The 2025 Pro Motocross Championship rolled into Millville for round seven, as the Spring Creek National produced a memorable day of racing at one of the sport’s most iconic venues. Reaction dives into the commentary from around the paddock post-race.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Third:
I didn’t have a lot of expectations coming back during the season. I think speed-wise, especially my first few laps, were better today than at RedBud, but we still have a lot of work to do. I enjoy Washougal, as well as the next few tracks coming up, so we’ll keep aiming to improve and get closer toward the battle at the front.

Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – First:
Overall, it was a solid day. I made a mistake in the first moto but was able to come back and still finish second, then had a strong ride in the second moto to get the win. The track was tough and pretty slick in spots, so I’m happy with how we managed it and kept the momentum going.

Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – Second:
Happy with the day — going 1-2 for second overall is solid. The team’s been working hard, and we’re in a good spot with the bike. Jett and I both rode well, and it’s always cool to have both red bikes up front. I’ll keep chipping away and look to be one better next weekend.

Justin Barcia (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – Fifth:
Millville was good! Practice wasn’t great, though, since I’ve been back, we’ve been using that session to just try and get myself comfy, and then each moto today we got more and more comfortable. Second moto was solid, we charged hard in both races and ended up getting fifth overall. I didn’t expect a top-five just yet, but we will take it! We’re making a lot of progress, the whole crew is doing a great job, and I’m excited to keep building into Washouga. After the break, I think we’ll take an even bigger step forward.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Sixth:
Millville was a good time! I was able to hang with the FXR crew, got some fishing in and met some awesome people along the way. In the end, we wrapped up the day with a solid P6, which felt like a good bounce back for me. I’m happy with that ride, and now it’s time to reset and get ready for Washougal.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Fourth:
Today was a really solid day. It was my best qualifying and I felt really good on the bike. I had a decent start in moto one, then worked my way up, and I felt like I had really good speed in that one to finish P4. Second moto, it wasn’t the best start, but I made some quick passes and put down some good laps to find myself in fourth again. Overall, it was my best day on a 450 so far – we’ll keep striving toward that overall podium.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Seventh:
It was a difficult couple of motos this weekend. We’ll get back to work and try to be stronger next weekend.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 10th:
It was a tough day at Millville. I hit the deck pretty hard in the first qualifying session. My first moto wasn’t too bad, and we were able to hold on for fifth, but I was definitely hurting in moto two. I’m glad we got through the day. We’ve got one more before the summer break, so we’ll keep pushing.

Jorge Prado (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Ninth:
Today’s results weren’t what I was hoping for. I was able to put a fast lap down in qualifying and give myself a good gate pick with that. In the first moto, I got a good start, but the track was very rough and my setup was a bit off for the conditions and the downhill section. We went back and made some changes to the bike for moto two, which felt much better for me. I was more pleased with how that race went, but I started to tighten up towards the end. We still have more work to do this week, but look forward to continuing to make progress.

Antonio Cairoli (Ducati Corse) – 15th:
Race one started badly. I collided with another rider, crashed and the bike landed on top of me – right on the exhaust side – burning part of my leg. I stopped to get checked out by the doctors and restarted because I wanted to finish the race at all costs to collect as much data as possible. Despite being a lap down in 40th, I fought hard and made it up to 23rd with a solid pace. Heading into race two, I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to start, but in the end, things went better than expected. I gritted my teeth through the pain and managed to finish 10th. On the left-hand turns, I could lean and push, but on the right, it hurt, and I couldn’t ride at my best. It’s a shame because we could have had two good top-10 finishes, but we still gave it our all and gathered plenty of very important data. Now we’ll take the information home and start preparing for the next challenge.

Benoit Paturel (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 18th:
I had a good first moto, finishing in 16th place. The second moto was not so good, but I finished 18th overall. I’m going to take away the positives and move onto the next round.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 14th:
Millville was better for me. I was able to finish two motos and stay off the ground, so that was an improvement from the past few weeks. I’m looking forward to Washougal.

250MX

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Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC Progressive) – Third:
Overall, I think it was another positive day. I like where I’m at with the motorcycle, and with my speed and fitness. I was a little unlucky in the second moto with a brake issue, but now it’s really up to me to get good starts and ride well. We’ve got a few rounds left, and honestly, I’m excited. I’m still sitting second in points, and I want to win again.

Jeremy Martin (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
I was in a tough place at Pala and Hangtown. I was a mid-pack guy and wasn’t even in the top 10. I hadn’t been riding or doing anything, but we found some good settings when I came back, after I got better from my crash. I had a really good five days on the motorcycle when I was down there with the Star Racing Yamaha crew. On my last day, I said, ‘If I can ride like that at Millville, I can win.’ The stars aligned. I got two amazing starts on that beast of a machine — the Yamaha — and here we are. I didn’t think I had it anymore. It’s been a really rough two to three years with a lot of injuries. I don’t think I could’ve scripted a better ending.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
Qualifying went well — I went 1-1, so that was perfect. Then moto one was solid. It was a pretty gnarly battle. Being off the bike all week was kind of rough. I was pretty much couch-ridden, so to come out with the win in the first moto, I was pretty pumped about that. Then in the second moto, I ended up second and JMart won, so that was pretty sick. I got the overall and gained some good points, so it was a good day. I’m going to keep getting healed up. On to Washougal.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 19th:
It was a tough day for me. I didn’t qualify great. The track was pretty high speed, and I just couldn’t quite get comfortable. After not getting a good start, I salvaged what I could, and in moto two, I actually got a good start but got caught up in a pile-up. It was the third weekend in a row, going down on the first lap and fighting my way back. So we’re going to go home and regroup, and keep trying to get better each week.

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 11th:
There were a lot of positives to today. I qualified second and got a decent start to moto one. I was in a really good spot, I think I was fourth or fifth, and then I ended up tweaking my ankle in a corner, but I pushed through and finished fifth. Then it was kind of a fire drill in between motos to go to Alpinestars (Mobile Medical Unit) to get it looked at, wrapped up, and ready for the next one. I didn’t quite get a good start to moto two, but I worked my way into ninth and was riding well. I was trying to make a pass into eighth, and in the second roller section had a pretty big crash, and then got up from that and had another close call. To get fifth in the first moto with a bum ankle and to be qualifying well, it all shows that things are still going in the right direction. I felt good and was just pushing until the end of the moto. I’m happy to be moving on and looking forward to Washougal.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fifth:
I had a solid day. I qualified a lot better this week with fifth overall. We took a step in the right direction in qualifying this week. I went into moto one with a good start, but messed around a bit too much in the back with battling up from 10th most of the moto. In the last 10 minutes, I finally got into seventh place. I rode by myself most of that moto, and had trouble putting everything together for that race. I struggled with all the different lines a bit. It was just an off moto for me. In moto two, I made some changes to the bike and thought I was feeling good off the start for the second one, but I had another bad start and got together with a bunch of people in the back and got shuffled far back, but I was able to turn it around. The bike felt really good today, and my endurance was good. In that second moto, I made some good passes and got into seventh to finish the race. I got seventh on the first one, but the seventh place in the second moto felt a lot better for me.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Sixth:
My day was alright, but not what I wanted. Qualifying was okay, but the races were not ideal. In the first moto, I got a bad start and didn’t ride well, then fell towards the end of the race and got 13th. The second moto was better, but I still have some work to do. Going to go do some work this week and try and get the bike better aligned for me. I think if I can get better starts, I can run in the front. I feel really good about my speed and feel strong physically, so I’ll work on that and we should be good. I’m looking forward to going home next week, and I look to earn better results at Washougal.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 34th:
Today was a rough one for me. It started out really promising. In moto two, 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.

Drew Adams (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 16th:
My day was up and down, but my starts were a lot better today. We made some changes to the bike to better execute my starts. My first moto went pretty well with an eighth-place finish. In the second moto, I had two crashes that were out of my control, and I lost my fitness a little bit. Overall, it was better than last weekend, and I’ll try and keep building and get back up where I need to be.

Jalek Swoll (Triumph Racing) – Ninth:
It was an okay day, I guess. The first moto could have been better – I have good speed! I have to put myself in a position to capitalise on that. I fell in that one as well, so it just was not ideal. I had a good start in the second moto and was the fastest man at points. I plateaued towards the end and that stopped me going forward, but I was still fifth. I should be in the top five every moto.

Mikkel Haarup (Triumph Racing) – Fourth:
Another great weekend! I felt good on the track all day. I had two solid starts – my intensity was very good early on. I was fourth in moto one and third in moto two, which I’m very proud of. I want to give a shoutout to the Triumph Factory Racing team – they have kept working hard and helped me perform at my best. We will put our heads down and keep looking forward.

Austin Forkner (Triumph Racing) – Eighth:
This was a big improvement! That is the best that I have qualified this year, then I had two better starts in the motos. I lost a couple of positions early in moto one – I lacked the intensity – but I still ended up in ninth. I was 11th in the second one and that put me eighth overall. My riding was better all day and I felt comfortable. This is a step in the right direction and I have nothing to complain about!

Jordon Smith (Triumph Racing) – 10th:
I am getting better every weekend! The team has put in so much work – we are moving in the right direction. I have had some great starts recently and been able to see the pace at the front. That is a credit to the team’s hard work. I felt solid when I crashed in the first moto, but I rebounded well in the second moto.