The commencement of the Pro Motocross Championship always comes at a welcome time of year, with a grueling 17-round Monster Energy Supercross season in the books, one weekend off, and a brand new points chase brings us to what feels like a complete restart. In Rewind, we’ll take a look at where we left off in 2024 and what that means for this year outdoors.

It feels like a while ago now, although entering Fox Raceway last year for the opening round had the 2023 Pro Motocross champion – Jett Lawrence – on a 22-moto win streak, looking to notch the elusive 24 leaving Southern California.

He would do just that, sweeping the motos and earning what was a quasi-statistic at the time of matching both James Stewart and Ricky Carmichael’s perfect seasons, which were officially 24-0 due to one extra round of racing. It wouldn’t come all too easily, however, as Lawrence faced stiff competition from both Chase Sexton and brother Hunter Lawrence, who each kept the number one in sight.

In 250MX, questions were in the air over who was the next heir to the throne, with Haiden Deegan ultimately seen as the favorite by virtue of his 250 SuperMotocross World Championship the year prior, and with both veterans Hunter Lawrence and Justin Cooper stepping up to the 450MX division. It wasn’t a sure thing at the time, although it was the expectation that Deegan would be the guy.

Image: Octopi Media.

Ultimately, he was, leaving Fox Raceway with a 1-1 performance, and a statement that he would continue to hammer – both on and off track – for the remainder of the season.

So what were the key moments, beyond the opener? We get our answer in the very next moto at Hangtown one week later, with the younger Lawrence storming to a patented holeshot, and appearing ready for a business-as-usual ride out front for consecutive win number 25. About a third of a lap went by before Jett would attempt to combine two high-speed singles into one, which was a defining moment of the series.

It didn’t go well as he came up way short, and despite salvaging a 24-6 scorecard that day, as well as the following three overalls, by round six at RedBud, the bike was parked under the semi due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his thumb sustained in a practice incident, and the defending champion was out for the remainder of the series.

All the while, Deegan was racking up overall wins – as well as his fair share of enemies – blazing to the top step of the podium at Hangtown, Thunder Valley, and Southwick, as well as a P2 finish at High Point, which established his place as the 250MX category alpha male.

Image: Octopi Media.

During Lawrence’s run at the front, Sexton was pretty steady. He had a heroic last-to-first ride during Hangtown’s second moto, which, if you want to see a bike perfectly tuned to a surface, go watch that 450 SX-F cover ground in that moto. Teammate Aaron Plessinger was on it that day too with a P3, as well as Tom Vialle in 250MX for second place overall – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were on it that day.

The conversation then shifted to Hunter Lawrence versus Chase Sexton as the new title combatants. This was close at times, but the 25-year-old Sexton would overhaul the older Lawrence throughout the season, and when things were all said and done, Chase took home the final six 450MX overalls and the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship.

Deegan’s run was a little different, as he’d slow down on the winning towards the end of the series, facing adversity such as a first turn incident at Spring Creek, which saw the teenager ride from essentially last to fourth place, and second overall.

A 1-2-3-4 overall scorecard for the remaining four rounds was enough for Deegan to claim his first 250MX Pro Motocross championship, finishing with a healthy 69-point margin over the second-place finisher, Vialle. Kitchen would wind up in third after a few valiant fights throughout the series, however, in hindsight, it was never in question, the title was all Deegan’s.

Image: Octopi Media.

Which brings us to today, only a handful of days from the first gate drop of the 2025 Great Outdoors. A flurry of pre-season questions are on everyone’s mind in both classes, however, for the first time in a while, it’s looking like we’ll pretty much have all contenders back and healthy.

The top names on this list are both Lawrence brothers, as well as four-time Pro Motocross champion Eli Tomac. What a treat it is to have these heavyweights on the grid to commence the year, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn’t stoked to have Sexton, Tomac, and the Lawrences all on the line and raring to go.

In 250MX, how could anyone go past Deegan at the moment? He won the 250SX West division Supercross title, and will wear the number one for the summer, with riders like Vialle and Kitchen in desperate need of containing the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider to have a shot at this championship.

We’re in for what could be one of the greatest Pro Motocross seasons of all time, with both Sexton and Deegan ready for the onslaught, and defiant on keeping the crown. Let the racing begin!