Yes, he is back. Maybe the fastest man on the planet and it doesn't seem to matter how long he has been out injured. Just incredible this kid. Jett Lawrence, the name of the sport for sure in America and maybe also Worldwide. Below the rider comments from the openining SMX round.

Jett Lawrence: "I surprised myself more than you guys, I think. That race pace [was] a little different than practice. But that’s so cool. I remember back in 2023 I was saying I really wanted to battle Eli in outdoors, and this is as close as we get to outdoors, so it was a really cool thing to do. I could say a goal checked off, or a little check off the bucket list, you could say. I’m just super pumped to be up here again, and yeah, I’m back!"

Eli Tomac: "I felt really good. It was close. The rhythm section got me. [Jett] was better in the sand, too, but I felt like I kind of could have survived that. But that rhythm section, as soon as I started missing my big quad, and then I wasn’t able to actually do the over-over so well, [I lost time], so [I’m] trying to learn from it. Either way it was a really fun day, [and I] felt really good on the motorcycle. That was so cool just to be having that flow again… [when asked why he stopped jumping the quad in the track’s rhythm lane] On the step-on step-off, the landing of it just got a little bit deep in the bottom of the transition. And then I wasn’t comfortable to go off the ramp and really gas it. So, I was too conservative, I was playing it safe, and it cost me."

Chase Sexton: "We definitely have a lot to improve on. It felt a little bit like a re-run of Chicago last year – I was trying super-hard, but wasn't really going that fast. I've gotta find some more comfort, but these guys are riding really well, so we have to get better. We have two more rounds, the ones that really count because this one was just single points, and then we go into double points and triple points, so we will be trying to improve to really capitalize at that last race."

Haiden Deegan: "Yeah, we gotta go back to work this week. When I get back, we’re working. Because even though I went 1-1 today there’s a lot of errors that were made and I’m not happy about it… But it was nice to win the first one, that was a good goal [to] check off the list."

Aaron Plessinger: "Charlotte was quite the struggle. I had a practice crash on Friday, which left my shoulder a little sore, and then today I felt pretty good. First moto, I got a pretty good start and made some passes, so ended up sixth. In the second moto, I was in good position again, but slid out and got up in last. I worked my way back up to 11th, so overall, we're leaving in one piece and we'll see what Texas brings!"

Julien Beaumer: "Getting good starts like that and leading those laps is very important for confidence. After the first moto I felt good, just made too many mistakes in those early laps of the second one, but I was happy with the result. I'm very excited to be up here on the podium, so I'm looking forward to Dallas next!"

Tom Vialle: "I went 4-7 today – my starts were really bad – so I finished fifth overall. I'm still third in the championship and we all know that the next couple of races are most important with double and triple points available, so we will come out swinging next week."

Hunter Lawrence: “I’m happy to put a respectable run on the board and keep the points close to start the playoffs. A big thank-you to the team for the setup today, because I felt we were very prepared compared to where we were last year. I’m looking forward to getting better in Texas.”

Chance Hymas: “The first SMX race of my career was disappointing; I just didn’t ride like I know I can, and my starts weren’t where I needed them to be. It was a struggle all day, but we’ll be looking to rebound in Dallas.”

Jo Shimoda: “Overall, a solid day. I need some more pace to keep up front and battle for the win, but I’m excited about where we are so far. I’m positive going into the week, and I know we’ll be in a better place at the next round.”

Ken Roczen: Solid weekend at Rd 1 with 5-5 moto scores for 5th overall. I was able to push both motos and improved myself. It’s great to build on and get better. If I find myself a bit further up front of the start I think we can be in podium position. Certainly getting better week by week.

R. J. Hampshire: "Today started off really good, qualifying fastest. In the first moto I made my way into second, but caught a rut in the rhythm, which shot me left, into the tuff blocks and the barrier. That kind of messed my day up, but we fought through it for 10-8 finishes and ninth overall. We'll keep getting better this week and try to land on the box in Dallas."

Levi Kitchen: "I was pumped to grab the holeshot in Moto 1, but the restart really threw things off. After that, I pushed hard and managed to get back to sixth, finishing fifth. In Moto 2, I had a great start and led for a bit, but I made a mistake in the rhythm section and dropped to second. It was a mixed day, but I’m feeling positive about the speed I showed and I can’t wait to come back even stronger for Texas."

Ty Masterpool: "Finishing 12th after starting in ninth was a bit of a letdown, but I gave it my all. Moto 1 was challenging with the restart, and I struggled to make up ground. Despite that, I’m staying focused and looking forward to the next round. I’m using today as a learning experience and am excited to come back with a fresh mindset and aim for a better finish. Time to regroup and put in the work to be ready for the home race next weekend."

Garrett Marchbanks: "Starting in 18th was definitely a tough spot, and falling to 15th in Moto 2 due to a mistake didn’t make it any easier. But I’m really stoked with how I was able to fight back to ninth place. It was a challenging day, but I’m proud of the progress I made and the way I handled the adversity. This experience has me feeling motivated and ready to use the momentum to improve further in the rest of the SMX Playoffs."

Jason Anderson: "I’m really disappointed to have missed Playoff #1 due to the crash in practice. It’s frustrating to be sidelined, especially when I was looking forward to racing, but I was too sore to safely ride today. I’m focusing on my recovery now and will be working hard to get back to full strength. Thanks to everyone for their support, and I’m determined to come back stronger and make up for lost time in the next round."

Malcolm Stewart: "Charlotte was fun and this was my first time racing SuperMotocross. First moto we were P8 and then second moto seventh, so that placed us seventh overall and it was a great start for us. I'm learning the bike in this format and we'll take what we learned into Texas and keep building. Huge shoutout to the whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing crew – we've been pushing hard all season and I look forward to the next couple of weekends."

Christian Craig: "The day started off pretty good. Qualifying was decent and I was riding not bad. First moto, quarter of a lap in, I went down and got hit in the back of the head pretty hard, so had to make my way back up, but got a tuff block cover stuff in my back brake pedal and I had to stop to get that out. I regrouped for the second main, got a decent start, and was in the mix for a little bit to end up ninth. It wasn't my best ride, but all in all, we'll regroup and get ready for Texas next week."

Pierce Brown: "That was a tough day for me. Coming into the weekend, I was unsure if I was going to race because I had a pretty big crash this week, so all in all I'm just happy to be here and to get some points. The next two rounds are double and triple points – I'm looking forward to those and there are a lot of points to be made. We have improvements to be made, but I feel like my ceiling is way higher than where I am at this stage."

Ryder DiFrancesco: "It was an okay weekend in Charlotte. I had pretty good starts all day, but in the first moto I just didn't have the speed, and then in the second race my start wasn't as good, even though I actually rode better. I need to stack some points for the next two!"