In just a few days, the 250SX West Region Championship of Monster Energy AMA Supercross lost a handful of riders due to injury. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Ty Masterpool (broken fingers in San Diego SX crash) and Garrett Marchbanks (shoulder injury) were both injured and announced as out for today's third round. Many wondered if this was going to be the time we saw Mitch Payton and crew turned to 16-year-old Drew Adams. Adams was scheduled to run the SMX Next (formerly SX Futures) events starting next weekend at Glendale, Arizona, but could he move up to the pro ranks now and work as a fill-in for the team? Yes! Adams will make his first AMA Supercross race today as national number #98. How did he get here?
Adams has been on Kawasakis since 2019 and on a KX250 four-stroke full-time since the start of 2022. Then, he was just a fast, but tiny, kid on a big bike. Still, he was throwing huge whips! But in the last three years, the now 16-year-old got taller, put on some muscle, and really started showing what he could do. Although the youngest, he'll also be one of the biggest riders on the gate tonight.
Adams had a break out year with the Team Green Kawasaki amateur program in 2024, first in the SX Futures. Adams finished 6-1-1-1 in the four SX Futures qualifying races before the championship-deciding main event finale in Utah last May. In the finale, he was leading before going down and eventually finishing second behind then-GasGas rider Cole Davies. After the race, we learned Adams had been under the weather and not operating at 100 percent. Still, Adams had proved he has skills on stadium racing.
He then went on to race pro in the Canadian Motocross Championship, just barely losing out on the title at the final round. He won a few motos and overalls and had a really impressive showing in what many—including himself—expected to be his final go round at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. In his first moto of the week (250 Pro Sport), he was down in a pileup in the first turn and went from about 35th to fourth by the checkered flag, saving his chances at winning the championship. In the remaining five motos that week, Adams showed he was the top of the class, fighting through the field to take the checkered flag each time. His 4-1-1 finishes gave him the 250 Pro Sport title and his 1-1-1 finishes swept for the Open Pro Sport title. The humble teenager was hit with emotions at the end of it all, celebrating with a burnout on the podium. The #33 also went home with the coveted Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award. It was pretty cool to see a rider from Tennessee perform so well in his home state.
Next up, his pro debut in the U.S. at the Ironman National finale—his first official race with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki. He finished 12th overall with 15-11 moto finishes. It was enough to earn a two-digit number for 2025 from just those two motos!
It was rumored Adams had signed a two-year deal with the team, which he confirmed at the SMX Media days in California in December. However, he explained the two-year deal is actually for 2026 and 2027, not 2025. What?
Well, the team’s initial plan was for Adams to race SMX Next this year with the option as a fill-in if needed on the pro scene. The goal was to allow the Tennessee native to not rush into supercross and be ready for a full green light starting at the AMA Pro Motocross Championship opener in May.
“So, for this year, my plan is to race SMX Next again, but I'm more just a fill-in rider for Pro Circuit this year," Adams explained to media back in December. "If anything tragic were to happen, then I would be able to get ready to race. …Yeah, pretty much so, as of right now, I'm training like I'm gonna be racing A1 and when the opportunity comes, then I'll be ready.”
Well, Kawasaki was trying to be patient with Adams and his development, but all the injuries and illness made the team draft up Adams. This leaves both Seth Hammaker and Cameron McAdoo as strictly 250SX East riders with Kitchen, who has moved East.
Adams said the following in an Instagram story posted by Kawasaki on Friday:
“What’s up, it’s Drew Adams here, we’re at Anaheim 2. I just got the call, I’m racing tomorrow night. I’m so pumped, I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life. Yeah, watch me race tomorrow night!”
Drew Adams is ready for his pro @SupercrossLIVE debut tomorrow at the Anaheim 2 #Supercross in California.
— Mitch Kendra (@mitch_kendra) January 25, 2025
Video is from Kawasaki's Instagram #SupercrossLIVE #SuperMotocross #SX2025 #SMX2025 pic.twitter.com/miOsz3pSxi
We all know Adams has some skills in supercross, especially at just 16 (he will turn 17 in March). How will it translate over to the pro ranks today?
📣 Rider Announcement 📣
— Kawasaki Racing (@RaceKawasaki) January 25, 2025
The talented Kawasaki Team Green graduate, Drew Adams will make his Supercross debut this weekend at Anaheim 2 aboard his @PCraceteam KX250#RaceKawasaki #TeamGreen pic.twitter.com/1VrHo3I4bt