In this 2025 edition of our annual MotoOnline Awards, we name the leading performers and storylines of the past season in a reflection of US-based competition. These are compiled purely for editorial purposes, pieced together from a perspective informed by what we witnessed during the year.

Image: Octopi Media.

Rider of the Year – Jett Lawrence:
The 2025 SMX World Championship was another convincing campaign for Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive), with his early Supercross exit the single flaw on his record this year. It’s hard to attribute much blame on the 22-year-old in that scenario, though, because he dabbed his leg in Glendale – essentially on an obstacle-free straightaway – with his ACL torn as a consequence. Outside of that, we saw a dominant display in Pro Motocross where he earned his second 450MX crown, this time with a complete field of healthy contenders. This point is especially important in referencing Eli Tomac, who was the final boss that needed conquering outdoors to fully cement Lawrence’s legacy in that domain. Finally, Jett went on to successfully defend his 450SMX World Championship after a strong post-season, establishing himself at the top of the sport once again for the third year in succession. In doing so, he deservingly earns this year’s Rider of the Year award and appears laser-focused on regaining the Supercross crown in 2026.

Rookie of the Year – Cole Davies:
New Zealand talent Cole Davies was somewhat of a wildcard upon entering the 250SX West division this year, with a standout series seeing him earn two main event victories (one coming at Philadelphia’s Showdown), as well as third overall in the standings. Injuries did wreak havoc throughout the mid-to-late stages of his season, but he did return toward the end of Pro Motocross and took a moto win at Budds Creek. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider made a statement upon his professional arrival in 2025, and all eyes are now on how he transfers that into further success, both for next year and beyond. He is indeed an exciting prospect with a ton of skill and potential, which makes him our 2025 Rookie of the Year.

Personality of the Year – Jo Shimoda:
New 250SMX number one Jo Shimoda really came into his own in 2025, both on and off the bike. The Japanese rider started out swinging in Monster Energy Supercross by racing to victory at A1 in 250SX West, before a freak incident with a pit-board in San Diego resulted in the 23-year-old breaking two fingers in his left hand. He powered through the pain, claiming a gritty P4 in the final standings, before climbing to an impressive second-place result in Pro Motocross. It was his SMX World Championship post-season that earned him the attention and accolades, however, as he went toe-to-toe with two-time defending champion Haiden Deegan, claiming the title in fine style for 2025. A war of words allowed Shimoda’s calm, crafty personality to shine, with his retorts to the outspoken Californian teenager earning him a legion of new fans and this Personality of the Year award. He did, unfortunately, have a big incident during the off-season, and we’re hoping Jo makes a strong recovery entering the new year.

Series of the Year – SMX World Championship:
Organizers of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship did another exceptional job representing the sport in a positive light in 2025, with a strong 31-round series criss-crossing the United States from January through September. It was thrilling from the first gate drop at Anaheim 1 to the world championship decider in Las Vegas, as the on-track action was matched both by the broadcast and digital presence. Additionally, the post-season was a neat way to get all riders back on track – with 450SX champion Cooper Webb and 450MX champion Jett Lawrence facing off on the grid together – as well as the range of some of the sport’s top contenders in both 450s and 250s. All-in-all, we’re seeing a strong progression here, with the product emulating elements from the NBA and NFL, which is inspiring to see as we chart a course for both now and into the future.

Image: Octopi Media.

Most Anticipated Model – Ducati Desmo450 MX:
Ducati’s entry into the off-road scene is special, with the storied Italian marque unveiling its Desmo450 MX in 2025. Understandably so, there was a lot of hype and anticipation around the arrival of the new machine, with the initial feedback very positive in production trim following its world launch. Between Ducati’s SMX entry with Justin Barcia and Dylan Ferrandis at the newly-announced Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati team for next year, or the new-look three-rider MXGP operation that will step things up in Europe come 2026 with Louis Vosters’ Dutch-based effort, the brand is turning heads. It’s a huge addition to the sport and paddock, and we’re excited to see both the project and machine mature.

Top Team – Honda HRC Progressive:
The factory Honda program in the United States is firing on all cylinders, which is well-deserved after an almost two-decade-long dry spell of 450 championships. That’s a fact that’s almost hard to fathom, given its recent domination in the category at the hands of the Lawrence brothers (and Chase Sexton with his 450SX crown in 2023). Add in the success of 250 riders, Jo Shimoda as 250SMX winner and Chance Hymas, and you’ve really got an organization that is clicking in this current era. What’s concerning for the other teams is that the Lars Lindstrom-led program doesn’t appear to be slowing down, with cohesion and overall harmony meaning it doesn’t suggest that anyone is going anywhere anytime soon. Honda HRC Progressive is a well-oiled machine at the moment, with race wins and titles the result of their labors, and they are certainly the benchmark team of late.

Best Event – Salt Lake City Supercross decider:
The final round of Monster Energy Supercross had all kinds of tension in the air, with two of the three championships still well and truly up for grabs. Haiden Deegan had already collected the 250SX West trophy with one round to spare, but an ultra-eventful eastern regional title-fight between Seth Hammaker, RJ Hampshire, and Tom Vialle was decided during the final moments of the main event, where defending champion Vialle walked away as the benefactor of a dramatic Hammaker/Hampshire clash. In the 450SX division, a year-long battle between Cooper Webb and Chase Sexton reached its climax, where Webb did what was needed on the night – P4 in the main event – to Sexton’s first place seeing him claim his third premier class Supercross championship by two points over the number four. Nerves were high entering Salt Lake City in both classes, which provided race fans with a very entertaining event in Utah.

Hottest Topic – The 2026 SMX silly season:
This year’s SMX silly season had everyone bench-racing for several months, with Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton, Jason Anderson, Jorge Prado, Jo Shimoda, Tom Vialle, and more all rumored to be exiting their 2025 teams in search of newer challenges elsewhere. What’s more is that a lot of the transfers did come to fruition, with the biggest movers being Tomac to Red Bull KTM, and Sexton spearheading the Monster Energy Kawasaki program. This was an interesting one, as Eli was effectively the man on the outside at Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, with the team opting for a Webb, Justin Cooper, and Haiden Deegan 450 line-up in the future, leaving the 33-year-old Colorado native in search of a fresh home. As for Sexton, despite he and KTM recording a lot of success together – including the 2024 Pro Motocross 450MX Championship – as well as second in this year’s Supercross standings, the pair never seemed to gel, with the 26-year-old instead inking a three-year deal with the factory Kawasaki team in what will be his third team since stepping up to the premier class mid-2020. Each was a truly fascinating move – including Anderson to the HEP Motorsports-run Suzuki program – and provides multiple intriguing storylines to follow in 2026.

Image: Supplied.

Greatest Disappointment – Jorge Prado and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s saga:
Sheesh, and here we were thinking – hoping? – that this chapter was well and truly over… Anyway, here we are again, and the truth of the matter is that this didn’t go well, and really, nothing about it was very good. A shoulder separation at Anaheim 2 ended the duo’s indoor campaign altogether, while outdoors was tough from the outset. Prado is a phenomenal talent, but his aim and expectations were off in his first full season in the US, so when things weren’t going as he’d anticipated, everything unraveled. The bike was blamed, the team was blamed, and the whole episode quickly became a nightmare, with Prado not framing the KX450SR in a positive light. The conclusion was that – after some explosions along the way – the deal ended early, with the Prado/Kawasaki union not lining up for the SMX post-season. There’s no way to sugarcoat it – this was bad, and 2026 will be very interesting as to how Chase Sexton features on the Japanese machine, as well as how much improved Prado can be on familiar Austrian equipment. There are a lot of questions and only time will tell us those answers.

Most Surprising Moment – Tom Vialle departs for MXGP:
This one came out of left field, especially as it seemed that Vialle was set for a 450SMX transfer in 2026 at Red Bull KTM. What added even more certainty was that the Frenchman had earned a second-straight 250SX East title this year, but a lucrative, long-term offer from Honda HRC in Europe ultimately sparked his interest, with the deal being done that’ll see him return to the MXGP paddock next year. The depth of the 450 field in the US, as well as a vacant position at one of the GP paddock’s premier teams, makes this a solid deal for Vialle, who could otherwise be another contender in America looking for a stable, ongoing future. Anyhow, that signals the end – at least for now – of the 25-year-old’s American career, with his move back home to France a defining moment of the year.

Social Standout – Haiden Deegan:
It’s evident that Haiden Deegan has amassed a substantial following both online and at the races in his young career, with collaborations with influencer boxer Jake Paul extending his reach into other areas of the sporting spectrum this year. The Deegans invest a lot of money into their digital presence, and you can visibly see the traction they gain from doing so, with the family offering an unprecedented insight into the behind-the-scenes of both their racing and action sports lifestyle that you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. As a result, there is plenty of viewing content when it comes to Haiden Deegan, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon.

Special Mention – World Supercross Championship:
The World Supercross Championship (WSX) made important inroads this year in legitimizing the FIM-sanctioned series, with a solid five-round campaign seeing the SX1 title-fight go down to the wire in South Africa, where Jason Anderson managed to take home the number one plate. We also saw Tomac make his debut in new Red Bull KTM colors, and Deegan line-up on a 450 for the first time, firstly in Argentina and then again in Australia. Multiple champion Ken Roczen also featured as a ‘wildcard’, as did triple 450SX champion Cooper Webb and Justin Cooper, and it finally felt like WSX found some form of identity that they can build from in the coming seasons. Its exact position in the market remains up in the air, but if anything is certain, it’s that SX Global has improved its product a lot in 2025.