Motocross Statistics | Numbers at Fox Raceway

Another season of 2023 Pro Motocross is underway and that means that it's time to dive into even more statistics, so settle down and prepare to digest many facts and figures. In this regular feature that has become a hit, uncover points of interest that lurked in the shadows at Fox Raceway in Southern California.

• Jett Lawrence made a statement as soon as qualification started on Saturday. It was the first time that he has claimed pole position in the premier division, of course, but it was the eighth time in his Pro Motocross career. 02.514 was his advantage in qualification. Unsurprisingly, that was his personal best. 01.748 was his margin in 250MX at round ten, Unadilla, in the August of last year, which was his previous best.

• That was an impressive advantage for Lawrence, so when was the last time that something similar was seen in the 450MX division? It was at round ten of 2019 Pro Motocross, Unadilla, when Ken Roczen went 3.146 quicker than anyone in timed qualification. Weird how Unadilla is ever present in this feature about Fox Raceway, right? The numbers from this new venue trace back to one of the most iconic.

• Lawrence just passed Cooper Webb in the fastest qualifier stakes – Webb has stolen pole position at seven races since he made his professional debut. Webb has been the polesitter in 450MX on three occasions, whereas he has done it four times in 450SX. Who would have thought that those numbers would be so comparable? Twelve is his Monster Energy Supercross total, when both of the classes are tallied up.

• Is Chase Sexton typically stronger in qualification in supercross or motocross? Well, he has claimed pole at twenty-six Monster Energy Supercross rounds versus ten Pro Motocross rounds (numbers inclusive of both classes). Sexton actually took pole position in his first 450MX outing, much like Lawrence did. Dylan Ferrandis achieved the same feat! The lesson here is that the rookies tend to come out firing.

• A lot of qualification discussion here, but it was the first round and thus this is the time to establish a base of sorts. Aaron Plessinger has never clinched pole position in Pro Motocross. Not in 250MX or 450MX, almost unbelievably. Tenth has been his average result in qualification since he entered his first Pro Motocross race. Eleventh has been his average in the 450MX timed sessions, so it is all very similar.

• One more qualification bullet point. Adam Cianciarulo has been in the top three in qualification in all but one of his 450MX starts. The one exception to that was his debut, which was a fourth. That is an incredible record and testament to his potential aboard the bigger bike in Pro Motocross. It is worth noting that he has started sixteen races in the premier class and been the fastest qualifier at four of those.

• When was the last time that a 450MX rookie won on debut, much like Lawrence? It was not long ago at all. Dylan Ferrandis won the first stop of 2021 Pro Motocross via 1-3 scores, so it was not quite as dominant. It was the start of a rather commanding title bid. Has '18' established a similar trend? Time will tell. Random note: Lawrence won the 250MX class on that day that Ferrandis hit the top of the 450MX podium for the first time.

• A lot has been said about the scorecard that Jett Lawrence has at Fox Raceway, but it is impressive. '18' has started six events at the venue in Southern California and won them all! How do his moto scores look? 1-2-2-1-1-1-1-1-1-2-1-1 is his moto scorecard at the relatively new circuit. Brilliant. Lawrence has had fifteen Pro Motocross wins in his career, so Fox Raceway makes up 40% of his triumphs.

• It was so simple to establish who was going to stand on the 450MX podium; Jett Lawrence went 1-1 for first, Chase Sexton went 2-2 for second and Dylan Ferrandis went 3-3 for third. Very easy! When was the last time that happened in the 450MX class? It was back at the ninth event, Unadilla, last term. Sexton went 1-1, Eli Tomac went 2-2 and Jason Anderson went 3-3. That was the only time that it happened in 2022 Pro Motocross.

• Lawrence threw the hammer down in the early stages of the first moto. It was in the first five laps that he established an advantage that he managed until the checkered flag. Once Sexton slid past Ferrandis and into second, he made a dent in the deficit (see lap seven). The momentum fluctuated on each lap for the remainder of the race and so there was no real change in the dynamic. It made it clear that '23' would have "something" for his teammate in moto two though.

• The second moto was fascinating and is being undersold, to be completely honest. Lawrence won, yet Sexton had the fastest lap and average time. That fact alone should make it so clear just how close the duo was. Sexton actually had the two fastest laps in that moto, but Lawrence was quicker on nine of the fourteen laps. The start of moto two is highlighted in the table just below and, yet again, just look how close they were.

• What improvements did Sexton make from moto one to moto two? Lawrence was the quickest in sector one in moto one (with the two fastest times). Sexton was the best on that part of the track in moto two and actually did a time that was 00.117 faster than what '18' did in moto one. Even more impressive is that both Sexton and Lawrence recorded their best times in sector one on lap twelve, which was three laps from the end. They were digging.

• More evidence of that is the fact that Sexton posted the fastest time of the race in sector four on the very last lap of the second moto! Sexton already had the best time on that portion of the track (29.555) but went even faster at the very end (29.399). The quickest that Lawrence went through there was on lap nine (29.707). Despite the difference there, Sexton's average time in sector four (30.187) was just 00.002 quicker than Lawrence's (30.189).

• Ferrandis gained yet another 450MX trophy at Fox Raceway and boosted his podium percentage on the YZ450F. It is overlooked that he has missed the podium twice in his 450MX career (fifteen starts) and that his success rate is at 93%. Even more impressive is that he has finished inside of top three in twenty-four of his thirty motos on the bigger bike. All rather impressive numbers that need to be shouted about more, no?

• This is crazy. Plessinger (fourth) and Webb (fifth) ensured that KTM had two 'orange' riders in the 450MX top five on Saturday, but when was the last time that happened? It was at RedBud 2, the fifth round of the 2020 Pro Motocross series. Blake Baggett (second) and Marvin Musquin (fourth) represented KTM at the front at that race. It had been 991 days since KTM managed it. No wonder they were so keen for Webb to race, huh?

• Would it shock you to learn that Plessinger has appeared in the top five in just seven of his thirty starts in the 450MX division? Admittedly, he has dealt with multiple hiccups in his tenure on the bigger bike and so a base has been difficult to establish. 23% is his top five percentage in 450MX. There is no doubt that he will build on his four 450MX podiums in the coming weeks. These numbers are not representative of his potential.

• There was plenty of focus on the intense battle that Lawrence and Sexton had in the second moto, but Ferrandis and Plessinger had a similar fight. Their times were almost identical on so many of the laps, just as the table below shows. Plessinger posted two laps that were better than Ferrandis' fastest, yet he had a slower average and ultimately lost out. Cross check these lap times with what the top two did above. It is very interesting.

• This may not be the most shocking statement, but the 450MX class is not too deep at the moment. The star in sixth, Grant Harlan, was 01:50.199 adrift of the race leader in the second stint at Fox Raceway. When was the last time that such a significant number separated the top six? It was at round two of 2020 Pro Motocross, Loretta Lynn's 2, which was a wet event. Sexton (in sixth) was 01:54.825 adrift of Justin Barcia, the eventual victor.

• For the first time in GASGAS' existence, the manufacturer was able to put two motorcycles in the top ten of a 450MX stop of Pro Motocross. Who would have thought that such a feat would come at the hands of Jose Butron and Lorenzo Locurcio on Wildcat Racing? No one at the Pierer Mobility Group, that is for sure. Perhaps three bikes inside of the top ten will be possible once Barcia returns to action?