The first SMX Playoff round of 2025 was greeted with a lightning delay that led to a cancellation of the second motos. That's pretty much the first time that's ever happened in a race of this scale. Yet, even with that, the outcome seemed more predictable than the second playoff race! At the first race, Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan are the two-time and defending SMX World Champions, and they won the first motos (and overalls) at Charlotte. Round two in St. Louis? Well, that was a little different.
Different, already, was the track, held in a dome that has hosted 26 editions of Monster Energy Supercross before. This was a more hybrid-style track, designed to add a small bit of motocross to the mix, with extra sand, a topsoil mixture in spots, and fewer technical, supercross-style obstacles.
Ultimately, the track didn't tell the story though. What turned the tables was A) Jett Lawrence getting wheelspin off the gate in the first 450 moto, and thus starting in 21st place. The track was tough to pass on but Jett can do more than most, and he charged all the way to fourth place, and even got second and third (Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac) in his sights on the last lap. Fourth was not what he wanted, but it was a heck of a salvage job. Meanwhile Hunter Lawrence nailed the start and rolled away from Roczen and Tomac early, holding on for a solid first-moto win.
This put Jett at long odds on winning the 450 overall. The 250s looked totally normal in the first moto after Deegan dominated again, pulling away from Jo Shimoda. Then came the second crazy thing of the night. Witness exhibit B:) Levi Kitchen took Deegan out in moto two. That ended any chance of Deegan winning the overall.
What happened? Well, Kitchen tried to explain:
"As far as the incident in moto 2 there’s a lot of money on the line. Had I stayed up and got on the podium i’d be back in this thing with an opportunity to make great money in Vegas. Love me or hate me I’m racing for myself and myself only. Thanks to the people who support me."
Kitchen's take out was costly, as Deegan got up with a snapped front brake lever, and in about last. Somehow he came through and salvaged 14th, making passes without a brake. The trouble there is the sixth overall (1-6) in a double points cost him the championship lead. The winner? Shimoda, so sick for the weekend that he couldn't do his podium interviews or attend the press conference, won with 2-2 scores. Now Shimoda is in control heading into the Las Vegas finale on Saturday. A win or a second for Shimoda nets the title.
Shimoda was followed home in the overall by Seth Hammaker and Nate Thrasher.
As for the end of the 450 show, Jett Lawrence came back to lead moto two early and get away, with Tomac and Hunter Lawrence fighting behind him. Lappers slowed up Jett late, and the Eli/Hunter battle got to the leader, leading to a close finish. Jett hung on, his 4-1 netting second behind Hunter's 1-3 and Tomac's 3-2.
Here's how the top riders explained it:
Hunter Lawrence – 1st Place – 450SMX
“Great night. [I’m] happy, though it's weird, it's like a coincidence, like we're in the second round over and over. But it's nice, you know we're trying to build a house so, fellas, if that bonus could hit Monday that would be wonderful. A little money always helps, so yeah we'd like some nice things and they cost money [laughs]. So, big thanks to the team, everyone that's helped out, yeah, [I’m] stoked, what a good night.” – Hunter Lawrence, joking around on the podium when it was pointed out that he also won Playoff 2 in 2024 with (1-3) moto scores.
Jett Lawrence – 2nd Place – 450SMX
“[Leading the second moto] I was pretty calm, and then in the sand section there was a lapper on the inside. And it's just as bad following in the sand because it just goes everywhere, it blinds you, so you just like, ‘Oh, I'm gonna go outside.’ And there was another lapper there, and he was cruising; he was [heeding] the blue flags and getting out of the way. So, I got screwed in that. The two seconds I had [over Tomac] shrunk really quickly. And then that last, like lap or two, was hectic. I was gassing it, I was sliding out in certain spots, and it was a wild last two laps. But we’re happy to turn it around; I definitely wasn’t going to suck on the start then like I did the first one, so I was glad to execute a good start and I’m happy with P2 especially how the first [moto] went.” – Jett Lawrence
Eli Tomac – 3rd Place – 450SMX
“That was some good racing there, just good, fun racing. Of course I would like to finish up top. I did what I could. I felt like I rode better that moto, busted out some good lines, but once again not quite enough. So, we’ll keep pushing. Yes, I’m down 16 [points], which is a little unfortunate, but it is what it is now. We’re in the mix, we’re in the hunt, so we’ll take it to Vegas. Thank you to Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing for the day and yeah, it was good.” – Eli Tomac
In 250SMX Class racing, Jo Shimoda earned the overall with (2-2) moto finishes. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Seth Hammaker also used consistency to his advantage, taking second overall via (3-3) moto scores. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Nate Thrasher took the final spot on the podium with (6-4) moto results.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Haiden Deegan, the defending SMX250 Class Champion and points leader going into St. Louis, had a dramatic collision with Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Levi Kitchen on the opening lap of the second moto. Deegan recovered to 14th place despite a damaged front brake lever. Deegan’s (1-14) motos earned him sixth overall; it dropped him 10 points back in the title hunt with one round remaining. A win in Vegas would gain 9 points over second place, so a win by Deegan in Vegas would not guarantee a third SMX World Championship.
Jo Shimoda – 1st Place – 250SMX
“All I can say is we’ve been working so hard all year. I just want to finish good, and I don’t want to give anything away. I think that was probably the toughest moto I ever felt, actually. Today, we had just enough. Any more laps, I mean – I got really sketchy [on the] last lap. But I’m proud of everyone, I’m proud of my team, the bike was dialed, and I’m excited for next weekend. Hopefully… I’m done with [this interview] [laughs].” – Jo Shimoda, feeling completely run-down on the podium due to an illness.
Seth Hammaker – 2nd Place – 250SMX
“Yeah, I set myself up [well] going into the third and final SMX [World Championship] race in Las Vegas next weekend, so I’m super pumped about that. It was just two solid [motos] tonight, nothing spectacular but I just put myself in good positions and didn’t panic, just rode what the track gave me. I felt better this week and I think that showed. I tried to put a push on Jo, there, like half-way to three-quarters of the way through that [moto], but I just was getting a little sketchy and the track was really tearing down. I decided to play it smart, and Jo rode a great race, so congrats to him. Like I said, overall, a pretty good day and thankfully back on the podium. We’re gonna give it everything we've got next weekend in Las Vegas, so I’m really excited. Shout out to Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, my whole family, everybody watching; it means a lot, so see you in Vegas next week.” – Seth Hammaker
Nate Thrasher – 3rd Place – 250SMX
“There through outdoors I was really struggling with bike set-up, and at those last two rounds we really found something. We really changed a lot with the rear end – it was pushing me a little bit too far forward. And then coming into SMX [postseason] at the practice track I’ve been ripping the whole time. Last weekend I actually rode really good, I was quite a bit faster than the guys in front of me, I just wasn’t aggressive enough… It’s just tough to pass on these tracks and I feel like Supercross is a little bit more ‘me,’ and so I just came in here tonight – that first race I think I was 13th or 14th [at the start] – and man, I just was aggressive early. I made a lot of passes and got up into sixth. And in that [second moto] I was a little smoked from that first [moto], just didn’t quite have the pace I had in that first one, but we were able to salvage a fourth. Going into Vegas I’m going to give it all that I’ve got. I’m normally pretty good on the speedways [SX and SMX layouts], in the past, so maybe go out there and win it and get top three in points.” – Nate Thrasher, when asked about his inconsistency on the podium.
