The 13th round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross held true to that trend of exciting racing in 2025. Rain, a 250SX East/West Showdown, brilliant performances from Cole Davies and Chase Sexton, and more all made for a night that left us with all kinds of questions. To get answers from Philadelphia, we went to former pro and NBC reporter, Jason Thomas.
Although no rain fell during the actual racing, it still played a role in Philadelphia. What kind of a track were the guys dealing with? Would you liken it to Seattle at all?
It was much better than Foxboro, that’s for sure! In all seriousness, we got very lucky. The rains that came down all day Friday subsided early Saturday, and while threatening all afternoon, never returned in any tangible way. That gave the SMX Track Crew a chance to pump water off of the racetrack, scrape the wet layer to the side and make the dry dirt underneath to become part of the racing surface. It wasn’t perfect but it was a win given the circumstances.
As for similar to Seattle, yes, it was but not exactly the same. Seattle’s dirt makeup is different. It’s softer and more prone to deep ruts. Philly’s clay is harder and doesn’t shape the same. The ruts have more tack to them but also, the harder surface (where scraped) becomes more slippery. If you noticed riders losing the front end and catching it, that’s from the slick surface. The front tire “steps out” and they scramble to chase it. Seattle’s dirt would not lose traction in the same way. These are subtle nuances but as for how the riders attack the racetrack, it is a marked difference.
It looked like some of the guys were having a hard time making passes stick—as soon as a rider would get by, he’d get repassed. Was there something about the track that lent itself to the kind of back-and-forth?
I think it was just the prevalence of mistakes. It was incredibly difficult to put error-free laps together. There was a lot of back and forth as mistakes were made, especially in the 250 class. They were having to push much harder with the lack of power and pushing typically leads to mistakes. Further, when a mistake was made, they don’t have the torque to mask it like a 450 does.
Philadelphia was a 250SX East/West Showdown, and at times it seemed as though some of the east division guys weren’t especially concerned with battling for position with west division riders. For example, RJ Hampshire didn’t fight too hard when Cole Davies and Haiden Deegan passed him, but put up plenty of resistance when Seth Hammaker was on him. Did pick up on any of that, or are we just seeing things that aren’t there?
Yes, but only with the RJ/Hammaker dynamic you mentioned. RJ said that he specifically drew a line in the sand when he saw Hammaker pull alongside him in the main event. Realistically, every point matters but being passed by your own divisional rival is a double whammy in that regard. RJ said he struggled all day but he knew that not fighting Hammaker could have serious consequences for the title.
Tom Vialle crashed in his heat race immediately exited the racetrack. Were you surprised he didn’t try to get back in it and battle to transfer to the main? Having the last gate pick for in the LCQ in an East/West Showdown sees like an unenviable spot to be in.
I thought he might be hurt, honestly. I was worried he wouldn’t line up for the LCQ at all. He later said that the bike was too bent to have a chance at getting back to ninth and he felt that giving the team time to repair it was the right decision. There are two aspects to that decision that are relevant. First, the showdown makes it much tougher to get back to ninth, as the entire east division was in his heat. Second, his choice to not finish the heat relegated him to the last gate pick for the LCQ, versus what would likely be a mid-pack spot if he fought back to 14th or better in the heat. It worked out as he pushed deep into the first corner, but that was the risk he was taking.
Cole Davies looked like he was taking different lines in a lot of places than other riders. Is this accurate? If so, how did staying out of the race line actually benefit Davies?
The track was deteriorating quickly and in the obvious line, even more so. That deterioration inevitably leads to slower lap times as the ruts and bumps develop. With Davies in a different, less traveled line, he had less deterioration to deal with. He was able to charge through sections where other riders had slow down and methodically wade through. Vision is a wildly underrated aspect of a rough racetrack. Maintaining the ability to find the smoother line is a big coup, especially for a young rider like Davies.
What the hell happened on the start of the 450SX main event? One minute everything looked fine, then all of a sudden Aaron Plessinger is going straight when he should be turning left, leaving a trail of victims behind.
A big part of this is how tight the first corner was. If it was an extended left (crossing a full lane instead of turning into it), riders would have had more room to push deep and corner with a bigger arc. That tight 180 means everyone is going to brake hard and try to lean inside. As Shane McElrath tried to position himself for that tight turn, he and Plessinger made contact and that started the domino effect. AP pushed into Sexton and on and on we go. It sounds like AP was not thrilled with McElrath’s decision to be aggressive into the corner, which is fair criticism. Also, had McElrath been able to hold that spot, he likely comes out with the lead. The margin for these moves is razor thin and this one didn’t work. I still believe the angle of the first corner was the catalyst for the drama, though.
We know the 450SX main event didn’t go how Plessinger wanted, but he sure looked good in his heat race when he passed Cooper Webb and took off for the win. He also picked up on tripling out of the whoops to triple into the next corner very early in the day. Is Plessinger in the middle of leveling up, or should we wait for some dry races to start with that kind of talk?
He looks great! I think this is just the AP we expected to see in January. It’s the same one we saw with the red plate in January of 2024. I don’t think he’s quite ready for a 17-round title fight but he’s podium capable on a weekly basis right now. The next step in this progression will be to hold this level every week in a full, healthy field. That’s an incredibly difficult ask and not many can do it. But, if looking for the next step, that’s it.
Dean Wilson was back. Did he look rusty, about how you thought he would, or did he exceed your expectations?
He was as expected. The arm pump and fatigue in the main event was typical for a return, also. He’s been racing arenacrosses abroad but the length of the race and the conditions are far from what he’s been racing upon. He said he got arm pump pretty bad in the main, which checks out when looking at the conditions. That type of track forces riders to hold on much tighter as there is no predicting where the bike will want to go. They can’t leave the motorcycle to its own devices or they will end up in the bleachers.
Joey Savatgy was back in a main event for the first time since puncturing a lung and breaking some ribs in Indianapolis. He was fantastic, too, taking fifth on the night. Was there anywhere specific where he was making up time?
The start was critical. Getting up front and out of trouble was the biggest key here. He wasn’t going to start 12th and get to fifth. He is incredibly capable but positioning for most of the field is the biggest variable. There are very few riders in this field who can move through the pack from any position. He rode very well but with his talent and ability, the two biggest keys were the start and avoiding unforced errors.
Justin Barcia led early, but then inexplicably went over a berm all by himself. Any idea how that happened?
Well, this doesn’t happen often, but he had a rear brake failure. He claims they’ve been fighting this issue as of late and it caught him on that first lap. I am not a mechanic so for me to guess as to why this is happening would be foolish. Not having a rear brake when you instinctively expect it can be incredibly unnerving. That was a bummer, though, as those conditions favored Barcia, and he was leading!
