As Davey Coombs pointed out in Racerhead #48 this evening, there is an update to the points structure that is in place for 2024. Ahead of the 2018 season, Monster Energy AMA Supercross moved from a 25-point payout for a main event winner to a 26-point payout for the main event winner (this rule also impacted second and third place, etc., through the remainder of the field. The move was part of a series of changes for the series in 2018, including the addition of the three-race Triple Crown format, too).
This points payout rule lasted through the 2023 season, but Racer X has learned that the 26-point payout for a supercross main event win would be adjusted ahead of the 2024 season, and main event winners will now again be awarded 25 points, which is also a match for the 25 points an individual moto win pays in Pro Motocross.
While there has yet to be an official announcement from the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), Coombs stated the points system will be slightly adjusted for 2024 AMA Supercross, as well as the AMA Pro Motocross Championship points pay out. This points payout update will put both Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship with the same points structure starting in 2024, making for less confusion and more unity between the two series.
Coombs stated the following in his Racerhead weekly recap column:
“One of the things that's quietly changed during the off-season is the points structure for both AMA SX and MX. A few years ago AMA Supercross went away from the traditional points structure of paying down spots first through 20th the way it was being done: 25 for first, 22 for second, 20 for third, 18 for fourth, 16 for fifth, then one points down from there: 15, 14, 13 on down... Instead, they tried a system that paid all the way down to 22nd, since that's how many riders qualified for a main event. The new system called for 26 for first, 23 for second, 21 for third, 19 for fourth, and then down one point per position from there to 22nd.
The system going into effect for 2024 is back to a more traditional 25 for first, 22 for second, 20 for third, 18 for fourth, and then one point down from there, per position, until 21st place gets a single point, and 22nd (last) gets zero.
The AMA Pro Motocross Championship is also moving to this system, which means one more rider—21st place—will get a point, as only 1-to-20 has received championship points through this year. The hope is that the alignment will make things easier for everyone to remember the season unfolds.”
The charts below show what the points payouts used to look like for the 2023 calendar year alongside the new points payout in 2024.
The collaborated efforts between Feld Motor Sports (promoters of Monster Energy AMA Supercross) and MX Sports Pro Racing (promoters of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship and sister company to Racer X) have combined to form the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX), which concluded its inaugural playoff style season at the end of September. This identical points structure might be the first of many more combined efforts between the two promoters moving forward.
Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:19PM 