Tom Vialle claims 250SX Class crown
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 2, 2024) – In only his eighth career 450SX Class start, Team Honda HRC rider Jett Lawrence dominated the field to capture his first DAYTONA Supercross title at Daytona International Speedway and third victory of his rookie season in the top class.
His performance came in front of the largest crowd in DAYTONA Supercross history, and the fourth such crowd in as many rounds of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, as the series contested its eighth round of the season in Florida on Saturday night.
The race that turned out to be Lawrence’s to win almost began in disaster, as seconds before the gate drop the team managed to pull the tire heater off the rear wheel. From the start, it looked like a three-way battle would be waged between Lawrence, seven-time DAYTONA Supercross champion Eli Tomac and reigning AMA Supercross 450cc champion Chase Sexton.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Sexton jumped out to an early advantage, as Lawrence and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Tomac settled in behind, trying to hold off Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen.
But Lawrence surged past both Tomac and Sexton and never looked back – pulling out to a lengthy lead and leaving it to the other two to sort out how the rest of the podium would play out.
For Tomac, this marked the third second-place finish at Daytona International Speedway in 10 years – but the other seven results all landed him atop the podium. Sexton finished third while Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb and Roczen completed the top five.
Lawrence continues to lead the Monster Energy Supercross Championship points standings, now holding a 10-point advantage over Webb. Sexton sits 13 points behind Lawrence in third.
Tom Vialle wins 250SX Class
The 250SX Class of the 54th running of DAYTONA Supercross was full of fierce racing throughout the day from the first Heat to the Main Event.
The action started with two Heats and a Last Chance Qualifier for the 250SX Class. Cameron McAdoo of Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki was victorious in Heat 1 while London native Max Anstie of Fire Power Honda Racing came out on top in Heat 2. Gizmo Mods, Rock River Yamaha rider Marshal Weltin finished first in the early evening action during the Last Chance Qualifier.
The Main Event was full of non-stop action from the moment the gate dropped. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan secured the Holeshot and had momentum early. It wasn’t long before an epic battle would ensue between Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle and McAdoo. Vialle had a commanding performance leading seven laps and ultimately winning the 250SX Class for DAYTONA Supercross.
Averaging a 1:34.157 lap time propelled Vialle to dominate the 250SX Class getting redemption from an early end last year in the 250SX Main Event at DAYTONA. McAdoo and Seth Hammaker finished second and third, respectively, to round out the 250SX Class podium.
With a win tonight, Vialle jumps into fourth place in the points standings, and he’ll look to ride this high when he heads to Birmingham, Alabama, next week.
The action during Bike Week Presented by Monster Energy at Daytona International Speedway continues with MotoAmerica, March 7 – 9. The three days of activity features the King of the Baggers Championship, the opening round of the Twins Cup Championship and the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship. The action culminates in the DAYTONA 200 on Saturday, March 9, at 1:10 p.m. ET. Tickets are available at daytonainternationalspeedway.com.
Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway via www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest speedway news.
About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the Sports Business Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the World Center of Racing, boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. Some of the exciting racing events include January’s Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and Roar Before The Rolex 24, February’s DAYTONA 500 and Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth, March’s Bike Week At DAYTONA Presented By Monster Energy, featuring DAYTONA Supercross and the DAYTONA 200, the August Coke Zero Sugar 400 weekend, and much more. The Speedway grounds are also used extensively for other events that include concerts (Welcome to Rockville, Heroes Honor Festival, etc.), sporting events (DAYTONA Soccer Fest, CLASH DAYTONA, etc.) civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.
