Round three of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship in Thunder Valley saw a range of storylines across both 250MX and 450MX divisions, with Reaction compiling the commentary from around the paddock following Colorado.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Third:
That first moto was a lot of fun, and I was really amped! I didn’t feel fatigued after that one, and then I made a small bike change going into the second moto, which I should have just left alone. That was on me, and I struggled that second moto, but it was just a good day. I had some really good lines in the first one, but being in the battle and making passes on those guys is all I can really ask for. Back to work this week – we’ll come back next weekend looking for that elusive win.

Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – First:
It was a good day. The track was difficult—it definitely challenged you with the ruts, and it was all about trying to stay patient. But overall, it was a good weekend. Going 1-1 felt great, and I’m looking forward to High Point next weekend.

Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – Fifth:
Good progression with the team this past week, we’re definitely a lot closer to the front, so that was positive. I’m kind of frustrated with myself though, I had a little crash on the last lap of the first moto, after battling with [Jett Lawrence] and [Aaron Plessinger] the whole race, so that was a bummer. In the second moto, I just kept losing my rhythm. Every time I tried to rally and find it again, I struggled a bit more. A 4-4 for fifth overall is a little unlucky, but I’m looking forward to High Point.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Eighth:
The day started off a little rough with the mud. I got off to a mid-pack start in moto one and made a lot of passes to get my way up into 10th there. Moto two, the track was pretty gnarly in that one, another average start for me, and I made a lot of passes throughout the race. I tried to find a flow and eventually ended up with 10-10 for eighth overall. Things could’ve been better, but at the same time, we learned a lot, so we’ll come back for High Point and try to put this bike inside the top five.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Seventh:
I definitely progressed this weekend. I made progress during the week with my wrist, and I finally feel like we’re turning a corner there. I was inside the top five again for the first 25 minutes of moto one, so I am getting longer with that. Then the second moto, got a good start, then made a mistake early and went down… Got up, then went down again a couple of laps later, so I had my work cut out for me, but that was the strongest I’ve been at the end of a moto. I’m pretty happy with where we are, and we’ll keep on building.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
Lakewood was a good day for me. I was able to qualify seventh, which was the best I’ve done so far this year. Being under the weather, it was a tough day, but we pushed hard, and I gave it my all. I was able to go 7-6 for sixth overall. We’ll heal up and get ready for High Point.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
It was a solid day here in Colorado. In the first moto, I did a ton of battling, but I just struggled with making some passes. I needed to be a little bit better with some lines. Then I was able to capitalize on a late-race mistake from Hunter and ended up third. In Moto 2, I went to battle once again and was a little bit behind on the start, but made a push all the way to the front. I was right behind Jett, and we were dicing back and forth. I had one spot specifically where I thought I was a lot faster than him, and then got a little too excited when I was near him and crashed in the turn before that section. I gave it all I had. Unfortunately, it was second, but I will keep pushing.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth:
It was a good day here at Thunder Valley. I got my first qualifying pole position in motocross, so that felt good. The track was really rutted in practice. They kept fixing it, and it got easier and easier, but the speeds really went up. It took the technical side out of it a little bit, and I just kind of struggled to really send it in the motos, but we had two good rides today. Fifth was all we could do in Moto 1. By the time I got there, there was a pretty big gap to the top four. The second moto was really cool. I started around fourth and got into the lead and led for about half of the race, which was fun. I was smiling under my helmet and just enjoying the moment for the first time. I haven’t really ever done that, so that was cool. The weather was awesome today. The track was good too, but I was just a little bit off those top two.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 19th:
Obviously, today was not how I wanted the day to pan out. My main concern for Thunder Valley is always the elevation because I struggle with altitude sickness, so I was focused on managing that. I ended up getting 19th overall. The first moto I got a bit squeezed out on the start and was just trying to hammer in laps. The second moto I went down at the top of the track and tweaked my knee, then I ended up going down again and got trapped under my bike for a bit. I didn’t feel comfortable finishing the race after that. I’m going to get my knee checked out next week and we’ll see how it all goes from there.

Jorge Prado (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 13th:
Not the results I was looking for today. The track conditions were pretty difficult out there. The rain made it very slippery, and the ruts were super deep. It was a hard track to feel comfortable on, having never been here before. In moto one, the track felt super soft, so we made some changes to the bike for moto two, but I ended up hitting a hole in a deep rut that threw me off and ended my moto. We continue to make improvements during the week, and we will learn from this race and look for more progress next weekend.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 14th:
The day was a bit weird for me. Qualifying went terribly for me. We had some bike issues spill over into the first moto and I was unable to finish. But the team rallied, and we rebounded well for moto two with a solid start and a P9 finish.

Benoit Paturel (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 31st:
We had a bad day with the bike at altitude so no [points-paying] results. I’m really disappointed, but we will move forward and go on, and fight again next Saturday to make it good.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Fifth:
I ended up with fourth overall today, which wasn’t ideal because I just wasn’t feeling it on the track. I was running third in each of the motos, then ended sixth in the first one after a small crash, followed by P5 in moto two. I just didn’t have the feel that I needed all day, so we’ll keep working for next weekend in High Point and make some improvements.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – 17th:
Not a good day at Thunder Valley. I crashed both motos, and that pretty much sums up my weekend. The result doesn’t show how I am riding at the moment, so we’ll regroup and come out swinging at High Point.

Chance Hymas (Honda HRC Progressive) – First:
It was a perfect day for me here at Lakewood – a beautiful way to bounce back after last weekend. My body’s feeling good, the bike’s feeling good. We were fastest in qualifying, led every lap, grabbed both holeshots and won both motos, there’s not much more to say – it was just a perfect day.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – 15th:
My riding was better in Colorado, I just struggled to get off the gate and went down in the first turn of the second moto. I came back to 13th in that one, so it’s steps in the right direction again, and our goal has been to be up front by Southwick.

Casey Cochran (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – Seventh:
Overall, it was a good day in Colorado. We made some big improvements. Unfortunately, it was a bad start that cost me in the first moto, because I had to work through a lot of traffic in that one. I’m happy with my riding, had a good start in the second moto with a solid finish, so we’re looking forward to keeping this momentum going.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
It was a good day out here at Thunder Valley. We kind of got lucky in the first one. We had a bike problem, but we ended up making it through. We went 2-2 on the day and doubled our points lead, so we’re stoked.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 19th:
It was not a very good day, but we are going to try and get better every weekend. We’ll just keep pushing.

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 14th:
In the first moto, I had a top 10 start and worked forward to fourth before having bike issues, which caused me to exit the race early. In the second moto, I had the 38th gate pick and had to line up on the far inside. I didn’t get a very good start and was caught behind a pileup in the first turn. However, with all the adversity on the day, I was very proud that I was able to ride strong all moto and moved my way from near last to seventh by the end of it. I’m leaving with my head held high and a positive outlook on the season ahead. We have many more races to go.

Kayden Minear (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 16th:
It was a very positive day. My first pro race in America, so there were a lot of nerves going into it. You would’ve seen that in the first race, as I tipped it over three times in the span of two laps. So that was a bit disappointing, but in the second moto, I got a much better start and was running around the top 10. Then I ran a bit tight through the middle of the moto, but I made a late comeback. In the end, it just wasn’t enough. We’ll do some testing with the team and be back at High Point.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fourth:
Overall, it was a solid day and one of my best finishes at Thunder Valley. I’m pumped to get my first-ever moto podium in the 250 class. Qualifying went well, I was fourth, and I’ve been consistent so far this season. Moto one went great. I came from 13th to third, which I was stoked on. The elevation and deep ruts made starts tricky, and in moto two, I got caught in the first-turn pile-up. I was 39th when I got up, but I charged back and finished eighth. Overall, it was a solid day. I’m happy with the way I’ve been riding. I haven’t been this consistent outdoors before, so I’m just going to keep building from here.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
It was a bit of a grind today, but I’m glad to end it on the podium. Moto one was tough, I got a bad start and had to dig deep just to get back to eighth. Moto two was a little better off the line, and I was able to work my way up and make a move into third late in the race. I’ve been feeling solid with my fitness and my riding overall, so it’s good to keep building.

Ty Masterpool (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 10th:
Qualifying went well. I ended up P3, so I felt good heading into the motos. In moto one, I got a solid start and worked up to third, but hit a false neutral in a corner and dropped back to fourth. I was battling with Garrett [Marchbanks] in the last couple of laps, but just couldn’t hold onto that podium spot. I’m still fighting off the cold from last week and actually threw up between motos, so moto two was more about survival, especially with the elevation here. The first three rounds haven’t quite gone how I’ve wanted, but I’m focused on getting healthy and turning things around.

Drew Adams (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 13th:
The day ended a little short for me in Colorado. I qualified seventh and felt good going into the motos. In moto one, I didn’t get the best start but was able to work my way up to fifth, which I was happy with. Moto two started solid, but I had a small tip-over that pushed me back. I tried to recover, but a mechanical issue ended my race early. It’s frustrating when things happen outside your control, but there were definitely positives to take away. I’m focused on bouncing back next weekend.

Austin Forkner (Triumph Racing) – 18th:
The track was tough today, especially the ruts. I wanted to work on my starts and sprint speed this weekend – both starts were sick! I did not have that sprint speed in moto one and was shuffled back, but I still finished 11th. I sprinted hard in moto two, after another good start, but had a crash after two laps. I am happy to be in one piece! I rode it out after that. There are definitely positives to take from today.

Jordon Smith (Triumph Racing) – 12th:
A rough day for me. I crashed onto my shoulder on the first lap of practice, I dealt with that all day. I fought hard to go 14-10 for 11th overall. It was not a terrible day, so we will keep fighting and come back stronger next weekend.

Mikkel Haarup (Triumph Racing) – Ninth:
I think this was rather successful, taking everything into consideration. I had a good start in moto one and made passes on the first lap for the first time! That was good. I am getting the intensity up a little bit. I had a bad jump in the second moto and was in the pack. I took a trip into the fence and had to untangle myself, but came from dead last to 12th. I’m happy with my efforts.