World All-Stars Races During SuperMotocross World Championship Finals
In our eyes, the amateur All Stars racing that is back as part of the SMX post season rounds is some of the most exciting action of these weekends. The chance to see these young athletes compete on these pro tracks and massive events is a true treat. If this year is anything close to last year it will be right up there with the pro racing. The same three classes of athletes are returning again this year with 65cc starting out, followed by the supermini group and the 250 futures bunch wrapping things up in Vegas for the Finals. Get more details from the full press release below:
ELLENTON, Fla. // MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 13, 2024) – The SuperMotocross (SMX) League, comprised of Feld Motor Sports and MX Sports Pro Racing, has announced the return of the SMX World All-Stars invitational series, which will serve as the culmination of the 2024 SMX Next program with a trio of championship-awarding invitational races integrated into the race day schedule of the SuperMotocross World Championship Finals. These youth showcases will allow the top racers in amateur motocross to engage in postseason competition alongside their professional counterparts, with a trio of one-off feature races across three different divisions. An AMA Featured Event title will be on the line for the fastest 65cc, Supermini, and 250cc competitors in amateur motocross, who range from 9 to 18 years of age.
“The SMX Next initiative has been in full swing since January, with Supercross Futures and the Pro Motocross Scouting Moto Combine, and is set to culminate with three individual class showcases during the SuperMotocross -World Championship Finals,” said Mike Muye, Sr. Director of Operations, Supercross, Feld Motor Sports. “There is no shortage of talent within amateur motocross racing, at every skill level and engine size, and the World All-Stars provide a rare opportunity to showcase how deep that talent pool is on a global stage. These young racers stole the show at every playoff round last year and we expect them to do the same this September.”
65cc All Stars
The 65cc World All-Stars will kick things off on Saturday, September 7, at the opening SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff 1 from zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. This division consists of 9-11 year old racers, anchored by the top five finishers from the 65cc class at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Championship – Jaydin Smart (Berry Creek, California), Chase Brennan(Winchester, California), Joseph Vicari (Oxford, Michigan), Carter Gray (St. Clairsville, Ohio), and Anderson Waldele (Lizella, Georgia) – who each received automatic invitations by virtue of their standing at Loretta Lynn’s.
Supermini All Stars
The Supermini World All-Stars will join the action on Saturday, September 14, at SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff 2 from Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. This division consists of 13-16 year olds, many on the cusp of a move to full size motorcycles, and will be spearheaded by several of the top finishers from the Supermini 2 class at Loretta Lynn’s – Carson Wood (Zephyrhills, Florida), Dannyn Reed(Payson, Utah), and Kane Bollasina (St. Louis) – each of whom earned automatic invitations. Additionally, contenders like Ryder Ellis (North Fork, California) and Grant McDonald (Cairo, Georgia) will also be on the radar.
250 All Stars
The 250 World All-Stars will provide a showcase of the sport’s most elite prospects on Saturday, September 21, at the SuperMotocross World Championship from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This class consists of riders aged 14 and up, with a lineup that will primarily be comprised of the top five finishers from both the 250 Pro Sport and 250 B classes at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, in addition to top finishers from the Supercross Futures AMA National Championship from Salt Lake City – Drew Adams (Chattanooga, Tennessee), Avery Long (New London, Minnesota), Cole Davies (Waitoki, New Zealand), Leum Oehlhof (Oak Hills, California), Parker Ross (Herald, California), Caden Dudney (Athens, Texas), Landen Gordon(Murrieta, California), Ryder Malinoski (Wyoming, Minnesota), Landon Gibson(Peachtree City, Georgia), Alexander Fedortsov (Chesterfield, California), and Tyler Mollet (Fort Pierce, Florida) – all of whom earned automatic invitations to Las Vegas for their efforts. Several racers in the 250 World All-Stars are poised to make the full-time transition into the professional ranks, while others will enter the SuperMotocross World Championship with some professional experience under their belt.
“We’re just a couple weeks removed from the convergence of the world’s top amateur talent at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn Ranch, where many of the racers we’ll see at the World All-Stars enjoyed tremendous success,” said Tim Cotter, Director, MX Sports Pro Racing. “Loretta’s is the perfect precursor to the All-Star events as it’s where the cream rises to the top and ensures the best-of-the-best will line up on the starting gates in Concord, Fort Worth, and Las Vegas. The first year of the SMX Next initiative has been exceptional up to this point and we’re excited to end it on a high note with these special showcases during the SuperMotocross World Championship Finals.”
SMX Next combines the Supercross Futures AMA National Championship, the Pro Motocross Scouting Moto Combine, and SMX World All-Stars into one, season-long collaborative effort to cultivate the development of top prospects in the talent-laden amateur level of the sport. Last year’s World All-Stars winners were Jackson Vick, of Highland Village, Texas, in the 65cc class, Carson Wood, of Zephyrhills, Florida, in the Supermini class, and Drew Adams, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the 250cc class.
Graduates of what is now SMX Next consists of many of the sport’s most prominent rising stars, highlighted by reigning SuperMotocross World Champions Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) and Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing). This group also includes the likes of Team Honda HRC’s Chance Hymas and Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco, along with a rookie class consisting of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Daxton Bennick, Toyota of Redlands/BarX/Suzuki’s Preston Boespflug, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Casey Cochran, and Muc-Off/ClubMX/Yamaha’s Mark Fineis.
All photo credit: N. Suhr