The Supercross season has hit the halfway point in the season. This weekend, there is no racing happening in the SMX World Championship, marking the first bye week of the year.
Multiple unexpected storylines have been developed so far, while some highly anticipated events have not been able to happen.
One of the most talked about storylines this season has been in the 450 class, with Jett Lawrence racing against Eli Tomac.
Tomac had a nasty achilles injury in 2023, leaving him out for the rest of that season. Miraculously, he was able to recover and return to racing, but he truly did not find his speed until the end of the 2024 season.
This had led to talks of seeing these two riders create some of the best racing ever for the 2025 season. However, by round five of the season, both riders were out with championship-ending injuries. They both hope to be back to race the Pro Motocross championship, the second half of the SMX season, in late May.
Meanwhile, Chase Sexton still has not been able to stop making costly mistakes. He changed manufactures from Honda to KTM in the 2023 off-season, hoping a change of scenery would better himself. This has not been the case: He has made multiple mistakes, costing him the points lead. These rookie mistakes leave fans wondering if he can really fight for a championship.
The 450 points leader is Cooper Webb, who is having one of the best seasons of his career. He is now tied for eighth place in all-time Supercross wins. There is only one other active competitor in this top ten, and it is Tomac in second place. Also, Webb has shown real aggression on the track, leading him to put a lead of 10 seconds or more on his competitors when he has a good start.
Ken Roczen has had a strong season, putting him in third in the points race. He has not been injured yet, which was one of his biggest issues for years.
He has relatively had a mistake-free season, other than at Tampa. At that race, he made a poor line choice, leading him to collide with other racers. This led to him not being able to finish the race, and so he lost some championship points. However, he has been so consistent that he is still in the fight to win the title.
In the 250 class, Haiden Deegan has been notably different.
Deegan had not had the speed he had last year, leading people to believe that he was injured. However, after changing his riding coach, he was able to gain speed back and dominate his competition.
Also, it seems as if he has matured. Deegan has been known for his remarks on the post-race podium, calling out his competition. The 19-year-old has not been running his mouth to his competitors nearly as much this season, leading fans to believe that he is starting to mature as a person.
Deegan’s teammate, Cole Davies, has had a successful rookie season so far. Almost no one had believed Davies would be title competitor, but he has shown immense speed, leaving him right in the fight for the 250 West title.
Julian Beaumer has had shoulder issues this season, leaving him unable to race to his full potential. This season is only his second year of racing professionally. Before the shoulder issues, he showed crazy amounts of speed. His skill has progressed a lot since his rookie season. Once he is fully healthy, it will be exciting to watch him compete for wins.
Next weekend, the SMX Championship goes south to Birmingham’s Protective Stadium. Coverage will air live at 7 p.m. Saturday on Peacock.
