2025 Southwick Research
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Round 22: Southwick, MA’s The Wick 338
The sandbox of the Pro Motocross circuit, The Wick 338 lies within Southwick, a quaint southern Massachusetts town (population < 10,000!) Known for its rough and treacherous conditions, The Wick 338 is the track where locals shine the most.
- Ricky Carmichael is the all-time 450MX winner at Southwick (8). Eli Tomac has three 450 wins.
- NOTE: This is an NBC Network show and the 450 class goes first (in qualifying and motos)
- 54-year-old Tony Lorusso is on the 450 class entry list!
More info in the Southwick Venue History page.
450MX Facts
- Jett Lawrence was the 2023-2024 Southwick winner (more on 3 in a row below)
- Ricky Carmichael won 8 times at Southwick – consecutively from 2000 to 2007!
- Massachusetts’ John Dowd has the most premier class starts in Pro Motocross history (151)
- Freddie Noren (135) will tie Kyle Lewis (136) for 3rd in all-time premier class starts. He could move into 2nd all-time at Ironman. He’ll have to finish every round this season and race 10 rounds next season to pass John Dowd.
- John Dowd has raced 48 premier class motos at Southwick – the most of any rider at any venue by A LOT. Next most is 32 by Dowd (Unadilla) and 28 by Mike LaRocco (RedBud).
- Jett Lawrence has won 6 of 8 motos this season extending his career total to 34 of 40.
- For 4 consecutive rounds, the same 5 riders have finished top five overall: Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, Justin Cooper, Aaron Plessinger and Eli Tomac (not always in that order).
- Hunter Lawrence now has 7 career 450MX runner-up finishes (no wins). Andrew Short had 12 second place finishes (no wins)
250MX Facts
- Haiden Deegan was the 2024 Southwick winner
- Haiden Deegan is the first rider with two perfect days (Fastest Qualifier & 1-1 Motos) in a season since 2020 (Dylan Ferrandis)
- Haiden Deegan still hasn’t pulled a holeshot in 2025. He was the class leader in 2024 and had 3 by this point in the season.
- Southwick is Jo Shimoda’s best venue by avg. finish position: 4 starts, 4 overall podiums (2-2-3-3). He has 2 moto wins and 5 moto podiums.
- Jo Shimoda, Garrett Marchbanks and Haiden Deegan are the only riders to finish top 10 overall at all four rounds.
- In just 8 motos, Garrett Marchbanks has passed 72 riders between the end of lap 1 and the finish. His average start position is 15th and average finish position is 6th. He’s only started in the top 10 once all season – 9th in the second moto at Pala!
- 11 different riders have won the last 11 races at The Wick 338. Tyla Rattray (2010-2011) was the last rider to get two in a row.
SMX Points Battle
Cooper Webb scored just 24 points at High Point, whereas Aaron Plessinger and Justin Cooper scored 38 and 35.
- Our projections now put them in a three way tie after round 9 (Ironman)
- After round 11, the projection has Plessinger with a +3 advantage over Cooper and +9 over Webb.
- Biggest change from last week: Eli Tomac jumps another position because of Malcolm Stewart’s moto 2 DNF at High Point
- With his best finish since RedBud 2022 Joey Savatgy (6th at High Point) jumps ahead of Jason Anderson.
450SMX Points PROJECTIONS (After 28 rounds)
Final thoughts…
- We have Chase Sexton returning at Red Bud and averaging 3rd per moto.
- Remember the SuperMotocross points escalates single/double/triple over the 3 rounds. There’s no clinching early and you can make up significant ground in the final two rounds.
There’s still 14 motos and 350 points to earn. One things for certain, if the results continue as they have the first 4 rounds of Pro Motocross, we’re in for an epic SuperMotocross points battle.
Jett Lawrence Eyes 8th All-Time
Jett Lawrence is now alone in 10th all-time 450MX overall wins. A 20th win puts him in a three way tie with James Stewart and Jeff Stanton for 8th.
All-Time Motocross O/A Wins List (Premier Class)
*Includes 500cc (1986-1993)
The Southwick Hat Trick
Jett Lawrence has 2 450MX wins in 2 starts at Southwick. Only 3 riders since 1976 have won (at least) 3 consecutive at The Wick.
- Five riders have won three or more total.
- Eli Tomac, Ryan Dungey, Marvin Musquin and Rick Johnson all came up short trying for three straight.
Most Southwick Wins All-Time (Premier Class)
Deegan’s Domination
Haiden Deegan has the 4th largest points lead (after 4 rounds) in 125/250 class history.
In 2024, Deegan had a 32 point lead after 4 rounds. In 2025, his lead is +42. He’s won 6 of the first 8 motos and hasn’t finished worse than second.
- It’s the biggest points lead after four rounds since 2004, when James Stewart swept the first 8 motos and had a +53 lead over Mike Brown.
- Coincidentally, Mark Barnett also swept the first 8 motos in 1981 and had a +53 lead over Jeff Ward
- In 1979, Broc Glover dropped the first round to Brian Myerscough but then he went on a win streak and had a 47-pt. lead after four rounds.
Largest Points Leads after Four Rounds (125/250)
Is 2025 Really Just 2004 All Over Again?
In 2004, before Haiden Deegan was born and before Jett Lawrence’s first birthday, two future hall of famers got off to dominating starts in their respective classes.
James Stewart (125) and Ricky Carmichael (250/450) each won the first four overalls, going 1-1 through the first eight motos. It was the greatest domination combination the sport had ever seen through the first four rounds.
RC ultimately had a perfect 24-season. Stewart’s only blemish was a 7th overall at round 5 (1-33 motos).
With respects to RV/Stew (2008), Barnett/Howerton (1981) and Glover/Hannah (1979), 2025 could end up being the greatest season of double domination.
James Stewart: 2004 Season
- Stewart raced a Kawasaki KX125, a serious disadvantage against the Yamaha and Honda four strokes.
- Won 23 of 24 motos, 11 of 12 overalls (1-33 at round 5)
- He led 319 of the 368 laps run (87%)
- Rarely got good starts yet still led every lap in 8 of the 24 motos.
- Clinched title after moto 1 at Broome-Tioga – 5 motos early.
Ricky Carmichael: 2004 Season
- Led every single lap in 17 of the 24 motos
- Perfect 24-0 season (his second)
- Led 359 of 371 laps (97%)
- Clinched title after moto 1 at Steel City – 3 motos early, his 5th consecutive 450MX title.
- More reading on Ricky Carmichael’s 2004 season.
Haiden Deegan: 2025 (after 4 rounds)
- 6 moto wins, 2 second place motos
- 3 overall wins, 1 runner-up
- +42 point lead
- 74 laps led in 127 laps run
- 0 holeshots
Jett Lawrence: 2025 (after 4 rounds)
- 6 moto wins, 2 third place place motos
- 4 overall wins
- +28 point lead
- 84 laps led in 120 laps run
- 2 holeshots
Watch for Locals
No other track on the schedule favors the locals as much as The Wick 338. It’s the only venue where B Group qualifying is an event on its own because it gets the freshest, smoothest track possible. It’s a battle just to be first on the course!
In 2025, the 450 B group will be the first riders on the track.
- Expect a lot of B group times to hold inside the top 36.
- 54 year old Tony Lorusso is expected to enter again, this time in the 450 class. In 2024, he finished 40th in 250 qualifying (out of 90 entrants)
- Lorusso has 36 career moto starts at Southwick (all classes). His first was in 1990, over two years before Eli Tomac was born.
- Here is every New Englander to ever qualify for The Wick 338
Southwick Fastest Qualifiers from B Group:
- 2023, Beverly, Massachusetts’ Jimmy Decotis (250MX)
- 2024, France’s Tom Guyon (250MX)
- 2011, Marlborough, Massachusetts’ Michael Sottile (450MX).
Local Heros
While many locals have won motos or finished on the podium in motos, notably Jo Jo Keller, Lorusso, Pat Barton, Jimmy Ellis, Keith Johnson… only two locals have ever won a Pro Motocross at The Wick 338:
- John Dowd: 1997 (250/450) and 1998 (125/250)
- Doug Henry: 1993-1994 (125/250) and 1998 (250/450)
- In 1998, Dowd and Henry swept all 4 motos in New England’s Best Day Ever
- Current track owner Keith Johnson finished 5th overall in 1998 (4-9)