Supercross Statistics | 2024 Anaheim 1

Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Southern California, was abuzz with footfall on Saturday, January 06, as round one of 2024 Monster Energy Supercross erupted into life at the iconic venue that has given so much to motocross fans. There was so much that occurred on the stadium floor – it would be near impossible for a spectator to be aware of all that was unfolding in the moment.

This 'Supercross Statistics' feature on Vital MX is designed to pave over the cracks and draw attention to points of interest that would have been missed. The two thousand words below will add additional layers to the viewing experience as the travelling circus that is 2024 Monster Energy Supercross marches on to the delight of the extensive fanbase.

• Jett Lawrence captured pole position in his maiden Monster Energy Supercross appearance aboard a 450F and therefore boosted his career total to sixteen in thirty-two career starts. It is quite easy then to decipher that he has entered the 'main show' as the polesitter at fifty percent of the events that he has started. Note that he has not qualified outside of the top three since round seven of 2022 Monster Energy Supercross.

• Lawrence swept the timed sessions, as well as the untimed one, but there was not a part of the track where he radiated dominance. Lawrence was the best in sectors one and five in the first session, but second and third in those areas in the session that followed. It was sector four where he was the most effective in the final qualification session – he topped the charts despite being first in just one of the five sectors.

• It was Chase Sexton, who qualified in second, who was the quickest in a majority of the sectors (three of five). It would undoubtedly interest most readers to know that '1' was the fastest in sector two – a sector that was exclusive to the whoops. Sexton sat atop that sector with a time of 09.699 in session two, whereas Lawrence was tenth with a 10.377. It is impressive that the latter had the best lap time, despite losing so much time there.

• Speaking of Sexton, a noteworthy streak was maintained by virtue of him claiming second in the timed qualification. '1' has qualified inside of the top three at twenty-two successive events. Surprisingly, he has qualified second just twice in that timeframe (round two last year being the other occasion). The streak consists of seventeen pole positions, two second places and three third places. Identifying his trademark speed was an important part of his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing debut.

• Placing Cooper Webb's raw pace came as more of a shock, in contrast, because he qualified inside of the top three at Anaheim 1 for the first time as a premier class athlete. Not only had he never qualified in the top three at the opening round, but he had qualified in the top three just twice in his last thirty-one starts. Speed is not Webb's modus operandi, but will a return to the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing tent challenge that?

• Perusing the results and finding that Justin Barcia qualified in thirteenth place would alarm many, but one must remember that he has never been a qualification master. '51' has qualified inside of the top three once in his last eighty-four starts and has found himself in ninth more than any other spot. What is interesting to note, whilst conversing about the GASGAS athlete, is that San Francisco will mark his one hundred and fiftieth start in the premier division.

• Sexton's title defense featured a turbulent start, as he was tackled in the first turn of his heat and had to race forward from the back of the pack. It was a fight-or-flight situation and he responded well. It was arguably the best that he performed all day – he stormed to sixth place and recorded the quickest times of the race in sectors one and three. The third sector – the rhythm section exiting the first corner – was seemingly a consistent strength of his.

• The second heat race was just as fascinating for spectators around the world: Lawrence chased Webb down. It seemed that Webb had the race under control in the first half, but Lawrence unlocked another level on lap four and started making inroads. A crash halted his sprint to the front, of course, but the way in which he found an additional second could be a more significant foreshadowing of what is to come than what transpired the main event.

• Lawrence won the main, of course, and therefore extended his current run of podiums to twenty-one. It has been one thousand and sixty-four days since '18' finished a main event without a trip across to the podium. The competitive nature of the premier class will make it tricky to maintain such excellence, but would anyone be willing to bet against the current championship leader? Anaheim 1 proved that the necessary pieces of the puzzle are there.

• Talking on the podium after the main, Lawrence said that he identified how important it was to sprint in the early laps. How did his pace compare to Jason Anderson and Webb? The table below compares those three riders across the first five laps. The race was twenty laps and so that was the first quarter. Lawrence led all of those, of course, but that was not the most that he has led in a main, as his maiden supercross victory came via twenty-two laps at the front.

• Lawrence was the fastest athlete on track on thirteen of the twenty laps. Aaron Plessinger (laps three and twenty), Webb (five, ten and fourteen) and Anderson (seven and twelve) were the strongest riders at different points too. Lawrence ended up with an average time of 01:03.599, which was more than three tenths quicker than Anderson's average of 1:03.908. Webb, Sexton and Plessinger had the next best averages. No one else had an average time within a second of Lawrence's.

• Plessinger operated in silence at Anaheim 1 but was better than ever in the eyes of most. Not only did he push forward and post the second fastest lap time in his heat, but he did exactly the same in the main. Note that '7' was the fastest rider in sector two, the one with the whoops, in the main event too. Considering that whoops have long been a kryptonite for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, that fact is incredibly encouraging for both rider and team.

• Building on that information, who had the best average time in sector two? A complete list of the ten best times can be found below. There are not a lot of surprises, but Justin Cooper deserves praise for a brilliant ride and this draws much-needed attention to exactly that. The below contradicts the earlier point about Sexton's prowess in the whoops. It does, however, add a layer of detail that helps identify how his strengths and weaknesses relate to track deterioration.

• A final point on Plessinger before progressing. Anaheim 1 marked his seventieth start aboard a 450F – he debuted one thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight days prior. How times flies, huh? '7' has missed twenty events with injury in that time and so his total could be as high as ninety. Four podiums have been gained in the tenure: eighth is his average finish. Is there a maiden victory in the not-too-distant future?

• The results at round one of 2024 Monster Energy Supercross bore some resemblance to 2022's first round. How so? There were two Honda riders in the top five in those years, as well as two riders from KTM, then a Yamaha rider sat in sixth on both occasions too. Weird, no? Despite the effectiveness of Honda and KTM at round one of 2022 Monster Energy Supercross, a Yamaha star by the name of Eli Tomac claimed the championship. Perhaps shades of yesteryear will continue to arise?

• Speaking of the two-time champion, would it be of interest to know that a ninth place at Anaheim 1 was the worst result that Tomac has secured as a Yamaha rider in Monster Energy Supercross? It was his thirty-fourth start in 'blue' and one that prompted his career average to climb from fourth to fifth. Now, because of that, he is tied for the best 450SX average of the current competitors. This excludes Lawrence – one event is not enough data to recognize his average.

• Sexton has an average of fifth in the premier division and is therefore the aforementioned athlete who is tied with Tomac. '1' had an average of sixth position when Anaheim 1 started, but third was enough to cause that to become fifth. Third now sits alongside second as his most common 450SX result too – he has landed in those positions in nine main events apiece. Those eighteen results alone count for forty percent of his starts aboard the bigger bike.

• Remarking on the career numbers, Anderson started his one hundred and thirty-fifth main as a 450SX rider at Anaheim 1. It was a brilliant night for him, of course, and the second position that he acquired took his career podium percentage to thirty-five percent. What other milestones lie in the future? '21' finished in the top five for the ninety-eighth time in his career – one hundred will arrive rather quickly. Expect that to be covered in this feature by the end of the month.

• Ken Roczen is known for starting a Monster Energy Supercross season with a 'bang' but, unfortunately, a fall on lap one stopped him from building on a terrific performance in the heat race. Prior to Saturday evening, he had an average finish of third at Anaheim 1 in his 450SX career. There is simply no rider who is even close to being as effective as that at the opening race. Barcia's average at Anaheim 1 is fifth, as a reference point.

• Is it a surprise to learn that just fourteen athletes raced the Anaheim 1 main event in both 2023 and 2024? Anderson, Sexton, Plessinger, Dylan Ferrandis, Webb, Barcia, Tomac, Roczen, Malcolm Stewart, Adam Cianciarulo, Justin Hill, Dean Wilson, Christian Craig and Fredrik Noren competed in both. There is no doubt that things move rather quickly in Monster Energy Supercross. How many of those names will make it in 2025?