Two weeks before the 250SX East Division kicked off in Tampa, Honda HRC Progressive was unsure if Chance Hymas should race the event. Hymas himself was eager to line up, but the team is focused solely on his long-term health, and didn’t want to rush him back from off-season ACL surgery. A year ago Hymas also had ACL surgery, and he re-tore it days before the 250 East opener. That’s the scenario the team wanted to avoid. Further, while the knee was coming around quickly this time, Hymas was also recovering from some surgery to help alleviate issues related to arm pump. Apparently, Chance had suffered arm pump so many times that he’d begun to develop some other issues in his arms, which he was finally able to get corrected.
Long term, his health was going to be better, but could he be ready for Tampa? He made good progress on the bike the week before the Glendale Supercross, which made Tampa become realistic. While the team was cautious, the decision was made to let him race.
For Honda and Hymas, it’s not about winning races or championships right now, it’s about acquiring experience in supercross, which he has lost over the last few years. Last year was also compromised with ACL recovery, and the year before he only raced a handful of supercross races as he transitioned into the pro ranks.
“Right now I have to race my way into shape and don’t take more risks than I need to,” said Hymas. “Talking to the team, our goal is a motocross championship right now. They weren’t planning on me racing here. Unfortunately the last few years I’ve missed some races and valuable race experience. I’m just trying to learn as much as I can for next year.”
His back-to-back sixth-place finishes are fine with the team.
“The first round in Tampa was a pretty good day for me overall,” said Hymas after round one. “I struggled in qualifying, just knocking the rust off a bit. I have about a week on the bike, overall, and the team and I worked really hard all day and busted our butts. Each qualifying session got better and better. In the heat race, I was lacking a little bit of sprint speed; I haven’t done a sprint in around six months. The heat race was good, and honestly, the main event was a lot better than I expected. I had a good start and ran up front with those guys and felt good the whole race, but I was definitely out of breath a little bit. I just need some more laps under me, but overall, a solid start to the year.“
“Chance did exactly what we asked him to do, which was ride smart, and not take any unnecessary risks,” said Honda HRC Progressive Team Manager Lars Lindstrom. “I think he could’ve taken a run at Tom Vialle in the main event, but he may have needed to get a little “sendy” in the whoops; I’m really proud of him for using his head and not taking that chance. I’m excited for him to build from this result.”
Hymas says he’d only tested the new 2025 Honda chassis for four days before Tampa, and then when he added in Tampa press day, race day and a solid week before Detroit, he’d practically doubled his time learning the bike before round two. What’s wilder, he says, even with only four days under his belt, he still felt more prepared than in his previous supercross seasons!
In Detroit, he took sixth again.
“Round 2 in Detroit was a step in the right direction,” he said. “I had a better result in qualifying–another P6 on the night. We had overall improvement with the bike, and I’ll just keep working hard for Daytona.”
While two sixth-place finishes wouldn’t normally get a team or rider excited—especially one with aspirations like Hymas and Honda—in this scenario, staying safe and learning has.
“Chance was solid once again,” said Lindstrom.” In a very volatile class, he has been steady and smooth. So far, his start to the season has been according to plan, and we’re super happy with his progress.”
For many riders, this season has proven difficult to survive, and that’s even in the early going. So far the goal for Hymas is to avoid the trouble that has tagged so many others, and if he does, the wins will come later.
