Two years ago, RedBud kicked off a bleak time in Chance Hymas’ development into the pro ranks. After a big win in the SX Futures race in Salt Lake City, he struggled at the Scouting Moto Combine at RedBud MX, finishing 11-4 for eighth overall. And those struggles continued into his final run at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, where the Idaho native finished sixth overall in 250 Pro Sport and ninth overall in Open Pro Sport.
Confidence is a Catch-22. You need confidence to get results, you need results to get confidence. For Hymas, he would have to start from scratch, with zero momentum.
He’s absolutely delivered this summer. It started with the fastest qualifying time in the first AMA Pro Motocross Championship qualifying session of the year at Fox Raceway. He’s since proven that was no fluke by battling near the podium spots in every single moto this year. His starts have been impressive, and he’s shown plenty of sprint speed, too. Hymas sits second in 250 points, which probably makes him the most improved rider this summer.
“It's a pretty cool feeling, especially coming into the, this summer, just not really having any stats to base anything off of. And now I'm running up front with these guys and, it's pretty special,” he said.
The next step was turning those starts and speed into wins. He did it once this year in a moto at Thunder Valley and looked ready to do it again at High Point and again this weekend at RedBud. In both of those first motos, though, he got confused with line choices and couldn’t hold the lead to the end. He’s on a fast track in the learning process. He was a totally different rider in Red Bud’s second moto, this time holding pace all the way to the end and winning. Somehow, his 4-1 scores were enough to make him a first-time race winner overall.
“I led a lot of laps today but my first motos and second motos are completely different,” he said. “I mean, first motos, it's hard because you're trying to go forward, and you have clear track in front of you. So, you're all amped up, but it's hard to when you're out front and trying to make good decisions and obviously believe that you're doing the right thing. The first moto, just being a little confused on line choice and not committing to it. And over time it's definitely gotten better in the second moto. I just said screw it and whatever line I'm taking, I'm sticking to it and that’s it, I'm gonna make it work.
“I mean, I didn't even know I had the overall until I came to impound, and everyone was super stoked. I was like, ‘I got a moto win!’ Then yeah, I came over and yeah, ‘You got the overall.’ I was like, man, 4-1, last time I barely got second! It’s honestly really good. Doing it on Fourth of July weekend, being the only American on the team, it felt really good, and I especially get my first overall win here. I feel like it's kind of a bucket list win for a lot of Americans here at RedBud and I get my first one here. It's pretty special. And I executed really good the second moto and put a big gap, but Jo reeled me in and I had to pick up the pace. And I was really stoked for Honda to go 1-2 and it honestly shows how much we're working and how bad we want this. We're figuring it out.”
![Chance Hymas taking the moto win in the second 250 Class moto.]()
Chance Hymas taking the moto win in the second 250 Class moto. Align Media ![Chance Hymas, Pro Motocross overall winner.]()
Chance Hymas, Pro Motocross overall winner. Align Media ![Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas]()
Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas Align Media
How did Hymas go from leading moto one but getting pushed back to fourth, but then holding on to win the second moto?
“I just rode a lot more relaxed in the second moto,” he said. “First moto, I got out front and I was just trying to build a big gap and I was just over-riding the bike and taking bad lines and my riding style and the way I set up the bike, I can't ride like that for 35 minutes. Those guys were on it in the first moto, and I was just off the pace and making bad choices. So, second moto, watched some film and did what I could. I executed a really good start and I just tried to ride as loose as I could and just believed that I could do it.”
How does a rider find the belief between motos?
“Honestly, a lot of that came from the first moto!” Hymas said. “I was pretty mad after the first moto just the way I was riding, and I knew I had to put the anger somewhere and I put in the second moto, I executed my start perfectly. I had a bike length on everybody, and I just said, all right, we're done messing around. Put the gap in right now. I rode my race like I do on a practice day. I kind of made a few mistakes with some lappers and I got held up a little bit, but when Jo started picking up the pace and got up to me, it honestly felt like when I'm at the practice track with Hunter or Jett [Lawrence] catching me. So, I was like, all right, it's kind of the same scenario here. I needed to pick it up and keep doing my thing and not get too worked up about it. Don't ride over my head, don't use more energy than I have to just be very loose on the bike and take deep breaths and try not to waste energy.”
Hymas’ first-ever overall win should have helped him make up ground of series leader Haiden Deegan, but that gain was erased by a five-point penalty for jumping past a red cross flag in moto one.
“I could kind of see it coming into the corner but what kind of confused me, it wasn't on the lip of the jump,” he said. “So that's what threw me off and honestly, I should have just rolled it. I mean, just for a precaution. I came around and I could see over the lip and there was nobody there, so, I jumped it, and it didn't make it any better that everyone behind me rolled it, you know. But yeah, just dumb mistake on my part. I should have had my head up and should have realized the situation. But, yeah, it's hard because they come to me and kind of go back and forth on it. Like, ‘You're gonna get docked for this, you're gonna get docked for that.’ So it's like, all right, I mean, I just gotta ride my dirt bike. It is what it is. Got docked a few points but I mean, it is what it is and glad the results stayed the same. That's all I can say.”
He'll worry about the points another day. For now, he’s checked a big box with that first-ever professional win.
“After I won my moto after Thunder Valley, this is my next goal was getting an overall and it was definitely emotional for me at Thunder Valley just because it was such a relief that I finally did it,” he said. “But it was like, all right, I belong here now. So, after the day, it's like, man, it's about time that I did it, you know. I wish to be on the podium every weekend sometimes, like, especially last week and I was damage control, and I was struggling with the track. I'm trying to build and learn as much as possible and honestly just keep doing what I'm doing because obviously something's working. So, we're just gonna keep it going. But yeah, to be up here with these guys, it's been a pretty fun summer so far.”
Main image by Mitch Kendra
