The second running of the SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs from zMax Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, for round one here in 2024, continues with, yet again, witnessing unbelievable racing. These riders qualified through the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Champion and AMA Pro Motocross Championship for their seed going into these Playoff rounds for a chance at high stakes at the season finale in Las Vegas.
The track was very fast with this hybrid Supercross and Motocross course. Rough in the back section behind the starting gate down the dragstrip, a long sweeping left-handed sand section and a tough and long rhythm lane made the riders set their suspension accordingly.
Here is the race analysis while on hand at zMax Dragway with the 250SMX & 450SMX motos, along with the podium finisher’s quotes from the post-race press conference, results, and points standings.
In the first 250SMX moto of the 2024 SMX Playoffs, Triumph Racing’s Jalek Swoll’s crash off the start prompts a red flag and a restart. On the restart, rookie Red Bull KTM Racing’s Julien Beaumer takes the holeshot, leading Team Honda HRC’s Jo Shimoda and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo briefly overtakes Hampshire, but RJ quickly reclaims his spot. Meanwhile, points leader on the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan has a poor start but fights his way into the 5th place position early, passing FirePower Honda’s Carson Mumford. Beaumer extends his lead, while Hampshire closes in on Shimoda for 2nd. Deegan advances to 4th by overtaking McAdoo. As pressure mounts, Shimoda makes a mistake, allowing Hampshire and Deegan to pass. In the long rhythm lane, Hampshire then crashes with a mistake, causing him off the track. Deegan then puts on the afterburners and seizes the lead with five minutes remaining past the race leader, Beaumer. Monster Energy Pro Circuit’s Kawasaki Levi Kitchen overtakes his teammate McAdoo for 5th as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle moves to 4th. Deegan wins, followed by Beaumer in 2nd and Shimoda in 3rd, a strong finish considering his first race back from collarbone injury.
