10. The #deepfield:
Injuries that proved costly in Monster Energy AMA Supercross just added to the intrigue of Pro Motocross at the opener, with the likes of Jett and Hunter Lawrence, Eli Tomac, Jorge Prado and Jason Anderson returning to action. That led to many great unknowns and even more anticipation than usual. That quickly waned when Chase Sexton, none other than the defending Pro Motocross Champion, exited. When he returned at RedBud, it actually created probably the deepest field at any point. Justin Barcia was also back, and Tony Cairoli was in the mix on a Ducati. By that point, the field was probably a dozen deep with riders who had won races and championships at a very high level.
9. Tomac’s Back:
Everyone who was injured in supercross returned in various stages of prep, and Tomac looked very prepared. Despite missing nearly all of the last two motocross campaigns with injury, the five-time AMA National Motocross Champion had his outdoor legs immediately and battled Jett hard at round one and won a moto at round two. As time went on, the Lawrence boys and their bikes got better, then Eli’s tough DNF at RedBud ended any title hopes. He searched for bike settings the rest of the year and grabbed some podiums but couldn’t break through again. Still, he could have been retired years ago. Tomac winning two motos outdoors was a sight to see.
8. Chance’s Chance, and the Jo Show:
Look, at no point was Haiden Deegan’s 250 National Championship defense really in doubt. He won the first four motos of the season and other contenders like Chance Hymas, Levi Kitchen and Tom Vialle had bad races almost immediately. Still, this wasn’t a perfect season threat, either, as Chance Hymas went from food poisoning at one race to 1-1 at the next. Unfortunately, he got hurt again, quickly, but at least reminded of his upside. His Honda teammate Jo Shimoda morphed from very good into great when he got better starts in the second half of the year. Deegs was best, but the Honda boys were also very good.
7. WMX’s Organic Growth:
We’re not even sure how many people noticed WMX’s return as a professional series last year (with rounds mixed in mostly with big amateur events) and the announcement of a six-round season exclusively at Pro Motocross races in 2025, well, we’re not sure how many people noticed that, either. See, the races were all scheduled to take place on Fridays, until bad weather canceled all riding the day before the Thunder Valley National. The solution? Run a WMX moto on Saturday and keep the live Peacock broadcast on the air. What the fans discovered was a hungry and fast group of females that put on a heck of a show. You know Saturday motos are going to be the thing now, and this group is ready for the moment.
6. Mr. Consistencies:
It started with the usual “RJ gonna RJ” when the mega-determined Rockstar Husqvarna rider endured another wrist surgery just before Pro Motocross began, and then sill raced the opener. It was his full-time 450 debut. But the 450 RJ was a different RJ. He was smoother! He also got faster as the wrist got better, to where podiums were standard fare at the end of the season. Hampshire could prove a sleeper contender on 450s in 2026. The faster bike made him much more consistent!
In the 250 class, Garrett Marchbanks was the sleeper story of the year, ranking third in the final 250 Pro Motocross standings and combined SMX rankings. He didn’t win a race and only had three podiums, but that’s mostly due to consistently bad starts. He rode well indoors and out and re-established himself as a contender. Marchbanks bet on himself with a one-year deal to return to Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki. It paid off.
5. Prado Probs:
That #deepfield above featured, prominently, MXGP World Champion Jorge Prado, who has always been contender in his motocross life. This transition to America and Monster Energy Kawasaki, though, didn’t look anything like what fans saw in the GPs. There were few signs of progress or hope, and any steps forward were usually followed by another step back to mid pack. By Budds Creek, the Kawasaki relationship appeared to be over. He could be back to his potential by next summer, on another bike. But 2025 was a lost season, for sure.
4. When Deegs Attacks:
Every next superstar needs a spell where he’s simply the best rider in the small bike class, with the resultant drama-free wins to match. That was Deegan most of the summer, winning often and that’s about it. At Budds, he went wild and let everyone know the fire still burns inside, and he can still bring the noise. In this particular 250 season, there wasn’t much else for him to say.
3. Sexton’s Surge:
Sad that Sexton never got to race it out and defend his title, because when he did compete, he was very capable. His overall win at Washougal showed real fight against Jett Lawrence, as did a scintillating battle again the next week at Ironman. The most exciting 450 motos of the season happened at those two races, and that’s directly traced to Sexton inserting himself into the picture. Too bad he wasn’t in it more. Still, those few furious laps at Washougal, with Tomac, Sexton and the Lawrences exchanging passes, that’s what everyone was dreaming about at the opener.
2. Jett Wins More:
You have to be really, really good to win eight out of 11 450 overalls and have that only seem like a solid season. Well, Jett Lawrence really is that good, so with a perfect season under his belt, this year’s domination looked mortal in comparison. Hey, he fell down a few times and in one race he hit the starting gate and got penalized! So much adversity! Okay, really, this is just more of the same. Jett’s either unbeatable or darned-near unbeatable. That’s about it.
1. Jeremy Martin’s Moto Win:
Storybook endings don’t get better than Jeremy Martin’s send off at Millville, with a moto win in his final pro race, and at his home track, to boot! The best moments in this sport are too often countered by sad, even tragic, stories. It’s high risk, high reward in these parts. Jeremy Martin has lived on both sides. His Millville win made the bad stuff worth it.
