Features 30 Jun 2025

Reaction: 2025 Pro Motocross Rd5 Southwick

Assorted racer comments following this year's fifth round.

Round five of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship headed to Massachusetts for the Southwick National, where the notoriously sandy circuit delivered another action-packed weekend of racing as the series hit its halfway mark. Reaction dives into the commentary from around the paddock post-race.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Seventh:
I struggled at Southwick from the beginning today, but I did get off to an awesome start in moto one. I was right toward the front and then I started losing the tow, so finished P4 in that one. In the second moto, I was in a good spot again, but then a small mistake ended with me on the ground. My energy went away with that crash, so I did what I could for eighth. We finished seventh overall, with this being my first time out of the top-five this season. We’ll regroup, rest up, do our homework, and come out swinging at RedBud!

Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – First:
I’m focusing on each race as it comes—no point in thinking about championships this early. It was a good day, definitely not an easy one with how rough the track got, but I felt solid. Hunter going 2-2 for second made it even better for the team. Big thanks to everyone who stuck it out in the crowd today—it’s not easy out there—and to my team, Red Bull, 100 percent and all our partners for the support. And hey, tying James Stewart on the all-time win list? That’s pretty cool. I told him I’m coming for him on the golf course, too!

Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – Second:
I’m just putting in work — always trying to get stronger and improve. The team has helped a lot with the bike setup, we’re in the best spot we’ve been, and I’m continuing to get the best out of myself, too. Honestly, I’m getting sick of seeing No. 18 up on top of the podium, so it’s time to fight back! I’ll give it another crack next Saturday at RedBud.

Justin Barcia (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – Ninth:
Today was challenging! It was good to be back with the crew and the team. I wouldn’t say it was a fun day because Southwick is pretty brutal! The fans are awesome, so that was a positive, and a top 10 is not too bad after coming straight from therapy. We’ll take it, and we’ve got some things to build on, so that is good. I ripped a good start in moto two, so I was happy with that, I showed some grit, and now onto RedBud!

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – 10th:
Southwick was a battle, for sure! Went down first moto in the turn, and my starts were killing me all day. Rode strong, but was buried in the pack, and this isn’t the track where you wanna come from behind. Still made a lot of great passes, learned a ton, and I’m taking that momentum into RedBud. Let’s keep building!

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Sixth:
Pretty solid day here in Southwick. I felt good in qualifying, and then a first turn pile-up in moto one had me in pretty much last place. We were strong all race to come back to eighth, and I knew all I needed was a better start for the second one. We got that, and plugged away from there on a tough track, and it feels good to get my first top-five moto score with P4 in that one. We’ll take it and look forward to RedBud next weekend.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Eighth:
Today at Southwick was a good day of racing for me. I was able to get a good start in moto one and run up front, and ended up getting seventh. Then in moto two, I didn’t get as good of a start, but I charged my way through and made some good passes, especially late in the moto. I was happy with that. I’m excited for RedBud.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
A pair of threes for third overall on the day, so that’s a lot of threes. In the first moto, I had to make quite a few passes to get up to third place and did my best to really just get to that podium position. In the second moto, I got a better start and was closer to the lead early on, and then unfortunately, I got passed by Hunter [Lawrence] in the middle of the race, and I ended up third. Overall, it was an okay day. I wanted a little bit more, but we’ll take the podium from here and try to improve ourselves.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth:
It was a good day for me, overall. I felt like I rode really well all day, even though I definitely didn’t get off the gate today. I had to come through the pack in both motos. So I was eating a lot of roost and had my work cut out for me. I ran out of tear-offs in moto two, so I had to do a little bit of goggle wiping, but the day went well. My riding was good. I just needed to be closer to the front, obviously to be in the battle for the podium. I can’t complain with 6-5 and fourth overall, especially with how the starts were. I set the fastest qualifier again, so that was pretty cool. We’ll take it into next weekend, and hopefully we can get off the gate better at RedBud.

Benoit Paturel (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 13th:
It was an average day. In the first moto I was running in the top 10, but then I had a clutch problem that started on the second lap. In the second moto I was also riding in the top 10 early, but I stalled the bike, so I needed fight back. 13th overall was not what we wanted, but we’ll take it and we’re looking forward to RedBud.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 40th:
It was not a good day. I crashed in both motos and couldn’t re-start the bike either time. That gave me two DNFs. I’m looking forward to rebounding at RedBud.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Second:
I made it tough on myself in moto one. I was in third and then tried to make a quick pass on the first lap, but I fell. Crashing on the first lap loses you a lot of positions, so I think I remounted in 12th or 13th. I had a tough race from there, came back to P3, and I felt like my speed was really good, but I used a lot of energy. Second moto, good start and I passed a couple of guys, but I was tired from the first moto using all that energy. Overall, the speed was good, but we’ve still got work to do.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – 21st:
That was a really bad day at Southwick. I struggled in the sand, even with the work that we’ve been doing to improve in those conditions – I just need to be better on softer surfaces, but we’ll be better at RedBud.

Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC Progressive) – Fifth:
It’s kind of the same situation as last year, just need to keep building. My fitness has been good, and my speed is okay, but I need better starts. I think the riding is there, so we’ll keep working and give it another shot at RedBud.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – 15th:
Qualifying was better here, but I need to be better with racing on the weekends, taking what I learn during the week and applying it to the weekend. I finally got a good start in the second Moto, and we’ll carry that into RedBud.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
It was a good day at Southwick – finally got that 1-1! Qualifying P1 too, so it was pretty much a perfect day. I’m stoked on the way everything came together. Let’s keep it rolling into RedBud.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 14th:
It was not the day we were hoping for, but we’re making small improvements. We’re going to keep working and try for better at RedBud.

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth:
It was a great day at Southwick. I was able to qualify third, got a good start in the first moto, and was in second the whole time. Unfortunately, I fell back to fourth there at the end. In moto two, the start wasn’t quite as good, but I worked my way up and battled with [Levi] Kitchen. I didn’t breathe for like a lap and had to regroup. It was a brutal track. I tried to make another run at him, but after what happened at Hangtown, I knew I needed to be smart and bring home a solid result. I’m happy with the day, but a bit bummed about the should’ve, would’ve, could’ve with the overall. I’m feeling good and we’re going to continue this momentum and move on to RedBud next weekend.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Seventh:
I’ve always kind of struggled a bit at this track and was just trying to find my flow. Qualifying wasn’t great, 14th in the first session, felt a little better in the second with eighth, but still ended up 14th overall. Moto one went pretty solid. I got an okay start, probably around 14th, and worked my way up to sixth. Ate a lot of roost – it was tough to pass, but I made it work. In moto two, I got shuffled back after the first turn and had to fight through again. The track was super rough today, not really one you want to be coming from mid-pack in both motos. I started to fade a bit at the end, which hasn’t happened much this season, so we’ll look at a few things on the bike. The team’s been awesome helping me get it sorted. Just staying consistent and ready for the next one.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
Overall, it was a pretty good day for me. Qualifying was rough in the first session, but I felt a lot better in the second one, so gate pick ended up being okay. Both motos, I got decent starts, made some quick passes early, and that makes four third-place finishes in a row now, just trying to keep building on that. In moto two, I felt stronger at the start but cramped up a few laps in, so I’ve got to figure some things out with nutrition and just try to clean things up a bit there. Other than that, I’m happy with the day.

Ty Masterpool (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Ninth:
Results didn’t really show it, but I feel like it was a step in the right direction. The first moto was tough, really hard to pass and I was getting held up, but I kept charging to the end. Lap times were solid and I felt good. In moto two, I didn’t get the best start and got shuffled around early, same story, just tough to make moves. I tried to cut inside to get out of the roost but slid out in the slick stuff off the main line. Not pumped on the result, but I felt strong on the bike. Definitely a step forward, and I’m ready for next weekend.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Eighth:
Southwick went pretty well. I felt good in both qualifying sessions—fourth in the first and second in the next, but the faster times came from the first one, so I ended up with fourth gate pick. Moto one, I got a decent start inside the top five, but ran into the back of someone on the first lap and went down. Had to come from way back but worked up to ninth, which I was happy with. Second moto, I started around fifth again and felt solid for the first half, but started fading a bit. Backed it down and rode smart to finish ninth again. Went 9-9 for eighth overall. Not a bad day, just gonna keep working and building each week. Looking forward to the upcoming rounds.

Austin Forkner (Triumph Racing) – 16th:
I was caught in a crash in the first turn of moto one – I was so far back and charged hard. I probably pushed too hard, to be honest, as it cost me some energy in moto two. Last to 19th was not bad! I was too hesitant in turn one in moto two. I was cautious after the first start and did not have the intensity that I needed. It was not a bad day. I’m healthy and know what I need to work on. My lap times were positive at points too.

Jordon Smith (Triumph Racing) – 10th:
I really struggled in practice and did not ride great in moto one. I was 14th in that, after a couple of crashes, but I rode much better in moto two. That was the best that I performed all day. I was seventh, which is not where I want to be, but there are improvements.

Mikkel Haarup (Triumph Racing) – Sixth:
The team did a great job with the bike today. The first moto was good – I battled for a position in the top three and eventually took a season-best finish of fifth. There was some bar banging on the start straight in moto two, which forced me to let off a little bit. Things started clicking at the halfway point and I eventually made my way to sixth. I took advantage of some other riders getting tired. I am proud of my performance today, as well as what the team did.

Jalek Swoll (Triumph Racing) – 11th:
This was another positive step for me. I am really happy with my starts – the team have put in a lot of work to put me at the front of the pack – and the speed is there. It is a shame about the mistake late in moto two, but there are so many positives to take from this race. I am excited to take another step forward at RedBud!

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