Washougal played host to round eight of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship, delivering a full day of close racing as the series now enters a pivotal three-week break. Reaction dives into the commentary from around the paddock post race.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – First:
It was nice to get a win today! It’s been a while since I have won a race – since the Salt Lake City Supercross – so it’s good to get that monkey off my back and go into the break with momentum. I still have a few things that I can improve on, but my speed was better today and I’m stoked to click off a win. Not eating roost in that first moto was nice… Second moto, I ate a lot of roost and I didn’t like it at all. But it was important to get creative and make quick passes here, as the roost feels like you’re getting hit with a paintball gun for 30 minutes. Thanks to the team for today, it’s a good feeling to stand back on top of the podium.

Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – Second:
This has always been one of my tougher tracks, so I knew coming in it would be a challenge – especially with guys like Chase and Eli [Tomac] riding well here. In the first moto, I made a mistake and lost some time trying to get back into a flow, and by then Eli had already built a gap. I’m still happy with second overall, though you can’t win everything, and eventually a streak ends. I was proud to rebound in the second moto and grab the win there.

Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – Fourth:
Another top-five overall—fourth on the day. I kept the top-five streak alive – that makes 19 in a row, so that’s pretty cool, and I’m happy to leave here in one piece. The visibility was really tough today with the shadows, I might need to see an eye doctor to make sure I’m not partially blind! But it was the same for everyone, and I’m glad to make it through.

Justin Barcia (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – Seventh:
I qualified in the top 10 today at Washougal and was happy with that, as it gave me a better gate pick, but made a bit of a rookie move off the start because I thought the traction would be less, and I ended up with the front-end pretty high which put me toward the back! Charged through for P7 in that one, then second moto, I got a better start, but a couple of mistakes and the restart had me in seventh for that one, too. All in all, we’re out of these first couple races healthy, so we’ll regroup now and come out swinging for the last three.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – 12th:
First moto got off to a rough start with a first turn pile-up. I saw a rider on the ground and he was getting burned, so I got off my bike and helped him out, lifted him up. I think that’s the right thing to do… we race motorcycles for a living, and if I were in that position, I would hope someone would do that for me. We lost a little time there, but we dug deep for 16th. Second moto, we did all we could and got eighth, which was a good bounce back. We’ll enjoy the break, and keep digging for these last three.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Fifth:
Washougal was another solid day for us, I feel like we just keep making progress as the series develops. P3 in qualifying was good, and then I ran up there with the front guys for a bit in moto one on my way to finish P4. Second moto, decent start, then made a push towards the top-five after the restart, but lost the rear with a few laps to go – another top five and we keep progressing. We’ll aim for an overall podium with three rounds to go, which I feel like we’re capable of.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
It was nice to be back on the podium with the 2-3 today. It was just refreshing to be at the front of the race, period. I could see the frontrunners in both motos. Of course, I still need to be a little bit better, but this is a major improvement over our result from the weekend before. I’m now looking forward to improving my riding, and also the weekend off. It was a much better weekend than Millville.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was a good day. Honestly, I kind of struggled with the hard-packed track today. This track is definitely difficult. There are a lot of different factors involved in going fast here. I felt like we got better throughout the day. After a tough weekend in Millville, to come back here and get through the day with some solid finishes and to kind of be in the fight was cool. We need this time off. I definitely gave it my best. We were a sixth-place guy today, and sometimes that’s okay. You’ve got to take that, keep your head up, look at where you’re going, and take the positives.

Jorge Prado (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 14th:
It was a challenging weekend, but there were still some positives to take away. I started off strong in qualifying with seventh, and in moto one, I grabbed the holeshot and came through the first turn in second. I was feeling good early on, but a small mistake in the whoops on lap two dropped me to fourth. After that, I just struggled to maintain pace and ended up finishing eighth. In moto two, I had another great start and was running second early, but I got shuffled back pretty quickly. The roost and dust made it tough to stay consistent before the red flag came out. After the restart, I had a strong jump and made a few passes, but I got caught up again. I regrouped and finished 19th. It definitely wasn’t the result I was hoping for, but I’ll learn from it, take the positives, especially the starts, and keep building for the next one.

Benoit Paturel (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 33rd:
I’m so disappointed, I was feeling great in the morning. The bike was really good, and everything was working to make for a good day. It’s very frustrating to not be able to put that into results on paper. It’s time to regroup, focus, and be strong for the last three motocross races.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – Ninth:
Washougal is one of my favorite tracks of the year. I got off the gate much better this weekend, and that was the biggest help for my racing. I got up in the pack and hung on as good as I could.

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Image: Octopi Media.

Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC Progressive) – First:
Honestly, we haven’t changed much since Southwick – just some minor bike tuning, and it’s been on point. I’ve just been focusing on my starts and executing two solid motos. Washougal is tough because the track is narrow and one-lined in places – it’s hard to make passes, but I’m happy to come away with the win. I’m riding really well right now, and it feels great to put Honda on top.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – 10th:
Washougal was good, qualifying was strong, and I always enjoy coming here. I had a mishap in moto one, getting landed on while leading, which wasn’t ideal, but did what we could to recover. Second moto was better, I got a good start and had some pace early, but I felt like I could’ve done some things differently with line choice and racecraft to keep up there, and flow the track a little better. We’ll keep moving forward and have more weekends like this.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Second:
I feel like since this morning, I kind of struggled with my bike today. I qualified sixth, which was my worst of the year, so we’ve got to go back to work on that a little bit. Overall, we maintained the points and tied with Jo [Shimoda] today. So yeah, 45 points up and now we’ve got a three-week break to keep on working.

Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 18th:
It was a tough weekend, and not the results we are looking for. We’re going to keep working and try to find something during the break. Thanks to the team for still believing in me.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
It was a solid day today, and definitely the best outdoor race I’ve had in my career. I qualified first in both qualifying sessions, so I felt really good all day. After getting a not-so-solid start in moto one and making my way through the pack, I finished third, but I was a little tight. I think if I had been up front a bit earlier, I could have stayed with the lead group for longer. In moto two, I didn’t get the best start again, but was able to come through the pack. I battled with [Haiden] Deegan for about 25 minutes, which was a good fight. Toward the end, I tried to make a pass on my teammate for third, but it didn’t quite come together. I later found out that even if I had made the pass, I still would have finished third overall. So I just chilled, brought it home, and locked in my first-ever overall outdoor podium. I’m super proud of that result. I’m really thankful for my team, my trainer, and the whole training crew. I’m pumped on how everything went, and it’ll be nice to have a couple of weeks off now.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – 11th:
It was a rough day for me. Qualifying was decent, but in moto one I got a bad start — probably around 25th or 20th — and worked my way up to about ninth. In moto two, I had another tough start, but I made it up to maybe sixth or seventh before I ended up crashing. I got back up and worked my way to around 10th. It was a tough day, but I’m going to keep my head up and focus on the things I can improve, mainly getting off the line better. We’ve got a solid break coming up, so I’m looking forward to hitting reset and coming into the last three rounds ready to show people what I’m made of.

Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fourth:
Overall, it was a pretty good day. I started off strong in qualifying. I felt really good on the track and ended up third overall, so that gave me some good momentum heading into the motos. In moto one, I didn’t get the best start and was probably around 10th off the line. It took me a while to get into a groove and settle in, and by the time I did, I was in about seventh place. I wasn’t really able to make anything happen after that, so I just held on to seventh for the rest of the moto. It was nothing too special, but still a solid finish. Moto two went a lot better. I got an amazing start and pulled the holeshot. I felt really good in the opening laps. Jo [Shimoda] got around me early, and I was able to latch onto him and keep a solid pace. Then Deegan got by me with a couple laps to go, and I ended up finishing third. With a 7–3 result on the day, I took fourth overall, my best outdoor finish so far, which is pretty cool. I needed a solid day like that, and this definitely checked the box. Now the goal is to come back after the break and fight for a podium. I think this little break will be good for me, and I’m excited to come back swinging at Ironman.

Drew Adams (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Ninth:
Washougal was good for me. I ended up P9 overall, which is my first Top-10 finish in outdoors. That’s a pretty big accomplishment for me. In the first moto, the main issue was my gate pick. My qualifying went well, but I chose a bad gate on my side, and that really set me back. I got a poor start and had to fight my way up to 13th. It’s a tough track to pass on, especially since this was my first time racing here, but it was cool to get the experience. The shadows made it really difficult to see — it was pretty gnarly out there. In the second moto, I regrouped, got a much better gate pick, and started around seventh. I had a few good battles and finished sixth in that one. So overall, I’m pretty happy with the day.

Jalek Swoll (Triumph Racing) – DNF:
The day started positively. I went down early in moto one, unfortunately, and could not capitalise on my great start. It was a weird day – there was some confusion after my fall. It was not ideal, of course, but I put myself in that situation. I will be back at Ironman and try to move back to the front.

Mikkel Haarup (Triumph Racing) – Seventh:
What started as a challenging day, where I struggled to hit my marks on this track, ended in a positive way, as I was battling in the top three in that second moto. The results were solid! I was in the top 10 with a seventh overall. I am happy with the way that everything is going and look forward to improving in the break.

Austin Forkner (Triumph Racing) – Fifth:
Millville was a step in the right direction and I had confidence coming here, because of that. I was fourth off the start in the first moto and around ninth in the second moto. I went 5-5 for fifth overall – it is crazy what a couple of starts will do! I am really happy with my riding and day. My speed was not blazing fast, but I put clean and consistent laps together. We will go back to work now.

Jordon Smith (Triumph Racing) – 12th:
It was another frustrating result. We are getting better every weekend, both with my pace and starts. It is just on me. There is one moto a weekend where I have a stupid fall, it seems, and I need to clean that up. I am not having those falls in practice – I feel solid until something happens. I am going to keep working on it and fighting. I am not a quitter.