Tony Lorusso Makes History as Oldest Rider to Qualify for Southwick National Motocross Motos

Tony Lorusso Aims to Make History, Qualify for Southwick National Motos at 52 Years Old

Southwick, MA – At every round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, locals come out to try and qualify for the pro 250cc and 450cc divisions. Retired pros, privateers, and top amateurs give it their all in front of family and friends.

At this year’s Southwick National, there will be an extra rider to keep an eye on: Tony Lorusso. The Brockton, Massachusetts native first raced pro at the 1990 Pro Motocross round at The Wick 338, finishing 16th overall in the 125 Class. His last time making the motos was at the 2012 Unadilla National, finishing 30th overall. But on Saturday, at 52 years old, Lorusso will attempt to qualify for the 250 Class motos at his home track.

Lorusso will be in the 250 Class B group qualifying session—the first on track to start the day. If he qualifies, which he has a good chance of doing given his experience and the reports we’re hearing from locals, he could become the oldest rider to ever qualify for the motos.

At 52 years old, Lorusso would break the record for oldest rider ever to qualify. The last rider over 40 years old to qualify for the motos was Robert Fitch, who qualified for the 2021 Thunder Valley National at 41 years old. Lorusso would not only be the first rider over 45 to qualify for a Pro Motocross race, but also the first rider over 50 to do so!

In 2023, retired pro racer Jimmy Decotis made the motos at the Southwick National in impressive fashion. The Massachusetts native qualified fastest in the first 250 Class B group qualifying session with a time of 2:06.592. He finished 12-17 for 15th overall in his first pro race since February 2020.

Qualifying fastest out of the B group happens quite often. Yamaha’s Daxton Bennick and Matti Jorgensen both did so in their pro debuts at the RedBud National and High Point National, respectively.

Being the first qualifying session can make a difference, especially at a track like The Wick 338. Lorusso will have a chance at a few clean laps on Saturday. Watch for the #778 Yamaha YZ250F machine as he looks to make history.