Category: Bikes

Justin Hill, speaking ahead of this Saturday night’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship round at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

“The biggest jump in the world is going from being really good to elite,” he says. “I might sound nuts, but I’m going to Tampa to win.”

The Team Tedder/Monster Energy Racing rider has had a solid start to his 2025 supercross campaign, placing eighth, 14th, 15th and sixth at Anaheim 1, San Diego, Anaheim 2 and Glendale, respectively.

“I’m headed back from Arizona now,” said Hill. “We stayed and we were intending on riding this week. My mechanic had to rip back. We kind of had some ‘what have yous’ go on with engines, because I threw an engine at San Diego when I had that 14^th place because my plate fell off in the first turn crash. Then from there the filter fell out. So I was riding the bike with it just sucking sand and dirt. I can’t even believe the bike made it.

“At the end the bike was ruined, but I finished the race with a pit stop. So we had some stuff that we had to do. We had to work double-time and get some engines back over to Mitch Payton so that we could get some engines back into rotation.

Currently 11th in the points four rounds into the ’25 racing season, the Oregon native believes he is right where he needs to be.

“It has been good,” he said. “I got through the San Diego race, and with the way that I felt that night, I think I could have had a top five finish. I felt like I was really onto something. Then we go to A2, that’s when I finally came down with what everybody had. I just felt like death. I had just no energy. I could barely drum up the energy to ride the bike. I just felt so drained. So obviously that was just a really tough night. I just struggled a lot getting my body doing what I wanted it to be doing.

“Man, that’s really it. A1, I was like, ‘OK, good start. This is right where I want to be at the beginning. Alright, it’s on. We’re going up from here.’ Now, after round four, this is where I wanted to be after round two, you know? But it’s good. I’m happy. In that process I’ve learned so much in two weeks. I can’t complain about where I’m at. I think the way that I’m doing this sport now, I’m only going to get better. I’m just looking forward to it. As long as I keep plugging away and keep moving and just keep believing that I can be the guy that’s going to get even better, I’m good with everything. The biggest jump in the world is going from being really good to elite. It’s just such an interesting thing. Mentally, I’m in an awesome place.

Hill comes straight off a fighting sixth place overall finish over at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, and he now hopes to further optimize his momentum as he heads east.

“That start in the final main at Glendale was the very first start where I actually leaked out front and passed the guys,” he said. “:I actually got to the first turn at the same time as the leaders. I had a really garbage gate pick on the far outside, but with that being said, that was the very first time that I entered that corner with the guys. I learned and changed a couple of major things. That didn’t seem major in my head, but then I did them and I’m like, ‘Oh, those are major changes.’ So now I know how I’m going to start this weekend in Tampa. If I can just keep that same routine that I just learned in place, I think my starts are going to improve like crazy. That can be huge for me.

“I’m now going to a place where I have honestly had some really killer races. I walk into that stadium and that big old, wrecked pirate ship and I’m like, ‘You know what? This place is cool.’”

A key factor in Hill’s on-track success thus far in ’25 is that the veteran racer has not allowed himself to get intimidated by the works teams he lines up against.

“It’s hard to operate thinking about who is who and who is where,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to get away from. I got a lot of confidence from this (past) weekend. If I can just get a clean weekend again where I can put all the pieces together without any of these smaller issues, I have zero reservations about running away with it. I mean that’s where my head is that. Hopefully it happens.

“I feel good about the racing. There is a lot that went into getting my head where it is. And it is a head game. I’ve been close in this kind of conditioning before. I have had bikes that have worked this good before. There have been a lot of things that have happened to me in my career that maybe match this, but I don’t think my head has ever been this strong. Right now, I think I mop myself in any other year of my career. It’s pretty crazy to feel that way, because I’m kind of old.”

It was a rough start to the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki organization as team racers Levi Kitchen, Garrett Marchbanks and Ty Masterpool were all out of action for the opening phase of the 250SX West Region Supercross.

Enter Drew Adams.

At 16, Adams made his AMA Pro Racing debut last summer when he motored to 15-11 motos scores for 12th overall at the curtain dropping Ironman National. Debut number two for the kid out of Chattanooga, Tennessee came at the third round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season when his two teammates – Marchbanks and Masterpool – suffered injuries. Drafted into action by team principal Mitch Payton for the second round at Angel Stadium, the rookie rode encouragingly well, starting the main event in sixth and finishing in eighth place.

Forced to put his race face on and go to behind the stating gate as a rookie at the second Angel Stadium 250SX West round, Adams, while admitting he was “shocked” at times with the speed and fierceness displayed in the classification, was pleased with his debut supercross experience,

“It was sick, you know?” he said. “I didn’t really have any expectations coming in. I just wanted to learn and I think I did just that. I learned a lot, and I think I’m only going to get better every weekend. I’m really looking forward to this weekend. I’m pretty happy coming off of last weekend. Obviously, not many rookies get eighth in their first pro supercross race, so I was happy with it. There are a couple of things that we need to work on, but I’m so very excited for this weekend.”

So how was competing beneath the bright lights at Angel Stadium?

“I was in the B practice all day because it was my first race,” recounted Adams. “I didn’t really get to ride with everybody until the night show. All day I was pretty calm and whatnot. The nerves weren’t really high and I was just having a good time. Then we did the hat race and that was super-sick. I got the first heat race when the track was fresh and that was awesome.

“Then lining up for the main event, I was like, ‘Man, I’m nervous right now.’ It kind of hit me when I was in staging. I was kind of like, ‘Phew.’ My hands were sweating. It was cold outside, and I was sweating. It just hit me like a freight train. As soon as the gate dropped the adrenaline went up and I forgot about everything after that. I was just out there riding. The day was awesome and I’m happy with how it went.

“The pace is pretty gnarly right now. The season has just stated and right now the pace is super-fast in the beginning. All the guys are going really fast. After you do those four or five sprint laps, you kind of just settle into a smooth and consistent pace. It is definitely a hard pace to conquer, but I got used to it in the heat races.”

As aforementioned, Adams compered in last season’s concluding Ironman National in Indiana before making his premiere supercross engagement in Orange County. How did the two different forms of motor racing compare?

“I was actually talking with some friends about this during the week,” Adams said. “I felt like the Pro Motocross days were longer and it kind of felt more chill. In the outdoors you do practice very early in the morning and then you only get an hour and a half until the first moto. So it’s really not that long. And you do a full 30 minutes, and then you get 45 minutes to rest. Then you go do another 30 minutes. I feel like it is a long and short day.

“In supercross you get a lot more time to rest. You’re first practice is at 10 am and then the night show gets going around 5:30 or 6:00 o’clock, so you have a long time to rest and take a nap and to eat all your food that you need. I kind of like the layout of supercross. It definitely felt pretty chill. The outdoors is a long, buy hectic day. You know in supercross, the vibe in the pits was really cool. Cool to see the kids smiling all day. The kids dream of going to supercross races. I know I used to, that’s for sure. The vibe is just so good. Everybody is having a good time. Then once the opening ceremonies happen, then the vibe completely switches up and you get in the serious mode and the race mode and the fans are acting crazy. It’s just a whole hoot out there. I love the vibe at supercross. It’s definitely a good vibe.”

Adams continued on to reflect upon what he felt once he pulled off the racetrack immediately after the 250SX West main event.

I thought, ‘Damn, that’s hard.’ That’s what I thought,” he said. “I was sitting there in the pits after and thinking, ‘Man, that was one had race, that’s for sure.’ It started during our main event, too, and that definitely made it 10 times harder. I just kind of took it all in and I was super-pumped with it. I was happy to be where I was.”

In coming to terms with becoming a supercross racer at the 11th hour, Adams forced himself to hold back a bit at Anaheim in order to, “not chase too much too soon.

“That’s the thing about rookies that have been doing good in the amateurs and then coming into the pro classes. They just want to really show everybody what they’ve got, you know? I think that’s a good thing to do, but I also think it doesn’t work out all the time. So I just wanted to just go out there and learn and not get hurt and make the good laps. With the weekends now coming up, like Glendale, I want to drop the hammer a little bit. I think you can kind of drop it a little bit more the weekends after your first race.”

Saturday morning, January 25, 2025. Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. Race day. Two-time and defending MXGP World Champion Jorge Prado was sitting in a swivel chair inside the lobby of the Monster Energy Kawasaki 18-wheel semi.

The rider was in good spirits and looking forward to what the third round of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship had lined up for him. As it transpired, it wasn’t going to be a good day – less than an hour after this interview took place, the 24-year-old Spaniard went down in a heap during the opening 450SX timed practice session, and as a result of getting tangled up in the nets at the end of the rhythm section, dislocated his right shoulder. Prado will now look to this Saturday’s 450SX main event set for State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

But while his 2025 campaign suffered an early setback, it’s a safe bet that the mission hasn’t changed.

“I never mess around when it comes to racing,” said Prado. “I like to win, so hopefully we can replicate what I did in the World Championship. I want to do it here. Especially with the 450 being the main category. A racer from the World Championship hasn’t won here in such a long time. It’s a big deal.

“I was riding in a championship where I was comfortable. I knew everything I had to do to get to that title and right now I’m just learning a new bike and new discipline that is supercross. I’m getting to ride different tracks and tracks that I’m really not used to riding. It’s a challenge.”

Between flying BMX bicycles and Freestyle Motocross bikes, Monster Energy girls, blaring DJ music and fans here, there and everywhere, Prado has come to enjoy the pit party vibe at the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship tour.

“It’s cool. It’s different. It’s more like a show, right?” smiled Prado, looking out the semi-truck window. “I feel like when you go to the World Championship, it is more like a business thing. It’s like, ‘OK, we just ride and hammer these tracks.’ Here, it is more fancy kind of stuff, but at the same time, it is go time, as well, when we are on track. No, I like it. I like the combination. It’s cool to go and stay in the pits, too. Not bad.”

Prado is still working on his supercross racecraft, as well as coming terms with the frenzied on-track activity that often comes along with supercross.

“When you’re in my position, and at my level, you’re pretty much always in mid-pack, so you’re always in the battle, right?” he said. “We don’t have that extra speed and confidence to ride up front. Let’s say you’re just riding a different race, where there is less happening. It is more like what I raced in MXGP. At the moment, I need to suffer and be in the mix. I mean, it has never happened before where there are five champions of the highest 450SX category are racing at the same time. Even with just that you can already imagine how high the level is in supercross this year. And out of that you have another 20 riders that are also 250cc champions. Right now, I don’t who is not a supercross champion on the starting gate. I feel like everyone is a champion. So yes, the level is high.”

Prado has continued to improve and gain confidence in his new chosen form of motorcycle racing.

“Yes, I’m starting to feel more comfortable,” he said. “I’m taking my time. I just want to do the right steps together with the team. We work hard and it’s cool. It’s been nice. It’s just totally different. We’re racing at night. That makes it very different. I mean you’re even standing around in the pits for four or five hours and then you straight into a heat race, which is very crazy. Once we go out there we go wide open and the body is not even super warmed up. It’s different. You need to get used to it and that’s it.”

Given his inexperience with this sort of racing, Prado is staying realistic about his expectations.

“I would love to win the championship, but it’s not the right time and it’s not realistic,” he said. “I just want to improve. I want to see a good progression. That’s what would make me very happy. That’s my goal. Just get better and if that means getting a top five or a podium, let’s go for it. I just want to give it 100-percent every weekend and see where we end up. Then we want to replicate that next weekend and get better. That’s my goal.”

450SX class veteran Cooper Webb has taken fourth- and third-place finishes at the opening two rounds of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Anaheim and San Diego, and he’s just getting started in his bid to reclaim the series crown he took in 2019 and 2021.

“I think the sport is evolving and changing,” said Webb, who was also championship runner-up in 2020 and last year. “There is a fast group of guys right now between us and the generation that has been around the last 10 years, and the new bucks like Jett Lawrence and Chase Sexton and Hunter Lawrence and all of them. That being said, over 17 rounds, I feel that I have shown that over the last six or seven years that I can be in it right to the very end. You know whether being a two-time champion, or being the runner-up twice, yeah, I might get written off sometimes, but I do know that I’m going to be in the championship fight, for sure.

“It’s tough, right? There are so many good guys now. I recently looked at all the statistics and there are five AMA Supercross champions on the line, so it’s not easy by any means. I’m 29 years old, so I am definitely at a point now where I’m getting to be the veteran of the class, but I’m definitely here to win. Even after being injured and getting second in the championship in 2024, I still believe winning is a valid goal and that I can still do it.”

Webb feels he has plenty to build on. After taking fourth at the Anaheim opener, he led the main event at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego before being passed at the halfway mark by teammate Eli Tomac and Team Honda HRC ace Jett Lawrence.

“I felt a lot better at San Diego,” said Webb, who ultimately placed third despite not feeling 100 percent physically. “Qualifying was better for me and then about halfway through the day I started having some stomach issues. We did what we could. I was happy that I was able to lead for about half of the main event. Honestly, that’s all I had in the tank and I was able to secure a podium. So it’s a solid start, right? It’s nothing flashy. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s a very solid start to the season and we’re in a good spot.”

Webb believes Lawrence and veteran Tomac are his most obvious rivals for the title

“I mean as a racer, it’s not great to get beat. In San Diego they were, by far, the best two guys out there and they put on a show, for sure,” he said. “Obviously being Eli’s teammate and racing against Eli my whole career, it’s cool to see for him. I think it just shows that us wily veterans can still give it to the kids, right?

“Like I said, from a team perspective, it was cool to see Eli do what he did. I’m not surprised. We all know how good Eli is and how god he can be. Same with Jett. We have just got to be better and try to bridge that gap and come into Anaheim 2 and hopefully be more in the mix.

“I love racing Anaheim. We’ve done it forever and there is just good vibes there for me. Like I said, I was a little bit under the weather but I was able to have a good day riding yesterday and I’m kind of feeling back to normal. I know what we need to work on.”

Now in his second season with the Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha 450cc organization, Webb is thrilled with the race team.

“Yes, it has been incredible. Obviously, starting my career with the Star Racing Monster Energy Yamaha team was amazing. We had a lot of success in the 250cc class. They were in a position where they didn’t have a 450 team at the time, so we all know how it kind of went from there. To be able to come back last year and get second in the series and win a bunch of races and to be on the podium a lot was a really good showing.

“It feels like a family for me. Now it is our second year on the team, I’m more comfortable and kind of know the bike and the team personnel a little bit better. I’m excited for the future. As many good racers that we have now, it makes you step up, right? I still feel at age 29 that I’m able to get better. Each day I go to the track with the intention to get better. I still have that drive. So as long as I have that, I’m going to give it my all and let that be the goal.”

Currently fourth in points,Webb is totally to lurk in the shadows to see what comes next.

“I’m kind of always under the radar and I’m never really talked about a lot and I’m just kind of doing my own thing,” he said. “Maybe it is my riding style or my personality — I guess I’m not super-glamorous and don’t get the attention of the fans like Jett and Eli and Chase, but with that being said, I know my attributes and that’s kind of being a fighter and being a wily and experienced guy that leans on my racecraft and put myself in good situations. We’ll continue to do that and stick to our gameplan.”

But does he still feel like he has something to prove?

“I feel like I do. I think that is a good and bad thing,” he said. “Obviously, I’ve accomplished everything and then some of what I set out to do as a kid. I think once you win, it becomes addicting. I definitely would love to try to be a three-time Supercross champ before it’s all over. In my mind I believe I can.”

 

American motocross ace Ryan Villopoto called time on his racing career in 2014. At that point, the Monster Energy Kawasaki racer had earned four supercross championships, two AMA 450MX championships, three AMA 250cc motocross championships and had been a member of victorious Team USA racing efforts at the Motocross of Nations titles in 2006, ’07, ’08 and ’11. Somewhat shy amid media attention during his career, Villopoto quietly went about his winning ways of becoming and establishing himself among the fastest riders in the world.

At this year’s season-opening Supercross round in Anaheim, where his own career took flight, Villopoto reflected on his amazing career.

Opening night for Supercross. Always good to be at Angel Stadium for the opening round, isn’t it?

Yes, it’s good. Anaheim is always major. It’s the kickoff of the season for supercross and motocross and all of our racing. There is a lot of hype around it. It’s two of our races at an iconic stadium and we’ve been racing in this stadium forever. It’s just 15 minutes down the road from my house, so my kid Gage came out with me this morning and I’ve got the wife and the other boy coming out this afternoon. Gage wouldn’t let me leave the house today unless he was with me.

When you’re a high level athlete, in any sport, it’s sometimes tough to juggle everything everyone is asking for and to get pulled in 20 or 30 different directions. And then also you’re getting pulled in those 20 or 30 directions because you’re producing wins. And that’s always number one — being able to produce wins. So very high level athletes compartmentalize very well. We know the job description is to be the best we can be and win as many championships and races we can.

Whether it was you back in the day, or the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders here beneath the awning today in 2025, to be a racer at this level requires a lot, doesn’t it?

Yeah, I mean think, about it: You have the 250 class and the 450 class. Current rules are that you can turn pro at 16 years old and to be thrown to the sharks inside of a stadium and to be on these factory teams — it’s a lot to take in. And there is a lot of stress that gets brought with that and you still have to perform. That’s what makes the greats, though. It is the ones that can perform amongst all of the pressure and the new and shiny. There’s only a few greats every so often.

The fierce sporting culture here can be hard to deal with, can’t it?

Exactly. It’s obviously great to have a factory team behind you and to have budget behind you, but from a racing standpoint, this is still one of the only motorsports where the athlete is more important than the machine. Even factory teams deal with issues or bike setups being off and guys can still produce wins on a bike that is maybe subpar to their competitors. That comes down to the drive and the will and the skill level that the athletes have.

We all talk about the physicality of this sport, but isn’t there a lot required mentally, too?

Yes, a lot of it is mental with all the pressure, all the people expecting you to produce. That brings a whole set of new challenges with it. And like I said, there is the compartmentalizing and being able to go out and free practice and crash, or with the bike setup being off, or coming back to the truck and downloading the issues and then hopefully fixing those issues. Then you have to forget about in 15 minutes and go back out with an open mind and attack the track. You can’t be thinking, ‘Hey, last practice I was off.’ That’s huge.

This stuff, it’s actually hard to talk on because only a select few ever get to understand what it’s like. For myself, I dealt with it, but to put it all into words, it’s almost even harder. Then you add in injuries and being sick, and, ‘Hey, we’ve been at this for 12 weekends straight already, but we have another four weekends to race before a break, and then there are four more weekends before it’s over.’ So there is just a lot that as an athlete, you have to manage.

That’s where a great team comes into play. Yes, was I fast, great and one of the best? Yes, but it all came with the team. Sure, when you would go down to the qualifiers or for the main event, yes, it’s all on your shoulders. Every day and hour leading up to qualifier or main event is a team effort.

So you have to be all-in, all the time?

It’s tough, you know? They look at us as these special characters or not normal people, but the bottom line is we are all still human beings. Even now people will say to me, ‘I don’t know how you do this.’ Even now, I mean I retired here in the States back in 2015, and I still walk through the pits and it’s hard to get places because people want photos. Can you imagine if you were here to race and you were trying to go from autograph signing to here or there as an Eli Tomac or as a Jett Lawrence? Don’t raise your eyes, don’t raise your head, look down at the ground, and when they call your name 100 times, don’t even flinch. If you flinch for one second, you’re not going anywhere. You’ll be stuck signing autographs for 30 minutes. Which is great because they want that. But Saturday is our workday. That’s the thing that either I wish fans could understand more. It’s just controlled chaos.

That’s why great athletes can compartmentalize. And part of that is to be rude. It’s a rough way to say it, but you can’t just be accessible to everybody every hour of the day, you know? Some guys get a bad rap on it. I’m sure I did. I know I was hard to a lot of people or didn’t give them the time of day. The crazy part about it is when I did turn pro, everybody said, ‘Take it all in! take it all in because before you know it, it will be over.’ And eight years later, I decided that it was over. You go from the bottom of the totem pole to the top of the totem pole. And then you work your way back down and everybody you saw on the way up you see on the way back down.

Whether you’re a mechanic or a truck driver or a racer, everybody deals with it. Everybody is on the road for basically 10 months. I only know these things now at 36 years old. If you would have asked these questions when I was 30 years old, my opinion would maybe be different, so age has a lot to do with that, too. It brings perspective. Now I have kids. When my mom and dad did this with me, it was a struggle to do it. We didn’t have excess funds. My outlook on all this is a little bit different than my dad’s. That means we’re going to do this as a hobby. Yes, my kids like to do it. It’s the only thing I know. And it’s the only thing I know in how to build character with my kids. I never swung a hammer. I didn’t sit behind a desk. From a work ethic standpoint, this is where I teach my kids how to work. If they end up getting a desk job or working for Monster Energy, or doing this, or working for a team, they’re going to know how to bust their ass because this is the only outlet that I know how to teach them the work ethic side of it.

You’re going to have tough days where Dad is going to be yelling at you. And you can get hurt. I grew up doing it and it’s the only thig I know. It’s just like every one of us that work in this industry. It’s the only thing we know. It is super cool.

The news that Ty Masterpool will team with Garrett Marchbanks this Saturday night when the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team lines up to compete in the 250SX West Region round set for Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego is lighting up websites and social media platforms around the bike racing world.

Texan Masterpool was initially penciled into Mitch Payton’s 250SX East Region starting line-up, but due to Levi Kitchen’s exodus from the 250SX West due to pre-race illness last Masterpool comes off a productive back half of the 2024 racing season where he charged to fifth overall in the 250cc AMA 250cc Nationals and also competed in the three-round SuperMotocross World Championship, where he placed ninth overall. Although Masterpool did not participate in the 2025 Angel Stadium 250SX West Region opening round, he’s both enthused and determined to line up behind the starting gate on a Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki KX250F this Saturday night.

“I flew out here early yesterday morning and then went straight to the test track and then I was breaking in the race bike yesterday and today,” said Masterpool. “Right now I’m going to the Fox Racing headquarters to go work out. Yeah, a lot going on but I’m all good with it. A little last minute — I mean, being prepared and ready for the East Region was going to be a bit early for me, too. I’m aways ready to go racing. I’m a little underprepared, but it’s all good. Ready to go.

“Everyone knows I’m kind of a little behind supercross and stuff. So the biggest thing is that I’ll need time and I need experience, but the focus this year in supercross is just getting experience and gate drops and just getting the most experience that I can. The priority is outdoors this year. I want to gain the most experience I can so I can be a title contender next year in supercross.”

With a significant amount of his current supercross experience gleaned from riding and racing a 450F in various main events in 2024, Masterpool is looking forward to being upon the 250 full-time come the launch of the 250SX West Region title fight.

“Yeah, I’m liking the 250 a lot,” he said. “I’m really loving the bike. The biggest thing is just getting used to how good the bike handles in the whoops and all of that. I kind of had PTSD almost from the years before being on a privateer 250 and stuff like that. Getting rid of the old thoughts and the old bike has been good. I’m trying to take my time and let the speed come.”

Masterpool’s most recent supercross competition experience came in the form of the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship where he placed 12th, 11th and seventh at Charlotte, Texas and Las Vegas respectively.

“I felt pretty good,” he said. “At Vegas, unfortunately, we made the wrong decision. I ran the outdoor suspension and that kind of hindered me a little bit. I showed glimpses of speed and all that, but I was kind of dealing with some sickness. The stamina wasn’t there.”

Now back to full health, he’s eager to take advantage of the opportunity presented him.

“I’m excited for the competition,” he said. “The more stacked the field, the better. I’m excited for it all.

” There aren’t really any expectations. It’s more like me versus me and let the results come naturally and let the speed come naturally. I just want to hit my marks and focus on the big picture at hand. Next year in supercross I want to come in as a title contender. I want to come in hot.”

First, though, it’s all about his new West Region challenge, which he’s ready to grab with both hands.

“Yeah, I got thrown into the deep end a little bit, but I’m a racer and I’m always ready to go racing,” he said. “I’m just going to race myself into shape. The biggest thing will just kind of be getting experience and the gate drops and all that. It’s going to be fun.”

 

After beginning the 2024 AMA Pro Racing season with the Muc-Off/FXR ClubMX Yamaha organization – a season launched with back-to-back 250SX West podium finishes at and San Francisco and San Diego – Garrett Marchbanks suffered a thumb injury at Nashville, and then missed the AMA Pro Motocross opening round at Fox Raceway in Southern California due to a press day crash.

His outdoor season thrown sideways, word came down in early July that he would be returning to his former team Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki for 2025. The curtain dropping on his Muc-Off/FXR ClubMX Yamaha outfit ride after a four-race run aboard a Yamaha YZ450F in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Marchbanks once again lined back up with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team beginning with the 2024 Unadilla National.

Welcome to the 2025 AMA West Region 250SX West Supercross Championship, where Marchbanks will race for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team he last competed for from 2018 through 2020.

“I feel good,” said Marchbanks. “Usually, I usually always kind of struggle in early practice at A1. It’s a little bit of the nerves. There is the bike setup. A lot of times, like during the last three and a half or four years, I was training back east and then you go to the west coast and it just wouldn’t really gel for well with the bike chassis setup sometimes. So this year training 250SX West Region and racing the 250SX West Region, it really was nice. The bike felt pretty similar to practice days. The Anaheim track was pretty good and I look forward to San Diego.

“This year I feel really good. I truly feel like this year was the year I finally did all the work. It wasn’t like in years prior that I never did it. It was more like I think I always came into the new season hesitating like, ‘Did I do enough? Did I do this, this and that.’ This year I trained with Jason Anderson, one of the best guys out there in the entire world, a 450 supercross champ, and I trained with him on and off the bike and all the work we did. It was like, ‘Okay, if he’s confident, why can’t I be confident?’ I think just training with him, he’s really helped me understand what to do better on race day and on practice day. He’s been a huge help for me and I’m very thankful to be training with him.”

After a three-year run with Yamaha, Marchbanks is  thrilled to be back with Mitch Payton and his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki organization.

“Yeah, I missed it,” said Marchbanks of the Pro Circuit relationship. “I missed it a lot. There were days I’d sit there in my cabin out in South Carolina. There would be rainy days and we’d be sitting there and I have pictures all over my wall, like pictures of me winning at Daytona and pictures of me with Mitch Payton, and I would go, ‘Man, if I could get back on that bike… If I could just get back with Mitch Payton I want to turn it around and win the title. I want to do what I know I’m capable of.’ I remember the day he called me to come back and ride for him. I just remember that I was sitting there looking at those pictures and I was like, ‘Holly crap. I’ve made a full circle to do it again.’”

Sixth overall in the ’24 version of the 250SX West, Marchbanks is looking for bigger and better performance come the clank of the gate in Angel Stadium.

“Last year was kind of a weird year because some of my bad races were more like falls, or getting hit, or getting cleaned out,” he said of his 2024 campaign. “There were just random mistakes. Last year I felt like I was really good. I could have stayed right there in the top three a little bit longer, but this year I definitely feel like I can be a bit more consistent. Last year, my rounds at Anaheim 1 and Anaheim 2 weren’t the best. Those were rounds I just struggled on. If I could have just avoided those mistakes and stayed in the top five, or would have podiumed, I would have been right there in the title hunt. Those are things I just have to fix and I’ll be right there.”

Marchbanks won the Daytona round of the 2020 250SX East title chase. His lone triumph in the classification, the Utah pilot will be looking for thew top step of the podium once again come Anaheim.

“For me it has been five years now, which is crazy to think, and I got so close last year to finally getting to win again and missed it with two laps to go, which sucked,” said Marchbanks, referencing the 2024 San Diego supercross where he placed runner-up. “I feel like everything is there for me to do it again, and I feel like my endurance is great and my speed is great. I feel like if I just get some good starts, ride right there and do what I’ve been doing these past eight weeks, there should be no reason why I can’t win more races this year.”

Dispatched to the West Region for ’25 by Pro Circuit overlord Payton, Marchbanks, despite some reticence, is fine with competing in the West Region stadiums.

“For me – and I’m from the west coast, I’m from Utah – I hate the west coast,” he said. “I never liked the blue groove hardpack stuff. I’ve always been an east coast guy. However, you look on paper and I’ve podiumed six times. I podiumed three times in he west and three times in the east. It doesn’t really matter. You should be able to podium in either coast and no matter what, when you go 450, you’re going to have to rode both coasts. For me, I’m good with it. Honestly, this year has been the best I have rode west coast dirt, so I think I’m just fine.”

Last August, veteran Monster Energy Yamaha Star racer Eli Tomac spoke about deciding to stay on and hang around for another year in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.

“I’m really happy on how long I’ve made it,” said Tomac of what will be his 15th racing season come the drop of the gate at California’s Angel Stadium this Saturday evening. “To be honest, I didn’t see myself doing it past 30 years old. You’ve got to do what you love doing. I’ve always told myself that if I’m competitive, then I was going to keep going. It’s a little bit scary how fast 15 years goes by, but overall it has been a fantastic journey.”

Now at age 31 and putting the finishing touches on his preparations for the 2025 season, Tomac says that walking into Angel Stadium still feels special.

“Anaheim, it creeps up on you,” he said. “That’s just the way it is, but it’s awesome. There is nothing better than going racing, so I’m looking forward to it all. I can’t wait for it. I did some of those off-season races and had a great time doing that and then now all of a sudden, we are here at Anaheim 1. Man, it’s crazy how fast it comes around. It’s like, ‘Man, where did the time go?’ It’s been a great time doing it. I don’t know… I’ve just been healthy lately and I’ve just been having a blast doing it, so I want to keep my head on straight and continue strong.”

Having won the very first AMA Pro Racing event he competed in – the 2010 Hangtown National – Tomac is still focused on what lies ahead.

“It’s just the love of racing. Basically, I’m not over it yet,” he said. “I still enjoy it. I still have the passion for it and the burn for trying to better myself and just competing against all of the guys out there. Really, that’s all it comes down to is believing in yourself, that you can still be competitive to try and win a race.

“Last year, of course I wanted more than one win. And it was just okay. It’s hard to really say what I should have done. Coming off of a injury like that [ED: Tomac injured his thumb at Denver in May] was probably tougher than I expected, or what I even thought it was going to be. And it as one of those things where you think you’re 100 percent, or almost fully healed, but in all reality you’re not until you actually get basically a year down the road. That’s what I realized. Once I was a full year down the road from that injury, it was like, ‘Oh wow, that last couple of percent really matters.’ And those things matter when you get to this level.

“I guess we’re going to find out if that’s the truth, but that’s what I’m telling myself right now. Maybe my preparation time was short and that affected some of my results and maybe kept me from getting more wins. That was part of it, in my opinion. You need to stay focused. And if you’re off a tick with your health it just shows. It’s amazing when you do injure something, you don’t realize how much that little piece affects you, but it does. There is so much going on in trying to manhandle that motorcycle and basically just taming the beast. It is so critical to be healthy in this sport.

Can he make a run at a third supercross title?

“I think I can,” he said. “I’m definitely going to be in the mix. Of course the number one guy is Jett Lawrence, you know? He’s the defending champion, so that’s the guy we have to beat. We need to just better ourselves. Of course he’s the man to beat, and then we have all the other riders that are always there. Yeah, Jett is the man right now and we need to try to do our best to defeat him.”

Tomac feels fortified with the might of Star Yamaha behind him leading into what will be his fourth season with the organization.

“It has been a great run with these guys,” he said. “We’re already going on year number four. Unfortunately, I’ve gotten hurt the past two seasons for motocross. However, 2022 was lights-out amazing. We should have, would have could have won supercross in 2023. We’ve had so many great races and seasons and we’ve just had a good run. Looking forward to 2025 with Monster Energy Star Yamaha.”

2025 will mark Tomac’s final season as a professional supercross competitor. That being the case, will the veteran be taking it all in as the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship barnstorms the country?

“Yep. I will be doing that,” he said. “It’s crazy to say, but yeah, this is the last one. Man, crazy. I’m going to leave it all on the track, that’s for sure. I’m going to leave it all out there on the track and enjoy every moment along the way.”

Interstate 15 twists through Southern California and rolls through the town of Corona, home of the Kawasaki K1 Test Track, and the place where the Monster Energy Kawasaki and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race teams sort out their equipment.

It’s here that we found Jason Anderson on New Year’s Eve, dialing in his bike for the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship season-opener at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium on January 11.

“I’ve been riding and racing dirt bikes since I was six years old, so being able to still do it at age 32 is incredible,” said Anderson, a 14-time 450cc main event winner during his Supercross career. “I’m not really a guy that thrives on stuff that other guys thrive on. Guys can thrive on winning and other stuff. I feel like I’m more of a guy that just loves what I do, and I just want to keep the dream alive more so than anything.. Luckily, I’m pretty capable of doing well.

“I’m going into this Anaheim in 2025 and I’m excited still. It’s crazy because I still feel like that little kid walking in to do the press conference. It’s crazy when I’m up there. Sometimes I don’t even understand how big of a deal it is. From being where I was when I was little and watching those guys, and then being up there and being a part of the press conference for so many years now is really cool. And the atmosphere at Anaheim in general is amazing. I feel like the closer you get towards the end of your career, the more you want to take full advantage of it. It all goes by in the blink of an eye, but I don’t want it to end.”

One of Anderson’s fiercest rivals in the sport, both then and now, is Eli Tomac. With Anderson now at 31 years of age and Tomac at age 32, do the two veteran racers ever communicate with one another?

“Not much,” answered Anderson. “We don’t really talk much. Most of the time we would probably see each other is at the races. Obviously, we grew up two hours from each other so we’ve been racing around each other since we were on 60s. For him, He’s always kind of kept doing his own deal in Colorado and I’ve always been in California. I kind of migrated here from New Mexico. We kind of have two totally different programs, but at the same time, I feel it is has been pretty cool to go through everything we’ve gone through and all of us are still racing each other some 25 years later.”

Fifth place overall in the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship with an average finishing position of 5.76, Anderson also raced to four podium scores along the way.

“I was lucky I got four podium finishes in the year,” he said. “I also closed the season strong with five straight top five finishes. Being able to have a strong end to the year and stuff like that was good, but I think there was a little bit we missed on our motorcycle just because we were in the first year of the motorcycle. I think there are things that we have right now that can maybe improve on that.

“I would really love to win in my 30s. I haven’t been able to get a win in my 30s yet. So that would be a cool thing if I can accomplish it. That would be a huge thing for me.

“It’s a fierce sport and it is not easy to win. Not at all. I think it’s tough to be a winner. It’s tough to win for a long time. There are so many aspects of it to where you have to lock in, but then you also have your life on the other side of it that you also have to keep maintaining. You cant be always fully locked in. It’s just hard on us and to maintain a career going long, you have to have that balance, but it is so hard. Especially like right now. We’re getting ready for Anaheim 1, and you have Christmas and New Year’s Day and here we are spending New Year’s Eve at the track. It’s no joke. However, I’m lucky and I really do love what I do, so I have to figure out how to make that happen.”

While out at the K1 Test Track, Anderson ran alongside new Kawasaki teammate Jorge Prado.

“To be honest, it has been really, really refreshing with Jorge here,” he said. “Obviously, he’s new to all of this, so it’s nice to have that enthusiasm in a teammate. As a 450 guy, every teammate that I’ve ever had has been kind of aged, as in being on the circuit for a while and everything like that. Jorg, coming from Europe, he still sees the shine on all of this stuff. It is sparkling and new to him and it’s refreshing and I think it helps the energy across the whole board.”

A rider who has always enjoyed and maintained a lower profile than many others during his journey through the sport, Anderson has always been known to have his own way of doing and seeing things.

“I’m just more low-key,” he said. “I like to go home and do my work and just hang out and enjoy what I do. That’s just how I am. I’m not really a big guy on getting a lot of attention, so I just kind of keep to myself, for the most part. I mean there is a lot of stuff I like to do outside of the sport, but it’s hard to do just because my time is taken. You get to the point to where you’ve got to figure out who you are besides racing, you know? Obviously now I feel like I’m on the closer side to the end and I want to figure out who I am.

“Honestly, it’s tough because you start racing at six years old and then you’ve got to figure out who you are as soon as you retire. It’s a hard thing to do. As you get older, too, you have to understand the bad nights. You have to leave it there. I still have got to be present with what I do after and not have any negative on my energy whenever I’m away from the track because it is hard on you. But yeah, I definitely feel I can do it, and we’ll see where we stack up when we show up to Anaheim 1. I’m looking forward to it and I just want to keep enjoying myself. That’s my biggest thing.”

How will he approach competitors as Chase Sexton, Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac come the clank of the starting gate into Angel Stadium dirt?

“To be honest, I feel like the only approach you can have is to just get the best start you can and create the best result from whatever start that you get,” he said.

“I feel like the days of you being so fast to where you can just run through the pack are gone. Right now the class is really, really, really stacked. There are the title guys and I would obviously like to put my name in there, but then you also have the guys behind them. You have Malcolm Stewart, Justin Barcia, Kenny Roczen and there are a ton of guys that are still just so insanely good and they definitely get overlooked for how talented they are. All of those guys that I just said, you wouldn’t be surprised to see them p1 in practice. The amount of guys is just insane. The level our sport is going to is amazing.”

And can the young and accomplished Jett Lawrence be defeated in 2025?

“I think right now is the time is where if he is going to get beat, he needs to get beat right now,” he said. “If you keep letting him go with his confidence, he can possibly win out until he’s tired of winning. I think right now is a big moment for people to try and stop it. I feel like if it doesn’t happen now, he’s going to be a tough train to slow down.”