Ryan Nitzen | August 24, 2024
Welcome to Ironman for round 11 of the Pro Motocross Championship. Today is the series finale and the second of two titles were handed out. The final round of the summer provided close racing with Chase Sexton and Tom Vialle taking their respective overalls.
450 Start. Photos: Brown Dog Wilson
Ironman Notes
- Haiden Deegan is sporting the number one plate today in the 250MX class.
- Ken Roczen is racing the 250MX class aboard an RM-Z250.
- Drew Adams is making his true pro debut under the Pro Circuit Kawasaki tent.
- Track changes have been aded to the first half of the race track.
- The 450MX title is still yet to be decided between Chase Sexton and Hunter Lawrence.
- The Moto Combine and WMX races ran on Friday with Cole Davies and Kyleigh Stallings taking their respective wins
The best Pro Motocross racers got their final gate drops at Ironman Raceway.
450 Moto 1
Chase Sexton couldn’t be stopped in the first 450 moto. The KTM rider ran third in the early stages but dropped the hammer to get around both Hunter Lawrence and his teammate Aaron Plessinger. With the title in sight, Sexton said he “felt safest out front” and rode a mistake free moto to clinch the championship on race early.
Sexton passed his way into the lead to win moto one.
Aaron Plessinger rode a strong race for second. The fan favorite took the lead from Hunter Lawrence and led three of the four opening laps before getting overtaken by his KTM teammate, Sexton. Plessinger held off Lawrence in the closing stages of the race to keep second place.
Aaron Plessinger led early on but held on for second.
Lawrence looked fast all race but took third behind Plessinger. Eli Tomac kept his name in the hat and made a few runs at the podium before ultimately finishing fourth.
Hunter Lawrence held on for third.
450 Moto 2
Chase Sexton dominated the day with 1-1 results. He put a stamp on the season with a great second moto, going from sixth to first on the opening lap. One mistake allowed Aaron Plessinger to get close near the halfway point, but Sexton maintained control and took another overall win.
Sexton capped the season with a dominant 1-1 day.
Aaron Plessinger went 2-2 on the day after battling up front early in both races. He stayed close to his KTM teammate for all of the second moto but just couldn’t get close enough to make a pass stick. Plessinger’s pair of seconds gave him second overall and keep him third in the series standings.
Plessinger used a pair of twos to take second overall.
Eli Tomac landed on the box in his second race back. He battled with Hunter Lawrence early in the second moto but made his pass into podium territory. Once into third, the KTM’s were too far gone and Tomac cruised to third. 4-3 puts him third overall on the day.
Eli Tomac looked like the #3 of old. He returned to the podium in third.
450 Podium.
450MX Overall Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Chase Sexton |
(KTM) |
1-1 |
| 2. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
2-2 |
| 3. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
4-3 |
| 4. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
3-6 |
| 5. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
6-4 |
| 6. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
5-5 |
| 7. |
Phillip Nicoletti |
(Yam) |
8-8 |
| 8. |
Christian Craig |
(Hus) |
10-7 |
| 9. |
Freddie Noren |
(Kaw) |
9-9 |
| 10. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Hus) |
7-11 |
250MX
250 Moto 1
Tom Vialle started off the day with a moto win in the opening 250 race. The KTM rider took off with the holeshot, the early lead, and led all 16 laps without any real challenges. He’s still in the mix for second in points and beat his competitor Levi Kitchen by four and a half seconds at the line.
Vialle led the way in the first 250 moto.
Levi Kitchen held on for second place in moto one. The Kawasaki rider is on a roll with overall wins lately and is keeping his name in the mix for the day’s top spot. He started outside the top five but battled for a podium spot for most of the second half of the race and passed Jordon Smith for second with two laps to go. He and Vialle are duking it out for second in points and will surely take it to the wire in moto two.
Levi Kitchen looked made a late-race pass for second.
Jordon Smith claimed the final spot on the podium with a third. The Star Racing Yamaha rider earned his best result of the year after riding at the front of the pack for the entire race. He found himself battling with Kitchen late in the moto and ultimately lost the spot with two laps to go. Still, he puts himself in good contention for the day’s overall podium.
250 Moto 2
The second 250MX moto certainly put a good end to the season. Haiden Deegan and Tom Vialle slugged it out for almost the entire moto, trading the lead position back and forth a number of times. Late in the race, Deegan finally made a pass stick and got away from the rest of the field. Even with a win, he finished fourth overall after his 11th place in first moto.
Deegan battled his way to a win in the second 250 moto.
Chance Hymas held on for second in the moto. The Honda rider kept the leaders honest for the whole race and lurked in the shadows behind the Vialle/Deegan battle. Hymas followed Deegan’s move and passed Vialle late in the race to secure the second spot. 6-2 results put him second on the day.
Hymas passed up to second and earned second overall.
RJ Hampshire joined the party and crossed the line third for his first podium of the year. The Husqvarna rider recently returned from injury and took third overall for the day.
A fourth in moto two still gave Vialle the overall.
Tom Vialle finished fourth in the second moto but used his win in the opening race to take the day’s overall win. He battled Deegan tooth and nail for the entire first half of the race but later faded back after tiring himself out during the battle. Vialle still secured the overall win and also clinched second in the points after Levi Kitchen crashed out of the race.
250 Podium.
250MX Overall Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Tom Vialle |
(KTM) |
1-4 |
| 2. |
Chance Hymas |
(Hon) |
6-2 |
| 3. |
R.J. Hampshire |
(Hus) |
4-3 |
| 4. |
Haiden Deegan |
(Yam) |
11-1 |
| 5. |
Jordon Smith |
(Yam) |
3-8 |
| 6. |
Ty Masterpool |
(Kaw) |
5-6 |
| 7. |
Ryder Difrancesco |
(GG) |
7-5 |
| 8. |
Max Anstie |
(Yam) |
13-7 |
| 9. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
9-12 |
| 10. |
Jalek Swoll |
(Tri) |
12-10 |
QUALIFYING
450MX
Chase Sexton is off to a good start today as he looks to wrap up his first 450MX championship. He set the fastest lap of the day and qualified first in timed qualifying. Hunter Lawrence was a close second, two-tenths back from Sexton and nine-tenths quicker than Anderson in third.
Chase Sexton topped the 450MX qualifying times.
No surprise to see Hunter Lawrence in second.
Jason Anderson qualified third.
450MX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. |
Chase Sexton |
(KTM) |
2:10.843 |
| 2. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
2:11.013 |
| 3. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
2:11.986 |
| 4. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
2:12.778 |
| 5. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
2:12.872 |
| 6. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
2:14.165 |
| 7. |
Dylan Ferrandis |
(Hon) |
2:14.693 |
| 8. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Hus) |
2:14.851 |
| 9. |
Freddie Noren |
(Kaw) |
2:15.758 |
| 10. |
Marshal Weltin |
(Yam) |
2:15.796 |
250MX
Haiden Deegan put his new number-one plate to use as he is again the fastest qualifier in the 250MX division. He was a full second quicker than Ken Roczen in second with Tom Vialle clocking third. Garrett Marchbanks grabbed fourth with Drew Adams making his pro debut with the fifth fastest time.
Haiden Deegan is sporting the #1 plate today.
250MX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. |
Haiden Deegan |
(Yam) |
2:11.522 |
| 2. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
2:12.597 |
| 3. |
Tom Vialle |
(KTM) |
2:12.611 |
| 4. |
Garrett Marchbanks |
(Kaw) |
2:13.439 |
| 5. |
Drew Adams |
(Kaw) |
2:13.571 |
| 6. |
Chance Hymas |
(Hon) |
2:13.788 |
| 7. |
Ty Masterpool |
(Kaw) |
2:13.888 |
| 8. |
Julien Beaumer |
(KTM) |
2:14.339 |
| 9. |
Levi Kitchen |
(Kaw) |
2:14.408 |
| 10. |
R.J. Hampshire |
(Hus) |
2:14.581 |
