What are the worst title defenses in Supercross history?
With the first official year of Supercross being 1974, we have the defending champions from 1975-2024 – 50 defending champions.
However, with repeat champions, injuries and retirements, there are actually just 28 defending champions to review for this analysis. For example, Bob Hannah was hurt for the 1980 season, Ricky Carmichael in 2004 was also hurt the whole year. Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto’s retirements before the 2015 and 2018 seasons won’t be included. I am also not including Ricky Carmichael in 2007 as he only raced part time.
This still gives us 28 defending champions to review. The following years will be reviewed:
| Rider | Defending Year |
| Pierre Karsmakers | 1975 |
| Jimmy Ellis | 1976 |
| Jim Weinert | 1977 |
| Mike Bell | 1981 |
| Mark Barnett | 1982 |
| David Bailey | 1984 |
| Johnny O’Mara | 1985 |
| Jeff Ward | 1986 |
| Rick Johnson | 1987 |
| Jeff Ward | 1988 |
| Rick Johnson | 1989 |
| Jeff Stanton | 1991 |
| Jean-Michel Bayle | 1992 |
| Jeff Stanton | 1993 |
| Jeremy McGrath | 1997 |
| Jeff Emig | 1998 |
| Jeremy McGrath | 2001 |
| Chad Reed | 2005 |
| James Stewart | 2008 |
| Chad Reed | 2009 |
| James Stewart | 2010 |
| Ryan Dungey | 2011 |
| Jason Anderson | 2019 |
| Cooper Webb | 2020 |
| Eli Tomac | 2021 |
| Cooper Webb | 2022 |
| Eli Tomac | 2023 |
| Chase Sexton | 2024 |
A few quick points on these 28 instances:
- 10 of the 28 times has the defending champion finished as the runner up.
- Only half, 14 of the 28 raced all the rounds in the season
- 23 of the 28 instances, the defending champion won at least 1 race the following season.
- Pierre Karsmakers in 1975, Mike Bell in 1981, Jeff Emig in 1998, Jason Anderson in 2019 and Cooper Webb in 2022 failed to win a race.
- Mike Bell in 1981 is the only rider to race all of the races and not win
- Webb in 2022 missed one race, the others missed multiple
- Pierre Karsmakers in 1975, Mike Bell in 1981, Jeff Emig in 1998, Jason Anderson in 2019 and Cooper Webb in 2022 failed to win a race.
For the following analysis, I am only going to include riders who raced over 75% of the season in their title defense. So the following seasons won’t be included:
| Rider | Defending Year | Rounds | Starts | Start % |
| Jeff Emig | 1998 | 16 | 10 | 62.50% |
| Jim Weinert | 1977 | 10 | 6 | 60.00% |
| Rick Johnson | 1989 | 15 | 6 | 40.00% |
| Pierre Karsmakers | 1975 | 4 | 1 | 25.00% |
| Jason Anderson | 2019 | 17 | 3 | 17.65% |
| James Stewart | 2010 | 17 | 3 | 17.65% |
| James Stewart | 2008 | 17 | 2 | 11.76% |
A few notes on these seasons:
- Emig’s 1998 was not going well as he averaged a 7.30 race finish in the 10 rounds he raced with only 3 podiums. Emig was 5th in Points after 10 rounds.
- Jim Weinert in 1977 had one win, however, he had an average race finish of 8.33. You will see later in this article how these race averages compare.
- Rick Johnson in 1989 was dominating, winning the first 5 rounds of the season and finished 2nd in round 6. Unfortunately, he would hurt his wrist and his Supercross season ended.
- Pierre Karsmakers only raced one of the four rounds in 1975, finishing 4th.
- Jason Anderson started 2019 finishing 14th, 2nd and 9th before injury.
- James Stewart won Anaheim 1 in 2010, however, he injured his wrist at round 2. In 2008, he raced two rounds, winning in Phoenix and then pulled out of the championship with a knee injury.
Worst Points Percentage
Accounting for injuries/missed races, I am only including a riders with a minimum of 75% of the races started for this:
| Rider | Defending Year | Race Start % | Points Available in Year | Points | Points % |
| Jimmy Ellis | 1976 | 100.00% | 150 | 92 | 61.33% |
| Cooper Webb | 2022 | 94.12% | 442 | 278 | 62.90% |
| Jeff Ward | 1986 | 83.33% | 300 | 191 | 63.67% |
| Johnny O’Mara | 1985 | 100.00% | 275 | 186 | 67.64% |
| Jeff Stanton | 1991 | 83.33% | 450 | 312 | 69.33% |
| Jeff Stanton | 1993 | 93.75% | 400 | 278 | 69.50% |
| Mark Barnett | 1982 | 100.00% | 300 | 209 | 69.67% |
| Rick Johnson | 1987 | 78.57% | 350 | 246 | 70.29% |
| Jeff Ward | 1988 | 80.00% | 250 | 177 | 70.80% |
| Chase Sexton | 2024 | 100.00% | 425 | 307 | 72.24% |
| Mike Bell | 1981 | 100.00% | 300 | 219 | 73.00% |
| Eli Tomac | 2021 | 100.00% | 442 | 326 | 73.76% |
| David Bailey | 1984 | 100.00% | 425 | 314 | 73.88% |
| Jeremy McGrath | 1997 | 100.00% | 375 | 278 | 74.13% |
| Eli Tomac | 2023 | 94.12% | 442 | 339 | 76.70% |
| Ryan Dungey | 2011 | 100.00% | 425 | 328 | 77.18% |
| Jean-Michel Bayle | 1992 | 100.00% | 400 | 320 | 80.00% |
| Cooper Webb | 2020 | 100.00% | 442 | 359 | 81.22% |
| Jeremy McGrath | 2001 | 100.00% | 400 | 328 | 82.00% |
| Chad Reed | 2005 | 100.00% | 400 | 342 | 85.50% |
| Chad Reed | 2009 | 100.00% | 425 | 373 | 87.76% |
- Jimmy Ellis raced all 6 rounds in 1976, won 2 races, however, only managed to score 61.33% of the available points
- I knew Cooper Webb struggled in 2022, however, I would not have expected this to be the second lowest amount despite missing one race. You will see a large difference between Webb’s 2020 title defense and his 2022 title defense.
- Despite missing 3 rounds in 1987, Rick Johnson still managed to finish 2nd in the series
- Chad Reed’s 2005 and 2009 title defenses were pretty strong which you will see throughout this article.
Worst Average Race Finish
Accounting for injuries/missed races, I am only including a riders with a minimum of 75% of the races started for this:
| Rider | Defending Year | Start % | Average Finish |
| Jimmy Ellis | 1976 | 100.00% | 7.83 |
| Cooper Webb | 2022 | 94.12% | 6.06 |
| Mark Barnett | 1982 | 100.00% | 5.58 |
| Johnny O’Mara | 1985 | 100.00% | 5.45 |
| Chase Sexton | 2024 | 100.00% | 5.06 |
| Eli Tomac | 2021 | 100.00% | 4.94 |
| David Bailey | 1984 | 100.00% | 4.41 |
| Jeremy McGrath | 1997 | 100.00% | 4.40 |
| Mike Bell | 1981 | 100.00% | 4.33 |
| Jeff Stanton | 1993 | 93.75% | 4.27 |
| Jeff Ward | 1986 | 83.33% | 4.10 |
| Eli Tomac | 2023 | 94.12% | 3.94 |
| Ryan Dungey | 2011 | 100.00% | 3.82 |
| Cooper Webb | 2020 | 100.00% | 3.65 |
| Jean-Michel Bayle | 1992 | 100.00% | 3.31 |
| Jeremy McGrath | 2001 | 100.00% | 2.88 |
| Chad Reed | 2005 | 100.00% | 2.81 |
| Jeff Stanton | 1991 | 83.33% | 2.80 |
| Rick Johnson | 1987 | 78.57% | 2.36 |
| Chad Reed | 2009 | 100.00% | 2.18 |
| Jeff Ward | 1988 | 80.00% | 2.00 |
- Jimmy Ellis in 1976 and Cooper Webb in 2022 are once again first and second
- Seeing 2024 Chase Sexton in 5th here is about where I expected. His Nashville 22nd place hurt his average.
- Despite these rankings, most of these average finishes are still very strong in general, however, they seem low from defending champions who raced over 75% of the races in the season.
For example, the lowest average race finish among a champion is Jeff Stanton in 1990, where his average finish was 4.44.
The average finish average among champions is 2.60, which goes to show how strong Rick Johnson in 1987, Chad Reed in 2009 and Jeff Ward in 1988 were. Chad Reed in 2009 had one 3rd place finish and one 7th place finish. Other than that he finished 1st or 2nd every race in 2009.
Worst Championship Finish
| Rider | Defending Year | Championship Finish | Points % | Start % |
| Cooper Webb | 2022 | 7 | 62.90% | 94.12% |
| Jimmy Ellis | 1976 | 5 | 61.33% | 100.00% |
| Johnny O’Mara | 1985 | 5 | 67.64% | 100.00% |
| Jeff Ward | 1986 | 4 | 63.67% | 83.33% |
| Jeff Stanton | 1991 | 3 | 69.33% | 83.33% |
| Jeff Stanton | 1993 | 3 | 69.50% | 93.75% |
| Jeff Ward | 1988 | 3 | 70.80% | 80.00% |
| Chase Sexton | 2024 | 3 | 72.24% | 100.00% |
| Eli Tomac | 2021 | 3 | 73.76% | 100.00% |
| Ryan Dungey | 2011 | 3 | 77.18% | 100.00% |
| Jean-Michel Bayle | 1992 | 3 | 80.00% | 100.00% |
| Mark Barnett | 1982 | 2 | 69.67% | 100.00% |
| Rick Johnson | 1987 | 2 | 70.29% | 78.57% |
| Mike Bell | 1981 | 2 | 73.00% | 100.00% |
| David Bailey | 1984 | 2 | 73.88% | 100.00% |
| Jeremy McGrath | 1997 | 2 | 74.13% | 100.00% |
| Eli Tomac | 2023 | 2 | 76.70% | 94.12% |
| Cooper Webb | 2020 | 2 | 81.22% | 100.00% |
| Jeremy McGrath | 2001 | 2 | 82.00% | 100.00% |
| Chad Reed | 2005 | 2 | 85.50% | 100.00% |
| Chad Reed | 2009 | 2 | 87.76% | 100.00% |
Webb and Ellis once again first and second here. For the most part, we see almost all defending champions finishing top three in the championship, which from a high level isn’t bad, however for a champion, it is obviously a massive downgrade.
I’m not sure how fair it is to compare those without 100% of the starts on the season here. However, from 1974-2024, on average, only 5.35 riders race 100% of the races in a season.
Worst Winning Percentages
Reminder this is their win % on the whole season, not just their personal starts.
| Rider | Defending Year | Rounds that Year | Start % | Wins | Win % |
| Cooper Webb | 2022 | 17 | 94.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Mike Bell | 1981 | 12 | 100.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Ryan Dungey | 2011 | 17 | 100.00% | 1 | 5.88% |
| Jeff Stanton | 1993 | 16 | 93.75% | 1 | 6.25% |
| Jeff Ward | 1988 | 10 | 80.00% | 1 | 10.00% |
| Chase Sexton | 2024 | 17 | 100.00% | 2 | 11.76% |
| Jeremy McGrath | 2001 | 16 | 100.00% | 2 | 12.50% |
| Jeremy McGrath | 1997 | 15 | 100.00% | 2 | 13.33% |
| Jeff Ward | 1986 | 12 | 83.33% | 2 | 16.67% |
| Eli Tomac | 2021 | 17 | 100.00% | 3 | 17.65% |
| Chad Reed | 2009 | 17 | 100.00% | 3 | 17.65% |
| Johnny O’Mara | 1985 | 11 | 100.00% | 2 | 18.18% |
| Jean-Michel Bayle | 1992 | 16 | 100.00% | 3 | 18.75% |
| Jeff Stanton | 1991 | 18 | 83.33% | 4 | 22.22% |
| David Bailey | 1984 | 17 | 100.00% | 4 | 23.53% |
| Cooper Webb | 2020 | 17 | 100.00% | 4 | 23.53% |
| Chad Reed | 2005 | 16 | 100.00% | 5 | 31.25% |
| Jimmy Ellis | 1976 | 6 | 100.00% | 2 | 33.33% |
| Mark Barnett | 1982 | 12 | 100.00% | 4 | 33.33% |
| Eli Tomac | 2023 | 17 | 94.12% | 7 | 41.18% |
| Rick Johnson | 1987 | 14 | 78.57% | 7 | 50.00% |
- Highlighting once again, Cooper Webb and Mike Bell are the only champions to start >75% of the races and not win a race.
- Dungey in 2011 was only able to win one race, meanwhile, Trey Canard won 3 races that year
- Harsh reminder of how 2023 ended for Eli Tomac.
Worst Podium Percentages
| Rider | Defending Year | Rounds that Year | Start % | Podiums | Podium % |
| Cooper Webb | 2022 | 17 | 94.12% | 4 | 23.53% |
| Johnny O’Mara | 1985 | 11 | 100.00% | 4 | 36.36% |
| David Bailey | 1984 | 17 | 100.00% | 7 | 41.18% |
| Mark Barnett | 1982 | 12 | 100.00% | 5 | 41.67% |
| Eli Tomac | 2021 | 17 | 100.00% | 8 | 47.06% |
| Jeff Ward | 1986 | 12 | 83.33% | 6 | 50.00% |
| Jimmy Ellis | 1976 | 6 | 100.00% | 3 | 50.00% |
| Eli Tomac | 2023 | 17 | 94.12% | 9 | 52.94% |
| Chase Sexton | 2024 | 17 | 100.00% | 9 | 52.94% |
| Jeff Stanton | 1993 | 16 | 93.75% | 9 | 56.25% |
| Mike Bell | 1981 | 12 | 100.00% | 7 | 58.33% |
| Jeremy McGrath | 1997 | 15 | 100.00% | 9 | 60.00% |
| Jeff Stanton | 1991 | 18 | 83.33% | 11 | 61.11% |
| Rick Johnson | 1987 | 14 | 78.57% | 9 | 64.29% |
| Jeremy McGrath | 2001 | 16 | 100.00% | 11 | 68.75% |
| Jean-Michel Bayle | 1992 | 16 | 100.00% | 11 | 68.75% |
| Ryan Dungey | 2011 | 17 | 100.00% | 13 | 76.47% |
| Cooper Webb | 2020 | 17 | 100.00% | 13 | 76.47% |
| Jeff Ward | 1988 | 10 | 80.00% | 8 | 80.00% |
| Chad Reed | 2005 | 16 | 100.00% | 14 | 87.50% |
| Chad Reed | 2009 | 17 | 100.00% | 16 | 94.12% |
- Cooper Webb’s 2022 once again at the top.
- The difference between Webb in 2020 vs 2022 is highlighted here.
- These podium rates are still very strong but once again, for the defending champion they aren’t what they were expecting.
- I think its fair to say that Chad Reed’s 2009 is the strongest title defense.
After review of all this data I think we can say Cooper Webb in 2022 has the weakest title defense. He failed to win a race and didn’t have a strong podium rate either. I didn’t think of this season when starting this research – I think this is due to how strong Webb was both this year in 2024 and last year in 2023 before injury. 2022 was the first year of the new KTM which Webb was not exactly a fan of (to put it lightly). But seeing how different Webb’s 2020 title defense was vs 2022 is very surprising, and that was Webb dealing with a lingering back injury in 2020 after his Arlington crash.
Jimmy Ellis in 1976 is fairly weak from an averages standpoint, however, he won two races in a six round series. The small sample size makes it difficult to compare.
Johnny O’Mara in 1985 finished fifth in the championship despite two race wins. He had a low podium rate as well as low race finish average.
Jeff Stanton in 1993 is another rider to highlight. He had just one win and a fairly low point percentage amount.
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