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2025 Salt Lake City Research

By Brett Smith

Round 17: Finale

The Crossroads of the West hosted its first Supercross in 2001 and has been a series staple ever since.

Rice-Eccles Stadium: home of NCAA Football’s Utah Utes, opened in 1998 and has hosted every single Supercross in the Beehive State, starting with the inaugural event in 2001. Salt Lake City and Rice-Eccles Staidum has also been the season finale since 2020.

Ricky Carmichael wins the 2002 Salt Lake City Supercross. Photo: Kenji Shimoda
Ricky Carmichael wins the 2002 Salt Lake City Supercross. Photo: Kenji Shimoda

Rice-Eccles also hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics and is expected to do so again in the year 2034. More info on the Salt Lake City venue history page:

SLC HISTORY

Fast Fact: 2017 Deja Vu

The last time the Monster Energy Supercross Championship had a 450SX championship this tight headed into the final round was 2017, when Ryan Dungey had a 9 point lead over Eli Tomac.

  • Dungey finished 4th and won the title by 5 points.
  • Cooper Webb leads Chase Sexton by… 9 points.

The last time a 250SX Divisional title saw three riders in a winner-take-all situation was also in 2017 and it was also 250SX East.

  • Jordon Smith had a +1 lead over both Joey Savatgy and Zach Osborne
  • Osborne won the title (with a 7th!)
  • In 2025, Tom Vialle is +1 over Seth Hammaker and +3 over RJ Hampshire.
  • More on 250SX East below.
The last time we had a championship battle this tight at the final round was 2017. Photo: Octopi

450SX Facts

  • Cooper Webb now has four seasons with 13 podiums finishes: 2025, 2019-2021.
  • A 14th podium would be the most for Cooper Webb in a single season.
  • Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb are tied for 7th all-time on the all-time 450SX podiums list (76). Mike LaRocco is 6th (81).
  • Chase Sexton’s next win ties him with Jean-Michel Bayle for 17th on the all-time 450SX wins list. Sexton has 15 wins.
  • 7 different riders have been Fastest Qualifier this season. Cooper Webb isn’t one of them but Chase Sexton has won half (8)
  • 11 different riders have holeshot in 2025. Only 8 got holeshots in 2024.
  • 10 different riders have led laps in 2025, most since 2022 (10).
  • In 6 out of the last 8 seasons (2017-2024), the rider to lead the most laps did NOT win the championship. In 2025, Chase Sexton has 10 more laps led than Cooper Webb.
  • Aaron Plessinger already has a single season career high 5 podiums and 8 top 5 finishes.
Chase Sexton has some legendary names right in front of him on the all-time 450SX wins list.

250SX Facts

  • Cole Davies has led 90 laps in 2025. That’s the same # of laps led as 250SX East title contenders: Seth Hammaker, RJ Hampshire and Tom Vialle combined.
  • Cole Davies has led 4 times as many laps as Haiden Deegan (22), who has already been crowned 250SX West champion.
  • In 7 out of the last 9 seasons (2025 incl.) the rider who led the most main event laps did NOT win the championship.
  • Three riders have won two Showdowns in a single season: Kevin Windham (1996), Damon Huffman (1995), Jeff Emig (1990).
  • 2025 is the 18th season of 250SX racing where multiple Showdowns were held.
  • Team Pro Circuit Kawasaki hasn’t won a 250SX title in 8 years, 18 days (as of May 10, 2025), the longest drought in team history.
  • 5 years, 8 months, 16 days was is the gap from PC Kawasaki’s last title, period: Adam Cianciarulo, 2019 250MX.
  • RJ Hampshire could become the 4th rider in 250SX history to win back to back opposite division titles (West/East or East/West)

450SX Title Fight

It’s very simple: Yamaha’s Cooper Webb just needs a 5th or better. Doesn’t matter what Chase Sexton does.

Should be ‘easy’; Webb has been top 5 in 15 of the 16 rounds run in 2025.

Webb/Sexton Points Gap Entering Finale

Those sentences above caused us to flashback to 1992 when Yamaha’s Damon Bradshaw “just” needed a 3rd or better to win the title.

Should have been easy; Bradshaw had 9 wins in the first 15 (of 16) rounds and 10 podiums.

Sports can be weird. And cruel. Webb is attempting to win his third 450SX title and for the 5th time in his 450SX career, he enters the finale as a title contender.

In two of those years, his competition needed a miracle; in the other two seasons, he needed a miracle. None were granted.

In 2025, Webb’s margin is much smaller than 2019 and 2021. Sexton doesn’t quite need a miracle but he could certainly use a KTM Group teammate sandwich right about now.

Cooper Webb in Contention @ Final Round
  • So what if things go a bit sideways for Webb? Webb can’t afford to see the series end in a tie because Sexton owns the primary tiebreak (most wins/most TC overall wins).
  • Webb needs to beat Chase Sexton by 8 points. Here’s what an 8 point gap looks like when Sexton finishes in any top 5 position:
Sexton vs. Webb: 8 pt. Gap

250 East = Winner Take All!

Well. Sort of. With the additional pressure and inclusion of a Showdown, the 250SX East championship scenario could get wild, a la 2017 between Jordon Smith, Zach Osborne and Joey Savatgy.

In chart form, here is where the three title contenders sit in points. Columns 4-8 are their finishes by place (wins, 2nd place, etc.). Those are important in the event of a tie (see AMA Rulebook language below)

250SX East Title Contenders: points and finishes
  • Tom Vialle has a 1 point advantage over Seth Hammaker and 3 point advantage over RJ Hampshire. If Tom finishes ahead of both riders, he wins the title outright based on more points.
  • Seth Hammaker is down -1 pt. to Vialle. If he finishes ahead of Tom (and Hampshire) in any position he clinches the title because he owns the tiebreaker on # of wins.
  • RJ Hampshire is -3 pts to Vialle and -1 pt. to Hammaker.
    • If he wins and Vialle finished 2nd, they’d be tied in points but Hampshire takes the title on the first tiebreaker (most wins: 2 vs. 1).
    • If he wins and Hammaker finished 2nd, he would win on points (182 vs. 181)
Tom Vialle after winning the 2024 250SX East title in Salt Lake City.

There’s no other simple math to provide a clinch scenario. For everyone’s reference, here’s all the info needed to ‘call’ the title in the moment – the AMA rule on tiebreakers along with the stats for each of the riders in case of a tie:

AMA TIEBREAKER RULE – 1.8.17 TIES

a. In the case where two or more Riders have the same number of points, the Riders will be ranked according to the greatest number of Main Event and Triple Crown Overall wins.

b. If a tie still exists after that, the greatest number of second place finishes, third place finishes etc. will be used in the same manner, until the tie is broken.

c. If a tie still exists after that, the Rider having the best finish in the last race will prevail.

d. In all cases, a race finish will not count in any of these determinations where a Rider was Disqualified.

e. Manufacturer ties will be broken according to these same rules.

250SX Winner-Take-All History

For 10th time in the 41 season history of 250SX E/W divisional racing, we have a winner-take-all scenario.

Here’s what happened in the past leading into the finale:

  • 3 times: ties (2024, 2000, and 1987)
  • 3 times: leader entering won the title (2011, 2008, 1998)
  • 3 times: the challenger won the title (2017, 2007, 1988)
The 250SX Winner-Take-All List
  • 2024 West: RJ Hampshire won the title after he and Levi Kitchen came to Salt Lake City tied. RJ finished second, Kitchen 5th.
  • 2017 East: Zach Osborne won the title. Jordon Smith came to Las Vegas finale +1 over Joey Savatgy and Osborne (who were tied). Smith crashed out, Osborne finished 7th after a go-for-broke last lap pass on Savatgy.
Zach Osborne’s aggressive pass on Joey Savatgy at the 2017 Las Vegas SX. Photo: Steve Cox
  • 2011 West: Broc Tickle, champion. He entered +2 over Eli Tomac. Tickle finished 2nd in finale. Tomac was 4th.
  • 2008 East: Trey Canard, champion. He came to St. Louis +3 over Ryan Villopoto. Canard passed RV hard on lap 5, sending him off the the track over the finish line.
  • 2007 East: Ben Townley, champion. Ryan Morais came to the Detroit finale +3 over Townley. Townley finished 2nd, Morais 5th. Notable: Darcy Lange was also just -8 entering Detroit.
  • 2000 East: Stephane Roncada, champion. He and Brock Sellards were tied entering the final round in Joliet, IL. Travis Pastrana was -6 pts. Roncada finished 2nd while Sellards was 4th.
John Dowd, 1998 125SX Champion.
  • 1998 West: John Dowd, champion. Dowd was +3 over David Vuillemin entering the Irving SX but DV owned the tiebreak so Dowd couldn’t let him win. Dowd won, DV was 5th.
  • 1988 East: Todd DeHoop, champion. Mike Jones was +2 over DeHoop coming into East Rutherford. DeHoop finished 2nd, Jones 7th.
  • 1987 West: Willie Suratt, champion. Dean Matson and Surratt were tied entering the Los Angeles finale. Rober Naughton was -5. Surratt finsihed 2nd while Matson was 9th.

Three-Time 450SX Champs (cont.)

Building on last week’s story, Cooper Webb is trying to become the 7th different rider with three premier class championships.

  • Ricky Carmichael’s 2003 situation was most similar to Webb’s in 2025. He had a +10 lead over a very hot Chad Reed (Reed won the final 6 rounds of the series)
  • Of the 6 previous riders who have won at least three titles, 4 of them had already clinched the title before the final round.
  • Jeff Stanton (1992) is the only 3-time champ who came to the finale behind in points.

All these riders are now in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Here’s what they faced entering the final round of their third championship:

3rd Title, Final Round Scenario

Justin Cooper vs. Malcolm Stewart

The two riders who have passed each other for fourth in the standings FIVE times now have a real shot at third in the championship because of Ken Roczen’s withdrawal.

It’s been a milestone-rich season for both Justin Cooper (heat wins and fastest laps!) and Malcolm Stewart (Tampa win and – FINALLY – a holeshot!) Third in the championship would be a career best for Cooper and tie a career best for Stewart (2022).

Justin Cooper is on a mission to finish 3rd overall in the 450SX points. Photo: Octopi
First Step: pass Ken Roczen.

The first ‘boss’ in this quest is the current third place, Roczen, who is +10 and +16 on Cooper and Stewart, respectively. He owns the tiebreak on each them so:

  • Justin Cooper needs 11 points (11th place or better).
  • Malcolm Stewart needs 17 points (5th or better).
Second Step

Justin Cooper is currently +6 over Stewart, who owns the tiebreak in the event of a tie.

  • Cooper just needs to be within 5 points of Stewart.
  • Stewart needs to gain 6 points on Cooper.
J. Coop vs. Stew: 2025

Milestones

450 Milestones
  • Chase Sexton’s 15th win tied gave him sole possession of 18th on the all-time 450SX wins list.
  • Kyle Chisholm can tie Eli Tomac for 7th on the all-time 450SX starts list. Chisholm has 183 career main event starts.
  • Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb are tied for 7th all-time on the all-time 450SX podiums list (76). Mike LaRocco is 6th (81).
250 Milestones
  • RJ Hampshire is a gate drop away from owning 7th most 250SX starts all-time. He’s tied with Josh Hansen at 76 starts.
  • RJ Hampshire has 12 career 250SX Showdown starts. A 13th would tie him with Mike Brown for second most all-time. Barry Carsten has the most (17)
  • RJ Hampshire already owns the most Showdown points scored (191)
  • RJ Hampshire is in a 3-way tie for 4th most 250SX podiums all-time (26). Another podium would put him in another 3-way tie for 2nd.
  • Jordon Smith needs one more podium to own second on the all-time 250SX podiums list. He currently has 27.
  • RJ Hampshire now owns second on the all-time 250SX points scored list. He’s currently 79 points behind Martin Davalos for most EVER.