250MX rookie Casey Cochran makes inroads at first Southwick National

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing newcomer Casey Cochran delivered his best 250MX moto finishes of the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship season on his way to 10th overall at Southwick, as teammates Malcolm Stewart and Christian Craig also featured inside the top 10 across Saturday's pair of 450MX motos.

Like most tracks on the outdoor schedule, the sands of Southwick were entirely new to Cochran when practice commenced this morning. He went on to finish 11th in Moto 1 on his Husqvarna Motorcycles FC 250 Rockstar Edition and then improved further to 10th in Moto 2, which secured him P10 overall. As a result, he has climbed to 13th in the standings.

"First time here again, but it was actually a pretty good day!" Cochran commented. "I struggled to figure out the track, but started coming around and got some pretty good finishes – my best two results that I've had so far. Overall, it was a pretty good weekend, we're going to keep taking baby steps and moving forward, so I'm excited for RedBud next weekend."

Round 5 was also promising for Stewart in 450MX, riding his Husqvarna Motorcycles FC 450 Rockstar Edition to 11th position in qualifying, and then going on to register 8-16 moto scores. His second moto was impacted by a first-turn crash, but he pressed on for points, which placed him 11th overall and he's ninth in the championship as it approaches halfway.

"I actually had a good time here at Southwick," Stewart said. "It's been 11 years since I raced this race and the number one coolest thing for me today was the fans. Practice was good, I forgot how fast this track can be early on, and that's important to get a good lap in. First moto was okay, got off to an okay start, and fought my way up to eighth. In the second one, my start was actually better than the first one, but we went down in the first corner and I was able to keep going for 16th. It obviously wasn't the best ride we've had, but we'll take this thing to RedBud and I'm excited for that... I'm going to give it everything I've got!"

After qualifying directly behind his teammate in P12, Craig was also competitive in his return to Southwick, but had to settle for a lowly 20th in the opening encounter. Still working his way back to full fitness, he reverted to a base setting for this afternoon's final race and quickly found added comfort on the deteriorating track surface to improve for a season-best eighth-place score. Craig was 14th overall and is currently placed 11th in the points following five rounds.

"Southwick was tough, just struggled with the setting on this track in the morning, and then went in the wrong direction for the first moto," Craig recalled. "In the second moto, we went back to my base settings, got a better start, felt more comfortable, and it was an improvement. Today wasn't great overall, but my second moto finish in P8 was the best of the year so far. That was better, but there was still some inconsistency, so we'll move onto RedBud and try to keep building."

Next Race: July 6 – RedBud, Michigan

Results 450MX Class – Southwick National
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda
2. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
3. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
6. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
7. Justin Barcia (USA), GASGAS
11. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
14. Christian Craig (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing

Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 5 of 11 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 213 points
2. Jett Lawrence, 210
3. Chase Sexton, 210
5. Aaron Plessinger, 162
8. Justin Barcia, 148
9. Malcolm Stewart, 133
11. Christian Craig, 83

Results 250MX Class – Southwick National
1. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
2. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
3. Jo Shimoda (JPN), Honda
9. Pierce Brown (USA), GASGAS
10. Casey Cochran (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
11. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), GASGAS
24. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM

Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 5 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 238 points
2. Chance Hymas, 196
3. Tom Vialle, 193
7. Pierce Brown, 133
11. Julien Beaumer, 107
12. Ryder DiFrancesco, 96
13. Casey Cochran, 74