After more than 40 years away, Monster Energy AMA Supercross returned to the Steel City of Pittsburgh for round 15 of the 2025 season.
With championship tensions running high and the weather turning cold by nightfall, fans packed into Acrisure Stadium for what promised to be a pivotal night of racing as the championship draws to its conclusion.
Cooper Webb delivered a statement 450cc class win, and Tom Vialle recaptured the 250 East Championship lead.
450 CLASS
An adjusted race schedule saw riders head straight into qualifying without free practice, and right from the first lap, it was clear it would be another nail-biter between Chase Sexton and Webb.
Cooper Webb laid down the fastest time early, but when the dust settled after the second session, it was Sexton who secured top spot with a blistering 47.276 lap – almost half a second quicker than Webb’s 47.710.
Ken Roczen wasn’t far behind, clocking 47.726 to slot into third, just 0.016 seconds off Webb’s time.
Malcolm Stewart joined them in the 47-second bracket at 47.926, while Justin Cooper rounded out the top five with a 48.071 lap.
When racing kicked off, Mitchell Oldenburg, Roczen and Webb were the early leaders in 450 Heat Race 1.
An early mistake from Oldenburg allowed Roczen and Webb to stretch away, with Roczen eventually pulling clear for a narrow 1.7-second win over Webb. Dylan Ferrandis was a distant third, almost 12 seconds behind Webb. Factory Honda fill-in Dean Wilson finished fourth, while Oldenburg crossed the line fifth after some of his best laps of the year.
In 450 Heat Race 2, it was fan favourite Aaron Plessinger who thrilled the Pittsburgh crowd with a perfect jump off the gate to grab the holeshot.
Cooper muscled his way past both Plessinger and Sexton, first clearing Sexton decisively, then reeling in and passing Plessinger to take an impressive heat race win. Plessinger held on for second, with Sexton crossing in third after struggling to match Cooper’s speed. Stewart finished just behind Sexton, with Joey Savatgy fifth.
When the gate dropped in the 450 final, championship leader Webb, carrying immense pressure from second-placed Sexton, made a statement by grabbing the holeshot.
From there, the 29-year-old led every lap in a dominant performance, as the duo continued their intense battle for the championship lead.
Sexton kept the heat on, running second for the entire 26-lap journey, but a few small bobbles and lacking the blistering pace from the previous round left him playing catch-up.
Despite clocking the fastest lap of the race, Sexton never quite had an answer for Webb’s consistent pace.
Cooper worked his way into third around the halfway point of the race, eventually settling into the final podium position, crossing the line 22 seconds behind the two leaders.
Another 10 seconds back, Plessinger finished fourth, narrowly holding off Stewart and Roczen, with Stewart making a late block pass to secure fifth ahead of Roczen.
Webb now heads into the final two rounds of the season with a nine-point lead over Sexton, setting up what promises to be a dramatic and pivotal conclusion to the championship.
250 CLASS
Over in the 250 East division, RJ Hampshire laid down a marker early in qualifying, topping the timesheets with a 48.507 — more than half a second clear of points leader Seth Hammaker, who posted a 49.013. The gap back to third was even more pronounced, with Max Vohland clocking a 49.499.
Despite a heavy crash in a rhythm section in the second session that saw him catapulted over the bars, Vialle hung onto fourth with a 49.574, while Austin Forkner completed the top five at 49.701.
In the first 250S heat race, Hammaker showed the hometown crowd why he’s wearing the red plate, grabbing the holeshot and never looking back.
Chance Hymas slotted into second and fended off a late charge from Nate Thrasher, while Vialle held steady in fourth. Cullin Park charged through from outside the top 10 to claim fifth.
Heat 2 featured a fantastic battle between Vohland and Hampshire. Vohland grabbed the holeshot and led the first five laps after Hampshire mistimed a rhythm section, but a small mistake in the whoops from Vohland allowed Hampshire to sneak back into the lead. Hampshire pulled clear to secure the win, with Vohland settling for second.
Showing that he is coming back into form, Austin Forkner rode a solid race to finish third after working his way up from a fifth-place start.
When it mattered most, Vialle delivered, taking his first win of the season and winning a thriller in Pittsburgh Final to take over the 250 East Championship points lead and become the seventh winner of the season.
With just over a minute remaining, Vialle made a tense pass on holeshot winner Nate Thrasher, who had led the entire first 17 laps, and locked himself into a pivotal third career victory that saw him take a 1.6-second win and regain the championship lead with one round remaining. Thrasher held on for second place, while Max Vohland rounded out the podium with a strong ride to third, almost 12 seconds adrift of the winner.
Championship contenders RJ Hampshire and Hammaker finished fourth and fifth respectively. Hampshire climbed as high as third during the race but suffered a crash after landing off the side of a jump, forcing him into an uphill battle to chase down the leaders.
Hammaker endured a tough start, finding himself back in 15th after the second lap following some close calls, but fought hard and avoided the carnage happening around him to climb through the pack and keep his championship hopes alive. “I spun really bad off the grate at the start and put myself in a tough spot right away,” he said.
The title chase is now a winner-takes-all showdown heading into the finale at Salt Lake City in two weeks’ time.
Photo courtesy AMA
Find BikesportNZ.com on FACEBOOK here
