On a cool September evening in Las Vegas, Pierce Brown sat on the podium stage with the look of a man who had a weight lifted from his shoulders. Finishing second in the first moto of the three-round SuperMotocross Championship playoffs and winning the second race, he clinched his first overall professional dirt bike victory.
Equally important, the racer he beat to the finish line in Moto 2 was the rider who dominated most of the season: Haiden Deegan. It didn’t matter one bit that Deegan might have rode conservatively in the final race to clinch the title, the box score showed Brown with an almost seven-second lead over the field.
Brown had arrived.
Cameron McAdoo finished first or second in five consecutive races before suffering injuries in Nashville, Tennessee.
Riding for Troy Lee Designs for a team that had factory support, but was not strictly speaking a factory team, Brown got off to a strong start in 2024. He finished in the top five in his first five Monster Energy Supercross races, but failed to stand on the podium. He faded in the final three stadium rounds, finished outside the top 10 in each, but that solid showing at the beginning of the year netted him the fourth position in points.
Brown’s Pro Motocross start was less impressive. He finished eighth in the opener at Fox Raceway in Pala, California and swept the top 10 in the first five outdoor rounds. None of these were in the top five. When he finished 17th in the RedBud Nationals in Buchanan, Michigan, and 14th at Spring Creek in Millville, Minnesota, it seemed his pattern was repeating.
After losing his ride with Yamaha Star Racing at the end of 2020, Ty Masterpool spent two years with independent teams.
Brown regained his composure and finished seventh or better in three of the final four rounds, including his only top-five of the Motocross season in Washougal, Washington. He slipped to eighth in points after being drug down by three results outside the top 10, but Brown’s cumulative points total seeded him seventh to start the SuperMotocross World Championship.
This time around, Brown did not get off to a good start. After finishing 11th in the opener at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, Brown did not get a lot of attention. He missed the top five the following week as well and finished seventh at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Brown had improved between those rounds, however, and he saved the best for last.
After winning in Vegas, Brown climbed up to third in championship and said goodbye to Troy Lee Designs in the best possible way.
Chance Hymas won his first professional dirt bike race at RedBud and then injured his leg the following week.
Along the way, Monster Energy Star Racing saw what others may have missed. Brown’s potential was great enough for them to sign him to race alongside Deegan, Max Anstie, and Nate Thrasher in the 250 division.
The six-man 250 field will spend the year jockeying to see who will be the next rider to advance into 450s as that class currently features three aging riders. Eli Tomac has already announced 2025 will be his last fulltime season. Christian Craig, 33, and Cooper Webb, 29, are starting to feel the effects of their years on the bike and Brown is poised to climb.
2024 Statistics
Feature starts: 22
Average feature finish: 8.50
Wins: 1
Podiums: 1
Top-fives: 7
Top-10s: 15
Best finish: Won (Las Vegas SMX)
SMX Standings/payout: Third/$150,000
2024 News
Pierce Brown wins in Vegas, Haiden Deegan earns championship
Brown joins Yamaha Star Racing for 2025 SuperMotocross season
450 Countdown
7. Jason Anderson
8. Ken Roczen
9. Justin Cooper
10. Justin Barcia
11. Malcolm Stewart
12. Dylan Ferrandis
13. Christian Craig
14. Shane McElrath
15. Dean Wilson
250 Countdown
8. Cameron McAdoo
9. Ty Masterpool
10. Chance Hymas
11. Garrett Marchbanks
12. Max Anstie
13. Julien Beaumer
14. Coty Schock
15. Ryder DiFrancesco
More SuperMotocross News
2025 SX schedule | MX schedule | MXGP Schedule
2025 Supercross tickets on sale | Pro Motocross tickets
2025 TV Schedule | Track Maps
Jason Anderson and the ticking clock
What might have been for Cameron McAdoo
Yamaha Star Racing announces seven rider team
Reid Taylor replaces injured Devin Simonson
Ken Roczen has the SMX Championship in mind
Devin Simonson injures wrist, will likely miss start of SX 250 East
Ricky Carmichael’s 2025 Daytona track design
On any given Saturday: SMX’s ‘Race Day’ campaign
Ty Masterpool’s second chance
Ryder DiFrancesco learns to balance ego, expectations in SX
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