Masterclass
Two weeks ago Ty Masterpool put in the ride of his life at High Point. The Monster Energy/Circuit Kawasaki rider led most of the first moto before getting passed by a charging Haiden Deegan late, but held on in the second moto to take the overall win. It was the first of his career, and Pro Circuit’s 300th. Amazingly, this happened just four races into Masterpool’s stint with Pro Circuit as a fill in rider! Now, with two additional weeks on the machine, can he put in another stunning ride at Southwick? -Aaron Hansel
Weak Point?
Deegan also put in pair of legendary performances at High Point after having to come from way back in both motos. The amount of time he was taking out of the riders in front of him was astounding, and he was rewarded with 1-2 scores and second overall. However, last year Southwick was arguably Deegan's worst race of the season, with 4-10 moto scores. He and his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team rented the track out last week to log some test motos. In his second visit to the track, will he find a way to get back on the middle of the podium? -Hansel
Star Power
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team roster is so big you’d need a comfortable seat and maybe even a bookmark to read through it. It recently got even bigger too, as the team signed Max Anstie. Star’s latest recruit isn’t wasting any time in getting back to races either, and will be making his first race of the summer at Southwick. Max was a heck of a sand rider back in his Grand Prix days, and went 5-5 here on a Firepower Honda 450 in 2022. Will he hit the ground roosting, or will it take him a few races to get comfortable at race pace on his new ride? -Hansel
Better Contenders
With Deegan's hot start to the season, he has left would-be title threats Levi Kitchen and Tom Vialle in the rear view mirror. Vialle led briefly at High Point until a costly crash, but the bottom line is he's third in points and well over a moto down in the standings. He did win Southwick last year, though, and his Europe-honed sand skills will come in handy here. For Kitchen, it's been worse, as his results has slipped each week since battling Deegan at the opener. Can they get back in the fight? -- Jason Weigandt
Honda Boys
Chance Hymas has been perhaps the Most Improved rider in 2024 Pro Motocross, becoming a consistent podium guy and even a moto winner now in the 250 class. We've seen riders start hot though as tail off as the season goes on. Can Hymas, new to Southwick since he missed the race with an injury last year, keep his podium pace going? Then there's his Honda HRC 250 teammate Jo Shimoda, who won a moto at Southwick last year. Shimoda should be on the podium nearly every week, and his time to land on it could be coming. -- Weigandt
Ferrandis?
Hasn't been the season Dylan Ferrandis was hoping for, but on press day at Southwick he talked about how difficult it has been outdoors for the Phoenix Honda team in its first season full-time 450 racing outdoors. Ferrandis said there had been some engine problems at the first few rounds and the bike simply didn't have the power he needed, but he believes they fixed some of that over the break. He'll also have a new teammate for the weekend, as Phoenix Honda's GNCC racer Mike Witkowski is lining up for the Pro Motocross round as well. Will Phoenix rise in the sand? -- Weigandt
The Champ
Jett Lawrence has been great on paper at the last two nationals, but he also hasn’t been performing at his peak after crashing extremely hard at Hangtown. He’s had two weeks since High Point to rest, however. Will he come back at, or closer to, 100 percent this weekend at Southwick because of it? -Hansel
Rubber Side Down
Chase Sexton put himself in a position to win the second moto at High Point, but, as we’ve seen so many times before, crashed all by himself. The debate on why this happens has been going on seemingly forever, but what really matters is whether or not he’ll clean it up. He’s shown he’s got the speed to run with Lawrence at times. Last year at Southwick, though, he simply didn't have the stuff to keep Jett honest. Will he have his sand game dialed in this weekend, or are the Lawrences, Jett and Hunter, simply too schooled in the sand? -Hansel
Jason Anderson vs. Team Lawrence
We’ve seen it plenty this year, and there was another example of the growing rivalry between Jason Anderson and the Lawrence Brothers at High Point. Early in the first moto Anderson had the lead, but when Chase Sexton and Jett Lawrence came up behind him, Anderson maneuvered in such a way that he pushed Lawrence wide and slowed him up, allowing Sexton to dive inside and take off with the lead. That was no accident on Anderson’s part, and if moves like this persist, someone’s going to end up on the ground. This one, on both sides, has been brewing all year. -Hansel
Record Breaker?
A lot of today’s 250 riders weren’t even born when the four-stroke takeover took place in the early ‘00s, but this weekend at Southwick a racer who is old enough to have actually raced a 125 two-stroke professionally will line up to try to make history. That’s right, 52-year-old (that’s not a typo) Tony Lorusso, who first raced Southwick in 1990 and hasn’t raced there since 2012, will give it a go on the famous sands of Southwick. If he makes it, he’ll be the oldest rider to ever qualify for a round the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. -Hansel
