Talon Hawkins became the latest young prospect to join the professional ranks when he lined up in the 250 Class at the Spring Creek National. The Husqvarna rider from Temecula, California, finished 19th overall with 20-15 moto scores. Hawkins was still set to ride in the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, as his seven points is far below the 40-point threshold that would force him to decide to continue racing pro or keep his pro-am status in order to race the 250 and Open Pro Sport classes at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch.
Hawkins' fellow Californian, Ryder DiFrancesco, was in a similar position, albeit much closer to the 40-point limit. The Kawasaki rider went 13-8 at the Spring Creek National for eighth overall. Combined with his debut at RedBud earlier the same month, where he went 14-12 for 13th overall, Ryder D has a total of 37 points. DiFrancesco could have raced the Washougal National if he wanted to and still kept his pro-am status, as the rule says once you go over 40 points you cannot enter another AMA Pro Motocross event unless you turn pro completely. (The rule is written that way so that a rider isn't forced to pull over if he's in a position to go over the limit in points.)
This weekend, Yamaha riders Haiden Deegan and Gavin Towers will make their respective pro debuts at the Ironman National.
So where do the first results for Hawkins and DiFrancesco stack up to other recent national debuts? And what can we expect from Deegan and Towers? Back at the opener at Fox Raceway at Pala, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Nick Romano made his pro debut and went 16-14 for 13th overall. His teammate, Matt LeBlanc, went 20-17 for 20th overall. At the 2021 opener Red Bull KTM's Max Vohland went 38-7 (after leading the first moto and suffering a bike malfunction) for 13th overall.
In 2020 Stilez Robertson rode his pro national at the Loretta Lynn's opener and placed 22nd overall with 38-17 finishes. One week later at Loretta Lynn’s II (it was the long-delayed COVID-19 series) he finished a much more impressive eighth overall.
Ty Masterpool rode his first national at Hangtown in 2019 and finished 14th overall with 12-14 moto finishes. Later that summer Jett Lawrence, Carson Mumford, and Jo Shimoda all turned pro right after Loretta Lynn's and debuted at Unadilla under the GEICO Honda tent. Lawrence went 21-8 for 13th, Mumford went 16-20 for 20th, and Shimoda crashed out of both motos. Also turning pro that day was 2019 Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award winner Jalek Swoll, who finished 23rd overall with 22-19 moto scores.
If you're wondering about Hunter Lawrence, as well as Dylan Ferrandis and Ken Roczen, their first professional races came in MXGP in Europe—we're just looking in the Racer X Vault for AMA Pro Motocross results. To find the first results for these riders, check out our friend Gilou's MXGP results page: me motocross.fr.
In 2018, Garrett Marchbanks debuted in the Hangtown Motocross Classic 250 Class and scored an above-rookie-average 10th overall with 12-6 moto finishes aboard a Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
In 2017 Michael Mosiman, now with the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas team, went 12-14 for 14th overall at the Hangtown opener on a Husqvarna FC 250. That same day Cameron McAdoo went 15-16 for 16th overall. A few weeks later Chase Sexton debuted for GEICO Honda at High Point and posted 19-10 moto scores for 13th overall. Later that season, Justin Cooper turned pro after Loretta Lynn's, where he won the Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award, and went straight to Unadilla to finish a solid fifth overall with 12-2 moto scores.
Austin Forkner turned pro at the 2016 Hangtown Motocross Classic, finishing eighth overall with 13-6 moto scores. One week later he finished an impressive fourth overall at Glen Helen.
In 2015 Aaron Plessinger turned pro with Star Racing and finished a solid sixth at Hangtown with 10-8 moto finishes. That was one year after RJ Hampshire turned pro after Loretta Lynn's and finished 13th at Unadilla with 11-16 finishes on his GEICO Honda.
Cooper Webb debuted at Hangtown in 2013 and finished 5-18 for 11th overall. His amateur rival, Adam Cianciarulo, was also ready to turn pro, but due to illness he didn't start until the fifth round that season at Budds Creek, where he briefly led the first moto but faded badly in both motos to earn 16th overall with 17-14 finishes. Both Webb and Cianciarulo would go on to win a 250 Pro Motocross title each.
The Martin brothers get their own entry here. Jeremy Martin turned pro at the 2012 Unadilla National and was a modest 23rd overall with 18-27 finishes. Older brother Alex turned pro years earlier, in 2008 to be exact, at the family's own Spring Creek National and ended up 20th with 29-14 moto scores.
Back in 2011 Jason Anderson turned pro during SX and then entered Hangtown on an RM-Z 250 Suzuki and finished 12th overall with 11-12 finishes.
Justin Barcia, yet another GEICO Honda rider when he graduated, finished sixth overall at the '09 Glen Helen opener, posting 9-3 moto finishes in a solid debut.
Finally, there's the best debut ever: Eli Tomac at the 2010 Hangtown opener. Riding the #243 GEICO Honda, Tomac went 1-3 to take the overall win, making him the one and only rider to win an outdoor national in his professional debut (unless you count the very early years and Marty Smith's 1974 Hangtown win in very first 125 National ever).
Bonus: #142 Ryan Dungey skipped the Loretta Lynn's program altogether in 2006 and waited instead for his hometown national at Spring Creek. Back then it was still called the MX Lites class, and Dungey went 8-8 for seventh overall.
Christian Craig, who rode for JGR Yamaha in 2009, was sent straight to Unadilla and the 450 Class, which is rare for a debut. He had a lousy day, though, going 34-31 for 33rd overall and zero points on the day.
Last year Levi Kitchen did the same as Ryder D. and Talon Hawkins—he used the new rule that allows a young rider to test the deep waters of professional racing before Loretta Lynn's. He signed up for RedBud in July and finished 12th overall with 9-19 moto scores. He then went to Loretta Lynn's and won the Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award as the top amateur prospect in the country who was about to turn pro.
Nick Paluzzi had a wild debut with the then Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGRMX squad. Riding as a replacement rider in the 450 Class in 2010 for the injured Josh Grant, Paluzzi earned an astonishing seventh overall in the 450 Class via 10-8 moto finishes at Steel City. You can read our 2010 interview with Paluzzi here.
