
The 2025 SMX season was a
tumultuous one for the entire Honda HRC Progressive team
WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS
PHOTOS: ALIGN MEDIA
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... So begins Charles Dickens’ classic novel of 1859, A Tale of Two Cities, which describes the dual nature of the French Revolution in London and Paris, highlighting societal paradoxes where good and evil, light and dark, coexist. (You’re welcome, junior high students forced to read that 400-plus page monolith.) It could also serve as the opening line of a summary of the Honda HRC Progressive team’s 2025 season. The team’s campaign had a good news/bad news vibe, creating a rollercoaster year that began and ended with press releases that were either overly positive or downright unfortunate, starting in early January. We were along for this wild ride, thanks to the team’s PR team, led by Chris Jonnum, of Cycle News and Road Racer X fame.
We are deeply rooted in Moto—We’ve been here all our lives. Back in 1998 when we turned an underground newspaper into a shiny color magazine, it immediately changed the game with its unprecedented depth of coverage, sense of humor, and access to the sport’s biggest names. Today, our readers know they can go to Racer X Online for all the news, race results, and event coverage they need, and then enjoy even more detail and perspective in the pages of Racer X Illustrated. The mag offers a chance to learn something new on every page and stay connected with the people and personalities that shape our sport—the competitors out on the racetrack, as well as the ones behind the scenes—through our exclusive deep-dive stories and columns.
Our trademark has always been insider knowledge from the experts who are at the races and around the sport. We have long prided ourselves on our unparalleled race reporting and detailed storytelling. We go deep with the riders and teams to provide comprehensive coverage you won’t find anywhere else—all with first-class photography and design. It’s a full education in motocross past, present, and future.
Davey Coombs
Editor-in-chief & Founder
Racer X Illustrated
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