Few American Motorsports events have the feeling that Anaheim 1 Supercross brings. The best crowd of the year, the history inside of Angel Stadium, etc., nothing on the SMX calendar comes that close. Winners of A1 is a who's who of Supercross' all-time best, and last year, it was eventual 450 Champion Jett Lawrence who lit the candles in his premier class debut, ultimately, a preview of what was to come in an eight-win campaign.
This year, he's the undisputed favorite to take home his second Monster Energy Supercross 450 crown and entered the week as the odds-on favorite to take home A1 for the second year in a row. Of course, 21 other riders would have a chance to say something about that, and based on the afternoon program, one Eli Tomac outpaced the No. 1 Honda HRC machine, and former Supercross Champion Chase Sexton wasn't far off himself.
No more "flying at the test track." No more "I'm in the best shape of my career." No more "I love the bike/setup (lying >>>)." Who could make it happen under the bright lights out in SoCal to kick off 2025?
Daytime Program/Injury Notes:
- I Love the new RDL booth of Adam Cianciarulo and Justin Brayton. AC didn't seem half bad as a de-facto play-by-play guy, which I can't imagine is easy for an ex-racer.
Levi Kitchen pulled out of the night show due to Illness and is officially switching over to 250 East. I would expect rookie Drew Adams to get the call-up for San Diego.
- Outside of only nine whoops after the finish, I'm a big fan of this track.
- Expect to see the Ducati rig at another half dozen or so rounds of Supercross this year for display purposes.
- 250 Fastest Qualifier: No. 23 Julien Beaumer (1:04.669) (Only he and Deegan hit the 1:04 range)
- 450 Fastest Qualifier: No. 3 Eli Tomac (1:03.102) (Much like last year with Sexton and Jett, all three riders this year laid down a ton of heaters over those last three minutes of the final session)
Heat Racing Highlights
Haiden Deegan did about what you'd expect in a less than stacked 250 opening heat (impressed with how Cole Davies did behind him in second), but I loved what I saw out of Julien Beaumer from a race craft vantage point. He rode like a guy who liked the setup and could put the bike anywhere he wanted. James Stewart (so good, btw) pointed this out, but Beaumer was skipping that first whoop after the finish jump and was gaining chunks of time on then-leader Jordon Smith, and I thought he was simply doing a great job running where he wasn't in some of these option sections. Fantastic opening run of the year for the KTM rider.
Ken Roczen dazzled from start to finish in the opening 450 heat of the year, but Jett Lawrence's outing was one to forget. Getting inadvertently tangled up with Cooper Webb, he had to fight his way into a transfer spot in those first few laps but luckily got up to fifth, all but ensuring he wouldn't be stuck on the outside half of the split for the Main Event start. On the other side, Chase Sexton looked super dialed in, rocketing out to a seven-plus second win over (surprisingly) Jorge Prado, who capitalized off a great start and opening pair of corners to get into second and never gave up the spot. A very good way to open up the year for the No. 70.
250 Class Recap
1st - No. 30 Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC)
It's an undefeated start for the Jo Shimoda Agenda™ in 2025!!! Especially given his horrendous gate drop in the heat races, the last thing on my bingo card was for him to get close to a wire-to-wire win, but he did just that on the new '25 CRF frame. Jo estenially just did what Jett Lawrence has become great at; simply managing the gap to the guy behind him and not overdoing things. None of the mistakes that have plagued him these last two years popped up, and ultimately, this is why I've been as high on Shimoda as I've been these last three/four years. If he can get starts like that and eliminate the mental errors, he's as good as any rider on a 250. Jo was the only rider in the field to hit the 1:05 range and did so comfortably.
2nd - No. 23 Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM)
While surely Beaumer would've liked to have come away with a "perfect weekend" (fastest qualifier, heat win, main win), he's got nothing to be ashamed of. He looked superb, and with how things have developed in the 250 West region with injuries and East Coast swaps, he's got a real shot to develop into a title contender in a field that features Shimoda and Deegan. How does that sound for high-leverage reps? Baumer ultimately unloaded off the hauler much better than I had anticipated, and I wouldn't be surprised one bit if he found the top step of the podium sooner rather than later if tonight is what's to be expected moving forward.
3rd - No. 19 Jordon Smith (Triumph Factory Racing)
I'd have to imagine this was a tough week for the entire Triumph crew with Jalek Swoll's Achilles tear. If not for nothing, though, Jordon Smith didn't let a tip-over from second unravel his night and did a great job battling with Ryder DiFrancesco to get back on the box by the night's end. Very consistent pace outside of the one lap and was very deserving of a third to kick off the year.
5th - No. 38 Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha)
Deegan going down seconds into his last two seasons is less than ideal, but he deserves credit for still putting in a winning ride and making it out of Angel Stadium with 17 points when things could've been much worse. Had he finished outside the top 10, I'd be a bit more worried from a long-term perspective, but an eight-point hole right off the bat is nothing.
6th - No. 37 Coty Schock (Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha)
My only note on Schock's night, where he did very well, even running in podium position at one point, is that he's a better man than me. After Birmingham last year with Deegan and his collarbone getting broken over a non-top five, let alone a podium spot, I'm stunned he didn't go for the jugular in that last corner. In any case, that ClubMX YZ250 had some good speed, and I wonder if Schock could be a consistent top-five guy for this season.
9th - No. 36 Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki)
Marchbanks felt like a shoo-in for a podium right from the jump, quite literally, given the holeshot, but a whoops crash derailed things instantly. You have to keep things on the positive side if you're in that PC rig with Mitch Payton. Marchbanks still ran very well before going down, and that should be stressed all week going into San Diego. It's a long season; you can't get too low this quick.
250 West Class Anaheim 1 Top 10 (Plus Points Standings after Round 1)
1st No. 30 Jo Shimoda (25 Points)
2nd No. 23 Julien Beaumer (22 Points)
3rd No. 19 Jordon Smith (20 Points)
4th No. 25 Ryder DiFrancesco (18 Points)
5th No. 38 Haiden Deegan (17 Points)
6th No. 37 Coty Schock (16 Points)
7th No. 52 Anthony Bourdon (15 Points)
8th No. 100 Cole Davies (14 Points)
9th No. 36 Garrett Marchbanks (13 Points)
10th No. 61 Cole Thompson (12 Points)
450 Class Recap
1st - No. 4 Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM)
It's hard to have a much better weekend than Chase Sexton did. Not even a stall mid-Main Event could derail him with how good he looked in race trim. Especially after last year, I'm stunned that he looked as comfortable as he did on the KTM, and he sounded very pleased with the team and the setup post-race. For once, he wasn't the guy making unforced errors, with a cavalcade of guys doing so around him. Even with the speedbump, Sexton broke back away from Ken Roczen in no time and made things a formality over the final 10 minutes. It's still one race, but if Sexton can eliminate the mistakes and ride as fluid as he did moving forward, look out. On a final note, Sexton's two best laps (both in the 1:04 range) came right before and right after the stall. Absolutely locked in during those first 5-10 laps.
2nd - No. 94 Ken Roczen (HEP Progressive Suzuki)
I'm begging the folks in Japan who head Suzuki's Motorcycle program: Watch Ken Roczen over these last three years on a nearly a decade-old bike platform and ask why you aren't doing anything substantial enough to upgrade the RM line? Unreal carry job by the veteran and the folks at Dustin Pipes' outfit to get as much as they are out of the bike. I loved how Roczen cranked up the intensity after qualifying outside of the top 10 and made the most of his live race reps. This was a much better A1 outing for him than last year's run of 10th.
3rd - No. 21 Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki)
This is the Jason Anderson I knew was there these last couple of years. A ton of bad luck took him out of winning contention time and time again, and while the top step of the podium alluded him yet again, he's on the right track and stayed out of trouble...well, outside of the start with Jett Lawrence, but that's neither here nor there (Tough racing in my view. No one's fault). El Hombre is a guy who I'd naturally like to see in the mix in general, but especially now with his genuine feud with both Laerence bros., so here's to hoping he can keep this up. The sport is better when he's good.
5th - No. 3 Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha)
Had Tomac not tipped over in the slick stuff four corners in, everyone in Angel Stadium and watching at home knew this was as good as done. Alas, ET3 put up a valiant effort in what could be his final A1 appearance, and much like 250 teammate Haiden Deegan, he should feel good moving forward, limiting a ton of damage from a points perspective. The pre-Achilles tear speed is there, so I'd have to imagine that the wins are coming, and soon at that.
10th - No. 27 Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing)
My heart couldn't take another A1 Mookie Stewart injury, so I'm thankful he was good enough to gut through an LCQ and Main Event to come home with a tough top 10. His qualifying effort and the lone full lap he completed in that heat race (second fastest only to Sexton) showed he had some elite pace, so hopefully, an extra day off the bike this week does him some good going into San Diego.
11th - No. 1 Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC)
I certainly wasn't the only one to think this since Ricky Carmichael brought it up on the broadcast, but my initial thought with Jett was that something had to have been wrong with the bike after the tuff block got stuck to the rear sprocket. Then that JT mid-race report came in about the Lawerence brothers' testing of the '25 Honda after SMX didn't go so hot. I would classify that as "not great," given how good both Lawrence brothers looked on the new digs last summer and in SMX. But honestly, just my view, I think that the fact it was speciffically Anderson who inadvertently got into him rattled him a bit. He definitely looked off and was not as urgent in getting by guys as I'd expected.
In any case, those bike issues aren't permanent and should get ironed out soon, but if Lawrence looks as off as he did on Saturday these next few weeks, I'd be nervous. For now, it's just one weekend. There is a lot of racing left, and we know how good he is when he puts it all together.
14th - No. 70 Jorge Prado (Monster Energy Kawasaki)
To hell with the whoops crash. If you didn't walk away from that Main Event and were not super impressed with Jorge Prado, then I don't know what to tell you. Sure, Sexton dropped him like a bad habit in time, but you can say that about 20 other riders if you want to play that game. How good Prado is at starting will grant him no shortage of opportunities to run up at or near the front this year, and to say you were top five at A1 on a brand-new bike for nearly halfway is a major accomplishment. Don't let the fall ruin your view of things. Prado had a fantastic Saturday night.
450 Class Anaheim 1 Top 10 (Plus Points Standings after Round 1)
1st No. 4 Chase Sexton (25 Points)
2nd No. 94 Ken Roczen (22 Points)
3rd No. 21 Jason Anderson (20 Points)
4th No. 2 Cooper Webb (18 Points)
5th No. 3 Eli Tomac (17 Points)
6th No. 51 Justin Barcia (16 Points)
7th No. 32 Justin Cooper (15 Points)
8th No. 46 Justin Hill (14 Points)
9th No. 7 Aaron Plessinger (13 Points)
10th No. 27 Malcolm Stewart (12 Points)
Anaheim 1 Lit Kit: Alpinestars x DirtStudio Kits (Jason Anderson, Eli Tomac, and Hunter Lawrence) (Best A-Stars kit in years imo)
Main Image via KTM
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