It’s time to take things outside! We’re live at Fox Raceway in Pala, California for round one of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship. There’s full gates in both divisions and the classes are stacked with returning riders and former champions like Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence, Chase Sexton, and more.
At the end of the day both Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan swept the day with 1-1 finishes.
450 Moto 1
The first 450 moto was right back to our scheduled Jett Lawrence programming. The 2023 champ grabbed the holeshot and quickly established his hold on the lead. Jett led every lap of the 15-lap race and went unchallenged to take the opening win. While the others stayed close, no one could outpace the former perfect season winner.
Justin Cooper rode to second place in moto one. The number-32 is in his sophomore season in the 450 class and kept the pressure on Lawrence as the laps wore on. Fresh off a third place in Supercross, Cooper looked comfortable running the pace with the front runners. He finished more than 10 seconds back at the checkers.
Hunter Lawrence finished third in race one. The Honda HRC rider started up front but had his hands full for the entire moto as Eli Tomac challenged him for the final spot on the box. The two kept things suspensful all the way to the finish as they finished less than two seconds apart.
Tomac finished a close fourth with Aaron Plessinger rounding out the top five. Chase Sexton crashed out of the first moto with a big crash after the finish line. He did not finish the race and opted not to line up for the second moto.
450 Moto 2
The racers saved the best for last as the final gate drop proved to be the most exciting. Jett Lawrence quickly took over the top spot and was followed in tow by Eli Tomac.
These two stayed neck and neck for the entire 30+2 and never gave an inch. Jett would gain, Tomac would close. Then vice versa. Only until the final three laps did Tomac finally give in Jett finally opened up a gap.
Lawrence swept the day but the final moto was anyone’s guess. Tomac’s 4-2 gave him the edge to clinch second overall. “Eli was behind me but I could definitely hear him,” Lawrence said. “In those sections where I could hear him on top of me I was going all out everything to defend it and stay in front…It kind of felt like a chess game because he had his areas where he’d push and we both had areas where we couldn’t push it because we knew we’d stack it. It was a really cool race for me.”
“We both had our strong areas on the track,” Tomac said. “It was interesting to ride behind Jett. Unfortunately for me I was behind him the whole time but it was a good learning experience for me to see his lines and see his style. It was a good battle for about 30 minutes.”
Aaron Plessinger and Hunter Lawrence battled for the entire second moto. Plessinger stayed behind the Honda rider for the entire race and finally pounced on the final lap, stealing away the last spot on the box. Fortunately for Hunter, his 3-4 still beat Plessinger 5-3 in the overall rankings. Plessinger took fourth with Justin Cooper rounding out the top 5 with 2-8 scores.
“It was a pretty average day, but I’ll take it,” Lawrence said. “I had a great battle with AP [Plessinger] in moto two and made a little mistake right at the end and he was there to capitalize. That’s frustrating to end the day like that, but happy to be on the podium.”
Plessinger took fourth on the day with 5-3 scores. “We put the scoop tire on for moto two because I was lacking that thing in the first one, but it got me off to a great start in that last race,” Plessinger said. “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.”
450MX OVERALL RESULTS (Top 10)
| 1. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 1-1 |
| 2. | Eli Tomac | (Yam) | 4-2 |
| 3. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 3-4 |
| 4. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 5-3 |
| 5. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 2-8 |
| 6. | Jorge Prado | (Kaw) | 7-6 |
| 7. | Jason Anderson | (Kaw) | 9-5 |
| 8. | Joey Savatgy | (Hon) | 8-10 |
| 9. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 6-12 |
| 10. | Benoit Paturel | (Suz) | 11-9 |
250 Moto 1
Chance Hymas shot out to the early lead in the first 250 moto. After qualifying fastest, the Honda rider passed Ty Masterpool and led the first laps over the rest of the field. He looked to be the favorite for the win but crashed shortly after the finish line and dropped back to third.
Julien Beaumer took over the lead momentarily after Hymas went down. The KTM rider felt the pressure with Deegan closing behind and the number-one quickly passed for the lead up the steep hill on the back half of the track. With Deegan now in the lead, it quickly spelled trouble for the rest of the field. The defending champ broke away and took the first checkered flag of the year.
Jo Shimoda picked up the pace in the latter half of the race and crossed the line second, one spot better than his Honda HRC teammate Hymas.
250 Moto 2
Tom Vialle grabbed the holeshot in race two over his KTM teammate Beaumer. The two traded spots which let Beaumer slip through as he led his first ever professional moto. Beaumer broke away in the first half of the race and at one point opened up a three second lead.
Deegan waited in the wings and followed Beaumer to the front, with Shimoda hot on his heels. Deegan made his move to the lead up the steep climb, ironically the same spot as the first moto. Shimoda stayed close and had a shot at the overall, but never managed to get around Deegan.
“I came in with the same goal as last year, go 1-1 and set the standard,” Deegan said. “The first round you are always questioning, ‘Where will I stand?’ but I knew I’d come out and be pretty good. Once you win it sets the bar and gives you confidence.”
Shimoda’s 2-2 put him second with two consistent scores.“I do ride better when the track is rough and a little more technical,” Shioda said. “When we have a hot, rough day it suits me better. You can be creative here…but the track is sketchy with the rocks and holes. It can be unpredictable in the ruts when you get in and there’s a giant hole. But that’s Pala.”
Tom Vialle hung tough and caught a second wind in the latter half of the race. He passed back for third and used 4-3 finishes to take third overall. “I had a great start in the second moto, although the first one I started pretty far back,” Vialle said. “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.”
250MX OVERALL RESULTS (Top 10)
| 1. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 1-1 |
| 2. | Jo Shimoda | (Hon) | 2-2 |
| 3. | Tom Vialle | (KTM) | 4-3 |
| 4. | Chance Hymas | (Hon) | 3-6 |
| 5. | Julien Beaumer | (KTM) | 5-4 |
| 6. | Garrett Marchbanks | (Kaw) | 6-5 |
| 7. | Seth Hammaker | (Kaw) | 8-7 |
| 8. | Michael Mosiman | (Yam) | 11-8 |
| 9. | Max Vohland | (Yam) | 12-10 |
| 10. | Ty Masterpool | (Kaw) | 7-15 |
QUALIFYING
450MX
Jett Lawrence is on a mission. The Honda HRC rider is back after tearing his ACL at the Glendale Supercross and is making his presence known at the Pro Motocross season opener. Lawrence was the fastest qualifier in both sessions, beating out second place by more than a second.
Chase Sexton, the defending champion, clocked second overall during timed qualifying. The KTM rider looked smooth in both sessions but was behind Lawrence by over a second. He’ll take second gate pick heading into today’s motos.
Eli Tomac was a close third at the end of both sessions. The former champ is returning to action today after breaking his leg during Supercross but says he’s never been more prepared for a Pro Motocross season. He’s about 1.5 seconds behind Lawerence’s best time.
Justin Cooper and Hunter Lawrence rounded out the top five.
450MX OVERALL QUALIFYING (Top 10)
| 1. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 2:14.379 |
| 2. | Chase Sexton | (KTM) | 2:15.633 |
| 3. | Eli Tomac | (Yam) | 2:15.986 |
| 4. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 2:16.616 |
| 5. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 2:17.218 |
| 6. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 2:17.486 |
| 7. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 2:18.401 |
| 8. | Jorge Prado | (Kaw) | 2:18.794 |
| 9. | Jason Anderson | (Kaw) | 2:19.532 |
| 10. | Derek Drake | (Yam) | 2:19.561 |
250MX
Chance Hymas jumped to the top of the board on the final lap of the second 250 qualifier. The Honda HRC rider saved his best for last and topped Deegan’s time by nearly two seconds. He’ll head to the gate first with the fastest time of the day.
Haiden Deegan grabbed second overall. The defending champ is riding his home track and looks comfortable with his high-revving style. Deegan’s time held up for second, just one tenth better than third place.
Julien Beaumer clocked third overall just behind Deegan. The number-23 has a point to prove and put in a better time during his second time on track.
The two Kawasaki’s of Garrett Marchbanks and Levi Kitchen rounded out the top five 250 times.
250MX OVERALL QUALIFYING (Top 10)
| 1. | Chance Hymas | (Hon) | 2:16.952 |
| 2. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 2:18.592 |
| 3. | Julien Beaumer | (KTM) | 2:18.623 |
| 4. | Garrett Marchbanks | (Kaw) | 2:18.635 |
| 5. | Levi Kitchen | (Kaw) | 2:18.830 |
| 6. | Seth Hammaker | (Kaw) | 2:18.879 |
| 7. | Casey Cochran | (GG) | 2:19.104 |
| 8. | Drew Adams | (Kaw) | 2:19.265 |
| 9. | Jo Shimoda | (Hon) | 2:19.288 |
| 10. | Ty Masterpool | (Kaw) | 2:19.486 |
Before bikes hit the track, enjoy our Press day video from Friday’s riding sessions. See riders hit the track for their first laps as well as an up close look at the bikes in the pits.
PRESS DAY VIDEO
IN THE PITS
