2025 AMA Supercross Championship
Round 17 – Salt Lake City – Final
250 East-West Showdown Report
Haiden Deegan scored the holeshot when the final round of the 2025 AMA Supercross Championship got underway in Salt Lake City on Saturday night. Chasing Deegan early on were Tom Vialle, Seth Hammaker and Julien Beaumer.
Beaumer got the better of Hammaker and closed in on his KTM team-mate Vialle, who was aiming to take out his second 250 East Championship in succession.
Up front Deegan had pulled the pin and was gone.
Beaumer took second place from Vialle and the battle between that pair had allowed Seth Hammaker and RJ Hampshire to close up on them.
Hammaker demoted Vialle to fourth place at half-race distance to put one step on the podium. A lap later RJ Hampshire took fourth from Vialle and if they finished in that order then Hammaker would win the championship from the Frenchman.
The leaders were now fighting their way through lapped traffic. Hammaker was all over the back of Beaumer and looking for a way past, the Kawasaki man made his move with just over three-minutes left on the clock.
Beaumer though came back at him at the end of a rhythm section and the two clashed, the KTM man taking that second place back as he looked to be trying to help his team-mate, Hammaker then brushed shoulders with Beaumer again and this time came out on top. Then pushing Beaumer back another position was RJ Hampshire.
Moments later though Hampshire and Hammaker came together and both ended up on the deck! Hampshire went for a move under Hammaker up the berm of a tight right-hander but the pair tangled. That move from Hampshire effectively cost Hammaker the championship! Hammaker and Hampshire were back up and running in quick fashion but not before Beaumer and Vialle had swept past.
Hammaker put his head down to try and chase down Vialle once again but the KTM man had enough of a buffer to bring home that third place and with it the 250 East Championship.
Second place on the night going to Beaumer who with that cemented second place in the 250 West Championship.
Hammaker’s fourth place saw him finish three-points behind Vialle in the 250 East title fight.
RJ Hampshire sixth on the night which secured him third place on the 250 East ladder.
Completely unaware of all that excitement going down behind him was Haiden Deegan. The Star Yamaha rider the victor by just under ten-seconds after already securing the 250 West crown the previous weekend in Denver.
Deegan will take a 40-point lead in the combined SMX title chase over Julien Beaumer into the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Tom Vialle a further nine-points behind in third.
Jordon Smith and Cole Davies had come together hard in Qualifying and both missed the Main. Davies looked to be cruising and was landed on heavily from behind by Smith in what was a sickening impact that left the young Kiwi in all sorts of bother. Early indications are that he has a broken nose and a broken arm, but along with that he will also be very battered and bruised all over.
Haiden Deegan – 250 West Champion – P1
“This [Championship] means a lot to me because people doubted me all the way,” Deegan said in Denver. “They [were] telling me I was all hype coming into [AMA] Supercross and motocross … We’re the champ now, and let’s go, baby!”
Julien Beaumer – P2
“I’m really happy with how my riding was in these last two rounds, it really came back around, and my biggest takeaway from this championship is just consistency. I had that mid-season slump and a couple of tough races, so for me, it’s about being consistent. Tonight I was racing hard for position there in the Main Event, and we’re happy to come away with second place.”
Tom Vialle – 250 East Champion – P3
“I can’t believe this, to be honest! I got a good start behind Haiden [Deegan], and I was feeling good, then I started to make a couple of mistakes, and both Seth [Hammaker] and RJ [Hampshire] got me, so then I was about five seconds back. I saw them both down in the corner, and I couldn’t believe it – I thought, ‘This is crazy!’ There were still about four laps to go, and I just did it from there to clinch the title. The speed was really high this year from everyone and I lost a lot of points in the mud at Foxborough, but overall I just tried to stay steady, and that’s what paid off in the end. I came to the United States to win Supercross titles, so to have two now is insane! Two championships are hard to win, so this feels really good to achieve this with the whole Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team.”
Seth Hammaker – P4
“It was a great season overall,” said Hammaker. “Obviously, coming up just short is tough—especially when you’re that close. It was a wild race. I got a decent start, but from there it was chaos. I got around Tom (Vialle) early and was holding good pace, but then Juju (Julien Beaumer) came in and made an aggressive move on me that I wasn’t expecting. I shouldn’t have left the door open like that. Then RJ (Hampshire) came in hot. I just tried to keep fighting all the way to the end. I pushed to close the gap on Tom, but second place is how the season wraps. Huge shoutout to the entire team—I really wanted to get this one done for them. I can’t thank everyone at Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki and the whole Dog Pound crew enough. We’ll get back to work and stay focused on outdoors. The season’s still building, and I’m proud of the fight we showed. Congrats to Tom on a great season.”
RJ Hampshire – P6
“Today was a very eventful day,” reflected Hampshire. “I felt good on the bike, then the Heat Race didn’t go so well after having a big one that sent me to my first LCQ in a couple of years. That’s always stressful, so then the outside gate pick for the Main gave me an average start, but I put my head down and charged. I had a chance for the championship at the end there and I went for it, which didn’t go in my favor and it’s unfortunate to take us both down. Overall, I did everything I could, I tried, and we’ll leave here and move on – I’m looking forward to this next chapter of my career.”
Gareth Marchbanks – P7
“Today was a grind,” said Marchbanks. “Free practice went solid—I think I was P4—but overall, qualifying was tough. I just wasn’t connecting with the track like I did in Denver. We made some suspension tweaks that helped for the heat, but I got hit in turn two and went down hard. Came back from dead last to eighth, which wasn’t ideal. In the main, I tried for a good start from the inside but got pinched off and shuffled way back. I worked my way up to P7, but it was just one of those nights where nothing really clicked. The team worked hard all week and gave me a great bike—everything’s there, we just need to dial in the starts. We’ll regroup and keep pushing.”
Drew Adams – P10
“Overall, it was a solid day,” said Adams. “I felt like I improved every time I hit the track. Qualifying went really well, and the heat race was strong. In the main, I know I need to keep working on my starts—that’s definitely something to improve. I lost some spots early but made a few passes and caught some breaks along the way. Ended up P10, and I’m pretty happy with that. Excited to carry the momentum outdoors. Thanks for all the support!”
Austin Forkner – P22
“I am stoked to finish the season with a positive day. I rode well. I was fifth in the heat, which was with all of the 250SX East riders, then I had a solid start in the main. I was riding well and in the battle. I had a little issue that ended my race, but we have made massive improvements over the last month and I am so excited to carry that momentum into the future.”
Jordon Smith
“A bummer way to end the supercross season! I felt really good in practice and put a lot of laps together. We have made some positive bike changes in recent weeks and I feel that we really had it in a good spot. It was an unfortunate situation, but I am pleased that we are all somewhat healthy and walking away. I tried to race, but I was just too sore and the main focus is the 2025 Pro Motocross season. We will head back to the Triumph Factory Racing facility and be ready for round one.”
Cole Davies – Injured
“A tough way to end the Supercross season, but looking at the positives — it’s been one hell of a rookie year. I’m stoked on how it went and truly grateful for everyone who supported me along the way, especially the entire Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha team. As for my current condition: I’ve got a broken arm and a broken nose. It definitely could’ve been a lot worse, and I’m thankful to walk away somewhat okay after such a gnarly crash. Massive thanks to the Alpinestars Medical Crew for taking great care of me. Surgery is set for tomorrow morning. I’ll be back stronger than ever. Appreciate all the love — see you soon.”
250 East-West Showdown Main Results
250 West Final Championship Points
250 East Final Championship Points
250 Combined SMX Points
450 Main Report
Aaron Plessinger scored the holeshot as the championship deciding 450 Main got underway in Salt Lake City. Cooper Webb was second early on as Chase Sexton and Shane McElrath also threw their hat in that ring.
Webb made short work of Plessinger to move through to the lead at the end of the opening lap. Sexton then moved up to second place and set about chasing down the championship leader.
Sexton reeled Webb in and took the lead on lap four with a clean pass. Sexton went into this final nine-points behind Webb, so Webb knew he only need to finish in the top five to claim the title, even if Sexton was to win this final round.
By half-race distance Sexton had a seven-second buffer over Webb. Meanwhile Webb was being closed down by Justin Cooper and Malcolm Stewart.
Webb offered little resistance as Malcolm Stewart and then Justin Cooper demoted him to fourth. The championship leader playing it safe and still had seven-seconds over Joey Savatgy up his sleeve with five-minutes to run. At this juncture Sexton led Stewart by more than ten-seconds.
Sexton went on to take the chequered flag well clear of Stewart, while Justin Cooper rounded out the podium ahead of newly crowned 2025 AMA Supercross Champion, a tearful and thankful Cooper Webb.
Webb now a three-time Supercross Champion.
Cooper Webb – 2025 Champion / P4
“[This third championship] means everything,” Webb said. “You don’t know how many nights I’ve woken up just wanting to get this again. And I never thought I’d be here again, so never give up on yourself. Never cut yourself short. I’m not maybe the best, but man, when you put your mind to something [then] you get it done … I knew I wasn’t done after those [previous] two [championships]. This feels freakin’ awesome, man. Never give up on yourself, kids!”
Sexton took seven round wins on his way to second in the championship.
Justin Cooper secured third place in the championship by four-points over Malcolm Stewart.
Ken Roczen finished fifth in the championship despite being injured for most of the year and then sitting out the final couple of rounds.
Chase Sexton – P1
“Today, I think I did everything that I could’ve done. Obviously, we came up short on the championship, which is a bummer and it’s a tough pill to swallow, but Cooper [Webb] had a great season. We were able to achieve seven race wins this year, and throughout the season I became a much more complete rider, having learned from some of my mistakes, so I’ll take that and head into the outdoors. I am proud of what we were able to achieve together with the team and am happy to beat my personal season win record with seven this year.”
Malcolm Stewart – P2
“Tonight was awesome,” commented Stewart. “These last few weeks at altitude have been solid for us, and when I got into second position tonight for a split second I couldn’t hear my motorcycle – these fans were so loud! It was a great race for me, we did everything that we could, and I’m just stoked to end this championship with a second-place finish. We made a lot of progress this year, because last year we were coming back from injury and I was just overthinking things. Tampa really turned things around for me with having the confidence of being able to run at the front, so all-in-all, I’m really happy and excited to go racing outdoors.”
Aaron Plessinger – P6
“Salt Lake City was a pretty good race. I struggled to find a setting that worked for me in qualifying, but by the time we got to the Heat Race, it was working awesome! I got a holeshot there and won the thing, which was good. Holeshotted again in the Main, but I saw that I was around both Coop and Chase, and panicked a bit – I doubled the whole way down a rhythm lane and lost a lot of positions, then struggled to recover from there. That was my night in Salt Lake, but it’s time to regroup and head outdoors. We’ll be going for it!”
