Championship Refresher

Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) continued his strong season with 2-1 finishes for the overall win at the eighth round Washougal National two weeks ago. Deegan enters the day with a 54-point lead over Tom Vialle (KTM), a 70-point lead over Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki), and an 86-point lead over Chance Hymas (Honda) with just three races remaining in the championship (150 total points).

Chase Sexton (KTM) is sitting on a seven moto win streak as he claimed a moto two win at the Southwick National for the overall win then rattled off three straight 1-1 days. The Red Bull KTM rider enters today with a 28-point lead over Hunter Lawrence (Honda), a 78-point lead over Justin Cooper (Yamaha), and a 79-point lead over Aaron Plessinger (KTM). And something to note is that Hunter Lawrence is racing on the all-new generation CRF450R tomorrow, making the machine's U.S. racing debut.

Rider Updates

In the 250 Class, Garrett Marchbanks (Kawasaki) is making his debut back with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team as he gets a head start on his 2025 contract after a split with Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha. Coty Schock (broken wrist) is making his return to racing this weekend, while his teammate Jett Reynolds (broken collarbone) will miss the remainder of the Pro Motocross season.

In the premier class, Cooper Webb (Yamaha), Ken Roczen (Suzuki), and Colt Nichols (Suzuki) are making their 2024 Pro Motocross season debuts. Shane McElrath (Kawasaki) is making his debut aboard the MaddParts.com Kawasaki Race Team for 2025 after his time with HEP Motorsports Suzuki came to an end. Eli Tomac (Yamaha), Justin Barcia (GasGas), and Jett Lawrence (Honda) are sidelined for this weekend, with Tomac eying a return next weekend at the Budds Creek National, as a return has yet to be determined for Barcia. And Jett Lawrence, who won the 2023 title here last year en route to his perfect 22-0 season, is out for these final three Pro Motocross races as he looks to come into the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) playoffs fully healed and back at full stride.

Speaking of the SMX playoffs, these final three Pro Motocross races are now more important than ever as riders look to solidify their spot into the automatic top 20 qualifying spots and other riders look to sneak into that top 30 mark in order to get a shot at the SMX playoffs via the last chance qualifier races.

Fresh Faces

Keep an eye on the following rookies in their respective pro debuts:

250 Class:
#302 Parker Ross (Honda)
#736 Jace Allred (Honda)

450 Class:
#790 Jaxon Pascal (Honda)

RELATED: Unadilla National Injury Report

View the full race day schedule and check out the TV broadcast/streaming schedule below.

Qualifying will start at 8 a.m. local time (Eastern).

First Qualifying Sessions

250 Class/450 Class

Surprisingly, the track did not seem nearly as bad as it could have been! It actually looked like a typical race day morning with the early morning slight mud that sticks. The track must have been sealed really well because it got hammered with rain yesterday. We will see how it shapes up throughout the rest of the morning and day but so far, surprisingly good. The sun might dry up and shape this place up to be its usual rutty race course, but we are not expecting any more rain today.

Championship leader Haiden Deegan led the field around the course. But it was Chance Hymas’ 2:15.448 that was the top time by the end of the session. Jason Anderson was leading the first 450 Class on the timing page but Justin Cooper (2:14.158) and Hunter Lawrence (2:14.736) put down sub-2:15 laps to move into P1 and P2, respectively.

Second Qualifying Sessions

250 Class

The track continued to improve by the time the second qualifying sessions rolled around. Chance Hymas and Ty Masterpool shuffled for the top spot, which eventually went to Hymas. Although not recovered fully as he deals with the ankle injury he suffered at the Spring Creek National, the Honda HRC rider put down a blazing 2:13.773—which took the top overall 250 Class qualifying spot of the day. Masterpool’s 2:15.654 in the second session finished second overall, as Joey Savatgy, Haiden Deegan, and Tom Vialle rounded out the top five in overall qualifying. In his return to the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team and the 250 Class, Garrett Marchbanks qualified 13th overall. Rookie SLR Honda teammates Parker Ross (24th) and Jace Allred (32nd) qualified to make it into the motos in their first pro race after Loretta Lynn’s. Ross topped the second 250 Class group B session on his #302 Honda machine. Preston Boespflug (41st) did not make the top 36 cutoff and will be forced to race the LCQ.

450 Class

In the 450 Class, it was Chase Sexton with a blazing 2:11.943 to take the top spot in the session/overall time on the day. Justin Cooper was a close second with a 2:12.191 as third was a 2:14.237 from Jason Anderson and a 2:14.420 from Hunter Lawrence on that new generation 2025 CRF450R. Ken Roczen qualified fifth overall (2:14.433) at a track he has put in great 450 riders in years past, as Cooper Webb (2:16.836) finished tenth in his season debut. Shane McElrath was 11th fastest this morning (2:17.522) in his first ride with the MaddParts.com Kawasaki Race Team for 2025 and Colt Nichols was 15th in his Suzuki/season debut.

The sun is out here as we are prepping for the last chance qualifier race as conditions are perfect with a current temperature of 73 degrees Fahrenheit.

First Motos

250 Class

The riders took their sight lap, and the conditions were about perfect: 75 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny. You truly could not ask for better conditions.

The gates dropped on the first moto of the day, and it was Levi Kitchen with the holeshot. Chance Hymas quickly made his way into the race lead by the end of the first lap. Hymas would lead a four-rider train of Kitchen, Max Anstie, and Haiden Deegan as Mark Fineis and Tom Vialle had two separate crashes on the opening lap that saw them both dead last early on. Joey Savatgy looked to have an early issue (mechanical), and he did not complete a single lap, scoring 40th. With the front four pulling away, Garrett Marchbanks and Jalek Swoll were going back and forth, with Marchbanks eventually besting the Triumph rider. Hymas had a nice lead out front but suddenly had his rear end step out of one of the long, deep ruts, which caused a viscous crash where the bike landed on the Idaho native! Kitchen and Deegan came by and took over the top two spots. Hymas was pinned under his bike and needed assistance getting it off of him. Deegan took the lead from Kitchen a lap later and simultaneously, somehow Hymas was able to get back on his CRF250R and get going again! Deegan would take the race win over Kitchen, Anstie, a charging Jo Shimoda, and Marchbanks, who finished fifth in his first moto back on a Kawasaki KX250. Vialle ended up taking 22nd as Hymas finished 32nd. According to HRC team manager Lars Lindstrom on the TV broadcast, initial word on Hymas is he knocked the wind out of himself, but he does not have any serious injuries. We will provide an update on his condition ahead of the second moto.

450 Class

The gates dropped on 450 moto one and it was Aaron Plessinger, Hunter Lawrence, and Chase Sexton out front. As they came around past the mechanics' area for the first lap, Lawrence used an inside line in the turn to take the lead from Plessinger! Lawrence and Sexton continued to battle as they dropped Plessinger. Justin Cooper was hounded by Jason Anderson, who dropped Dylan Ferrandis. Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb found themselves battling for seventh ahead of Christian Craig. Lawrence and Sexton would cat and mouse back and forth out front, with Sexton momentarily taking the lead but the #96 fought right back in the next section and retook the lead! When the checkered flag waved, the #96 took the race win by 2.370 seconds as he slammed the front number plate of his Honda. What a way to debut the all-new generation CRF450R! Plessinger came through 27 seconds back, followed by Cooper and Anderson. Grant Harlan had a strong ride as the #23 came through 11th. In his first U.S. moto, German rider Henry Jacobi finished 17th and was high fiving fans as he rode off the track and back to the pits.

Second Motos

250 Class

Levi Kitchen once again holeshot the field when the gates dropped. Ty Masterpool was right behind his teammate but then fell going into the third turn! The #29 was buried towards the back of the pack and had to get to work. Casey Cochran had a big crash that looked to result in a right arm injury, as he rode off the track on the back of the Alpinestars medical cart. Chance Hymas tried to power through his moto one crash and compete in the second race, but he pulled off after only four laps. Out front, Kitchen was being challenged by Jo Shimoda until the #30 crashed hard. He was taken off the track on the back of a medical cart as well, with his left arm wrapped in a sling. The crash from Shimoda gave Kitchen some breathing room. The #47 would take the race win by 15.694 seconds over Deegan as Tom Vialle rebounded from a 22nd in the first moto to finish third. Jalek Swoll rode home a fourth-place finish as Garrett Marchbanks rounded out the top five. Kitchen’s 2-1 gave him the overall win over Deegan’s 1-2 and Swoll’s 6-4, as the #33 gave Triumph their first AMA podium finish. Deegan now leaves with a 70-point lead over Kitchen with just two rounds remaining (100 total points), meaning the #38 Yamaha rider could clinch the 250 Class title next week (one round early).

450 Class

The gates dropped on the fourth and final moto of the day and it was Chase Sexton who basically got into and out of turn one first and would not be seen again from his competition. The Red Bull KTM rider put his head down and clicked off lap after lap after lap before taking the checkered flag. He had a 15-second lead at one point and was absolutely rolling out front. Sexton’s results were 2-1 but it was what behind him that would determine the overall win. Cooper Webb, Dylan Ferrandis, and Ken Roczen were second through fourth as Jason Anderson ran fifth. Webb had a crash that dropped him down a handful of positions as Hunter Lawrence took over fifth. Aaron Plessinger was buried off the start and had his work cut out for him. Where Lawrence (moto one winner) and Plessinger (third in moto one) finished would determine the overall podium. Ferrandis got into second but then was challenged by Lawrence. Late, the #96 made a pass on Ferrandis, which secured him second overall because Plessinger was behind him then three spots behind him. Plessinger passed Anderson for fourth but was three seconds behind Ferrandis and unable to get the #14, so Plessinger’s 3-4 was third overall over Ferrandis’ 6-3 and Anderson’s 5-5. At the checkered flag, it was Sexton, Lawrence, Ferrandis, Plessinger, Anderson, Roczen, Justin Cooper, Christian Craig, Malcolm Stewart, and Grant Harlan with yet another great finish as he rounded out the top ten.

In terms of the championship, Sexton leaves with a 28-point gap over H. Lawrence with two rounds remaining.