET, NBC; Monday, 1AM ET, CNBC
Last Year’s Winners: N/A
Last Race: Supercross returned to Houston’s NRG Stadium after skipping the venue in 2022, and defending 450SX champion Eli Tomac returned to the top of the box for Monster Energy Star Yamaha to put a little more ground in points on Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson in second and third. The 250SX East championship also kicked off in Houston, but it was still a Lawrence on top, as Jett’s brother Hunter kicked the season off with a big win over Honda teammate Max Anstie and Yamaha’s Jordon Smith.
Race Preview: The window of opportunity for 450SX riders may have shut as quickly as it opened in Anaheim with Tomac’s crash last week. He got right back down to business in Houston by taking the holeshot and leading all 23 laps. It was a mostly positive weekend for the Yamaha squad, as Justin Cooper’s return to supercross and debut on a 450 saw a seventh place finish, but Dylan Ferrandis also suffered a big crash that knocked him unconscious and forced a red flag. Sexton, to his credit, showed that he’s got the pace to match Tomac on any given night, and caught the defending champion multiple times in the feature—but he and Cooper Webb, now third place in points, will need to strike back in Tampa lest the points battle get out of hand early.
While Lawrence had the 250 class handled in Houston, a ton of talented rookies like social media star Haiden Deegan and two-time MX2 champion Tom Vialle took the fight to the other series veterans. Vialle actually led the main event briefly before Lawrence got past for good, but the French rider crashed from a podium spot and ended seventh on the night. In the end, it was Deegan who topped all the rookies, settling into fifth before Jeremy Martin stalled in fourth on the last lap and the two swapped positions. Tampa will provide those riders with an opportunity for redemption, as they’ll try to keep the East class from having another Lawrence run away with it.
Find your new tire with General Tire: Home | Tire Search | Dealer Locator