The opening round of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship at Fox Raceway saw this year’s outdoor season commence in style, with MotoOnline answering some of the key questions that emerged from an intriguing day of competition in this edition of Q&A.

Image: Octopi Media.

Q: Is Jett Lawrence‘s 1-1 a sign of things to come?

A: A resounding yes, and louder for those in the back, please. Questions swirled around the Honda HRC Progressive rider’s preparation after tearing his ACL early in the Supercross season, and it’s safe to say that he was back to his brilliant self at Fox Raceway. Speed wasn’t a problem as he qualified one and a half seconds in front of defending champion, Chase Sexton, and neither were starts, fitness, race craft, or anything else. The second moto was a classic, as we finally were treated to a Lawrence versus Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) showdown for the first time, and it did not disappoint. Jett would go toe-to-toe with Tomac for the entire race, eventually breaking the back of the beast, breezing home by 11 seconds in the end. This is a big problem for anyone not named Jett Lawrence, and we could be in for a long summer of domination.

Q: What is the latest on Chase Sexton?

A: Good question, what is the latest on Chase Sexton? Honestly, we don’t even know if Sexton knows what the latest is on Sexton, but that was an absolute disaster of a weekend for all involved. Qualifying was decent in P2, however, from there it all went pear-shaped, with the defending champion tossing his goggles a lap into the opening moto of the season, before going down after appearing to hit false neutral on the landing of the finish line. That was the moment that he would pack it up for the race day, electing to sit out moto two, and it has since been radio silence from the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider. Not a good way to begin, conceding 50 points to Lawrence from the outset, and although it’s early, his hopes of defending this 450MX title are likely over.

Q: Who were the 450MX standouts?

A: There were a few, although the riders who come to mind are Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive), and Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). These three were tipped as the ‘next’ riders behind the big three, and they lived up to the hype. Cooper tried to go with Jett in moto one, and gave it a good crack, actually, powering to what was a solid P2 finish to open his campaign outdoors. Things got a little weird in moto two with a P8 result, however, Cooper will probably feature right at the front all summer long like in moto one. The elder Lawrence brother, Hunter, was solid, also. Just a bit of opening race pace was lacking – he got eaten up pretty quickly in both motos after great starts, which entrenched him in battles of having to re-pass a couple of riders, so some early race intensity wouldn’t go astray. For AP, he’s got an air about him this outdoor season that he wants to win, and we love that! Both he and Hunter had an epic second moto, battling right down to the wire with Plessinger taking the top spot. This trio, among others, is going to be an interesting battle to watch over the course of the year.

Image: Octopi Media.

Q: How did we rate Jorge Prado and RJ Hampshire’s debuts?

A: A contrasting couple of riders, making their premier class debuts in American motocross at Fox Raceway, with some good and some bad. Starting with Jorge, we really didn’t know what to expect coming in. Actually, that’s not entirely true, because there is something to be said for learning all new tracks, an all new style of racing, and essentially an all new machine under racing conditions. That is what Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Prado was up against, and considering the factors, P6 overall was the result. Does he want more? For sure, but this is a process, and it would be silly to expect that he could just enter and dominate riders who are accustomed to this series, race tracks, and intensity. There is a lot to learn for Prado, with race-winning potential possibly arriving in 2026. As for RJ, this was a solid debut. Sixth in qualifying and moto one against a loaded 450MX field is no easy feat, and is a commendable performance. This will be an interesting storyline to follow, to see where RJ’s ceiling truly is, which is yet to be determined.

Q: Can anybody catch Haiden Deegan?

A: The short answer is no, no one can. There were absolutely no problems for the defending 250MX Pro Motocross champion, who ran rings around pretty much everyone en route to a convincing 1-1 scorecard and a perfect 50 points. It looks fairly easy for Deegan at the moment in the feeder category, and we’re yet to see, especially outdoors, any rider give him a consistent challenge in the class. Just as Jett Lawrence didn’t need the dominant victory he achieved, neither did Haiden Deegan if you’re the competition, so again, the rest of the field are going to have to figure something out as soon as possible before the number one plate is being handed out a round early as was the case last year.

Image: Octopi Media.

Q: Who is next in line to at least factor for 250MX podiums?

A: Here’s the thing, we may get a Tom Vialle challenge at Southwick, or a Chance Hymas win at Red Bud, or a Ty Masterpool feature here or there, but no one since the Hunter Lawrence and Justin Cooper days have really been able to do the dance with Deegan over the length of a season. So, the answer is the usual suspects in Red Bull KTM’s Vialle and Honda HRC Progressive’s Hymas, but for a singular round or moto win? Sure. Over the series? Probably not. Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) was another rider really expected to be that guy to Deegan, however a P10 in moto one, and a DNF in moto two (courtesy of a chain derailment) has him 38 points down on the number one already, so that is not a fantastic place to start by any means. We’ll see, but at the moment, it’s hard to imagine that Deegan views many, if any, 250MX riders as genuine championship competition, and they may just be fighting for the remaining podium placements.

Q: Should we have expected more from Jeremy Martin?

A: For Jeremy’s sake, it’s probably best to gloss over this one, because it wasn’t pretty, to say the least. Should we have expected more? It’s hard to say, because coming off the couch essentially into a series where riders are pounding motos, day in day out, as well as the momentum of a Supercross season, just creates an immediate deficit. It’s just whether we, or Jeremy himself, acknowledged such. He himself said that he had his teeth kicked in, and with a 20-20 scorecard, on board a Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing bike, he kind of did. Will things get better for Jeremy? We think so, but by how much, who knows. It’s been ten years since Martin’s last title-winning season outdoors, and we may be bearing witness to a generation(s) change that is just insurmountable at this point. Nothing is definitive as yet, because Jeremy is a great rider, however, the time at the top of the sport may have passed him by. We’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the championship unfolds, but this wasn’t the start we’d imagine he or the team were looking for.