Deegan Wraps Up Back-to-Back 250 Class Titles with Dominant Outing at Pro Motocross Championship Finale from Budds Creek

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. (August 23, 2025) – The 2025 Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, came to a captivating conclusion on a balmy afternoon in Southern Maryland, as Budds Creek Motocross Park hosted the 11th race of the summer campaign and the 28th and final round of the SMX World Championship regular season. The Yamaha Racing Budds Creek National Finals locked in the field of athletes that will contest the upcoming SMX Playoffs, but more importantly crowned a 250 Class Champion as Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan captured the Gary Jones Cup for the second consecutive season in a dominant effort. With the championship already decided in the 450 Class, Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence enjoyed another solid afternoon to wrap up his second title-winning summer with a ninth victory.

Moto 1
The first moto of the afternoon began with newly crowned champion Lawrence leading the field to the Pro Motocross Holeshot however Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper was able to briefly move out front before Lawrence asserted his hold of the position. The lead duo was then able to put some distance over the rest of the field as riders jockeyed for positions early, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire slotting into third.
 
The top three ran unchanged throughout the first 20 minutes of the moto, with Lawrence able to establish a lead of around five seconds, while Cooper looked to fend off a hard-charging Hampshire. Behind them, Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence lurked from fourth, slowly closing the gap as the final 10 minutes unfolded. A persistent Hampshire was able to close to within a second of Cooper with just over three minutes to go as the leaders navigated heavy lapped traffic. That allowed Lawrence to close in to make it a three-rider battle for second with under a minute remaining in the moto. Lawrence made a quick strike to pass Hampshire and then looked to take advantage of lappers to make a move on Cooper. The battle for second went down to the final lap.
 
Back out front, Jett Lawrence took an uneventful moto win, his 16th of the season and 42nd of his career, by 2.9 seconds over Cooper, who fended off Hunter Lawrence for the Yamaha rider’s first moto podium since the sixth race of the season at RedBud. Hampshire followed in fourth, with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac in fifth.

Moto 2
The final premier class moto of the season kicked off with Hunter Lawrence leading Jett Lawrence to the Pro Motocross Holeshot, with Cooper able to slot into third. The lead trio wasted little in distancing themselves from the rest of the field and then settled into their respective positions through the opening 10 minutes.
 
While Jett was able to close in on Hunter through the middle of the moto, the elder Lawrence responded and soon stabilized his lead at just over three seconds. Cooper slowly lost touch and soon dropped more than 10 seconds back, with Hampshire closing in from fourth. As the moto entered the final five minutes, Hunter Lawrence added to his advantage, which approached nearly 10 seconds, while Hampshire caught and passed Cooper for third.
 
Hunter Lawrence ended the summer with his second moto win, 12.9 seconds ahead of Jett Lawrence. Hampshire wrapped up his rookie season with a third moto podium. 

Overall
Jett Lawrence’s 1-2 effort was enough to secure his ninth win of the season and the 24th win of his career, solidifying his hold of fifth all-time in the 450 Class. Hunter Lawrence’s sixth runner-up finish of the season (3-1) completed the sixth 1-2 finish for the siblings this summer. Lawrence also added to his all-time record of consecutive top five finishes to begin a 450 Class career with 22 in-a-row. Cooper landed on the overall podium for the third time this season and fifth time in his career (2-4).
 
The final standings saw history made by the Lawrences, who became the first siblings to finish 1-2 in the championship. Tomac, who finished eighth (5-8), rounded out the championship podium in third.
 
Cooper’s podium result put the finishing touch on an impressive regular season. He contested all 28 motos to earn the top seed for the SMX Playoffs. Jett Lawrence, who missed the final 13 races of Monster Energy Supercross with a torn ACL, surged to the second seed as he chases a third consecutive World Championship. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Malcolm Stewart moved up to the third seed on the final day of the regular season following a sixth-place finish (7-6).

Justin Cooper solidified his top seed for the SMX Playoffs with a podium result.
Photo Credit: MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

1st Place: Jett Lawrence, Honda HRC Progressive (1-2)
“It feels good [to end with a win]. I’m super happy. Hunter [Lawrence] rode really well in Moto 2. I’m really happy with the season. I’d love to be a three-time champion, but injuries are a part of the sport. Nevertheless, it’s another 1-2 finish for Honda, which is awesome."
 
2nd Place: Hunter Lawrence, Honda HRC Progressive (3-1)
“That was cool. What a good way to end the season. I’m happy with that. It took a true team effort this weekend to make all this happen, so I’m grateful to have such an amazing group of people around me.”
 
3rd Place: Justin Cooper, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (2-4)
“I felt really good today. Had a great battle with the boys [Lawrence brothers] and it felt awesome to be in the lead group. I made a mistake in Moto 2 and went down and kind of lost my flow after that. But all in all it was a good day.”

Moto 1
The first pivotal moto in the smaller displacement started with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle leading the field to the Pro Motocross Holeshot, with Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker and Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda in tow. However, a red flag before the completion of the opening lap necessitated a restart. When the gate dropped for the second time, it was once again Vialle at the head of the pack, followed by the rookie duo of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Drew Adams. Title combatants Deegan and Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda started fourth and sixth, respectively. Vialle then crashed out of the lead, which allowed Davies, Adams, and Deegan to move into the top three while Vialle remounted just ahead of Shimoda in fifth.
 
In his first opportunity to lead a Pro Motocross moto, Davies sprinted out to a lead of nearly three seconds over the field as Deegan made the pass on Adams for second and Shimoda moved by Vialle for fourth. Shimoda continued his push forward and passed Adams for third. Meanwhile, Deegan erased his deficit to Davies and began to apply pressure on the lead 10 minutes into the moto. Deegan showed patience and made his move count just a few minutes before the halfway point. Not long after, Shimoda caught Davies and made quick work of the rookie to move into second. With 15 minutes left in the moto, the top two riders in the championship were separated by 3.5 seconds. While Shimoda closed initially, Deegan responded and was able to stabilize the lead at nearly six seconds.
 
The Yamaha rider added to his advantage in the closing stages of the moto and went on to take the win by 9.3 seconds over Shimoda, while Davies captured his first career moto podium result in third. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen finished fourth, with Adams in fifth.
 
At the conclusion of the moto, race officials determined that multiple riders violated the procedures surrounding a red cross flag for a downed rider, which precipitated the red flag at the beginning of the moto [Section 3.1.8, E. 1st Offense*]. The riders penalized included Deegan and Shimoda, with an implemented penalty of one deducted position apiece and the subtraction of 5 championship points for each rider. As a result, Davies was awarded the moto win as Deegan dropped to second and Shimoda dropped to third.
 
*3.1.8 At-Track & On-Track Violations; E. On-Track Violations & Penalty Table, 1st Offense: Red Cross Violation in a Moto, Advantage Gained – Position Gained Penalty + 5 Championship Points & Purse (2 positions).

Moto 2
The final moto of the summer saw Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher grab the Pro Motocross Holeshot just ahead of Deegan, while Shimoda started third. A spirited opening lap saw the lead trio in an all-out sprint. While Thrasher held on to complete the opening lap in the lead, Deegan applied heavy pressure and soon seized control of the moto. Shimoda made the move for second not long after that to set up a head-to-head battle between the class’ top two racers. As the field settled in through the opening 10 minutes, a second red flag brought the race to a halt to tend to a downed rider.
 
A staggered restart continued the action with a little more than 23 minutes left in the moto as Deegan and Shimoda reasserted their positions at the head of the field, while Kitchen went on the attack to pass Thrasher for third. Deegan picked up where he left off and pulled away from Shimoda to establish a multi-second lead. 
 
The front of the field went unchanged the rest of the way as Deegan cruised to his 13th moto win of the season by 13.5 seconds over Shimoda. Kitchen finished third.

Overall
With the Moto 1 penalty, Deegan’s 2-1 finishes were enough to not only wrap up his seventh win of the season but also back-to-back 250 Class titles. He completed his 250 Class career with 14 career victories, which places him in a four-way tie for eighth all-time with Blake Baggett, Broc Glover, and Jett Lawrence. Shimoda earned his eighth podium finish with a runner-up effort (3-2), while Kitchen landed on the overall podium for the first time since the fifth race of the season at Southwick (4-3).
 
Deegan completed the championship with a winning margin of 48 points over Shimoda and will enter the SMX Playoffs as the top seed, where he’ll chase a third straight World Championship. Shimoda finished as a championship runner-up spot for the second time in his career, while Marchbanks, who finished fourth (8-4), completed the best season of his career with third in the final standings.
 
The lead trio from Pro Motocross will also serve as the top three seeds for the postseason.

1st Place: Haiden Deegan, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (2-1)
“I wanted to go out there and make a statement, which is what I did. I wanted to wrap up the title on top of the box, so I was determined to go out there and make it happen. It feels awesome and I’m looking forward to the playoffs.”
 
2nd Place: Jo Shimoda, Honda HRC Progressive (3-2)
“I hope I can keep this momentum going into the playoffs. I don’t think I’ve ever felt better riding a motorcycle than I do now. Congrats to Haiden [Deegan] on a great season, he deserves [the championship].”
 
3rd Place: Levi Kitchen, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki (4-3)
“I’ve been trying my best every weekend, but I’ve hit the ground a lot and starting in the back. We found something on the bike, and it helped with the starts. Today felt like a win because it’s been a tough few weeks.”

The 2025 postseason awaits with the SMX World Championship Playoffs, where three races on hybrid track designs combining elements of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the Pro Motocross Championship will decide the season’s ultimate world champion, with a $1 million bonus on the line for the eventual 450cc winner and $500,000 for the 250cc winner. The postseason will begin with Playoff 1 from zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on Saturday, September 6. Live network coverage will air on NBC Broadcast Network starting at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET, while comprehensive live streaming coverage will be shown on Peacock, beginning with Race Day Live at 6:30 a.m. PT / 9:30 a.m. ET, followed by the pre-race show at 11:30 a.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. ET and the first gate drop at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET.

MX Sports Pro Racing
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., manages and produces the world's premier motocross racing series – the Pro Motocross Championship sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. MX Sports Pro Racing is an industry leader in off-road powersport event production and management, whose mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., organizes events for thousands of racing athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators.
 
Visit MXSportsProRacing.com for more information.

Pro Motocross Championship
The Pro Motocross Championship sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing features the world's fastest outdoor motocross racers, competing aboard homologated bikes from one of eight competing manufacturers on a collection of the roughest, toughest tracks on the planet. Racing takes place each Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into two classes: one for 250cc machines, and one for 450cc machines. MX Sports Pro Racing, the industry leader in off-road powersports event production, organizes the Pro Motocross Championship series.
 
More information can be found at ProMotocross.com.

SMX World Championship
The SMX World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series in the world that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the SMX World Championship Series combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the Pro Motocross Championship sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing into a 28-round regular season that culminates with the season-ending SMX World Championship Playoffs.
 
Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.

AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization for North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. It serves as the sanctioning body of the Pro Motocross Championship.
 
Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at AMAProRacing.com.