We gathered up some post-race quotes from the post-race press releases from the different teams and put them into this post. Read thoughts from the top factory SMX and MXGP riders.
RJ Hampshire | Team USA (2nd overall)
“It was a great experience to come here and race on home soil - even with the late call up I was still all in. I felt pretty good on Saturday - qualified second, and was fourth overall after the gate pick. Sunday was just a grind. I worked my way up to second and then had a crash, worked my way back up to third and had another crash. Worked my way back up to fourth I think and then had another crash! Just a really tough day. Luckily Tomac was awesome today, and J-Coop put in two solid motos - of course we wanted to win, but second on the day was still very cool. We leave here on the box and now we can all look forward to a little bit of the off season.”
Eli Tomac | Team USA (2nd overall)
“Well, we got on the podium. It’s so hard to beat Team Australia when they get all of those first and second-place finishes. That’s all I can say. I’m proud of Justin for stepping up and proud of RJ (Hampshire) for also stepping up to the plate here. We gave it our best effort. Australia is just very good right now, and they are hard to beat.
“Today, personally, I went for it too. I felt like I improved my riding every time on the track this weekend. To be totally honest, I was struggling a little bit yesterday on the qualifying day, but today, I was much better in the motos and was pretty happy with my riding.”
Justin Cooper | Team USA (2nd overall)
“It was a tough weekend all around. Bad outside gate picks were kind of on the menu for me all weekend, but we pulled through. We got on the podium and finished second. RJ had some unlucky scenarios, so that kind of took away our chances to win, but we came together as a team, and that’s what matters. Everyone was in this together, and we were all in. You don’t get any other races like this, so it’s special and even more special when you have all the fans cheering for you around the whole track. It keeps you going out there.”
Rich Simmons, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“Overall, I think we did what we could. I’m really proud of Justin for dropping down from a 450 to a 250 with limited time and delivering the result he did. He was fastest in Free Practice and ran with those top two guys in the MX2 class – yesterday in the qualifying race, and again today as the second overall MX2 finisher. So I’m really proud of his efforts, and Eli, the way he rode in that second moto was inspiring. It’s a lot of work behind the scenes for this race, and for the riders to tack it on to an already long season isn’t easy. So I’m proud of the whole team. Thanks to the AMA, and obviously a big thanks to our Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team, and thanks to RJ and his team for stepping up on late notice.”
Ken Roczen | Team Germany (15th overall)
“It just wasn’t meant to be for us today, but that’s how it can go in one-day events. In the first race, my rear wheel slipped out in a corner when I wanted to cut to the inside, and I went down. I got a deep bruise on my femur. In the second moto, I had to fight through the pack again after getting stuck with a fallen rider. After Simon’s crash, a good team result was out of reach. Still, I’m happy with my riding today — the speed was definitely there.”
Maximillan Spies | Team Germany (15th overall)
“I gave it everything I had, but it just wasn’t meant to be this weekend. It was still an amazing experience. I would have loved to make my MXoN debut in full health, but I’m very grateful for all the support from the German fans at the track.”
Simon Laengenfelder | Team Germany (15th overall)
“Not much to say. I went down on the first corner and a few guys ran over me. My shoulder was hurting a lot so we took some time to get it checked out. We need to see how it feels but it’s a shame to finish the year like this.”
Marcel Dornhöfer, Team Germany team manager
“More bad luck than today is hardly possible. Of course, we would have liked to bring home a better result, but that’s motorsport. Our riders gave it their all, and our strong qualifying performance showed the potential of this team. We’re already looking ahead to next year in Ernée, where we want to turn that strength into a top result again.”
Antonio Cairoli | Team Italy (6th overall)
“Happy again to race here on American soil. It's the first time for Ducati with the Motocross of Nations, which is something really special. The weekend started good yesterday, as I enjoyed a really good qualifying race. Today, the first moto got landed on by another rider and broke my hand. I had to really dig deep in myself to try to finish the first moto. Second moto, I got checked, got some painkillers and went for it. But I was really beat up and could only finish 13th. But I was in front of my teammate in the second moto and in front of my Ducati teammate, so in the end, not too bad, I have to say as in this condition I cannot wish for more.”
Andrea Adamo | Team Italy (6th overall)
“Two solid motos. Nothing really special but this was a tough track for the start and the 250: it was really long and really deep. I was near last place both times and made my way up near the top ten surrounded by 450s, so I’m pretty happy. The goal was to win the MX2 class overall and I made P4, so not too bad considering. I rode well and the track was nice. It was hard to catch the 450s out of the corners, I had to make up my time under braking. Anyway, happy to end the season in shape and we can now think about a break and testing.”
Tim Gajser | Team Slovenia (5th overall)
“A great way to finish the 2025 season, helping Slovenia to fifth place. This is an amazing result for our country, because I’ve raced this event and we didn’t qualify into the A-Final and now we are the fifth best country in the world. Big credit to my teammates Jan (Pancar) and Jaka (Peklaj) for their efforts today because I couldn’t do it without them. I was happy with my riding in both races, in the first race I got a good start and worked my way quickly into third and stayed their for the whole moto despite getting some arm-pump. Then in race three I had to work my way through the field from outside the top 10, into fourth place. It was a great race though, which I enjoyed a lot and this event is always a special time and I’m just so proud for Slovenia right now.”
Guillem Farres | Team Spain (10th overall)
“It’s been a bit of a rough day for me. In the first moto I had a bad start and I was around 30th, and I pulled through to 16th. Race two started better but then I had a big crash. So, overall, it’s been a challenging day for Team Spain and myself. On the positive side, I’m healthy, and now the focus is on next year.”
Ruben Fernandez | Team Spain (10th overall)
“Not the way I hoped to end the season, riding off the track early, but I’m hoping it isn’t anything too serious. I was feeling good on the track and had a great first moto with a sixth and I was fighting in hard in race three, and then I made a small mistake which turned into quite a big crash. I was able to walk to my bike and then ride off the circuit, but I’m a bit sore. Thankfully this is the last race of the season, and I can focus on getting fit and healthy before preparing for the 2026 campaign.”
Marcus Pereira de Freitas, HRC General Manager – MXGP
“So happy for Tim and Slovenia, who keep getting better and better results. He rode really well in a very tough field, going three-four for third in his class and showing his abilities in front of the world. It was a shame for Ruben to not finish his second race because he was also looking good and had a strong first race, but overall it was a good day for Honda HRC. And congratulations to Jett and Hunter Lawrence and Kyle Webster who were riding Hondas for Australia and won the Motocross of Nations, and to Jo Shimoda for his 450 debut and he looked really good.”
Jeremy Seewer | Team Switzerland (8th overall)
“It was an interesting weekend, starting with different things on the bike and very positive in some ways. And then I also had to get used to different people setting up the bike. But, yeah, it ended positively in moto two, especially the last 15 minutes, which I think was some of the best riding I showed all year, so that was a little bit of a relief. Besides that, starts were not on point, especially in moto two, because I let my teammate go inside. We are working still, but I was pretty consistent, and Team Switzerland finished eighth, which is not too bad with the team we have. We know what we need to work on, and it seems we are surrounded by the right people to go in a good direction.”
Lucas Coenen | Team Belgium (4th overall)
“Not bad overall but we didn’t quite get the bike like we wanted for this fast track. I didn’t want to change too much from our base setting because we didn’t have too many sessions but it was probably a bit too soft and I felt a bit limited. I didn’t find the flow but the speed was still there and I was battling with the guys. I learned a lot from riders that we usually don’t race in GPs. It was a bummer what happened in the second moto but it happens and I’m happy. It’s been a good rookie year: 2nd in MXGP and I won all I could. A lot of positive things and I improved. I will work even harder to be on top.”
Sacha Coenen | Team Belgium (4th overall)
“A bit disappointed because we could have won with Team Belgium. We had a strong team and strong riders but the races did not go as we expected. I was 4th for a long time in the first moto but then had an issue with the rear brake. I slid out and Justin Cooper jumped into me and onto the bike. I tried to ride the second moto with a painful wrist. It was difficult and I did my best for 20th. It was not the two races we hoped for. A bummer that we did not make it to the top. 2025 has been, let’s say, up and down. I’m happy and not happy. It started well, then I had some difficult moments but from the halfway point of the season I was the most consistent rider out there and made a lot of podiums as well as winning three of the last six motos. Winning the qualification moto here yesterday as well was really nice.”
Liam Everts | Team Belgium (4th overall)
“I felt comfortable on the 450 all weekend. Race two was really strong – I found a good rhythm, made clean passes, and we were right there in the fight for the podium. Seventh in race three kept the points coming and helped Belgium secure fourth overall. Big thanks to the team for an amazing bike and all their hard work.”
Kay de Wolf | Team Netherlands (19th overall)
"Winning the MX2 class at the Nations for the second year in a row means a lot. The track was pretty technical, so it was about patience and precision. In both races I focused on being the first MX2 home - that was the mission. Huge thanks to the team; the bike was faultless and we finished the season exactly how we wanted.”
Camden McLellan | Team South Africa (14th overall)
“Overall, it’s been a solid day. My team was 14th overall and I finished sixth in MX2. I had a little tip over in the second moto while I was third, so that was a little frustrating. But anyway, there are a lot of positives to take away from here and overall, it’s been a strong season with the team.”
Mikkel Haarup – Team Denmark (20th overall)
“For Sunday’s races I improved a lot from Saturday. It was tough against the 450s on the start, but I fought my way through quite well in both motos to finish inside the top 20 each time. I ended the weekend seventh overall, so that wasn’t too bad, and always, it was an honour to represent Team Denmark.”
Alvin Östlund | Team Sweden (7th overall)
“The Nations is over and it’s been a great day for Team Sweden. We finished seventh overall and my teammates rode really well. I had two good races as well and I really enjoyed the track – and the whole weekend – with the team.”
Main image by Mitch Kendra
