Image: Octopi Media.

A double DNF in round seven of the Pro Motocross Championship at Spring Creek marked another troubled outing for 250MX challenger Seth Hammaker, who has displayed a share of speed across an outdoor campaign that has largely been impacted by inconsistency.

Hammaker took a top-three start in the opening moto at Millville, raising the intensity on the opening lap as he made a pass for the lead on Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jeremy Martin.

After a handful of laps at the front, the number 56 went down, remounting in P4. Another incident on the second-to-last lap from fifth resulted in a non-finish, while a twisted knee after charging through the field in moto two from a poor start led the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider to retire from the race to prevent any further damage.

“Millville was a rough one for me,” reflected Hammaker. “It started out really promising… in moto one, I got off to a great start and took the lead early on, but I made a mistake in the corner before the sand rollers and couldn’t save it, so I ended up going down. I worked my way back up to fifth, before I had a big crash after the uphill triple that ended my race early. I knocked the wind out of myself and cut up my forearm pretty good.

“I lined up for moto two, but I caught an edge at the top of Mount Martin and twisted my knee. At that point, I decided to pull off early to avoid risking further injury. It’s frustrating, but I’m focused on recovering and coming back stronger.”

After a standout Monster Energy Supercross season where he fell three points short of the 250SX East title, this year’s Pro Motocross season has been more challenging for Hammaker, who has recorded just four of seven top 10 finishes and is yet to achieve a top-five overall.

After missing round three at Thunder Valley altogether after a crash in moto two at Hangtown, it’s unclear on the exact diagnosis of Hammaker following Spring Creek, and whether he will line up for this weekend’s Washougal National.