Presented by FXR Racing:  The 450 class returns, and so do some of the top riders who sat out the final few rounds of pro motocross in preparation. Justin Cooper leads in the points standings, but again, the overall standings have been put back to a standard race finish of 25 for the leader, 22 for second, and 20 points for third. Jett Lawrence sits in second and is coming off the motocross championship. He will be tough to beat this afternoon, but returning riders like Chase Sexton and Supercross champion Cooper Webb have a lot of potential to grab a win.

2025 CHARLOTTE SMX #1 // FULL COVERAGE

450 SEEDED QUALIFYING SESSION ONE

Eli Tomac was consistently fast in the first session. He was not the fastest, but the number of laps he put in without a mistake was impressive.

As the 450-seeded practice got underway, R.J. Hampshire held the fastest time for many laps. It would not hold, though, as Jett Lawrence would make his way to the top as he opened up some new rhythms throughout the track and was able to grab a time about a second faster than the rest of the field. Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton, and Ken Roczen would all pass Hampshire, moving his initial time back to fifth. Many mistakes were coming from the riders as the track conditions were becoming very difficult, as the soft dirt began to get rutted on all the faces of the jumps. Hunter Lawrence was seen coming up very short in one of the rhythms, which definitely gave his heart rate a spike. Right at the end of the session, Chase Sexton would take the fastest time away from Jett Lawrence and set himself up well for the rest of the day.

Jett Lawrence, of course, was up front but would lose the fastest lap, on the last lap of the session to Chase Sexton.

The most impressive rider is R.J. Hampshire, as it is his rookie season in the 450 class, and he has not shied away from any challenges.

2025 CHARLOTTE SMX #1 // FULL COVERAGE