The AMA Pro Motocross Championship began its 11-race series in Pala, Calif., over the Memorial Day weekend.
Motocross runs under a different format than Supercross: Racers do two 30-minute motos in their respective classes, instead of heat racing and main events. Also, these races are outdoors, instead of being inside of a stadium.
In the 250 class, Haiden Deegan was the title favorite going into the first race of the season, and he lived up to it. He won both motos in his signature way. Deegan will ride in the top five, but after the halfway mark, he charges to the lead, nearly flawlessly.
Although it typically takes three rounds to see who the championship contenders will be, Deegan made a strong case that he is ready to win back-to-back 250MX championships.
To round out the 250MX podium, Jo Shimoda placed second in both of his races, to earn second on the day. In third place, 250 East Supercross champion Tom Vialle placed fourth in the first moto, and third in his second moto.
In the 450MX class, there were a lot of questions about where the racers would stack up. Jett Lawrence, Eli Tomac, Hunter Lawrence, and Jorge Prado all suffered injuries throughout the Supercross season, so no one was sure who would win at Fox Raceway.
Jett Lawrence, three months off of ACL surgery, went out and put on a statement ride, winning both of his motos. This makes him undefeated throughout his entire 250 and 450 career at Fox Raceway, with eight total wins.
Chase Sexton, runner up in the 450SX class, threw off his goggles less than five minutes into the 30-minute moto. This unusual act left spectators and fans confused, because goggles are typically only taken off in mud races, once there is no vision left. The conditions were near perfect, so for this to happen was very odd.
Less than five minutes after taking his goggles off, he had a nasty wreck, leaving him with a shoulder injury. He did not finish the first moto, and he did not race the second moto because he was going to the hospital. At this time, it is only known that it is his shoulder that is the main concern.
Tomac, coming off of a broken leg, placed fourth in his first race and second in his second, leaving him second on the podium to end the day. Hunter Lawrence placed fourth and then third to get third place at the end of the day.
This weekend, racing moves to northern California at the Hangtown Motocross Classic, in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Qualifying starts at 1 p.m. and the first moto starts at 4 p.m., live on Peacock.
