Words: Simon Makker

Following a respectable first partial season in the professional ranks, 18-year-old Casey Cochran has joined the new Rockstar Energy GasGas team for next year alongside fellow 250 rider Ryder DiFrancesco and 450 entry Justin Barcia. Cochran features in our latest Profiled interview leading into AMA Supercross 2025.

After graduating from a decorated amateur career and completing three rounds of this year’s 250SX East championship, the Virginia native lined up for the full Pro Motocross season and wrapped up his debut 250MX campaign in 13th overall as part of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team.

Image: Supplied.

The highlight of his year was a breakout performance at Spring Creek, where he finished third overall and led most of the second moto on his way to a spectacular P2 result in challenging conditions. For Cochran, it was satisfying to complete nine rounds, and gain an understanding of the challenges and rigors required to compete at a professional level.

“The biggest takeaway was getting nine rounds in, and seeing how busy the schedule can be, being on a plane every weekend,” he says. “That was a big adjustment from amateur racing. It was also good to see how important recovery is, how gnarly these race weekends are, and being able to put my head down and know what I’m getting into this year.”

For Cochran, it was also a confidence-booster to know he has the speed to compete against the best of the best. At Hangtown’s second round he qualified fastest and showed plenty of pace at tracks he’d visited before, such as Fox Raceway, RedBud, Budds Creek and Ironman.

“I had only been to four of the tracks before and I feel like it definitely showed being at RedBud, where I got my two best moto scores and finished seventh overall,” he reflects. “Being on a track I’m familiar with and have ridden previously definitely helped a lot.”

Image: Supplied.

Unfortunately, it’s been a less than ideal build-up to next year’s Monster Energy Supercross Championship for the teenager, when a crash last month left him with an untimely leg injury that he’s still recovering from. Now that surgery is out of the way and Cochran’s in recovery mode, it’s likely he’ll contest the 250SX East Championship that starts in Tampa on February 8.

However, for someone still young, he’s looking at the big picture and is in no rush to return to the race-track before he’s ready: “I’m focusing on getting 100 percent healthy and not rushing it. I’m really focused on recovery and getting back to where I need to be. I’m not too worried about ‘we need to get back, we need to do this’.

“All the guys out at Bakers Factory – Malcolm [Stewart] and Aaron [Plessinger], even Justin [Barcia] a little bit – I’ve watched them ride a few times and they’re always checking up on me and seeing how everything is going. Their main message has been to get healthy and get back on the bike as soon as possible, but don’t rush it and come back too early, then make another mistake and then get injured again.”

The 2025 season also heralds big changes within the KTM Group structure, with the GasGas Factory Racing program being brought in-house. However, for Cochran, transitioning from the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team to GasGas team has been seamless under the management of Sean Murphy.

Image: Supplied.

“It basically feels like the same team, just a different color,” he elaborates. “I got to keep my mechanic [Logan George], who came over to GasGas – I’ve really enjoyed working with him and I’m excited to continue our partnership. Sean Murphy was on the Husqvarna team last year and he’s the team manager for GasGas now, and the crew chief has also come across. It was a super, super easy switch for me.”

With a Pro Motocross campaign, and the 2023 250SX Futures title against his name, Cochran is now eyeing up a year with improved results at the pro level, especially when Pro Motocross resumes on May 24. And the 2025 season will count as his official rookie debut in the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX).

“I think it now comes down to getting more time under my belt, progressing and learning more,” he says. “I think I could really be one of the guys who are consistently up there in the top five, top three. So, yeah, that’s where I’m looking and that’s my goal for this year.”