Monster Energy Supercross returned to Denver for round 16 of the 2025 season, where riders battled the always-tough conditions at altitude in the Mile High City. Hear directly from the racers in this Reaction feature from Empower Field.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – First:
I was pretty fired up from the first lap of the main event after we all got a bit close during the first rhythm lane. At that point, I just wanted to get to the lead, and I knew that I could run some good laps, so getting out front and breaking away was my goal. I made an aggressive move by my standards on [Cooper Webb], but we’re both going for a championship and have a lot of respect for each other. At the same time, we both really want to win.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Fifth:
This was my first time in Denver, and it was tough! I had an exceptional qualifying, but after that, I struggled. If you know me, I’m more of a soft dirt kind of guy, so the conditions here were challenging. I still got a top-five out of it, so I can’t really ask for a whole lot more – we’re here and in the fight with the team, we turned the season around, and have one to go in Salt Lake

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Fourth:
Denver went well. Every year I come here, I ride really well. Practice and qualifying went good to finish in P2, and then a great start in my heat race resulted in winning that one, which was an awesome feeling. In the main event, I actually got my first holeshot of the season, which shows that even at the altitude, our bikes have plenty of power! I rode hard in the main, it was a big battle between second, third, and fourth, but at the end of the day, I gave it everything I had, and we ended up in P4. We’ll look to close this season out strong in Salt Lake next weekend.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
Man, it was a tough day today in Denver. I just really struggled in general. I’m a bit under the weather, and I was struggling a little bit with the track as well. I didn’t find a flow all day, so it was a tough main event, but I put myself in a really good spot. I made a quick pass on Malcolm and was able to lead a few laps. Chase got around me, and I just tried to get second. That was the goal tonight – to put my head down and do the best I could. When you’re not feeling well, it’s hard to go for those wins sometimes, but I had a great battle and held off Malcolm, and Justin, who was coming strong at the end. It was not an easy second place by any means. It was hard fought. We’ll go back home, get rested and recovered, and go into the finale next weekend and try for a win.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
It was a good night, but a disappointing start to the main event. I started pretty far back, outside the top 10, and made it tough on myself. It was a physically demanding track with the altitude, plus on top of that, it was hard to pass on this track. It was super dry and technical, with how the lines were shaping up. You had to be patient and also charge, and at the same time, get a good flow. It was a good race for me. We’ll take it into Salt Lake and try to get on the podium one more time and even fight for the win.

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 11th:
I had a better day in Denver. My speed was there all day, and I was able to battle inside the top 10 for most of the main. A couple of mistakes cost me late in the race, but it was a step in the right direction. We’re looking forward to Salt Lake.

Dean Wilson (Honda HRC Progressive) – 10th:
My day in Denver was pretty good overall. I struggled a bit in qualifying—just couldn’t quite connect with the track or flow through the corners—but things got better in the night show. In the heat race, I got pushed back when a tuff block got kicked out in front of me, but I managed to salvage sixth. In the main, I had to work my way through the pack and was in a good battle the whole race. I didn’t even know what position I was in most of the time, but I ended up 10th. I was close to getting ninth on the last lap but just couldn’t make it happen. That’s three top-10s in a row, so I can’t complain. I just need to put myself in a better position off the start, and I know I can keep improving. Big thanks to the whole team – they were awesome all day – and to Christian for stepping in as my mechanic. It was a good night, and I’m happy with it.

Shane McElrath (Quad Lock Honda) – Sixth:
This is exactly where I want to be – racing near the front and continuing to close the gap. The team, our sponsors, Martin, Yarrive, the entire crew – they’ve all been patient and consistent in their support. These results are a reflection of that trust and perseverance. There’s still one more round, and my goal is to finish as strong.

Joey Savatgy (Quad Lock Honda) – Eighth:
I’ve got to be honest – my starts have been terrible, and you just can’t afford to give away 10 to 15 seconds in the opening laps. The bike is solid – my teammate is proving that – so the responsibility is on me. I’m riding well, but if I want to fight for top-fives, I’ve got to fix the starts. That’s the next step.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 14th:
Denver was a struggle for me honestly, I just felt like I rode it in and did what I could, but it was a very tough night for me. I’ll re-group and get ready for the last one in Salt Lake.

Kyle Chisolm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 16th:
I feel like we’ve made some good improvements racing at elevation with the team, so we have a pretty good setup and the bike worked really good. The power was good and overall, I felt really good on the bike all day. In the heat race I got off to a pretty good start. I ran fourth for a little bit and ended up with fifth place – the best heat race of the year for me… In the main event, though, I struggled a little bit with my throat injury from years ago. My breathing isn’t completely normal even at lower elevations, and high elevation makes it quite a bit worse. I just couldn’t really ride at the pace that I needed to finish where I wanted to… My speed was good, I felt good on the bike, and I rode well, I just struggled in that main with my breathing. We’ve got one more race to go and I’m looking forward to Salt Lake and trying to finish it strong.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Second:
I had a chip on my shoulder coming here in Denver. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for me, and I felt like what I was doing during the week just wasn’t translating. I had to come out tonight and perform, and I think I did that. Taking that beating in Philly made me realize that I needed to look at myself in the mirror and figure something out… We went to work after that.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
It was a perfect night. I won the heat race and the main event. I had to fight for that main event win. It was two laps to go, and I was going to do anything for it. I ended up getting the championship a round early, which is crazy. This is something I’ve been manifesting since I was 12 years old, so to finally get it done, I’m hyped about that.

Cole Davies (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fifth:
Man, I really wanted that win today, but I shouldn’t have put myself in that position. It really bums me out that he raced me that way, but I’ll be back in Salt Lake with something to prove.”

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Seventh:
There were lots of positives to take from the weekend. I was really proud of the work the team and I have done over the past few weeks. We didn’t give up on the Supercross season and continued to develop the bike and improve in some areas. I had a great heat race, and the main event was going well until I got into the lappers, which slowed me up quite a bit and ate up my gap on JuJu (Julian Beaumer). Then he hit me, and I went down, and I finished seventh. There was a fair amount out of my control in that race, but also, I have areas I need to improve to put myself in a better position in the future. We’ll build on the positives and improve on the weaknesses, and we’ll keep getting better.

Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC Progressive) – Ninth:
Honestly, tonight was probably one of my worst rides. I’m not even sure how to explain it—it just wasn’t there. There’s a lot of work to do before next weekend, and not much more to say about this one. I’m just focused on finishing the season strong in Salt Lake City.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
Qualifying was solid – one of my best all year besides Philly. I was top four in both sessions and felt good all day. In the heat, I got the holeshot and was leading, but hit a slick spot and went down. Got back up and still finished fourth. In the main, I didn’t get the best jump, so I had to make moves early. The track was tough to pass on, so line choice really mattered. I put my head down and worked hard to get up to third. Super pumped to land another podium – my second of the season. Huge thanks to the team, I’m ready for Salt Lake.

Drew Adams (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Eighth:
Overall, it was a solid day here in Denver. We cleaned a few things up and went P6 in qualifying, which was decent. I grabbed third in the heat race, so that was a good step forward. In the main, I got off to a decent start but made a couple of mistakes on the first lap and dropped back to 11th. I was able to make some passes and finished eighth. It felt good to be back, just shaking off the rust and looking to keep building for next week.

Jordon Smith (Triumph Factory Racing) – Fourth:
It felt good to be back at the races at 100 percent. I had a good day in qualification and was feeling really good on the track. Unfortunately, a crash early in the heat race put me behind the eight ball for the night, but I pushed hard from way back in the main and ended with a decent result. I am ready and excited to get back on track at Salt Lake City to finish this supercross season strong.