There was some great hype coming into the first round of the 2025 Supercross season, with a wealth of storylines to keep anyone interested. There was an even deeper class of talent in the 450 class this year, with five previous premier class champions on the starting line this season. A stacked 250 SX West Coast class of riders was stacking up to be maybe more exciting than a deep 450 class, with Deegan looking like the favorite and a number of talented riders all lined up to be the guy that beats him.
450 Class
Wow, the action in the 450 SX class delivered in this first round of Supercross. The three podium-place finishers were all past 450 champions, and neither of the Lawrence brothers cracked the top 10. You probably could have convinced most people the podium could easily be all past champions, but the Lawrences finishing outside of the top ten would be an impossible sell for nearly everyone. Chase Sexton performed great and grabbed him the first win of the season and the red plate heading into San Diego. In pre-season discussions, Chase stated that he was in a much better place than last year, as the season was just weeks from starting.
Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen also battled forward, reaching second place early and holding the spot to the finish. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson managed to avoid first-turn chaos and found himself in the lead on the first lap. After intense battles with Sexton and Roczen he finished the race on the podium with third place. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac crashed on the opening lap while leading. The defending champion, Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence, had two big mistakes in the opening laps and was only able to climb back to 12th spot.
I kind of knew where I was at coming in here. I knew I had good speed. I feel more like myself in 2023 when I was fast, but I feel like I’m a little more mature now and I can get out front and kind of run my own laps and not make mistakes, so it was a fun race. [I] had Kenny behind me, and also Jason, and it was just a good ride. Honestly, I had so much fun on this track tonight. I can’t give it up to the team enough. They put in so much hard work this off-season to get me comfortable, knowing that I wasn’t comfortable last year; and coming in now we’re back where we need to be. We still have lots to improve; it’s only one race in and there’s 16 left, but we’re off to a good start and first time winning A1 feels pretty good. – CHase Sexton
250 Class
In a weekend, the world expected Haiden Deegan to dominate, Jo Shimoda has a great ride and wins the opening round and early points lead. Deegan had a tough go in the main event but was able to battle back and salvage a fifth-place finish to keep him close in the early points race. Julien Beaumer was riding very well in the SMX playoffs at the end of 2024 and has started off 2025 with that same level of riding. He has stated several times that he is finally riding on race day at the same speed he was showing during the week. Triumph grabbed a podium in the first weekend of racing, making it their second podium of their short Supercross history and proving that betting on Jordon Smith was a good move.
In 250SX Class racing, Joe Shimoda took the win without being challenged throughout the 15-minute plus 1 lap Main Event. It was Shimoda’s first opening round podium finish. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer put in a strong performance; Beaumer was the fastest qualifier and won his heat race. He held close to Shimoda for much of the race but never got close enough to make a run at the lead. Triumph Racing Factory Team’s Jordon Smith recovered brilliantly from a tip-over in a left-hand turn. With just 11 seconds on the race clock he reached third place and held the spot to the end.
This is the start I was looking for every single year. And I think I was honestly sleeping on the gate [in previous seasons]. [Laughs] But we came out with a good start and just put in some consistent laps, you know, and never looked back. All this happened because of my team behind it. I’d just like to thank everyone at Honda, my trainer, mechanic and everybody… Thank you so much. Thank you, I love you guys. – Jo Shimoda
