Johnny O’Mara, the 1984 AMA Supercross champion and racing advisor to the Lawrence brothers, says he has a soft spot for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki racer and 2026 Daytona Supercross winner Seth Hammaker.
“Seth is a great fit to join with Hunter and Jett down there at the Dog Pound,” said O’Mara, referring to the Lawrence Compound situated in Dade City, Florida. “We’re always really picky on who we put down there so we keep the good vibe with everybody. Seth is an easy fit there. I’ve seen him excel in the program and he never complains about anything. Seth is a great fit and that’s why you see the great results. We know what Seth is all about and we’re always pulling for him. When Seth wins, it doesn’t surprise us. We’re just super happy to see hm do that. He’s not on a Honda, but we’re always pulling for him.”
When O’Mara’s thoughts and words were recently relayed to Seth Hammaker, the rider out of Bainbridge, Pennsylvania, was stoked.
“That’s awesome,” smiled Hammaker. “That’s cool. I love being around everybody that’s down here and being a part of the group of likeminded people. It’s amazing. Jett and Hunter are obviously here. So are Chance Hymas and Drew Adams and a couple of amateurs. It’s a good group.”
A handful of days after winning the Daytona Supercross and beginning to get prepared for the first 250SX East Division Triple Crown event set for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hammaker weighed in with what he has been up to post-Daytona.
“It’s been amazing,” said the second place rider in the 250SX East points standings. “I’m still riding the high from Daytona. Getting the win there was something I always dreamed of. To finally get it was an unreal feeling. It was unreal to do the burnout in front of the crowd. Yeah, it feels amazing. It meant a lot. I mean any supercross win is always amazing and cool, but something about Daytona has that extra meaningful factor to it for me.”
For Hammaker, the 2026 Daytona Supercross was by no means an easy race for the 2021 AMA 250SX Rookie of the Year.
“No, not at all,” commented Hammaker on his fourth career supercross victory. “I started off the first qualifying really good. I qualified fastest. Going into the second qualifier, I was riding for a few laps and went to go put down a fast one and had a really big crash. Luckily, I was able to get up and not really feel too bad from it. I was just a little banged up. For what the crash was, I got very lucky. I actually wanted to get back on the bike to finish out that qualifier but I got up and my bike was just too bent up to keep riding. I went back and just kind of chilled out until the night show. It felt like the longest three hours waiting for the heat race to come around. I just wanted to get out there and put that crash behind me. I had a pretty good heat race. I felt really good on the bike. And then heading into the main event, I just executed the start perfectly. I got the holeshot and then never looked back. I tried to minimize the mistakes. I felt like I rode really well. It was just a clean race. But it was definitely not an easy race day, I made it kind of tough on myself after the practice crash, but I was super happy to rebound like I did and go out there and win. To bounce back like I did made that win feel that much better.”
It was a super-special win for the entire Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki effort. Hammaker reflected on team owner Mitch Payton’s reaction to the victory which snapped a seven-race win streak by the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing organization.
“Mitch was pumped for me,” said Hammaker. “Yeah, he was super stoked. We were just talking about the race. It’s always amazing to win for Mitch and the guys. It was the first win of the season and that’s always special.”
Hammaker’s Daytona win comes a week after his hard fought fourth place finish in the 250SX East Division opening round at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“Arlington was a fourth place finish. It wasn’t my greatest stuff, but it was just kind of nice to get the first one underway with a solid result. Obviously I wanted to be on the podium and I was just shy of that. I just really didn’t gel with the track. I was struggling in the whoop section really bad in the main event and was just struggling to find my flow around the rest of the track. Fourth is really just what I had that night. I tried to make a push at those top guys, but I didn’t have it and I didn’t risk too much. The first race of the season was a fourth and that’s all I have to say about that one. But we’re right there in the points. We gained some points back and we’re only two points down from the lead right now. A lot of racing left, but we’re in a good spot.”
The winner of the 2025 Indianapolis SX East/West Showdown, Hammaker is looking forward to competing in Lucas Oil Stadium this coming Saturday night.
“Triple Crown and Indy this weekend,” said Hammaker. “Indy was great to me last year. I won the Showdown there, so I have some confidence going into this one. Triple Crown is always exciting. You need three good starts. It’s always hectic, but I feel like I learned from last year just to stay calm. Especially in that first race. You can get a head of yourself and put yourself in a deficit right from the get-go. Just to have three solid and consistent races is my goal this weekend and just kind of let the ride come to me and take what it gives me, really. That’s kind of what I’m looking forward to. I always enjoy the challenging track conditions at Indy, as well. I have a little bit of mixed emotions about the Triple Crown format. I’m not the biggest fan of it. It’s a lot of racing and three starts is hectic. I think it’s more fun to watch than to race in that kind of setup. Everybody has got to deal with it. It’s a good mix-up for us racers and a different type of challenge.”
And Hammaker is stoked to be competing in the 250SX East Division.
“I love it,” he declared. “I’m an East Coast guy. I grew up in Pennsylvania, so it feels familiar to me. The way the tracks deteriorate and get softer and rutted kind of suits me and my technical style. I just kind of like the East Coast. Something with me and the East Coast just gels a little bit better.
“At this point the goal is just to go out there and win every weekend,” continued Hammaker. “If the win is not there, I just want to be smart and take what it’s going to give me that night. I don’t want to do anything to put myself in a bad position to lose a lot of points. Right now, coming off the win at Daytona, I’ve got a lot of confidence and want to keep that momentum rolling and as we get later into the season, we’ll see where we are at. We’ll pull back or push harder if we need to. For right now, we’re just going for wins and seeing how we can do. I know I can do it and I have a great team around me. I expect that of myself and I work hard to be on that top step. I just kind of want to let the instincts take over and just do me.”
