The Weekend Breakdown | 2025 Ironman

The 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship reached a boiling point at Ironman Raceway, where 450MX delivered a trifecta of shockers – a fresh winner, an unprecedented penalty and a baffling early retirement. These pivotal moments, and the ripple effects they sparked, are at the heart of Lewis Phillips' latest reflection.

HUNTER CAPITALIZES ON A SHOT

Ironman was not a banner weekend for Hunter Lawrence; thirty-six percent of his previous 450MX starts yielded moto results the same or better than what he scored on Saturday. Consistency results in a chance and Hunter, a premier-class winner in his twentieth attempt, capitalized on that.

With Jett out of contention and Chase wrestling his KTM, it would have taken a catastrophe for Hunter to miss out on gold. Still, it was impressive to see him dig deep after admitting to fatigue in moto one; he surrendered a lead of more than seven seconds and was lapping multiple seconds slower than his rivals by the end of the stint. It's curious that he faced similar fatigue at this stage of 2024's season – though investigating that might be futile, given Ironman's brutal heat that felt reminiscent of Indonesia's MXGP fixtures.

"I don't think that anyone really expects to win," Hunter said. "It's what you work towards and want, but nothing is guaranteed in this world. This class is so extremely tough. There are days that I have ridden better and been stronger than I was today but ended up second. It's an unpredictable sport. I did not really care when I finished the second moto. I was so done, finished and hot. The priority was cooling down. You push beyond your limits – the pain that we experience is next level."

Verdict: Long overdue and still very overshadowed.

LAWRENCE LAMENTS START LAW

For the second time in more than four years, Jett Lawrence has lost successive Pro Motocross rounds. An earth-shattering fact that is a reminder of just how brilliant he is and one that has been influenced by a historic penalty. A punishment that Honda HRC continue to rue one day on.

"I was pretty fired up about it," Lars Lindstrom said. "I had a lot of words for them. We discussed it very heavily. There are always things like that in the rulebook that sneak up on you. The penalty itself is designed for someone who is trying to take advantage. If you look at the picture then it looks like he is a bike length ahead of everyone, but I tried to get them to look at it in a different context. There was obviously not an intent to gain an advantage. The kid holeshots or starts in the top three each time – he was twenty-fifth!"

Lawrence was just as bemused. "I feel like AMA has double standards; we have got guys cutting the track and they don't do anything. I guess this is what we have to deal with, but they might need to get better at realizing who they need to penalize. I came back and won the second moto, so we'll leave with that." An appropriate 'mic drop' considering said win came after leading all but one lap and posting the two fastest lap times. There was a slight physical issue that hindered him to boot…

Verdict: The first offender, Jett became an example.

IRONMAN 'TOUGH TO STOMACH'

Jett Lawrence struggled to digest the news of his one-lap penalty at Ironman – even new medicine couldn't help. Lawrence was open in post-race chatter about a persistent stomach problem that has hindered his energy levels towards the end of the races.

"I tried new things with my stomach because I have been struggling to digest food between motos," he said in an official statement. "I think the tablets I took kept digesting everything so quickly that by halfway, I had no energy – bit of a bummer there." It would be tricky for onlookers to identify said problem; he pulled chunks out of Hunter and Chase with a couple of laps remaining in moto one, only giving up on his charge when the risk of on-track battles outweighed the reward.

Such transparency is rare in off-road, and this apparent weakness could well spur his competitors in the final two rounds. The SMX postseason also uses a two-moto format, raising the stakes further. Has he inadvertently handed his closest competitors the very chink in the armor they have been searching for?

Verdict: Jett's 'human' despite the relentless results.

KTM'S DÉJÀ VU DISAPPOINTMENT

In a similar vein to Lawrence's start slip, there are few instances of an elite rider falling and stumbling like Chase Sexton in moto two. The incident was all too familiar for KTM's brass, however, as a bizarrely similar occurrence cost them track time just one year previous.

I asked Ian Harrison which experience this caused him to recall. "Last season! The rear brake jammed up on that jump in practice. We thought that we had it covered, but perhaps we needed to do more? I can tell you this: It was nothing to do with a mechanic or anything like that. It was most likely something to do with debris from the track." There is woodchip and whatnot in the Crawfordsville soil, so perhaps that's the 'debris' that he's pointed to in multiple locations.

Freak incident or not, it's another curious chapter in Sexton's tumultuous relationship with KTM that's reportedly set to conclude after two terms. SMX's postseason was already labeled as his sole priority, instead of wins in the outdoors, but one would think that this will only accelerate that mindset.

Verdict: A partnership seemingly limping to an end.

ELI 'CAUGHT WITH PANTS DOWN'

Eli Tomac was 'pantsed' both figuratively and literally in the first stint; he fell from first to almost a minute down, thanks to both a kit malfunction and apparent sickness. Another turbulent chapter in his season that includes just two silver medals, the last coming at round three some two months ago.

The results column's more obscure than he deserves, but it's tricky to consider this anything but a disappointment. There has been a swarm of third positions, before and after Sexton's return, but a fervent fanbase demands a lot more. Similar to Lewis Hamilton's struggles in Formula 1, tricky machinery combined with no momentum makes for tough sledding and it's difficult to imagine a scenario where Tomac will not end this Pro Motocross term winless for the first time since 2011.

Perhaps the most peculiar aspect of his recent form is the sudden improvement in his starts. Excluding Millville's second moto, he has launched inside the top four in each of the last six motos. Before that, he managed just five top four starts in twelve attempts. This progress has thrown his speed deficit into sharper focus; it was harder to gauge his pace when he was always charging forward from the back.Those starts could see him capitalize in a similar manner to Hunter though.

Verdict: Sickness forces him to miss an open goal.

POINGANT PRADO MOTOR MOVE

A breakthrough in Jorge Prado's stony expression was born from drastic motor modifications that caused him to label Ironman 'day one' – he finally has a base to build from. Is it too little too late as discussions about a premature end to his time at Kawasaki intensify?

"We found stuff before the first practice and it really changed the bike a lot," Prado told me. "It was something totally different from what I was running – it helped with engine response and feeling of the frame. I was racing with a completely different bike today. We were a little off with some stuff, but that's quite normal when you are on a completely new bike. I think this is the first time that we've gone in the correct direction." He matched his season-best scorecard from RedBud at Ironman.

The engine has dominated his focus since day dot, and so the fact that there is a base for him to work from now is going to enable him to explore options with the suspension and improve there. There has been a persistent issue with the bike bottoming out and even causing him further issues with his troublesome shoulder, so there's still a significant amount of work to do. Still, after a horrid experience thus far, this is a significant sign of life and one that should reinvigorate all involved.

Regarding his future, rumors are running rampant on both sides of the Atlantic. It's safe to assume that there have been initial discussions with KTM, yes, but nothing has progressed beyond that and so there's little to report yet. It's only fair to acknowledge that there is a sprinkle of truth behind the rumors, despite the fact there is very little substance to chew on. The silliness that surrounds the transfer market's exceptional on this go-around, it must be said.

Verdict: A faint glow at the end of this long tunnel.

YAMAHA 'BLUE' BEYOND DEEGAN

Yamaha's 250MX effort is extensive, yet Haiden Deegan's success is stopping critics casting a critical eye across the team's collective scorecard. Another dominant sweep ensured that Yamaha is the winningest manufacturer in the class – the results beyond that leave a little to be desired.

Outside of Haiden, and across the rest of their roster, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team has had six appearances in the top ten; Michael Mosiman (Fox Raceway, Hangtown, Southwick and RedBud), Nate Thrasher (High Point) and Jeremy Martin (Millville) have contributed to that. Absentees like Cole Davies and Max Anstie have hurt their record – those riders would be top ten mainstays – but it's still striking that Deegan is paving over significant cracks elsewhere in the organization. Consider the team is yet to win in 450MX too.

Excluding their champion elect, Yamaha's satellite teams have logged more top ten appearances. Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha has put Maximus Vohland in there on three occasions (Fox Raceway, Washougal and Ironman). Toyota Redlands BarX Yamaha's squad has done it four times with Dilan Schwartz (Hangtown, Thunder Valley, Millville and Washougal). This underscores Yamaha's prolific support network, as well as questionable decisions when scouting talent at a factory level.

Verdict: One rider can truly make a big difference.