Main image by Mitch Kendra
Welcome to the Race Day Feed, coming to you from Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.From practice reports to the blow-by-blow from tonight’s program, you’ll find it all right here on the Racer X Race Day Feed. Updates are posted in chronological order, so be sure to scroll down for the latest info. For even more updates be sure to follow us on X: @Racerxonline.
Goooooood morning race fans! Welcome to the Steel City as Monster Energy AMA Supercross returns for the first time since 1983. We got some rain Friday, but the track was covered so we should be set for some good racing tonight dahntahn!
You know the championship scenarios: Chase Sexton is on a two-race win streak and he has cut the gap of Cooper Webb's lead to just nine points. Have to imagine those guys will be on the podium together here in these final three rounds as they battle for the title. Those two are not the only riders capable of winning though, as Ken Roczen, Justin Cooper, Malcolm Stewart, Aaron Plessinger, and more could get into the mix for the podium and possibly the race win tonight.
Pennsylvania's own Seth Hammaker enters today in the 250SX East Division Championship lead, as he has a three-point advantage on RJ Hampshire and a seven-point advantage on Tom Vialle. Nate Thrasher has a race win as well, as does Chance Hymas, so we should be set for an unpredictable 250SX East race here once again.
Related: Hammaker Pre-Race Interview from Friday
Today we should dodge the weather, but it might be cold tonight come the night show. Bundle up and get ready for supercross to drop the gate! Check out the full, revised race day schedule last night.
In order to stay up to speed on what does happen today, stay tuned into this post, as well as our social media pages for more updates.
Track walk has wrapped up, and the SMX Track Crew guys are getting some maintenance work done here. The track will be hot when bikes get out there at 2 p.m. Eastern with the SMX Next - Supercross riders free practice session. The transitions and the starting straight are a little muddy at the moment, but the rest of the track looks pretty dry and good so far. Fans are starting to pile in here!
Landen Gordon and Kade Johnson both had separate crashes. Gordon went down before the SX triple and was a little slow to get up. Johnson went over the finish line and over the berm, into and under the net. The aftermath was half of the #177 was covered in mud. Alex Fedortsov topped the session with a 52.113 over Landon Hartz’s 52.12 and Landen Gordon’s 52.856. These times do NOT count for overall qualifying.
250SX
Wild start to the day as two of the 250SX group C riders, Mitchell Zaremba and Tony Usko, went over the berm after the finish line just as Johnson did in the first session on track. Luckily, both riders were okay and got up quickly. But the session was red flagged so they could get the bikes unstuck and out of the way. They got the guys back on track and resumed the session. Jackson Gray topped the field with a 52.467. Bryce Shelly topped the 250SX group B session with a 51.544.
RJ Hampshire led the 250SX group A session as they got the green flag. Max Vohland passed Hampshire and started putting in heaters, topping the board. Vohland’s 53.923 was the fastest first lap, then he went 50.642 a few laps later. Almost immediately, Seth Hammaker went 50.545 to take over the top spot. Vohland was using the very inside line in the first turn, with Hammaker using the second-most inside line. Hammaker went 49.821 then a 49.574 from Tom Vialle was the top spot! Hammaker put in a heater on the final lap and his 49.240 put him back in the top spot!
Shane McElrath led the 450SX group A field for the first few laps. Cooper Webb’s 50.151 was the top fast lap early on the results page. A couple of times a Tuff Block got knocked off the elevated turn, right into the first turn. It happened right in front of Chase Sexton, which caused him to slam on the brakes! He stayed up and Dylan Ferrandis almost slammed into his back end but luckily avoided him at the last second. Sexton put in a heater, a 49.291, as did Malcolm Stewart, being the first two riders to go sub-50. Webb dropped a 48.640 the next lap, which was the first sub-49 second time. Sexton put in a last-lap heater, but it was a 48.662, keeping Webb at P1. Cade Clason topped the 450SX group B first session.
Gates dropped on the first SMX Next – Supercross qualifying session and it was Alexander Fedortsov, Kade Johnson, Landen Gordon, Landon Gibson, and Vincent Wey were out front early. Reece Wheaton had a crash in the middle rhythm section, and he got up gingerly. He ended up walking off under his own power. Fedortsov’s 53.211 was the fastest time in the session. Gavin Betts had a crash going in the elevated turn, which caused for a red flag so the Alpinestars medical crew could tend to him. Betts was able to get to his feet on his own power and walk off as well, which was a good sign. Gordon put down a 52.129, which put him to P1 right before the red flag paused the session. Landon Gibson led the group as the session resumed and put down a 52.667. Fedortsov jumped back into the lead with a 51.563, followed by Gordon, Gibson, Enzo Temmerman, and Tiger Wood.
250SX
Seth Hammaker and Max Vohland led the field in the second 250SX group A session. Those two and Austin Forkner were the top three riders on the track. Hammaker and Vohland quickly went sub-50 as they got going. Tom Vialle had a wild crash in the first rhythm section, where he came up short and got ejected off the bike. His head caught the landing of the jump, and he landed on a Tuff Block. Definitely a big crash but it could have been worse. RJ Hampshire dropped a 48.507 to get into P1 on the final lap! Vialle got up and kept going after his crash, but he was 15th in the session—although he was second fastest in the first session. Hammaker dropped a 49.013 to get into second place in the session. Hampshire's 48.507 tops the 250SX field for overall qualifying.
450SX
Chase Sexton and Justin Hill were out front as the 450SX group A second qualifying session got underway. Malcolm Stewart put in a 48.682 and then Justin Cooper put in a 48.493. Sexton came through right on the rear wheel of the #32 machine and his 47.974 was quickly to P1. Then, Webb went 47.944. The boys had the track dialed in as they went back and forth! Sexton put in a 47.944 to top the session.
The second 250SX heat race was Max Vohland vs RJ Hampshire. Vohland was leading until a mistake in the whoops slowed him just enough for Hampshire to get by and into the lead. Austin Forkner rode home a solid third place finish.
Up next was the winner-takes-all championship finale. ClubMX teammates Fedortsov and Jesson Turner were out front early, but Turner crashed in the whoops. Fedortsov took the race win as Landen Gordon charged to second and Enzo Temmerman rounded out the championship podium. Landon Gibson and Klark Robbins charged into the top five, Gibson making a two-for-one pass to get to fourth.
The gates dropped on the 250SX main event and, man, was there a lot to follow! Nate Thrasher got a huge jump and led the field into and out of the first turn as Seth Hammaker did not get the best jump and was mid-pack early on. Hammaker had a handful of close calls as he navigated traffic. He somehow escaped disaster and was able to charge from 17th to fifth place. Tom Vialle got up alongside Thrasher and they battled until Vialle made a pass stick! Vialle took off for the win, his first of the season, as Thrasher came through second. RJ Hampshire and Max Vohland battled for third but Hampshire had a crash, which played to Vohland's advantage as the #92 scored his first career podium finish! Vialle didn't lose a position for six laps but he lost championship points because of Hammaker charging forward. But then Vialle made the pass for the lead, which changed the championship up!
