FIREWORKS FOR HONDA AT RED BUD

Jett Lawrence took his sixth win of the season at Red Bud.

 The Honda RedBud National delivered pyrotechnics both on and off the track for Honda HRC Progressive over the Fourth of July Weekend. With special HRC guests visiting from Japan and Spain, and Honda serving as title sponsor of the popular Independence Day Weekend event, the riders did their part, sweeping the moto wins in a performance that was nothing short of dominant. In the 450 ranks, Jett Lawrence overcame a moto 2 mid-pack start and a small fall to secure his sixth consecutive overall win (and his fourth moto-sweep). Hunter Lawrence posted consistent 2-3 finishes for second overall, marking the fourth double-podium for the Lawrence brothers this season. Meanwhile, Jo Shimoda swept both motos in the 250 class, earning his first overall win of the year and gaining a large amount of points in the championship fight.

Jett Lawrence raced from eighteenth to first after an early crash in the second moto.

In the first 450 moto, Hunter grabbed the holeshot aboard his CRF450RWE, with Jett completing the first lap in third. The brothers quickly asserted control of the race, with Jett moving into second by lap 2 and taking over the lead three laps later. From there, the duo maintained their positions unchallenged, crossing the finish line in first and second, respectively.

Moto 2 was more eventful, as both Lawrences suffered rare poor starts, with Jett then having an early tip-over; at the end of lap 1, Hunter and Jett sat eighth and 18^th, respectively, and they began charging forward. By lap 3, Hunter was into third, with Jett eighth. The reigning SMX champ passed his brother on lap 6 to take over third, and he moved by Jorge Prado at around the midway point. He took over the lead on lap 11 (with five laps still remaining!) to cap off an incredible comeback, winning by over eight seconds. Hunter fought with Chase Sexton over third, with the Australian taking control of the position and growing his cushion over fourth to 10 seconds by the finish.

Jo Shimoda grabbed his first win of the season, and it came on the biggest stage.

Shimoda grabbed the first 250 holeshot aboard his CRF250RWE and settled into second behind Tom Vialle. The Japanese racer kept the pressure on and reclaimed the lead by lap 10, maintaining his pace to earn the moto win by over eight seconds. In Moto 2, Shimoda got a close second-place start and lost a spot early on, but he regained it by the end of lap 1. He rode strong and took over the lead just past the halfway point, putting in smooth and consistent laps to take the victory and clinch the overall win.

CHASE SEXTON RETURNS AT RED BUD

After a crash at the opening round at Fox Raceway, Chase Sexton has finally made his return.

Defending 450MX Champion Chase Sexton made a successful return to racing during Round six of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the RedBud National, with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider scoring a top-five finish overall after showcasing front-running speed throughout the day.

In what is considered his home race on the schedule, Sexton powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION – which was sporting a unique livery in celebration of the 4th of July weekend – to the eighth fastest qualifying time, with RedBud marking his first appearance since exiting the Fox Raceway season-opener. After scoring a fifth-place finish in Moto 1 at the iconic Michigan circuit, Sexton charged toward the front of the field in Moto 2, running as high as second place before a late mishap saw him finish fourth. Fifth overall was a convincing result upon return and a solid foundation to build from in the second half of the season.

Chase Sexton said: “First race back at RedBud wasn’t great results-wise, but I didn’t really expect a whole lot coming into the round. Second moto, I was pleasantly surprised that even if I wasn’t riding great, that my speed was still pretty good. I’m happy with the day – onward and upward from here to build into SMX and try to win some races.”

MICHAEL MOSIMAN’S RETURN TO THE PODIUM 

Michael Mosiman had been building each week and was finally able to grab his first podium of the season.

Mosiman qualified seventh, and although he didn’t get the start he was hoping for inside the top 10, he made his way to fifth by Lap 5. He battled for position and kept pushing, making his way to fourth mid-moto, where he would finish. In Moto 2, he started inside the top five but dropped back to sixth early. Mosiman made his way to third on Lap 2 after a couple of riders went down, and continued to push, making the pass for second a few laps later. As the race wore on, he lost some time on the leader and, with five laps remaining, had a tipover, dropping him back to third. He was passed by his teammate on the following lap, but rode on to finish fourth and secure his first overall 250MX podium this season, which was also his first outdoor podium with the team.

Michael Mosiman said: “It was a good race. It’s great to be at RedBud. It’s been three years since I’ve raced here, so it was cool to come back to a place where you have many years’ worth of memories. I felt pretty good on the bike. I wasn’t super fast in qualifying, but I felt solid. In the first moto, I had to come from around eighth or ninth and made some good passes to get up to fourth, so I was stoked with that. In Moto 2, I got a little better start and was able to ride my way into second, with some guys going down. I was in a really good spot. I was pressuring Jo (Shimoda) there for a little bit. I made a brief run at him, but this heat definitely took something out of me. I was regrouping and then made a small mistake and had a small crash. I was back to third, then Haiden got me. I’m stoked to get on the podium; it’s been a lot of hard work to get here. I’m stoked about the progress we’re making and the bike. I’m really happy with the team.”

2025 MILLVILLE NATIONAL PREVIEW

MXA PHOTO TRIVIA

Who is this rider? The answer can be found at the bottom of the article.

MXA FANTASY LEAGUE – FMF GIVEAWAY: THE WINNER OF THE RED BUD NATIONAL SCORED 242 POINTS

Red Bud is one of the biggest races of the year, and it just so happens to land on the fourth of July weekend. Many tune in and many play in the MXA Fantasy League to have the opportunity to win a pipe courtesy of FMF Racing. Jett Lawrence was once again dominant and had an impressive ride in the second moto where he went from eighteenth place all the way up to take the win by the end of the race. He would go 1-1 on the day and create an even bigger gap in points between himself and the rest of the field. The 250 class went to Jo Shimoda, who impressively was able to go 1-1 on the day. He made up some valuable points on Haiden Deegan, who injured his leg in a first-moto crash.

The MXA Fantasy League is partnered with On X Offroad, players can enjoy  20% off their subscription by using promo code MXA20 at checkout.

THE WINNER OF THE RED BUD FANTASY LEAGUE  “SHEEEEEESH”

Player Sheeeeeesh was able to grab the win this week and will have the opportunity to choose a full two-stroke system on and exhaust courtesy of FMF Racing. Sheeeeeesh has actually been in the top ten previously and is one of the most consistent players.

450 CLASS PREDICTIONS

Antonio Cairoli rode his Ducati Desmo 450 in its first race in the United States. Unfortunately, a DNF would have us not able to see its full potential, but he will be returning next week at Spring Creek.

In the 450 class, we saw the return of Chase Sexton, who had been out since the first moto at the Fox Raceway National. Though he would not get the result he was looking for at least we had him back on the track. Jett Lawrence was the first pick on the list, and he did go 1-1 on the day. This would give 36 points, including the bonus for the correct prediction. Hunter Lawrence was picked second on the day, which again was a correct pick and this gave 33 fantasy points again with the ten-point bonus for the correct prediction. Third choice was Justin Cooper which was again correct. This gave 31 fantasy points, including the bonus. In fourth it R.J. Hampshire was picked, which again was correct; this gave 29 fantasy points for being a correct prediction. In fifth, Chase Sexton was picked, and again this was correct, which gave 28 fantasy points for being a correct prediction. And finally, in sixth, it was Aaron Plessinger who was picked, but he would not give any points as he would miss the second moto of the day and not finish within the top six.

250 CLASS PREDICTIONS

Levi Kitchen was up front in the first moto, finishing in second, by would have problems in the second moto, which pushed him back on the list.

In the 250 class the predictions were also almost spot on, starting with the first pick, which was Jo Shimoda. Jo would go on to win, which gave 36 fantasy points for the correct prediction. In second, it was Haiden Deegan picked, but he would end up fifth overall, which only gave 18 fantasy points for the prediction. In third, Michael Mosiman was chosen, and that was a correct pick, which gave 31 fantasy points, including that ten-point bonus. No the rest of the picks were Garrett Marchbanks, Levi Kitchen, and Seth Hammaker, but all the riders would not finish in the top six, and no points were awarded for the picks.

MXA FANTASY LEAGUE CONTINUES FOR MOTOCROSS!

We’re heading into the seventh round of motocross for the MXA Fantasy League presented by ON X Offroad with all new prizes up for grabs. Currently, we have a new update out that helps revolutionize the gameplay from last year. Last year we were able to give away a Triumph TF 250-X to the winner of the full SMX season. We were able to get some awesome prizes from our amazing sponsors and supporters. You can download the app today in both app stores and get set up for racing the outdoor motocross series. See you at the races! The latest available update is 1.3.1.

The MXA Fantasy League is partnered with On X Offroad, players can enjoy  20% off their subscription by using promo code MXA20 at checkout.

2025 MAMMOTH MOTOCROSS—IN MEMORY OF AIDAN ZINGG

ASK THE MXPERTS: HOW MANY DENTS ARE TOO MANY?

This is what pipe builders call a “speed dent.” Why? Because more often than not a dent doesn’t hurt the power and sometimes makes it better.

HOW MANY DENTS ARE TOO MANY?
Dear MXperts,
How many large and small dents can I have in my YZ125 expansion chamber before I will have degraded performance and should replace the pipe?

Obviously, that depends on the size, depth and position of the dent. If you crush the head pipe closed, you will lose lots of power, but as long as the dents are not in the first 6 inches of the head pipe, in many cases they will not hurt performance. MXA once put a bike on the dyno and put dents into the expansion chamber with a hammer. Some dents improved the power.

THE GREY ITALIAN TWO-STROKE THAT SURPRISED US: 2025 TM 125

CLASSIC MXA PHOTO

Jeff Emig (8), Jeremy McGrath 17, Brian Swink (15), Ron Tichenor (23), Doug Henry (19), 1992 Southwick start.

MXA Photo Trivia: Matt Bisceglia, who was one of the top amateur racers as he came through the ranks. He did have a long pro career but was never able to capture a win.