Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Focused On Supercross Titles In 2024

Chase Sexton, Arron Plessinger, Tom Vialle and Julien Beaumer at the 2024 KTM press launch

Arefreshed four-rider combination will lead Red Bull KTM Factory Racing into the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX), beginning with the AMA Supercross Championship season-opener at Anaheim 1 on January 6, and with firm intentions of competing for title wins when the gates drop on the upcoming 31-round season.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will field the all-star line-up of Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger in the SX1 class, alongside Tom Vialle and Julien Beaumer, who will contest the SX2 class under the guidance of Team Manager Ian Harrison.

All four riders were presented this afternoon and into the evening during a special 2024 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team media introduction under lights at RD Field, the organisation’s official testing and training facility based in Murrieta, California, as they enter the important final stages of the pre-season together.

Defending Champion Chase Sextopn has been hard at work getting to grips with his new ride. Photo: Simon Cudby

Bringing the red number one plate to defend his 450SX championship is Chase Sexton, the 24-year-old who clinched a first-career premier class crown last May. Also ranked fourth in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship after a share of misfortune, as well as the third-place finisher in the inaugural SMX post-season, Sexton has the credentials and form to enter season 2024 as a legitimate title contender across the board once again.

“I’m excited and feeling refreshed for the start of the 2024 Supercross series,” Sexton enthused, “Testing is going well and I’ve enjoyed getting to know everyone more and more on the team and feel like I’m gelling well with the crew and my new teammates. There’s obviously a level of expectation that comes with heading into 2024 carrying the red plate and I welcome the challenge, especially with the full support of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing behind me.”

Fan favourite Aaron Plessinger is back for his third term at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, determined to build upon his 2023 campaign that saw him claim seventh overall in 450SX despite missing multiple rounds, a convincing third in 450MX, and fifth in the combined SMX standings. Those results will form a strong foundation for the 27-year-old to work from in the upcoming season, motivated to establish himself at the front of the pack year-round.

“I’m totally ready to get this show on the road and go racing!” Plessinger declared, “Preparation for the 2024 Supercross season is going to plan and I’m just eager to get back to the races to see all my friends and fans again. I’m hoping I can finally bag some of those elusive wins this season, that’s the goal for the team and I, and I think it’s achievable with the encouragement and support I receive from everyone in the Red Bull KTM family.”

Two-time MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle built immense experience this year in what was his first season of competition in the United States, with the 23-year-old Frenchman now looking to benefit from the lessons learned over the past 12 months. Vialle was eighth in the 250SX East points, sixth in 250MX with a single victory to his credit at Southwick, and P8 in SMX, which sets him up for a strong sophomore season ahead.

“The idea of getting to race at venues and on tracks that I’ve been to before is exciting and something I am really looking forward to next year,” the Frenchman said, “I feel like I learned a lot in my rookie season in the U.S., but it’s definitely tougher racing a brand new track every week when almost everyone in your class has already raced on them before. It’s really going to help my confidence a lot knowing the tracks I’m going to – it makes a big difference. 2024 should be a good year for me and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team!”

As for 17-year-old newcomer Julien Beaumer, he will open his full-time professional career as the youngest member of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team and is in line to make his mark while his knowledge climbs on a week-by-week basis. Already a SX Futures Main Event winner, Beaumer is debuting in 250SX and will carry that rookie tag into Pro Motocross, as well as the SMX Finals series when it commences in September.

“Making my debut in the 250 Supercross class next year is a dream come true and I’m super-grateful to everyone at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for giving me this opportunity,” Beaumer said, “My goal is to go out there and learn as much as I can this season, all the while giving it my all. The team and I have put in a lot of laps at the practice track to build a good base and gain as much experience as I can before the start of the 2024 season. I just want to do my best and make both the team and myself proud in my rookie season.”

Ian Harrison – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager, added, “Our 2024 team is excited to start the new race season. Two of our team members are new, so getting to know one another and developing their bikes specific to their needs and riding style can be a challenge, but so far it has gone very well. The team has spent many days at the test track working on fine-tuning the bikes and I am now looking forward to seeing how we stack up against our competition on January 6th. It is exciting for me as the Team Manager to see our four riders working together so cohesively while motivating and challenging each other to be better. Behind all this effort is always a group of people who are diligent at putting the hours in to get us ready for the start gate at Anaheim 1, and for them, I am very grateful. See you at the races.”

Roger De Coster – Director of Motorsports, North America, concluded, saying, “I am very impressed with the dynamic amongst the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team and I’m looking forward to the start of the new season. With fresh blood in the team, it’s great to see the level of positivity amongst the group as a whole, working together and motivating one another. Watching them at the test track each day, there is good forward momentum amongst the group and I think we are in a strong position to challenge up front in all classes each weekend. Austria has been working extremely hard and has shown great support, which is really encouraging and I’m excited for 2024.”

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Points Change...About Time

POINTS CHANGE MADE FOR 2024 AMA SUPERCROSS AND PRO MOTOCROSS—NOW IDENTICAL

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.

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