The 50th season of Monster Energy AMA Supercross has concluded.
The premier 450SX class produced five different winners over 17 rounds, with Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton ultimately earning championship honors. Meanwhile, the Lawrence brothers secured the 250SX class titles, with Jett topping the West Coast campaign and Hunter winning the East Coast crusade.
In addition to Sexton, the siblings also ride for Honda HRC, making Honda the first brand to sweep all three Supercross championships since Kawasaki in 2007. Sexton’s triumph also marked the first premier class title for Honda since Ricky Carmichael wore the crown in 2003.
450SX Champion — Chase Sexton
The 23-year-old’s championship story is one of perseverance, as Chase Sexton’s never-give-up attitude became the main contributor for his first 450SX title. Though his main event performance in the early season was plagued by mid-race tipovers, the No. 23 Honda rider still landed on the podium at seven of the first eight races.
Following a 10th-place result in Indianapolis — his worst finish of the season — Sexton launched into a stretch of dominance as he triumphed at five of the next eight races.
He scored six wins and was on the podium at 13 of 17 rounds.
WOELBING: Chase Sexton Deserved The 450SX Title, And Here’s Why
2nd — Eli Tomac
Eli Tomac’s year began in novel fashion, as the Star Racing Yamaha rider earned his first victory at the season opener in Anaheim, Calif., after 10 years of trying. The early spark fanned a hot flame through the next 11 rounds, as the No. 1 topped the field at six more races.
Though his impressive campaign came to an unfortunate end in front of his hometown crowd in Denver, Colo., at round 16 — where he ruptured his Achilles tendon — Tomac had already firmly established himself as a legend of the sport. At round 11 in Seattle, Wash., he brought his career win total to 51, securing sole possession of second place on the all-time 450SX wins list. Jeremy McGrath owns 72 victories.
The 30-year-old concluded his season on the sidelines after undergoing surgery to repair his Achilles on May 7.
He has yet to determine whether he will return to racing in the future.
3rd — Cooper Webb
At the pre-season press conference in early January, the ongoing joke was that Cooper Webb was “washed up.” But it didn’t take long for the Red Bull KTM rider to prove that he deserved a place in the championship conversation, as he scored his first win of the season at round five.
The No. 2 KTM rider finished in the top five in every main event he started, collected two victories and finished on the podium nine times. Webb exited the series at round 15 in Nashville, Tenn., after sustaining a concussion in a heat race crash.
He is expected to return to competition in six to eight weeks.
4th — Ken Roczen
Ken Roczen did the unexpected in 2023, from start to finish.
In the offseason, he switched from Honda to Suzuki. He started the year with a team (H.E.P. Motorsports) that had never won a 450SX main event. And he scored a top-five finish at the season opener — on a bike that required a kickstart, no less.
His early season performance was marred by bike setup issues, but by round nine, Roczen was back to race-winning form. It’s unlikely any fan will forget Roczen earning his first victory in two years at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium on March 11. It was the first Supercross triumph for Suzuki in seven years.
Though he was unable to repeat the triumph, Roczen stacked up six podium finishes and proved he, Suzuki and H.E.P. Motorsports should not be overlooked.
Ken Roczen Leads Suzuki’s Supercross Rise With H.E.P. Motorsports
5th — Justin Barcia
Justin Barcia left behind his “Bam Bam” reputation — for the most part.
Though there was some controversy and struggles for the No. 51 rider early on, Barcia rose above it during the latter half of the season. His fourth-place result at round eight at Daytona Int’l Speedway launched him into a six-week streak of top-five finishes.
The Troy Lee/Red Bull/GASGAS rider reached his peak at round 14 in East Rutherford, N.J., when he survived a mudfest to earn his first 450SX trophy in two years. Barcia hit a low one week later, when he broke his collarbone, two ribs and right shoulder at round 15 in Nashville, ending one of his career-best seasons.
6th — Jason Anderson
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson experienced an up-and-down year that ultimately produced a mixed bag of results.
The highs included two podium finishes at rounds three and four, while the low came following round 15 when he was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture at C5 and C6 vertebrae in his neck.
His return date to racing has not been set.
7th — Aaron Plessinger
Riding the No. 7 Red Bull KTM steed, Aaron Plessinger capped his fifth year in the 450SX class with a podium finish. The Ohio cowboy had five top-five results and two podiums.
The single moment that will inevitably be remembered by the KTM rider occurred at round 10 in Detroit. After leading 20 laps of the main event, Plessinger crashed with one lap to go, throwing away what could’ve been his first premier class victory.
He is still recovering from an injury he sustained at round 14 in East Rutherford, N.J., but claims he will be “100 percent” by the time the Pro Motocross season begins.
8th — Justin Hill
It’s fair to say most people didn’t expect to see Justin Hill on the starting gate this year.
Following the 2020 season, Hill stepped away from the sport and even served as a law enforcement officer during his time away. But with a nudge from his elder brother, Josh Hill, the younger sibling signed on to Team Tedder to contest the full 450SX class schedule.
Though it took seven races for the No. 46 rider to crack the top 10, Justin Hill found his groove late in the season, logging three consecutive top-five finishes at the final three rounds.
Josh & Justin Hill: The Comeback Tour
9th — Adam Cianciarulo
Adam Cianciarulo had an emotional year.
He came back from a knee injury, took a trip to the podium and competed at 14 of 17 rounds. While the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider didn’t score a win or make headlines too often, the trio of accomplishments were no less meaningful for the 26-year-old.
To put it in perspective, in the last three years of his 450SX career, there have been 51 potential races for the No. 7 rider to start at. He’s only finished 18. For Cianciarulo to finally make the podium with a third-place finish at round 16 in Denver, Colo., was the icing on the cake.
10th — Dean Wilson
In what could be his last season racing AMA Supercross, as he’s made it known he’s considering retirement, Fire Power Honda’s Dean Wilson had a respectable showing.
As a competitor who has often been struck with injury, the No. 15 rider avoided the Alpinestars medical unit this year and appeared at all 17 rounds. While most of his results were outside the top 10, Wilson logged six consecutive top-10 finishes to end the season.
His best performance was in the Salt Lake City finale, where he finished fifth.
Dean Wilson: ‘I Know The End Is Coming’