For the second consecutive year, Seth Hammaker came up short of the 250SX East Division title. With his last lap crash at his home race while pushing to the very end, his fate was sealed: he finished third and championship leader Cole Davies took the race win and the 2026 250SX East Division title.
Hammaker holeshot the main event, only to crash in the first rhythm section. Davies got into the race lead, and Hammaker did what he could, but fell short of forcing the title to go to the finale in Utah.
“Definitely frustrating just with the crash that I had on the first lap after ripping a really good start,” Hammaker said on his night. “As far as the conditions and things like that, I actually felt pretty good, riding, trying to be loose with the bike and just kind of letting it go where it wants. Not trying to fight it too much. But riding-wise, I felt really good and comfortable in these conditions. But, yeah, yet again, just another thing that was thrown at me on that first lap. I was hurting pretty badly from that, but to land third after that, I can't complain.”
Hammaker joked to our Steve Matthes after the race that he's been crashing way too much lately, and when Matthes asked about a rumor that he was wearing an inflatable Tech Air vest under his jersey, Hammaker laughed and said "No! But I probably need it! I'd be a good test rider for it!"
Hammaker tried two strategies this year, first relying heavily on consistency, then switching to hanging it out more when it became obvious sophomore pro Davies wasn't going to throw it away. That led to those crashes for Seth over the last few weeks. Consistency alone wasn't going to get it done, though, so it was a move he had to make.
“The season was...I feel like it's been good, but racing Cole has been really tough, and he hasn't made many mistakes at all this season,” he continued. “A lot of race wins. And I've been consistent, but just more consistent of seconds and thirds. So happy with how I rode the season, though, and even a big step up from last year. All this adversity just kind of carried into make me stronger for my next title run.”
While Hammaker is credited with the holeshot in the main event, his endo just a few jumps into the first rhythm section saw him remount in dead last. He gained 19 positions by the checkered flag.
“Coming from that far back and riding as well as I did in these conditions gives me confidence that, just moving forward, whether it's dry or wet, I can be the best guy on any given night,” he said. “I always pride myself in just never giving up and fighting until the end, no matter what you get thrown. So just going to continue to do that, and I'm sure my day will come.”
After the race, Hammaker owned it, giving props to Davies after the race with a handshake and a congratulations. Their battles were hard-fought, but respectful.
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Seth Hammaker Align Media ![Seth Hammaker]()
Seth Hammaker Align Media
Despite coming up short of the 250SX East Division title two years in a row now, Hammaker takes the positives away. He made strides all around. Plus, so far through the 15 250SX races this year, he is the only non-Yamaha rider to win a main event (Daytona).
“Yeah, I think speed-wise, I'm even better than last year,” Hammaker said. “Fitness and endurance. I feel like I can go the whole duration without thinking about getting tired or anything like that. My technique continues to improve. I feel like my starts this year weren't bad, but maybe I was in the wrong place at the wrong times, in the back of the pack, making some silly little mistakes that put me at a deficit, especially the last couple of races. All in all, I think I stepped up everywhere in all the areas, but I think even if we tallied up all the points from last year and this year, I think I'm like 25 points up from where I was last year.”
“It's just that everyone, Tom [Vialle] and RJ [Hampshire] last year and I all had our bad races, at least one, and Cole hasn't had a bad race this year,” he continued. “And neither have I; my worst finish is a fifth, so, it's just you've got to go out there and win these races.”
While it was bittersweet to see Davies wrap up the title at his home race, Hammaker left it all out on the track. He holds his head high.
“It's super cool to get to race here in Philadelphia,” he said on racing in Philadelphia. “An hour and a half, two hours is where I grew up. My sister goes to college here, spent some time with cousins that live here in Philadelphia growing up, so familiar with the area and just always cool to come back home and have all the family and friends and that kind of have that support. You could feel the extra energy, and just the way I felt today kind of brings out the best in me, even though it's a long day and a lot of people want to talk to you, and you get pulled all these different directions, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I'm grateful for the spot I'm in and to be doing what I love and have a lot of support. It's definitely awesome, and hopefully they keep coming back here each and every year, and put on for the hometown.”
Main image by Mitch Kendra
