The new season has delivered a mix of results, and after the third round at A2, the 450SX and 250SX West title races are heating up. We’ve gathered the direct takes from riders for this Reaction feature from round three of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Fourth:
Anaheim 2 was a bit of a struggle. I had to rest from Tuesday until yesterday as I’ve been sick this week, but I was able to come out and ride as well as I could today. I didn’t feel 100 percent, so it was good that I was able to push through. I rode pretty well in the main event – it obviously wasn’t the result we wanted, but fourth was okay to salvage what I could. I’ll continue to work on getting healthy again and get ready for the Triple Crown next week.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – DNF:
Anaheim 2 was going good all day, right up until the main event. I got a decent start, but I think I tried to force the issue a little too soon and ended up missing the rear brake jumping into a turn. My throttle got caught in his rear wheel and caused some damage, unfortunately ending my night. We’ve made some improvements to my bike settings, I’m healthy and looking forward to the next round now.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Seventh:
It really came down to just a bad start tonight. We had rain before the main, and I ended up just spinning my rear tire really badly. I was almost dead last after the start, and I just did what I could to come back and was seventh. In the big picture for the series, we’re still going to be fine. So we’ll move on from this and keep our heads up.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Eighth:
It was a rough day here at A2. I just struggled all day, and our riding wasn’t quite there. In the main event, the rain came and I got a lot of wheel spin off the start. I didn’t ride too badly, but I was just buried and didn’t make my way forward that much. Eli and I made our way through there towards the end, and that’s kind of where we both ended up. We’ll regroup and get ready for the triple crown next week.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was a rollercoaster of emotions tonight. I was pretty down after the heat race and I straight up couldn’t get my mind right. All the way up to the main, I was just dwelling on everything too much, but I was able to lock in for the main and somehow get the holeshot, which felt great. It was a great rebound. Everything was going downhill pretty fast, so to turn it around, I’m happy with that. It was a crazy race. We got a lot of rain heading to the start. I got out front and definitely was testing the limits because I wanted to run up front. I made a few mistakes and almost slid out a few times and then chilled out. I definitely tightened up a little bit. The track was tricky with the conditions, but overall, it was a good night.

Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC Progressive) – First:
It was a good race. I had some good lines, and the track was pretty fun until it started raining and got pretty icy. I had a decent start and was mainly just trying to be really patient and not rush anything, just because the track could catch you out really quickly. I was in second for quite a while and ended up finally making a move for first and stuck it, thankfully, then just tried to keep my laps consistent and make no mistakes. I got my first win of the season, so that’s good. Hopefully, we have more to come, but the main goal is obviously trying to get that points lead down. We’re heading in the right direction. I’m super pumped – on to Arizona.

Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC Progressive) – Fifth:
Anaheim is probably one of my worst venues in the past, so I’m happy I got a good start and am getting out of here with a fifth. I’m just going to get home and get some good laps in – it’s been a bit of a crappy start to the year on the training side of things, with the testing and then getting sick and stuff, so I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of the routine. It’s promising that we’re this close already, with the lack of laps, so it’s good, man. I’ll build from here; this is a solid start to a series compared to last year, so I’ve got to look at that–the glass is half full. It was a good night. Jettson had a good night as well obviously, and we’re all safe and healthy and ready to swing in now for the Triple Crown.

Justin Barcia (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – 10th:
I came into A2 feeling strong on the bike, but I struggled with my flow in my heat race and got a bit tight. I thought we’d worked it out for the main event, but unfortunately, I got mixed up at the beginning then rode extremely tight the whole race. It was a disappointing night, because I didn’t perform the way I wanted to or ride the way I should, so we’ll regroup for Phoenix! I’m a good sprinter, so I’m looking forward to the Triple Crown format.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Ninth:
I actually felt good all day long. I was P4 in qualifying, but then went down at the start of my Heat race,” Stewart reflected. “After I went down I had to come back through the pack with a really good ride and qualified for the Main. It rained before the Main Event, but we went out there and I felt pretty decent the whole time. At the end of the day, I feel like we’re making gains as a team. I felt a lot more comfortable today, we’re heading in the right direction, and I’m riding better.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Third:
Overall I had a good day. I qualified fifth and won my heat race. I got a great start off the gate in the main event and was battling up front all night. The rain made the track super slick, but I knew I was really good in the whoops so I could charge hard and make up time there. It felt good to run in first for a while. My illness from last week was still lingering but I was happy to maintain my strength for most of the main, lead some laps, and take a step in the right direction. Being on the podium is always a great feeling and I look to continue to stay up there.

Jorge Prado (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – DNQ:
I overjumped the quad a little bit in qualifying and went into the berm. I tried to grab the net on the edge of the berm because I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and as soon as I grabbed it I felt my shoulder pop out. It’s a shame because it was not a big crash just a little mistake on my part, but I couldn’t avoid it. My shoulder was popped back into place 30 seconds later and it’s feeling good now, not very painful. I need to sit out and rest and see how my shoulder feels after today and evaluate from there.

Joey Savatgy (Quad Lock Honda) – 11th:
The result was okay—it’s not something I’m happy with, but considering the day I had, it’s a step in the right direction. I crashed twice in the morning, including a tough one in the whoops, and then I went down again during the start of Qualifying 2. That said, we’ve built a solid base, and with a few tweaks to the bike this week and better starts, I’m confident I can race inside the top seven or eight. That’s where we should be. It’s coming, and my confidence is growing.

Shane McElrath (Quad Lock Honda) – 17th:
Shane showed speed in the morning, but unfortunately, he couldn’t carry it into the main event. We know he has the potential to run inside the top 10, but he needs to focus on building his strength and stamina on the 450. We’ve developed a four-to-five-week plan to help him get there. Racing the 250 over the past five months has affected his preparation for the 450, but we’re committed to helping him improve.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Ecstar Suzuki) – Second:
The whole main event was really rad. I am beyond stoked to be on the podium. We’ve been putting in a lot of work. We tried a few things this week, and everything we did last night was a success. The work doesn’t stop, but I am going to enjoy the moment.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 14th:
A2 was a baby step, but nonetheless a step in the right direction for me. It started off a little bit rough during the day and into the night program, having to go through the LCQ. We got through and into the main. But then I just kind of rode around – I could’ve executed some things better. But overall, it was a good step, so on to Glendale we go.

Kyle Chisholm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – DNQ:
I stayed in California all week, so we got some good testing in with the team. We made some good improvements on the bike settings. I qualified better, in practice I felt better, and in the heat race, man, I ripped a really good start. I was third or fourth, then from there it just went downhill. I clipped a tuff blocks in the first rhythm section and went over the bars. I had to jump through the bars and bail off the bike. I was pretty banged up and beat up. I got some x-rays, everything was negative, but my heel had a pretty bad bruise. But looking at the positives – the bike’s in a good spot, I feel pretty good, we’ll try to get at least a day riding this week if my body feels up to it, and then we’ll come into Glendale and try to get back on track.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Second:
Qualifying was good this morning, and then I went down in the heat after leading. It wasn’t anything to worry about – that’s racing. I got off to a solid start in the main event and we finished second tonight, so another podium, and more points on the board. We’ll go back to work this week and we’ll aim to be better again next weekend.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
Today was solid. We had a pretty good qualifying and I felt really good on the bike. We worked hard this week to have the bike perfect and we got that. I finished first in the heat race and first in the main with a pretty big lead. That was the goal, and it feels good.

Cole Davies (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
I felt good today on the bike. The first qualifying wasn’t the greatest, but I reset and came out for the second qualifying and was fourth. I was second in the heat race and put up a bit of a battle in that one. Then I was seventh after the start of the main event, made a few passes for fourth, and then Smitty (Jordon Smith) went down on the last lap through the whoops. The track was gnarly. It was a good race and I got my first career podium, so I’m stoked about that.

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Seventh:
Anaheim 2 was another day of progress. I was second in free practice, and was closer to the top all day, and had pretty good speed. I had a good heat race and got a good start, but in the main, it unraveled a bit with chaos in the second turn. Davies was falling and I hit him and propped him back up. Then I started falling myself and a couple of guys ran into me. So I started from last and made it back to seventh. There were a lot of positives to take away. I was able to charge through the whole moto, so that felt good. I’m just happy to be healthy and continue to build. As long as we can stay healthy, I think we can be winning these things in no time.

Jo Shimoda (Team Honda HRC Progressive) – Sixth:
I’m honestly just hanging onto the bike – it’s really tough on me. It was a tough night again with my hand, but I put good effort in the main event to try to score some points. I just don’t want to let this [championship] go – I feel like I’ve got to stay in it. Next week hopefully I’ll be a little better and stronger, to keep this thing alive.

Drew Adams (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Eighth:
It all went well today. I had good practice and qualifying sessions. The heat race was solid, I went P5 there. Then leading up to the main event I got a little nervous and the jitters were getting to me since it was my first race. All and all it was good, I had a pretty good start but halfway through the main event, it started raining and the track was getting super slippery and technical. I had a pretty good pace for 10 minutes or so, but with the slick track I fell off a little bit towards the end. At the end of the day I’m glad that I finished where I did, and I’m glad that we’re staying safe. I learned a lot and will come out stronger next week.

Jordon Smith (Triumph Factory Racing) – Fourth:
It was a pretty good day. I think that we made some really good progress as a team this week. It was unfortunate to go down whilst pushing for second, but luckily, we were able to get up in fourth and not lose too many points. It was a good day despite not being where we wanted to finish in the main. We will come back swinging for Glendale!