The Monster Energy Supercross Championship has traveled across the country for a very important round five, the 2024 Detroit Supercross. A cold and early day marks the start of the 250 East Region, a stacked division that includes the defending SMX champion and the launch of a new factory team, and it’ll join the 450 Class for an afternoon special on NBC.
TV is the reason we are racing in downtown Detroit this weekend, a situation that Head of Broadcasting Ken Adelson explained in detail at the end of this video. The series was offered a prime slot on the traditional broadcast network, and after some discussions between Feld, the AMA, and NBC, the groups agreed that putting the 450 Class ahead of the 250 East Region in the Heat Race order would help keep attention early, but the day will still finish with the premier class feature. Racing will begin at 3PM Eastern time and the podium celebration is scheduled to wrap shortly after 6PM.
Supercross has a long history in Michigan, including 46 races over 29 years at the Silverdome and 11 visits to Ford Field since 2006. Eli Tomac’s four wins are the most of the building, while Jason Anderson’s victory in 2016 and Chase Sexton’s in 2023 are the only other wins by active riders here.
The track is rather basic, as the 22-rider gate fills one end zone and connects a six-lane layout of rhythm lanes, nine whoops, bowl turns, and a triple into kinked three-five-three. Lap times should be quick and that’ll put more wear on the Michigan dirt, which like always, is soft and rutted in some spots but should pack in and slick off in other areas.
99 riders filed entries with the AMA for the weekend, with 55 signed up for the 250 East Region and 44 in the 450 Class. The small-bore division headlined Friday’s media riding session, and you can see more footage of them in action in our Raw video.