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Morning Report

Good morning, race fans! We are out here at Unadilla MX getting ready for another day at the racetrack. Following some exciting racing during Friday's fifth round of the Women’s Motocross (WMX) Championship, we are set for the 250 and 450 Classes of Pro Motocross today.  

Weather wise, we are expecting a high of about 84° F with some possible rain this morning. The track was fairly dry and dusty on Friday, but you can expect it to be watered and tilled deep for this morning's very first session on the track.

You know most of the storylines by this point: both championship leaders—Haiden Deegan (250 Class) and Jett Lawrence (450 Class) can clinch their respective titles one round early if things go according to plan today. If Deegan finishes ahead of Jo Shimoda today in the overall, he will clinch the 250 Class title. For Jett Lawrence, he needs to gain three or more points on his older brother Hunter Lawrence to clinch the 450 Class title. It is very likely we will see both #1 plates handed out by the time the dust settles.

Throw in some different faces (familiar and new) and we have two very stacked fields set to go racing today. Two-time 450 Pro Motocross Champion Ken Roczen makes his season debut today after injuries in Monster Energy AMA Supercross as youngsters Cole Davies, Landon Gibson, and Caden Dudney are all making their respective Pro Motocross debuts. Really cool to that this track, known for its history in the sport, is the usual spot for riders to make their professional MX debuts.

Check out the injury report for today.

Unadilla MX has a very similar layout to last year's Pro Motocross round here. Take a lap around the track with rookie Gavin Betts during Friday's media day riding session.

Like usual, riders' meeting at 7:15 a.m., bikes on track at 8 a.m. Here we go!

Early morning scenes from Unadilla MX, courtesy of the Align Media crew.

First Qualifying Sessions

250 Class

Debutant Caden Dudney topped the 250 Class group B first qualifying session with a 2:20.454 in his first ever qualifying session. Fellow rookies Landon Gibson (2:22.300) and Gavins Betts (2:24.285) were fifth and ninth, respectively.

The 250 Class group A field got onto the track and early it was fast laps by Drew Adams, Julein Beaumer, and Seth Hammaker with 2:16s that sat at the top of the leaderboard. Beaumer went to the top with a 2:15.069, as Adams’ 2:15.580 sat second. On the fifth lap, Hammaker put in a 2:14.767 to move into P1. Garrett Marchbanks put in a heater—a 2:15.561—that moved him up into third around his teammate Adams. Haiden Deegan had a 2:17.229, which was 11th fastest. Look for the #1 to ramp it up come the second qualifying session. Cole Davies’ 2:18.310 was his 16th fastest in his first ever Pro Motocross qualifying session in his return to racing after his injuries at the supercross finale in May.

450 Class

The first 450 Class session got the green flag, and it was RJ Hampshire leading the field. Eli Tomac's 2:15.437 then became the top time. But a blazing fast Jett Lawrence heater, 2:11.756, quickly went to P1! Justin Cooper slid into second after a 2:13.443. But the #18 topped the session. The track looks to be in pretty good shape here so far today after a few sessions. Yesterday it was dry but some prep yesterday and early morning rain helped some. Should shape up good this afternoon. Jack Rogers topped the 450 Class group B first session.

Breaking News: Avery Long Re-Signs with AEO KTM

The AEO Powersports KTM Racing team just announced a new deal with rookie Avery Long that will see the Minnesota native return to the team for the 2026 season. Long said the following in a breaking news release from the team:

Read the full press release.

Second Qualifying Sessions

250 Class

Caden Dudney again topped the 250 Class group B session, with a 2:17.909. As the 250 Class group A session got underway, Kawasaki teammates Drew Adams and Levi Kitchen led the field. Adam’s 2:14.282 topped the session and overall qualifying, giving the Tennessee native his first ever fast qualifier as a professional. Haiden Deegan put in some better laps, and his 2:15.825 was second in the session. I watched Seth Hammaker, Garrett Marchbanks, and Julien Beaumer rounded out the top five in the session. In terms of overall qualifying, Adams’ P1 was followed by Hammaker, Beaumer, Marchbanks, then Deegan.

450 Class

The 450 Class got out on the track for their second qualifying session, and it was Justin Barcia's first full lap that was the fastest. Eli Tomac was going for a hot lap when his bike slid out from under him when he was exiting the bottom turn of the gnarly Screw U section. He came into the pits afterwards to adjust his clutch lever and have a quick suspension adjustment. Jett Lawrence put in a 2:15.255 to move into the top spot, followed by a 2:16.897 by Ken Roczen. Then, Justin Cooper’s 2:14.611 took the top spot, by half a second over the #18 machine.

A handful of other riders came into the mechanics’ area during the session, including Jorge Prado (twice for rear quick suspension adjustments), RJ Hampshire (quick front suspension adjustment), Ken Roczen, Malcolm Stewart, and Jett Lawrence. (no changes made, both just talked to team), and more. Riders were searching as the track evolved as they kept searching for improvements for faster times.

In terms of overall qualifying, Jett Lawrence’s 2:11.757 was still almost two seconds faster than Cooper’s 2:13.443 in the second session. Tomac, Roczen, and Prado rounded out the top five overall.

250 Class Consolation Race

Landon Gibson failed to make the motos today. The rookie qualified 38th overall, then had a few crashes in the consolation race, which cost him a shot at qualifying for today's motos. Tough day for the 16-year-old.

First Motos

250 Class

The hills of New Berlin were packed, and it was time for the points-paying motos. Through the first few turns, it was Tom Vialle, Seth Hammaker, and Julien Beaumer with Haiden Deegan shuffling into the top five as well. Shimoda ran away out front with the moto win as Deegan ran a lone second. Vialle had a crash that dropped him back to fourth as Dudney ran up with Brody Connelly. Connelly would fade late in the race, but Dudney held strong. Shimoda took the win by 37 seconds over Deegan in a very strong ride by the #30. Garrett Marchbanks charged up to fifth in another impressive charge. Deegan and Hammaker rounded out the podium. 

450 Class

The first 450 Class moto dropped the gates, and it was RJ Hampshire then Hunter and Jett Lawrence. Behind them, Eli Tomac, Jorge Prado, and Ken Roczen ran into a battle. The #18 got into the lead but on the fourth lap, he made a mistake right after the bridge following the holeshot stripe. The #18 got bucked over the berm, although he stayed up. But this allowed Hampshire to retake the lead as the #24 snuck by just ahead of the Honda rider. But a lap later, Hampshire went down! He remounted fourth behind the Lawrence duo and Tomac. A vintage Tomac vs Roczen battle did not materialize as Tomac made quick work of the Suzuki rider. Dylan Ferrandis and Justin Cooper both got around Prado, who came under pressure from Kyle Webster. Tomac started to close up on Hunter Lawrence for second as the #3 found his groove. Jett Lawrence took the moto win as Hunter Lawrence held strong for second, with Tomac in the final podium spot. Hampshire brought home fourth as Roczen rode home a lonely fifth. Behind the #94 there was still lots of action! Justin Cooper and Dylan Ferrandis both got around Prado as they battled, and unfortunately for the #70, be continued to drop positions. Cooper and Ferrandis battled down to the finish line, with Cooper holding off for sixth. Behind this O’Neal duo was Kyle Webster, then a down-to-the-wire battle between Justin Barcia and Malcolm Stewart. Barcia made a mistake in the turn before the bridge and almost swapped out. He saved it but this mistake looked like the #27 would get the #51. However, Barcia managed to quickly get back on the throttle and keep his position in the remaining two turns. Valentin Guillod rode home 11th, as a few positions back in 15th was Prado.

Second Motos

250 Class

The second motos began and it was Tom Vialle with the holeshot once again. But quickly, Jo Shimoda got to the lead. Shimoda checked out from there, as Tom Vialle ran second, which is where he would finish. Haiden Deegan got into third, which is where he would finish as well. Julien Beaumer and Garrett Marchbanks rounded out the top five as Seth Hammaker came through sixth after running in third for a majority of the moto. Caden Dudney got another great start, running in the top five. He faded and dropped back late in the race, finishing 13th after his seventh-place finish in the first moto.

It was Jo Shimoda’s day as the Honda HRC Progressive rider went 1-1 for the overall win. Deegan’s 2-3 was second overall over Vialle’s 4-2 finishes. Hammaker’s 3-6 and Beaumer’s 6-4 rounded out the top five overall. With Shimoda’s 1-1 day, he forces the 250 Class Championship to next weekend’s finale in Maryland. We still have one 450 Class moto to go, so we may still see a #1 plate handed out today.

450 Class

Hunter Lawrence got the holeshot but somehow his brother Jett Lawrence went from third to first and got into the lead by the time they came out from under the bridge! The #18 was leading but it was his brother Hunter Lawrence right on his rear wheel early in the race. The two were pushing it—and even made some contact with one another the bottom turn of the Screw U section—and pulling away from the rest of the field. After three or so laps, the #18 opened up a gap of over five seconds on his brother. Justin Cooper ran third with Eli Tomac in fourth ahead of RJ Hampshire. Tomac caught and passed his teammate around the halfway mark. Jett Lawrence was able to cruise it home and take the race win, which gave him the overall win with 1-1 finishes. The 1-1 day paired with Hunter Lawrence's 2-2 finishes allowed Jett Lawrence to clinch the 2025 450 Class AMA Pro Motocross Championship one round early.