In the end at Fox Raceway it was a Jett Lawrence sweep in 450MX, as Haiden Deegan did the double in 250MX, but there were all kinds of underlying tales to be told when the final checkered flag flew. Reaction from the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship opener is here.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – P4:
Pala was crazy! We put the scoop tire on for Moto 2 because I was lacking that thing in the first one, but it got me off to a great start in that last race. Then from there, it was literally me and Hunter [Lawrence], which was one of the hardest battles I’ve had in motocross, and I was able to get him on the last lap. I’ve just got to give it up to everyone who’s behind me, training down at the Baker’s Factory has been a good, good time, and I feel like this year’s my year. More good starts like that and I think we can be right up there going for wins!

Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – P1:
With everything we’ve gone through, with injuries and having to deal with the mental battle, and my body not handling the pain killers very well, I had all that emotion and I was thinking, ‘I can’t wait for Pala – I want to win’. I have a good circle of people around me, and they all backed me in difficult moments. This is a reward not just for me, but for them. It was good to be back out there again and get that adrenaline rush.

Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – P3:
Pretty average day. I’m happy and we’ll take it. Coming back from an injury, you never really know. For sure I had more outdoor prep than in years prior, but it’s just a race-pace thing – it’s tough to just jump back in. Me and AP battled the whole second moto, and then I made a small mistake on the last lap and he was right there to capitalize on it. That was a punch in the gut, but it was good – a lot to build on.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – P15:
Fox Raceway is a tough track. It’s one of those places that’ll catch you out pretty quickly, which happened to me in moto one, where I fell and then came back to 12th place. Moto 2, I had a decent start, and then ended up making another mistake in the back section and went down pretty hard. I had to regroup, call it a day, and I’m just thankful that it wasn’t anything too crazy that will put me out, so we’ll just rest up and get ready for Hangtown.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – P9:
Man, it was cool to be here and be competitive. I’m a man of my word, I said I would be here, and we qualified in sixth, then in the first moto we were running in the top-five for a while. Pulled off P6 in that one, which was more than expected, then the second Moto I had another good start, but slid out and kind of mailed it in from there. Thankful to be here, top 10 was our goal, so ninth is a solid result to begin with.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – P13:
The first race of the year is done. It was an up and down day for me. I didn’t qualify great, but in the first moto, I was riding really well and then unfortunately had that bike issue. That was a bit of a bummer, but that happens in racing. In the second moto, I had a terrible outside gate, so I wasn’t able to get a good start, but I made my way through the pack and battled with the world champ – Prado – again all moto, and then Jason [Anderson] there at the end. I was happy with that. I finished seventh, which is good enough for now. We’ll hopefully get better each round. We’ll head back to Florida and maybe do some testing and try to improve our results.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – P2:
It was a pretty solid day, second overall. The good thing was that I improved my riding all day, and our strongest showing was in moto two. I got really close to Jett and we were battling for basically 30 minutes. It was wide open for that whole time. It was a fun race, but unfortunately I was on the losing end of it. Obviously, I’m not happy with second, but for round one and coming back from a recovery, it was an okay weekend.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – P5:
It was a good day all around. I qualified fourth, then in the first moto, I got off to a good start and was able to battle my way to second, and had a strong race. In the second moto, I changed to a regular tire, and it kind of bit me on the start. I was in the top 10 and was trying hard, and those guys were fighting me back. Eventually, I settled in for eighth, which is not great. Going into moto two, the track got drier and rougher, so I think we missed the setup a little bit. We need to be smarter there, but overall, it was a really good day for me. We’ll move on to next weekend.

Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – P7:
Coming into the weekend with just seven days on the bike, I didn’t really know what to expect. In the first moto, I was able to just ride around, conserve some energy, and ended up ninth. In the second moto, I was able to dig deep and put in a little more effort to get into the top five. So it was nice to be able to do that, and hopefully we can keep building.

Jorge Prado (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – P6:
Round one is done here at Fox Raceway and I’m a little bit disappointed. I expected more, but realistically, it’s fair that we struggled. I’m coming off an injury, and on top of that, I’ve never raced outdoors on the Kawasaki. We only had four weeks on the new bike, trying to build a set-up, so it’s normal that it wasn’t 100 percent. But that’s the mentality of a racer – you always want to be battling up front. And as a world champion, even more so, especially when you’re used to it. Still, the season has started. We got some good feedback, we know what to work on, and hopefully the next rounds will be better. Qualifying was okay, nothing crazy. I was trying to push a bit to get a better start. I made some passes on the first lap, but then I lost the rear wheel of the rider ahead and had to push to the end. I was catching the two guys ahead of me in the final laps, but it wasn’t quite enough. The second moto was P6, a little better than the first one. Small steps. I did my best and that’s what counts.

Joey Savatgy (Quad Lock Honda) – P8:
Breaking my finger in Q2 wasn’t ideal, but there are a lot of positives to take from the weekend. This is the team’s first full motocross season, and we’ve been working hard with Factory Connection to gather data and improve. The bike is solid. I know there’s more in the tank, I need to keep building my speed, especially as I’m still coming back from my Supercross injury. At the same time, we’re working on refining the bike. Jett has proven what it’s capable of and I know we can close the gap. We beat several factory riders this weekend and that’s something to be proud of.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – P3:
I had a great start in the second Moto, although the first one I started actually pretty far back. I passed a lot of riders in that one, and the track was very tricky – it’s not my favorite track of the year here, so it’s nice to be on the podium. Obviously, third place isn’t where we want to be, but it’s still nice to start the season on the podium.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – P5:
Pala was a solid start to the season and 5-4 results have me excited for where I am at. We still have some work to do to increase comfort, but to leave here fifth overall shows where we are, speed-wise, and I think I can run up front and win races. I’m excited for the rest of the season.

Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC Progressive) – P2:
It was a good day with P2 overall. I think I needed this, after a rough Supercross season. It’s really nice to start my season in a positive direction. It gives me confidence going into next weekend. We still have a lot of work to do, but we’ll try to make steady progress.

Chance Hymas (Honda HRC Progressive) – P4:
Round one here at Pala was really good for me. Qualifying fastest was definitely the best way to start off the day—my confidence was really high. After that, I holeshot the first moto but had a little mistake and ended up third. In the second moto I had a bad start, but I rode really good and made my way back up to sixth for fourth overall. Everything was good; I just need to fine-tune the bike a little bit, and I’m looking forward to Hangtown.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – P13:
It’s good to be back! Just to get a day under my belt is something I have been missing, so it was nice to be back. Moto two was a positive for us, running up front for a while and being able to see the pace, then ultimately ending up in ninth. I’m glad to be back at the races, and looking forward to next week.

Casey Cochran (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – P12:
It was a decent day for me. I felt good in the morning, and overall I have a good feeling on the bike, so getting the first race nerves out of the way is good. I’m happy with how our day went, there are still plenty of improvements to be made, but I’m stoked to be back racing and charging for the next 10 rounds.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – P1:
That’s a wrap at round one! It was a great day. I went 1-1, so that’s always nice. Now we’ve got 10 more rounds to go – we’re just going to keep doing our thing.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – DNF:
It was a tough day for me. I had a crash on the first lap, which caused me to be run over several times. I did everything I could to finish the race, but once I pulled off, the adrenaline wore off and the pain started to get a lot worse. The medics sent me to the hospital just to get checked out, and thankfully, it’s just some contusions. I’ll do everything I can to be ready for Hangtown.

Jeremy Martin (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – P21:
Well, I got a proper welcome back to Pro Motocross. I had two terrible starts, and then I was in a dog fight all day, just battling through the pack. I can definitely tell that I haven’t raced in over a year. The biggest thing is getting better at the starts, getting comfortable riding around the guys, and getting more seat time. My bike was phenomenal and the whole crew was on it. I really enjoyed the experience today, I’m just obviously disappointed with my level and where I’m at right now. We’ll go back to work this week.

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – P8:
I’m just stoked to get out of this one healthy and put some points on the board. I had some decent finishes. It’s obviously not what we’re shooting for, but I haven’t raced outdoors for nearly two years, and it’s always a different animal. To come in here for the first round, I’m stoked to get out of here healthy, eighth overall, and will continue to move forward. I look forward to Hangtown next weekend.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – P7:
It was a pretty good day at Pala. Qualifying went well, and I got decent starts in both motos. That first moto, I was running third or fourth early, then tipped over. I got back up and made a few more passes to finish eighth. The second moto was intense at the beginning—I got into a rhythm and held on for seventh. It’s a good place to start the series. We’ll keep improving and come into Hangtown even stronger.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – P6:
It felt awesome to be back on the 250. I didn’t get the best starts, but I made moves quickly and found good flow. I was P1 in the second qualifying session for a while and ended up fourth overall. That gave me confidence going into the motos. I gave it everything I had and tried to push at the end. Sixth overall is a solid start, and I’m excited to keep building from here.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – P16:
It was a tough day for me. I didn’t get the best starts, but I fought through in the first moto to finish 10th. In Moto 2, I was making progress, but then had some bike troubles and had to pull off. It was a DNF, which is always disappointing, but I’m healthy and we’ll regroup for Hangtown.

Ty Masterpool (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – P10:
Qualifying went well and I got a great start in moto one, made a good move around the outside and felt like I rode well. In moto two, I took a rock to the throat on the last lap and ended up throwing up everything. I lost all my nutrients, and after that, it was pure survival mode. Still, I gave it everything I had. I’ll bounce back and be better next weekend.

Drew Adams (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – P11:
Starts weren’t great today, but I’m happy with how I charged every time I hit the track. I went down twice in the second moto but kept pushing and came back strong. Every lap was a learning experience, and I’m stoked on the progress. I’m ready to keep building next weekend.

Austin Forkner (Triumph Racing) – P25:
It was not an amazing day. I rode good and was close to the top guys in qualifying. I came together with someone on lap one of the first moto and tipped over on the backside of a roller. The following riders did not see me and I got hit by someone, then a lot of riders hit my bike too. I was sore, I must have got a footpeg into my leg, because I needed stitches from the medic unit between motos. I tipped over before the halfway point in moto two and started riding quite well after that but then crashed again. There were just some racing incidents. I am okay, and I am ready to battle on next weekend.

Jordon Smith (Triumph Racing) – P19:
It was not a great day for me. I did not qualify well – the class is stacked – and I had a poor start in the first moto but pushed really hard to move into the top 10. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake at the end and fell down to 13th. I started dead last in moto two and then crashed, but I am happy to complete the day. My preparation was minimal prior to this and so I learnt a lot. We will come back better next week.

Stilez Robertson (Triumph Racing) – DNF:
It was good to be back at the races, but I am still struggling with my wrist. I thought I was in a better place but the bumps and landings here are a lot different than the practice track. I am going to have to figure this thing out. I am sorry to all of my sponsors and supporters as this is not acceptable and not what I want at all. It has been hard on me and I am really looking forward to putting this wrist saga behind me.

Mikkel Haarup (Triumph Racing) – P15:
The first round is done. It was not an easy weekend, but I enjoyed it and learnt a lot. I felt rusty, first of all, as it has been a long time since I raced at this level. I had a good start in the first moto but fell back a little bit – the intensity is much higher than I am used to. I had a worse start in moto two and rode stiff but came alive in the last couple of laps. I want to improve on this next weekend.