Drama, grit, and last‐lap heroics defined the SuperMotocross (SMX) World Championship Final as Jett Lawrence and Jo Shimoda seized their respective titles in thrilling fashion Saturday night at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
In the premier 450SMX class, Jett Lawrence locked in his third consecutive world title, despite heavy pressure from brother Hunter and longtime rival Eli Tomac. Jett easily won the first moto. In the second moto, Hunter crossed the line first, but Jett’s strategy to finish strong paid off. A late pass on Tomac secured second place enough for the overall win and the championship. Jett’s total winnings for the night included a $1million check and a $100,000 bonus.
In the 250 class, the title race hinged on Moto 2: Shimoda, who entered the day needing only a solid finish, was knocked offline multiple times by Haiden Deegan in aggressive exchanges. Footage showed Deegan aggressively getting into Shimoda sending both riders to the ground. Shimoda quickly recovered and rode away. Deegan wasn’t so lucky. He walked off the track in pain. It would later be announced Deegan had a broken collarbone. Deegan was also penalized five championship points by the AMA for aggressive riding. Shimoda went on to win the night and a massive bonus payout.
Honda earned the championship spot on the podium in both classes for their factory SMX efforts.
