450 Storylines: Round 20 Thunder Valley Recap

Jett Lawrence: Returned to the top of the podium with a 2-1 effort in Colorado. His 13th career 450 Class victory moves him into a tie with Jeff Ward for 11th all-time. Jett’s 50th SMX win also places him 11th in that category, tied with Ken Roczen. Lawrence has made 101 SMX starts, scoring 67 podiums along the way (66%). Lawrence is now 16 points out of the 450 Class lead, held by brother Hunter.

Hunter Lawrence: Scored his first career 450 Class moto victory en route to a runner-up finish and new ownership of the red plate. His 2.7 starting average is best in the class and is complemented by a class-leading 2.3 finishing average. He’ll seek his 50th career SMX podium at High Point, and is currently 3-for-3 to start his 450 Class career.

Justin Cooper: Became the 146th different racer to score a 450 Class podium following a 3rd-place finish at Thunder Valley. Cooper led the majority of both motos (23 total laps) and finished 3-3 on the day. He made his 125th career SMX start and earned his 57th SMX podium. Cooper has made 24 SMX starts aboard a 450 and had finished in the top-10 a total of 22 times.

NOTES:
Justin Barcia (4th)
Tied Chad Reed for 7th on the all-time 450 Class top-5 list with his 57th. It was his 180th SMX top-5 finish and 285th top-10. Barcia is nearing 350 career SMX starts.
Chase Sexton (5th)
Earned his 35th 450 Class top-5 finish, tying Sebastian Tortelli for 25th all-time.
Christian Craig (10th)
Made his 70th 450 Class start and scored his 42nd 450 Class top-10. Will make his 175th SMX start at High Point.
Jerry Robin (17th)
Made his 30th 450 Class start and 100th SMX start.

450 Class: High Point Facts

HISTORY LESSON: The first 450 Class race at High Point was on May 29, 1977, as the final round. Tony DiStefano held a comfortable point lead, while Honda teammates Jim Pomeroy and Marty Smith held outside chances of winning the title. DiStefano scored a 1-2 victory to clinch his third straight Championship.

47 SEASONS OF HISTORY: High Point Raceway is hosting its 47th 450 Class event, missing only the shortened 2020 season, since its 1977 debut. Affectionately known as the “Country Club of Motocross,” it has the distinction of hosting the 100th & 200th rounds of 450 Class racing. In 1982, Rick Johnson won the 100th round, while in 1995, Doug Henry won round 200. The legendary venue was originally named Hi-Point Raceway, after a sponsor that never came to fruition. The name stuck, with a more traditional spelling.

THE GOAT OF MT. MORRIS: Ricky Carmichael dominated High Point from 2001-2007, winning 13 of 14 motos. David Vuillemin won Moto 1 in 2001 before Carmichael began a 13-moto win streak. Carmichael also swept High Point twice in the 250 Class, giving him 17 total moto victories and 8 overall victories at the track. Ironically, 2 of his 3 worst-career finishes also occurred there. His 13th-place finish in 1997 was his only finish outside of the top-10 during his 250 Class career, while his 11th overall in 2000 was 1 of only 2 finishes outside of the top-10 in the 450 Class. For context, the GOAT made 127 combined Pro MX starts and finished inside the top-10 124 times (97%).

CHAMPIONSHIP AND OPENER %: The winner of the 450 Class overall at High Point has won the title in 26/46 (57%) seasons and each of the previous 5. While High Point has never hosted the 450 Class opener, it was the opening round for the 1980 500cc season. Chuck Sun swept the race on Honda en route to the 500cc title.

250 Storylines: Round 20 Thunder Valley Recap

Haiden Deegan: Has opened the season with 3 overall victories following a 1-2 outing at Thunder Valley. With his 5th career win, tied Trey Canard, Dean Wilson, Ryan Hughes, Broc Hepler, and Robbie Reynard for 40th all-time. It was his ninth SMX victory in 38 starts, during which he’s earned 20 podium finishes. He has built a commanding 23-point lead over his competition in the standings and leads the class in laps led (44), average start (2.5), and average finish (1.3).

Chance Hymas: Had the best finish of his young career with a runner-up effort, highlighted by his maiden moto victory in Colorado. It was his first podium in 21 SMX starts and 16th top-10 finish (76%). He vaulted to second in points, tied with Tom Vialle. Hymas has led 29 laps the past 2 rounds and now has a 3.0 season finishing average.

Tom Vialle: Scored his fifth 250 Class podium in 14 starts, and 13th SMX podium in 36 races. He’s started with 3-2-3 results to begin the season and despite a start average of 5.0, has shown a knack for making passes with a 3.0 average finish. Vialle, Deegan, and Hymas have finished in the top 5 in all 6 motos thus far.

NOTES:
Jo Shimoda (4th)
Scored his best finish of the season in his 50th 250 Class start. Earned his 27th top-5 finish, tying Mike LaRocco for 35th all-time.
Jalek Swoll (6th)
Made his 40th 250 Class start and scored his 20th top-10 finish. It was also his 50th top-10 finish in 77 SMX starts.
Dalton Venter (28th)
Made his first career 250 Class and SMX start.

250 Class: High Point Facts

HISTORY LESSON: The first 250 Class race at High Point was on May 29, 1983, when Mark Barnett swept the race on a Suzuki. Johnny O’Mara finished 3rd overall and Jeff Ward finished 4th overall, both finishing above Barnett in the final point standings by 21-points and 12-points, respectively. This blocked Barnett from a fourth straight 250 Class title, a feat yet to be achieved in 52 seasons.

40 SEASONS OF HISTORY: High Point Raceway has separate timelines in 250 Class and 450 Class racing. While 450 Class racing started in 1977, the 250 Class didn’t show up to Mt. Morris until 1983. Last season, High Point celebrated its 40th 250 Class race at the historic raceway. It has been a fixture for the 250 Class for four decades.

TP199 AND HIGHPOINT: 2-wheel legend Travis Pastrana scored his first career moto victory in 2000 at High Point, but ultimately finished 16-1 for 6th overall. The next week, Pastrana swept Southwick for his first career overall victory, sealing the title over Stephane Roncada by just 2-points at the finale. In 2001, Pastrana won at High Point, but a disastrous streak at the end of the season left Pastrana on the sidelines while Mike Brown won the title.

CHAMPIONSHIP %: The winner of the 250 Class at High Point has won the title 13 times in 40 seasons (33%), and 4 of the last 5. The winner failed to win the title for 8-straight seasons, from 2009-2017.