The scoreboard looks ugly. Two riders have dominated, trounced, and controlled the first half of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship this summer, with Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan winning all but one overall this season (if this somehow kept up all the way to the Budds Creek finale, your trivia question answer is Chance Hymas). But while that seems boring and procedural, it actually hasn’t felt quite that way. Lawrence makes races surprisingly close, as we’re three years into the “Can he actually pull away more or is he on the edge?” question that permeates through each moto. Only Southwick was a real walk off, Jett explaining that on sand, you can’t back the pace down or it can actually get more difficult. So, he found a pace that gave him a good flow over the bumps, and he stuck with that. That gave him big leads each time. Everywhere else, it’s been close, and hey, he even got beat in motos at Hangtown and High Point.
So that’s why a season that looks dominant on paper has often felt unpredictable, notably because each time the gate drops fans are hoping Eli Tomac uncorks one. The four-time 450 Motocross Champion has proven he can do it, with two moto wins, the only ones not taken by Lawrence. Seems like an emotional Tomac overall is en route on any one of these weekends. That adds some intrigue to RedBud. Southwick, normally one of Tomac’s best tracks, was actually his worst performance of the season. So, this weekend we will found out. Was that a weird one off? Or can Tomac be the bald eagle and fly on Fourth of July Weekend?
Another story left from Southwick is that of Jorge Prado. He was “mid” (as the kids would say) early in the season, then straight up bad at a few races, and then finally showed life last weekend. He was fast in qualifying, super aggressive early in the motos, and probably a podium guy if not for two crashes. Is that a turnaround for the four-time MXGP World Champion? Eh, he said, post-race, that his Monster Energy Kawasaki is still not there, and he just rode better at Southwick because he’s good in sand. So, does that mean he regresses for RedBud? Did Kawi make enough progress this week to make him happy, or, at least, happier? That’s a huge, huge storyline.
- Motocross
- Race Day Live (Qualifying)LiveJuly 5 - 10:00 AM
- Race Day Live (Qualifying)LiveJuly 5 - 10:00 AM
- All 4 Motos (450s first)LiveJuly 5 - 1:00 PM
- MotosLiveJuly 5 - 1:00 PM
- 450 Moto 2 OnlyLiveJuly 5 - 3:00 PM
The biggest, though, is the return of Chase Sexton. The 2024 Pro Motocross Champion started his title run right here at RedBud last year, and he will basically start his season, in general, at his home track this year. We suspect Sexton’s absence over the first five rounds was more of a mental break than a physical recovery, which means he’s not working his way back from injury. That should make him closer to the front, faster, but still, jumping into any series six rounds deep is a tall task. Everyone knows Sexton can be great. Can he be great immediately?
Also fun, this 450 class has featured a great chase pack with Justin Cooper, Aaron Plessinger, and Hunter Lawrence. Somehow, they haven’t won motos, but they’ve been so close. Hunter has hit his stride now that Honda has the HRC Progressive CRF450R dialed in, with a bunch of seconds piled up in a row. Is he now, officially, the next best in this series to Jett? Can all the names mentioned above beat him, or is this just going to be Lawrence bros. 1-2s for the rest of the summer? Very, very interesting.
And another interesting tidbit this weekend will be the U.S. debut of the all-new Ducati Desmo450 MX via nine-time MXGP Champion Antonio Cairoli. The Italian rider is set to race both the Race RedBud and Spring Creek Nationals. He was riding The Wick 338 after the Pro Motocross round came and he was putting in some solid laps on a beat-up track. He missed this race in his summer in the U.S. in 2022, but he has raced RedBud MX twice in the past, both for the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in 2018 and '22, so he has some experience at this track. Cairoli has put in some solid rides in MXGP this year in limited starts, but it seems his speed is still there, and the Ducati is in fact ready to race. There will be a lot of folks looking at Cairoli and his bike this weekend.
Then there’s the 250 class. Deegan is cleaning up, Hymas is out, the likes of Levi Kitchen, Tom Vialle, and Jo Shimoda appear capable of threatening him at times…but honestly it hasn’t been close. If you don’t think the intrigue of RedBud 2025 is enough, consider it a rehearsal for RedBud 2026, when Deegan will likely be in the 450 Class himself. (And remember, this track is where he raced the Scouting Moto Combine event in 2022, which proved to the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team he might be closer to the pro ranks than expected. Then, a few months later he jumped from the B class at Loretta Lynn's Ranch to the pro class in Pro Motocross.) He and Jett have been trading subtle jabs this week in the press. How do you like your rivalries? Cold or hot?
And speaking of the moto combines, the second of three combines this summer takes place tomorrow (Friday) at RedBud MX. If you're in town, come out to see the next generation of the sport. View the entry list and tentative Friday schedule.
No shortage of stories brewing for this weekend, and on the horizon. Enjoy your weekend at RedBud. There will be fireworks both on and off the track.
