2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Round Three – Thunder Valley
AMA Pro Motocross left California for the heights of Colorado’s Thunder Valley Motocross Park for round three of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championships in what were near-perfect conditions amidst an extended period of rainfall in the region.
The Toyota Thunder Valley National also signified Round 20 of the SMX World Championship and showcased an incredible battle in the 450 Class that saw multiple racers challenge Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence over the course of two motos. Despite the threats, Lawrence withstood the pressure to prevail with an impressive 1-1 sweep and his third straight win to open the season.
In the 250 Class, Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas made it a clean sweep for the “Red Riders” with his first-ever 1-1 performance in which he went wire-to-wire in both motos, marking a rare loss for Yamaha star Haiden Deegan.
450 Moto One
The first moto of the afternoon got underway with the top five riders in the championship leading the way. Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence stole the Pro Motocross Holeshot, only to give way to his brother, Jett Lawrence. Behind Jett, multiple riders jockeyed for position, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger settling into second ahead of Hunter Lawrence and the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammates of Eli Tomac and Justin Cooper.
Round Three – Thunder Valley
Jett Lawrence was able to assert his control of the moto, but Plessinger showed impressive pace to keep the Honda within striking distance.
Meanwhile, a tense battle for third unfolded between Hunter Lawrence and Tomac. Their fight helped bring them closer to Plessinger, which allowed Lawrence to seize the opportunity and make the pass for second. He then set out after his brother. Halfway through the moto the top four were separated by just four seconds.
A sibling battle took shape approaching the final 10 minutes as Hunter closed to within a second of Jett, but the younger Lawrence inched away and reestablished a margin of around two seconds.
With just over five minutes to go things changed again as Plessinger surged forward and reclaimed second from Hunter Lawrence. Plessinger then charged onto the rear fender of Jett Lawrence and made a pass for the lead with three minutes remaining. Jett regrouped and battled back to reclaim the position.
The fight wasn’t over as lapped riders slowed Lawrence’s pace enough to allow Plessinger to get alongside once more, but the Honda rider fended off the pass. Lawrence sprinted on the final lap to pull away and grab his fourth moto win of the season by 3.3 seconds over Plessinger.
Hunter Lawrence went down late on while running third, which handed the position to Tomac, before the elder Australian remounted to claim fourth. Cooper followed a distant 45.8 seconds behind the leader in fifth.
450 Moto One Results
450 Moto Two
The second moto started with the Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha of Coty Schock out front with the Pro Motocross Holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb and Hunter Lawrence. Both Jett Lawrence and Plessinger started outside the top five, while Tomac was mired outside the top 10.
As Schock continued to pace the field a lot of moves were made behind him as Hunter Lawrence moved into second, Cooper into third, and then Jett Lawrence and Plessinger all making their way around Webb.
An aggressive Hunter Lawrence was able to wrestle the lead away from Schock as Cooper followed through into second to initiate a battle for the lead. Jett Lawrence made additional passes to slot into third. Back out front, Cooper made the pass for the lead as the Lawrences battled for second. Behind them, Plessinger and Tomac got by Schock and looked to close in on the lead trio.
As Cooper continued to pace the field Jett Lawrence was able to get around his brother for second. Not long after, Tomac charged his way into third. With half the moto remaining Lawrence mounted his attack on Cooper. The Yamaha rider kept the Honda at bay for a while, but Lawrence used an outside line to slip past and take control of the moto with a little more than 10 minutes to go. Meanwhile, Tomac got by his teammate for second and faced a deficit of about two seconds to Lawrence.
As he closed in on Lawrence and appeared to have the pace to apply pressure Tomac had a fall, which ended the threat. Lawrence carried on to take his fifth moto win of the season by 11.1 seconds over Tomac, with Cooper in third.
450 Moto Two Results
450 Round
Lawrence’s second 1-1 effort of the season, and the 15th of his career, resulted in the Australian’s 18th career premier class victory in 19 starts, which moves him into a tie for 10th on the all-time wins list. Tomac earned his second runner-up effort of the young season (3-2), while Plessinger made it back-to-back podiums in third (2-5).
1. Jett Lawrence, Honda (1-1 // 50)
2. Eli Tomac, Yamaha (3-2 // 42)
3. Aaron Plessinger, KTM (2-5 // 39)
Lawrence added to his lead in the championship standings, which now sits at 25 points, one full moto over Tomac, who reclaimed second. Plessinger dropped to third and sits 27 points out of the lead.
The overall SMX regular season standings have Webb maintaining his hold of the top seed after 20 rounds, with a 47-point margin over teammate Cooper with eight rounds remaining. Cooper sits 21 points ahead of Plessinger, the current third seed.
Jett Lawrence 1-1
“[Today] was a combination of working hard and being patient. Justin [Cooper] and Eli [Tomac] were riding well [in Moto 2] and I was able to capitalize on mistakes from everyone else while not making many of my own. This track made it easy to do so. I could hear Eli behind me, but then I heard the fans and knew something had to have happened. They made it tough on me today, but happy to be back on top.”
Eli Tomac 3-2
“It was back and forth. We [Lawrence and I] had our spots on the track to gain time and lose time. The turn after I went down was the spot where I thought I could get him, but I rushed the prior corner. It’s a bummer, but it was a good race. We’ll try again next weekend.”
Aaron Plessinger 2-5
“That first moto was a lot of fun and I was really amped! I didn’t feel fatigued after that one, and then I made a small bike change going into the second moto, which I should have just left alone. That was on me, and I struggled that second moto, but it was just a good day. I had some really good lines in the first one, but being in the battle and making passes on those guys is all I can really ask for. Back to work this week – we’ll come back next weekend looking for that elusive win.”
RJ Hampshire 6-7
“I definitely progressed this weekend. I made progress during the week with my wrist, and I finally feel like we’re turning a corner there. I was inside the top-five again for the first 25 minutes of Moto 1, so I am getting longer with that. Then the second moto, got a good start, then made a mistake early and went down… Got up, then went down again a couple of laps later, so I had my work cut out for me, but that was the strongest I’ve been at the end of a moto. I’m pretty happy with where we are at and we’ll keep on building.”
Malcolm Stewart 10-10
“The day started off a little rough with the mud I got off to a mid-pack start in Moto 1 and made a lot of passes to get my way up into 10th there. Moto 2, the track was pretty gnarly in that one, another average start for me, and I made a lot of passes throughout the race. I tried to find a flow and eventually ended up with 10-10 for eighth overall. Things could’ve been better, but at the same time, we learned a lot, so we’ll come back for High Point and try to put this bike inside the top-five.”
450 Round Points
450 AMA MX Championship Points
450 SMX Championship Points
250 Moto One
The first moto began with the fastest qualifier, Hymas, leading the way to the Pro Motocross Holeshot, followed by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan, the defending champion and points leader. As Hymas took advantage of the clear track to establish a gap on the field, Deegan went to work on Vialle and made the move for second.
The lead duo soon settled into their respective positions while Vialle went down while running third and lost two positions, moving Triumph Factory Racing’s Mikkel Haarup into third and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Ty Masterpool into fourth. This pair then engaged in a battle for third, from which Masterpool was able to move into podium position.
Back up front, the gap between Hymas and Deegan started to shrink as the moto entered its final 10 minutes, with Deegan logging the fastest laps on the track. The Yamaha rider continued to inch closer, but as he did his motorcycle appeared to encounter issues. Messages from his mechanic via the pit board confirmed the concern as Deegan was instructed to focus on saving his Yamaha. That ended the battle for the lead as Hymas pulled away in the closing stages and took a wire-to-wire moto win by 45.6 seconds over Deegan, who nursed the bike home in second.
Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Garrett Marchbanks made a torrid charge over the second half of the moto to finish third. Masterpool was fourth, with his rookie teammate Drew Adams fifth.
250 Moto One Results
250 Moto Two
The final moto of the afternoon saw Hymas sweep the Pro Motocross Holeshots for the day, fending off Deegan, who was passed by Vialle for second. A few moments later, the Frenchman bobbled and gave the position back to Deegan. After the first couple laps, the top three settled in while Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda slotted into fourth.
Hymas was able to establish a multi-second lead early on and proceeded to manage that advantage through the opening 10 minutes. Soon enough, Hymas and Deegan were more than 10 seconds clear of Vialle in third and Shimoda in fourth, which set the stage for a head-to-head battle for the win between the budding rivals. Meanwhile, the battle for third saw Shimoda get the better of Vialle to move into a podium spot.
As the moto entered its final 10 minutes Deegan made a push to try and close the gap to Hymas and made some inroads before going down. He remounted quickly, without losing a position, but dropped more than eight seconds behind. Further back, Vialle lost another position to Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen, who continued his late-race charge onto Shimoda’s rear fender to initiate a battle for third in the closing laps. Shimoda held him off initially, but Kitchen’s persistence paid off with two laps to go.
Hymas wrapped up a perfect afternoon with another wire-to-wire moto win, 11.1 seconds ahead of Deegan. Kitchen finished more than 43 seconds behind in third.
250 Moto Two Results
250 Round
Hymas’ dominant effort showed his blossoming progress as a pro and resulted in the second win of his career at the venue where he enjoyed a breakthrough outing one year prior. While Deegan’s undefeated start to the season came to an end, he minimized the damage with a runner-up effort (2-2). Kitchen’s incredible charge in the final moto was enough to place him third (8-3) for the second week in a row.
1. Chance Hymas, Honda (1-1 // 50)
2. Haiden Deegan, Yamaha (2-2 // 44)
3. Levi Kitchen, Kawasaki (8-3 // 34)
Deegan still extended his lead in the championship standings, which now sits at 25 points, a full moto over Shimoda. With the win, Hymas vaulted six positions into third, 49 points out of the lead.
The overall SMX regular season standings have Deegan firmly in control of the top seed after 20 rounds, holding an 83-point lead over Jo Shimoda with eight rounds remaining. Shimoda sits 12 points ahead of the current third seed, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer.
Chance Hymas 1-1
“Today was a perfect day. I was fastest in both qualifying sessions, led every lap in both motos, and got both holeshots. I really could not have asked for a better day. I’m so happy to finally get the monkey off my back and have a day like this.”
Haiden Deegan 2-2
“It took me a while to find my flow today, which is fine. If 2-2 is a bad day for me then I’ll take it. We faced some adversity but overcame it and I’m really proud with how the team and I responded.”
Levi Kitchen 8-3
“It was a bit of a grind today, but I’m glad to end it on the podium. Moto 1 was tough—I got a bad start and had to dig deep just to get back to eighth. Moto 2 was a little better off the line, and I was able to work my way up and make a move into third late in the race. I’ve been feeling really solid with my fitness and my riding overall, so it’s good to keep building.”
Tom Vialle 6-5
“I ended up with fourth overall today, which wasn’t ideal because I just wasn’t feeling it on the track. I was running third in each of the motos, then ended sixth in the first one after a small crash, followed by P5 in Moto 2. I just didn’t have the feel that I needed all day, so we’ll keep working for next weekend in High Point and make some improvements.”
Casey Cochran 13-6
“Overall, it was a good day in Colorado. We made some big improvements! Unfortunately, it was a bad start that cost me in the first moto, because I had to work through a lot of traffic in that one. I’m happy with my riding, had a good start in the second moto with a solid finish, so we’re looking forward to keeping this momentum going!”
Mikkel Haarup 7-12
“I think this was rather successful, taking everything into consideration. I had a good start in moto one and made passes on the first lap for the first time! That was good. I am getting the intensity up a little bit. I had a bad jump in the second moto and was in the pack. I took a trip into the fence and had to untangle myself but came from dead last to 12th. I’m happy with my efforts.”
Ty Masterpool 4-15
“Qualifying went well. I ended up P3, so I felt good heading into the motos. In Moto 1, I got a solid start and worked up to third, but hit a false neutral in a corner and dropped back to fourth. I was battling with Garrett [Marchbanks] in the last couple laps, but just couldn’t hold onto that podium spot. I’m still fighting off the cold from last week and actually threw up between motos, so Moto 2 was more about survival, especially with the elevation here. The first three rounds haven’t quite gone how I’ve wanted, but I’m focused on getting healthy and turning things around.”
Jordon Smith 14-10
“A rough day for me. I crashed onto my shoulder on the first lap of practice; I dealt with that all day. I fought hard to go 14-10 for 11th overall. It was not a terrible day, so we will keep fighting and come back stronger next weekend.”
Garrett Marchbanks 3-28
“Overall, it was a solid day and one of my best finishes at Thunder Valley. I’m pumped to get my first-ever moto podium in the 250 class. Qualifying went well, I was fourth, and I’ve been consistent so far this season. Moto 1 went great. I came from 13th to third, which I was stoked on. The elevation and deep ruts made starts tricky, and in Moto 2, I got caught in the first-turn pile-up. I was 39th when I got up, but I charged back and finished eighth. Overall, it was a solid day. I’m happy with the way I’ve been riding. I haven’t been this consistent outdoors before, so I’m just going to keep building from here.”
Ryder DiFrancesco 15-13
“My riding was better in Colorado, I just struggled to get off the gate and went down in the first turn of the second moto. I came back to 13th in that one, so it’s steps in the right direction again, and our goal has been to be up front by Southwick. That’s the plan!”
Austin Forkner 11-19
“The track was tough today, especially the ruts. I wanted to work on my starts and sprint speed this weekend – both starts were sick! I did not have that sprint speed in moto one and was shuffled back, but I still finished 11th. I sprinted hard in moto two, after another good start, but had a crash after two laps. I am happy to be in one piece! I rode it out after that. There are definitely positives to take from today.”
