Budds Creek hosted the final round of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship, bringing the curtain down on this year’s series. Reaction dives into the commentary from around the paddock post race.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – First:
Once I got the holeshot in moto 1, I just wanted to enjoy it. That was my main goal this weekend, and once we had that, I could just take it race by race and have some fun. You don’t always get many of those moments, so it was cool just to go out and ride. Hunter [Lawrence] rode really well in the second moto too, which made it fun to be out there together.

Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – Second:
It was a good day. I felt like I was riding really well, and I really enjoyed Budds Creek — it’s a great race track. In the first moto, I didn’t get the result I was after, but I was happy with my riding. In the second moto, I got a better start and gave myself a better chance. I picked a different gate on a drier part of the track, and that positioned me better. I felt like I executed both my starts well, but that adjustment made a difference. Overall, I’m happy with the second moto, and it was a good way to end it.

Justin Barcia (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – Fifth:
I qualified P7 this morning at Budds Creek, which was pretty good, and that was a solid way to start the day. First moto, I struggled a little bit in finding a flow – I ended up eighth, which I wasn’t too thrilled about. The second race, I got off to a good start and felt comfortable straight away, so that was a cool feeling to be up front and running the pace, knowing I still have what it takes. A top-five finish is a solid way to end the season, and now we’ll come out swinging for SMX.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Sixth:
It’s nice to get P6 overall to end the day here at Budds Creek! I’m stoked to climb up into third overall in points for SuperMotocross, too – that is really awesome. Overall, I felt really good today, Budds Creek always treats me well, and now we’ll take this weekend off and get ready for the final three races of 2025 and give it everything we’ve got.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Fourth:
I feel like I rode the best I have all season at Budds Creek across both the motos. I got a good start in moto one, but just couldn’t make a pass on the rider in front of me for the whole 30 minutes, which was frustrating. Then in race two, I made a good push there at the end after another strong start, and both my bike and body are getting a lot more comfortable toward the end of these motos now. Overall, I’m happy with the day and my whole rookie 450MX season in general – that’s the best outdoors series I have had by far. Thank you to the team, we’ll take this form into SMX!

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Eighth:
It was a tough day at Budds. We’ll regroup, get back to work, and look forward to SMX.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
I honestly felt great all day. Qualifying went really well, and I was second. It was a battle all day out there – everyone was riding really well. I was second in the first moto, and I got another good start in moto two around third. I felt unreal behind those guys for about 15 minutes, but then I made a big mistake, tucked the front, and basically came to a stop. I lost my flow, hit lappers, and RJ [Hampshire] was all over me – it kind of hit all at the same time. So I got a little flustered, and RJ got around me and some lappers. I closed back on him and followed him around, and from there, it was to get to the finish. I wish that I hadn’t made that mistake and tried to battle with those guys at the front, but I did my best, and that’s what matters.

Jorge Prado (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 10th:
The Pro Motocross season has come to an end, and while it wasn’t the year I expected, I’m still thankful for the experience. Coming into the season, my goal was to battle for the championship, win races, and earn podiums, and even though things didn’t go as planned, I learned a lot along the way. It was a challenging season, but challenges make you stronger. Now I’m focused on taking those lessons, figuring things out with the team, and coming back ready to fight at the front again.

Benoit Paturel (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 34th:
My day started well, with great speed in practice and qualifying. In the first moto I got a really bad start. Then I had some small issues and didn’t feel great. The second moto was good until it was not. I was fighting for a top 10 spot and my speed was feeling great. I changed my line to pass another rider and I got a bad kick [going down a hill]. I hit my head pretty hard. It’s a bummer because I really wanted to finish the moto in the top 10. Overall, it was a great year. We learned a lot, had some ups and downs, but it was amazing experience. A top 15 in the championship is not bad for a first year with a few DNFs. I wanted more but I’ll take it and hope to improve next year. Thank you to the team – every member worked really hard all season.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC Progressive) – Second:
I’m really proud of the team. I think this was maybe the best I’ve ever felt on the bike, especially consistency-wise. Obviously, I wanted to end the season with a win, but going into next year, I think we have a great base to build from. With SMX still ahead, there’s a lot of motivation, and I’m happy with the progress we’ve made.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – Ninth:
Budds Creek was good! I qualified well after feeling comfortable from the get-go, and then moto one, I shuffled around the eighth to 10th range, which I felt was good. My starts weren’t the greatest today, but I found my way inside the top 10 in both races, and overall, I’m happy to finish up outdoors with this result.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
I’m stoked to win my fifth 250 title. I’m also stoked to finish with a win and another overall win. All I can say is this sport can be gnarly, so when you come out on top, it’s sick.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fifth:
It was a good day, a good way to finish off the outdoors. I feel like these last few rounds were a lot better for me. We worked on a lot during the three-week break that we had. The bike wasn’t really working for me at the beginning of the season. It doesn’t work the same for everybody, and I haven’t raced outdoors in so long. I just had to find my setup, and we finally found that and were able to get a little bit better each weekend. I’m happy with this result. We have SMX coming up, and we’ve been good at the speedways before. I feel really good on the track at home, so I’m ready to go and to battle up front.

Cole Davies (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Eighth:
I’m a Pro Motocross winner. It’s not the way you’d expect to get your first win, after Haiden and Jo were penalized, but that first moto was good overall. It’s definitely a step in the right direction after coming in at Unadilla. Honestly, what a start can do is pretty crazy. I got off to a good one in moto one and led for about half the race, which was very cool. In moto two, I had nothing left to give. A bad start set me back. I made a couple of passes but went down again. For my third Pro Motocross race, I’ll take it. After 12 weeks off after my surgery, it’s a solid bounce back. We know what we need to work on. The weekend was definitely a step in the right direction.

Daxton Bennick (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 12th:
It was good. Today was a lot better all around. My only goal heading into these three rounds after my injury was to improve each round, and that’s exactly what I did. We made steady improvements and ended today with a 12th overall, so we’ll take that.

Caden Dudney (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 14th:
It was a good day overall. The first moto was a little rough. I didn’t get that good of a start. Actually, the first start was good in that one. I was up there, but then they red-flagged it, and I ended up dead last after the restart and finished 17th. The second moto was decent. I got a better start, and then they red-flagged it again, which was kind of crazy – two red flags in one day. It was good, though. I fought my way up to 13th and ended up 14th overall. I need to be better in qualifying for the starts, and I should have a better moto. It was another good learning experience, so I’m happy with the day.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fourth:
It was a solid day at Budds Creek today. I ended up with a career-best third overall in the points, which was awesome. Starting off the day, I was able to qualify P3, which was sick and a lot more consistent than I’ve been this outdoor season. In moto one, I had two terrible starts, even after the red flag restart, my launch control button popped off the clutch block right as I let it go, so I had to fight through the pack and ended up eighth. In moto two, I finally nailed a great start for the first time all season. I was running inside the Top 10, making some good moves, then another red flag came out and I got pushed back a couple of spots. That kind of sucked after doing all that work, but I just had to make the passes again. I had a hard-fought battle with Nate [Thrasher] for most of the moto, got around him, and tried to charge after Levi [Kitchen], but he was too far gone. I finished fourth on the day and third overall in the championship. I wish I could’ve grabbed the podium with Levi, but overall it was a solid day. To get my career best in points, I’m pretty happy with that.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
It was a much better day for me. Practice went well, and in the first moto, I worked my way up to fourth. I wish I had a better start, but overall it was solid. The two red flags were a little weird, but I’m happy to finish the day on the podium. It definitely gives me a bit of a confidence boost heading into SMX, and I’m looking forward to finishing the season strong as we move into the Playoffs.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 13th:
It was a pretty good day here at Budds Creek for the last national of the year. I qualified P1, which was cool to grab another one of those, and it was awesome for the team to finish 1-2-3 in qualifying. In moto one, I got a second-place start, but we barely got a lap in before the red flag. On the restart, the gate was tilled a little differently, so I didn’t get as good of a jump. I was riding really well until about three laps to go when my chain came off. That was a bummer, but stuff happens, and you move forward. For moto two, I had an outside gate pick, but ripped a really good start and came around fourth or fifth, which felt great. After a few sprint laps, another red flag came out, and thankfully, it was a staggered restart because I wasn’t sure I could pull another start from that far outside. Honestly, after the restart, I felt a little flat and didn’t ride my best, finishing seventh. Not terrible, but not where I wanted to be. Overall, I’m glad to make it out healthy through the whole outdoor season. I had some minor setbacks here and there, but that’s part of racing. Now I’m focused on SMX and ready to go after wins there.

Drew Adams (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Eighth:
It was a fun season of outdoors. I had some ups and downs, but overall a good day. Qualified P2, and Seth [Hammaker] just got me on the very last lap, so that was exciting. In moto one, I finished P5, not my best, but still solid, and in moto to I finished P10. The highlight of the day was earning Rookie of the Year. That was my goal from the start of the season, so I’m really pumped to have achieved it. Now it’s time to take the next step into SMX.

Ty Masterpool (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Sixth:
Overall, it was a really good day, even if the results didn’t totally show it. I was charging all the way to the end in both motos and even made passes on the last lap. I went 6-6 for sixth overall. The biggest struggle was my starts – they were terrible, and on a track like this, if you don’t get a good start, it’s tough to run up front. Both motos I had to come from way back, but I kept pushing, and there’s a lot of good to take from it. My fitness is night-and-day better, and I’m really excited about where I’m at. It’s a bummer this is the last round of the season, but I’m looking forward to what’s next.

Austin Forkner (Triumph Racing) – 16th:
It was not a great day, but it was not terrible either. I am happy to complete the season. I could not find a flow as the track broke down, but we learned a lot with the bike. It was a chaotic day of racing, to be honest, with two red flags and a crash in turn one. Being healthy as we enter the postseason is a win.

Jordon Smith (Triumph Racing) – 15th:
A decent day at Budds Creek! We made some progress with the TF 250-X yet again. My first moto was solid – I worked my way to ninth. I had a small issue in moto two, unfortunately, but I am happy to be healthy as we head into the SMX postseason.