Denver, the sunshine state! If you don’t get the reference then I would ask you to review your movie choices, but Denver is a great place to go SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) racing. Both Empower Field at Mile High and Thunder Valley MX in early June provide scenic backdrops and amazing spring weather. Denver pushes right up to the base of the Rocky Mountains and sits at an astonishing 5,280 feet of elevation (hence the “Mile High” nickname). That lack of oxygen wreaks havoc on the engines and it’s the first thing riders will notice when they hit the track. Some of the teams will bump up their compression levels while others will lean on the fuel mapping to boost their output. Everyone, though, will be begging their team for more torque and horsepower. Let’s review what those strangled engines will face on Saturday, shall we?
The first thing I noticed when looking at Denver’s layout is the combination of Indy and Nashville. The base layout is almost a perfect hybrid of the two. Sure, there are a few differences, but it feels and looks like they wanted to take the best of the two and merge them into Denver.
The start is a medium-to-long chute in the middle of the track and into a left hand 180. It’s not as tight as the Philly left which should give riders more room to navigate. Also, the inside line gains an advantage here as it will “open up” as it straightens. This opening is how Cooper Webb made quick moves in Seattle.
The first rhythm will be a step over and triple into a netted right hand bowl berm. Exiting the berm, riders will step-on step-off and hit a standard supercross triple.
Upon landing, riders will bend to the right and cross the width of the stadium. The option here hinges on either a step-on step-off or stepping over the tabletop. That decision dictates the next few jumps, but my personal belief is that riders will go over the tabletop, then 3-1 to the inside of the next 90.
The prior right hand 90 leads to a stadium-long rhythm section. There are a few options here but the one that intrigues me the most is finding a way to get over the third jump, which is a tabletop. Getting to the downside allows for a 3-3-2 the rest of the way. More importantly it gets riders up and over the taller five footers. Tripling from small to big jumps is always, and I mean always, a coup in SX racing.
The next right hand 90 first across the start straight and mechanics’ area (same as Nashville). This section bends back over itself two more times (think Detroit 2023). Finally, riders bend back to the right and dive into a short whoops section. These whoops will be slow and rhythm based as there is no room to build excess entry speed.
The next right hand 180 screams down the start straight backwards (think Indy 2024 for this whole section) and into another 180 but to the left. Up next is the finish line jump and riders then dive into a sandy, double apex left hand corner (still Indy).
That second apex dumps riders onto the initial first corner and begins lap two.
Who’s Hot
Jettson Lawrence has won two in a row and now holds a 12-point lead. This thing can turn quickly but he has shown backbone in the face of heavy pressure from Webb and co.
Chase Sexton has shown serious improvement as he still works out the kinks on his Red Bull KTM. I found it interesting that he is still unsure on settings this late in the season, but they guessed right in Philly.
Jason Anderson has re-found his form in the waning rounds. He had a very tough mid-section of the series, but these last two rounds should work nicely for his skills.
Justin Barcia is not on the 2023 form that saw him battling for wins but he’s improved from what was a horrific 2024 season (outside of San Diego). He and the team have been battling motorcycle settings (and 48mm forks).
RJ Hampshire has the red plate and the momentum as the series heads to Denver. He will have his hands full with Levi Kitchen but if he was looking for a way into this title, he has it.
RJ Hampshire and Levi Kitchen at the Nashville Supercross, although at the Denver SX, Hampshire will have the red on his Husqvarna FC 250 and Kitchen will be back to black backgrouds.
Who’s Not
Garrett Marchbanks suffered a huge get-off in Nashville that will have an impact on his summer in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. He is out for these final two supercross rounds.
Levi Kitchen seemingly had the 250SX West Region under control until his crash in Nashville. He must now go head-to-head with Hampshire to win this title.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 team had a tough Philly, going 4-5-10 in the main event with Cooper Webb, Eli Tomac, and Justin Cooper, respectively. The fourth was punishing for Webb as he slips to 12 points back.
Bold Predictions
Mitch Payton puts Levi Kitchen in a quarterback “red jersey” which indicates no contact is allowed with that player.
Denver’s Empower Field commissions a giant Achilles heal to honor Eli Tomac.
My Picks
250
Levi Kitchen
RJ Hampshire
Jordon Smith