The 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championships returned to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, for round three, where fans were once again treated to an exciting night of close racing.
Australian Jett Lawrence secured his first win of the 2025 season in the 450SX class, while Haiden Deegan dominated from the start in the 250SX West class, leading every lap to claim his first win of the season.
450SX CLASS
The big news to start the night was that MXGP world champion Jorge Prado was forced to sit out this Anaheim 2 event after a crash in the longest rhythm section during the first timed session. The Spaniard dislocated his shoulder when he grabbed the safety nets after over-jumping a quad and landing off-balance in a berm.
Jett Lawrence delivered a commanding performance in qualifying, setting the fastest time in 450SX with a blistering 57.086, nearly a second faster than points leader Eli Tomac, who was second, and Chase Sexton in third.
Tomac dominated the opening 450SX heat, taking the win by over 10 seconds ahead of Cooper Webb and Hunter Lawrence. In heat two, Jason Anderson secured his first win of the season in a tighter battle, holding off strong challenges from Lawrence and Sexton.
The 450SX main event had a few storylines. LCQ winner Justin Cooper grabbed the holeshot on a slick track after earlier rain. Championship leader Tomac found himself buried in 17th after the opening lap, leaving him with a mountain to climb to retain his red plate.
Another rider in trouble was Aaron Plessinger, who became tangled with another competitor, resulting in a mechanical DNF due to a broken throttle housing.
Cooper held the lead for six laps under intense pressure from Jason Anderson, Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, and a lurking Ken Roczen. Anderson eventually took the lead with a classy inside move through the sand section but couldn’t hold off a surging Lawrence, who passed Anderson on lap 14, using superior speed through the whoops to take control of the race.
As Lawrence continued to pull away, Germany’s Roczen worked his way up from deep in the top ten to challenge Anderson for second.
Lawrence secured his first win of the season, becoming the third different winner in as many rounds. Roczen finished second after a brief back-and-forth battle with Anderson, who rounded out the podium in third. Round one winner Sexton put in a consistent, workmanlike performance, finishing fourth and adding another solid haul of points to his tally.
The gaps widened further down the top 10, with Hunter Lawrence crossing the line five seconds behind Sexton to claim fifth. Cooper finished sixth, while Tomac staged an impressive recovery to salvage valuable points in eighth. Webb, Malcolm Stewart and Justin Barcia completed the top 10.
“You have to be very patient,” Jett Lawrence said of the slippery conditions, “Jason was riding really well, and I was struggling to find anywhere to gain on him or try to make a pass. He had to get a little risky in the whoops … I think we both got sketchy through them. I was being very patient and trying not to rush anything.
“Lap by lap I just hit my marks. There was the rain, my goggles were fogging up a little bit, but we’re happy to get that [win]. We’re better than we were at the last round at Anaheim, so that’s good. On to the next round in AZ,” he concluded.
Roczen’s second-place finish elevated him to the top of the championship standings, three points clear of Sexton. Meanwhile, Lawrence’s ninth career win moved him into the top three, now just five points off the lead.
“It’s an absolute dream,” Roczen said of his new position as championship leader, “After I was in a position last week for a possible third, I came back [to the truck and] was thinking it would be so rad to share a red plate with Eli. And just to have a red plate, it’s been a long time, especially on a Suzuki. I wasn’t able to make [a win] happen tonight.
“This was an absolutely insane race. We were in a battle the whole way, and it was awesome. With the rain and how hardpacked the dirt was, it was very slippery out there, but I just kept my focus the whole way … After making a [first] pass stick on Jason I hit neutral, and he got me back. I was bummed because it’s a lot of work to get by.”
Anderson was happy to have withstood the pressure of running at the pointy end and walk away with a podium result.
“I think that rain gives you quite a bit of anxiety when sitting on the line,” Anderson said. “I was able to get out front and the pace up there is really fast, and I had pressure the whole time. I was able to get around Justin and be upfront, but then I had some of the fastest guys behind me. I’m excited to be up here on the podium.”
250SX WEST CLASS
In heat one of the 250 West class, Coty Schock held off New Zealand’s Cole Davis to take the win, with Jordon Smith finishing third.
Japan’s Jo Shimoda, riding with broken fingers sustained from a pit board incident last week, delivered a solid fourth-place finish. Meanwhile, Pro Circuit’s rookie Drew Adams impressed with a strong fifth in his professional debut.
Heat two saw fastest qualifier Haiden Deegan come out on top after a run-in with holeshot winner Julien Beaumer, who came off second best in the exchange. Michael Mosiman claimed second place, with Enzo Lopes, making his return to AMA Racing, finishing third.
Despite the incident, Beaumer recovered quickly but was penalised two positions for passing under a red cross flag, moving him from third to fifth.
In the 250SX West division final, Deegan delivered a near-flawless performance, leading every lap of the main event to claim his first Supercross victory of the season and his fourth overall.
Deegan’s holeshot set the tone for the 17-lap race, as he built a five-second gap over Beaumer, who, despite a minor skirmish with Deegan in the second corner, rode a consistent race to finish second. Rain in the closing stages added an extra layer of unpredictability.
The night marked a breakthrough for rookie Davies, who made steady progress through the field after starting in seventh. The Kiwi capitalised on a late crash by Smith – who had been pressuring Beaumer for second – to secure his first career podium with a third-place finish.
Smith had been running in podium contention until his crash relegated him to fourth. Schock rounded out the top five with a solid performance, while Shimoda battled through the pain of broken fingers to finish sixth.
Adams, making his pro debut for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, finished a respectable eighth. The 16-year-old impressed throughout the night, gaining valuable experience at the highest level of competition.
Baumer retains his championship lead, seven points clear of Deegan and nine clear of Smith in third.
The championship now moves to Glendale, AZ, on Feb 1 for round four.
Photo courtesy Suzuki
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