The 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Championship finale at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City was one to remember, as an exciting and drama-filled 17th round capped off an unforgettable season of racing. We’ve gathered the direct takes from riders for this Reaction feature from the final round of the season.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – First:
Today, I think I did everything that I could’ve done. Obviously, we came up short on the championship, which is a bummer and it’s a tough pill to swallow, but Cooper [Webb] had a great season. We were able to achieve seven race wins this year, and throughout the season I became a much more complete rider, having learned from some of my mistakes, so I’ll take that and head into the outdoors. I am proud of what we were able to achieve together with the team and am happy to beat my personal season win record with seven this year.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Sixth:
Salt Lake City was a pretty good race. I struggled to find a setting that worked for me in qualifying, but by the time we got to the heat race, it was working awesome! I got a holeshot there and won the thing, which was good. Holeshotted again in the main, but I saw that I was around both Cooper [Webb] and Chase, and panicked a bit – I doubled the whole way down a rhythm lane and lost a lot of positions, then struggled to recover from there. That was my night in Salt Lake, but it’s time to regroup and head outdoors. We’ll be going for it!

Dean Wilson (Honda HRC Progressive) – Seventh:
It was a good day overall. I actually threw my back out earlier in the week, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel. I did therapy every day with Doc G, and I have to give a massive thank you to him, I don’t know if I could’ve raced without his help. Once we got here, I felt okay on the bike, even though I was still in a lot of pain. I had a really good heat race and ended up third, which was cool. In the main event, I finished seventh and was in a battle the entire time with a few guys just ahead of me. The elevation and a bit of wind made it tough at the end, but overall I’m really happy with how it went. These five races with Honda have been unbelievable and something I’ll always remember! I’m a little sad it’s over, but I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity. Thank you to everyone at Honda who made it happen — Yarrive [Konsky] and Martin [Davalos] from Quad Lock Honda, Lars [Lindstrom] and Brandon [Wilson] from American Honda, and all the bosses. It’s been a lot of fun.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Second:
Tonight was awesome. These last few weeks at altitude have been solid for us, and when I got into second position tonight for a split second I couldn’t hear my motorcycle – these fans were so loud! It was a great race for me, we did everything that we could, and I’m just stoked to end this championship with a second-place finish. We made a lot of progress this year, because last year we were coming back from injury and I was just overthinking things. Tampa really turned things around for me with having the confidence of being able to run at the front, so all-in-all, I’m really happy and excited to go racing outdoors.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth:
Man, what a night! To win this championship means the world to me. There were a lot of hard-fought days to get to where we are at right now, and being a three-time champion is rare territory. I’ve got to give it up to the team, my family, and everyone in my corner. I really appreciate it.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
It was good to end the season third in points. That was the goal with what we were given. The last three races we podiumed, so that was pretty cool. It was just fun to be in the fight with the guys. I had a great end to the season, and now we look forward to the outdoor season and to bringing this momentum there.

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 11th:
I felt really good starting the day off in Salt Lake, but unfortunately had two big crashes in qualifying and was pretty banged up for the night show. I did what I could and was really close to a top 10.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 12th:
It was a big season for me, I’ve never finished a full 450 season before, so that was a big goal I had coming into the year. To even be in Salt Lake, I’m stoked. I wish I could have finished a little better, but I got some more exposure for the team and myself and overall, I’m super stoked on the team. I’m really happy with everything here. It’s been a fun season, frustrating at times, but I’m stoked to be racing my dirt bike and doing it with these guys. This support team I’ve got around me is pretty damn cool. Yeah, we’ll saddle up and do it again next year!

Kyle Chisolm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 14th:
It was a fun, technical, and really busy track, but I had fun on it. It was definitely my style of track, I felt good in practice, qualified out of the heat, and in the main event I ended up 14th. Not my best, but I was happy with my riding… 17 races, there’s a lot of racing, week in and week out, so staying healthy is an important thing. And that’s a tough thing for us to do in our sport. So you try to be smart all season and pick and choose the risks that you take. [Good decisions with] risk versus reward help you stay healthy. I’m proud of that, proud of staying healthy. I ended on a pretty good note, and I had fun out there. It was a great season, and it flew by. The team’s done a great job all year and, as always, we’ve worked well together for the last three years. I’ve really just enjoyed coming to work and working with everybody… I’m going to miss it, but I’m not leaving forever, right? I plan on still doing the playoffs, maybe a couple outdoors before then, maybe World Supercross and yeah, just my last time doing the full Supercross season… I hope you guys haven’t seen the last of me, that’s not the plan anyways, and I hope to be racing again here soon.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Third:
I can’t believe this, to be honest! I got a good start behind Haiden [Deegan], and I was feeling good, then I started to make a couple of mistakes, and both Seth [Hammaker] and RJ [Hampshire] got me, so then I was about five seconds back. I saw them both down in the corner, and I couldn’t believe it – I thought, ‘This is crazy!’ There were still about four laps to go, and I just did it from there to clinch the title. The speed was really high this year from everyone and I lost a lot of points in the mud at Foxborough, but overall I just tried to stay steady, and that’s what paid off in the end. I came to the United States to win Supercross titles, so to have two now is insane! Two championships are hard to win, so this feels really good to achieve this with the whole Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Second:
I’m really happy with how my riding was in these last two rounds, it really came back around, and my biggest takeaway from this championship is just consistency. I had that mid-season slump and a couple of tough races, so for me, it’s about being consistent. Tonight I was racing hard for position there in the main event, and we’re happy to come away with second place.

Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC Progressive) – Eighth:
We had a lot going on today. Someone ran into me in the heat race, so honestly, my main priority was just to get through the night safely, and we accomplished that. I felt like my riding was a little better than last week, and the bike was also improved. Of course, I wanted to finish a bit higher, but now it’s time to reset and focus on outdoors in two weeks.

Chance Hymas (Honda HRC Progressive) – 11th:
Honestly, my night was pretty disappointing – I wasn’t happy with my riding or my decision making in the main event. Up until then, things were going well, the heat race was good, and qualifying was a step in the right direction for me. I just need to be better when it comes to race decisions in Supercross mains. My speed and riding are there, but I need to think things through better. Now my focus shifts to outdoors, and I’m looking forward to getting started.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Sixth:
Today was a very eventful day. I felt good on the bike, then the heat race didn’t go so well after having a big one that sent me to my first LCQ in a couple of years. That’s always stressful, so then the outside gate pick for the main gave me an average start, but I put my head down and charged. I had a chance for the championship at the end there and I went for it, which didn’t go in my favor and it’s unfortunate to take us both down. Overall, I did everything I could, I tried, and we’ll leave here and move on – I’m looking forward to this next chapter of my career.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
Tonight was solid. I rode well in the main, and that’s where it counted. I just wanted to put in a dominant last race, and we got that done. I think we won by 10 seconds, so that was pretty cool. There was a lot of chaos behind us, but we got the holeshot and were able to take off. I’m happy with the day and the season. We got the West Championship and finished with a win tonight. I’m looking forward to the outdoors.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 13th:
It was a very up-and-down season for me. I just have to be better, plain and simple. I’m ready to go have some fun outdoors.

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fifth:
I was really proud of how I fought in the main event in Salt Lake. I was in 11th place on the first lap and made some great passes to finish in fifth. It was awesome to carry the momentum from Denver and to continue building confidence leading into the outdoors. I’m super thankful for the team’s support throughout the year and for working with me as I progress.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fourth:
It was a great season overall. Obviously, coming up just short is tough — especially when you’re that close. It was a wild race. I got a decent start, but from there it was chaos. I got around Tom (Vialle) early and was holding good pace, but then Juju [Julien Beaumer] came in and made an aggressive move on me that I wasn’t expecting. I shouldn’t have left the door open like that. Then RJ [Hampshire] came in hot. I just tried to keep fighting all the way to the end. I pushed to close the gap on Tom, but second place is how the season wraps. Huge shoutout to the entire team — I really wanted to get this one done for them. I can’t thank everyone at Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki and the whole Dog Pound crew enough. We’ll get back to work and stay focused on outdoors. The season’s still building, and I’m proud of the fight we showed. Congrats to Tom on a great season.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Seventh:
Today was a grind. Free practice went solid — I think I was P4 — but overall, qualifying was tough. I just wasn’t connecting with the track like I did in Denver. We made some suspension tweaks that helped for the heat, but I got hit in turn two and went down hard. Came back from dead last to eighth, which wasn’t ideal. In the main, I tried for a good start from the inside but got pinched off and shuffled way back. I worked my way up to P7, but it was just one of those nights where nothing really clicked. The team worked hard all week and gave me a great bike — everything’s there, we just need to dial in the starts. We’ll regroup and keep pushing.

Drew Adams (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 10th:
Overall, it was a solid day. I felt like I improved every time I hit the track. Qualifying went really well, and the heat race was strong. In the main, I know I need to keep working on my starts — that’s definitely something to improve. I lost some spots early but made a few passes and caught some breaks along the way. Ended up P10, and I’m pretty happy with that. Excited to carry the momentum outdoors. Thanks for all the support!

Austin Forkner (Triumph Racing) – 22nd:
I am stoked to finish the season with a positive day. I rode well. I was fifth in the heat, which was with all of the 250SX East riders, then I had a solid start in the main. I was riding well and in the battle. I had a little issue that ended my race, but we have made massive improvements over the last month and I am so excited to carry that momentum into the future.

Jordon Smith (Triumph Racing) – DNQ:
A bummer way to end the supercross season! I felt really good in practice and put a lot of laps together. We have made some positive bike changes in recent weeks and I feel that we really had it in a good spot. It was an unfortunate situation, but I am pleased that we are all somewhat healthy and walking away. I tried to race, but I was just too sore and the main focus is the 2025 Pro Motocross season. We will head back to the Triumph Factory Racing facility and be ready for round one.