Seattle served up yet another challenging track for the racers, with its rough and rutty layout creating the perfect recipe for an unpredictable and exciting night of racing. We’ve gathered the direct takes from riders for this Reaction feature from round 11 of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Second:
Tonight was gnarly and I think the pace this year was even higher than last year, which is crazy. We were pushing the limit – I was getting that long rhythm, which helped me, and then Coop [Cooper Webb] was faster in the tight stuff. There was a lot of cat and mouse out there, but it was a balance of pushing the pace, while also keeping your balance, because you had to hit your marks and try not to make mistakes, which was almost impossible on that track.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Third:
I got the best jump out of the gates I got all day for the main event, then coming into the first corner, I guess I hit the brakes too quickly and stalled the bike. I was trying to bump start it for about 50 feet and smacked right into Malcolm [Stewart], which I feel so bad about as he might’ve been up on the box with us. It happens. I had to ride hard, and it was not an easy track… The ruts here are like no others, it’s like a sponge, which makes it super-wild. Huge thanks to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team for keeping me comfortable on track – let’s keep this going!

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
Seattle was an amazing day. Qualifying went well. I ended up third and got second in the heat. It was a crazy main event. I led at the beginning, and then Kenny [Roczen] got by me. We were battling, and Chase [Sexton] got us both, so it was a three-way battle, and then Justin [Cooper] was in there. It was just crazy. It was mano a mano with Chase and me at the end, and I was able to get him late. It was gnarly conditions out there. I’m just stoked that I could rebound the way I did after last weekend.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was a really good day. I qualified first and got my first heat win of my career in this class, so that was special. I really just felt like I clicked with the track. I don’t know if that was just me progressing or if I just felt that good on this track, but it was definitely working well for me. I was in a good spot in the main – third and fourth for most of it. I got around Kenny and got into the podium spot with around four minutes left, and that’s pretty much when I crashed. I definitely felt like I could have at least gotten the podium tonight, but I felt like I had another push in me to fight with the top two. I was really waiting for mistakes, and that’s what I did myself. That was unfortunate, but that’s how it goes. It was a tough track tonight, and I was hoping for more, but there was a lot to take away from it.

Christian Craig (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – 15th:
The day started out really good, and then the track got super rutted and rough, and I struggled a bit. The main event was tough. I was riding around, and I couldn’t get a good feel, a good flow, and I didn’t ride like myself. We’ve got to be better and have some work to do.

Justin Barcia (Rockstar Energy GasGas Factory Racing) – Eighth:
Practice was really good in Seattle, the Heat Race was also good, and then in the main event, I was dicing with the front-runners and cross-rutted a little bit, casing a jump really hard, which made me lose a lot of positions and put me well back. It was a really disapointing night for me in the end as I was in a good position to score a solid result, so it was really frustrating. I’m already excited for next weekend to redeem myself – I’m a bit sick of these small mistakes holding me back! I know I have the speed and capabilities for a podium, so we’ll keep fighting for that.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Seventh:
Starting with the heat race, it was unfortunate to go down early there, but I put my head down and came back to third, which was awesome. In the main event, I had a great start, but AP [Aaron Plessinger] made a slight mistake and bumped me off the track. I know he’s not the type of person to do that on purpose or anything, so it was a racing mistake, and it is what it is. But on this track, this isn’t the one you want to be starting from dead-last! I was around a lot of riders who were all over the place – myself included – and seventh place was the best result we had for tonight. We’ll aim to get back up on that podium next weekend.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Ecstar Suzuki) – Fourth:
Seattle was great. For whatever reason when the main event comes around I hone in and become really focused. With the injury, I don’t want to aggravate it during practice, so I have a hard time being honed in, but when race time comes it’s different. With a track like this, you need to be extremely in tune. Honestly, it was just one lap where I lost a bit. I made a bunch of mistakes when several riders were right behind me, and they went by. I am still holding my head high, but it’s hard. My shoulder needs a lot of rest. My ligaments are almost torn in the AC joint, so if I fall, I will likely make it worse. So right now I am picking my battles – I wanted to make through this weekend. I am going to keep doing what I’m doing, and hopefully we can get back to 100 percent before the season is over.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 12th:
It was a better weekend for me, better direction with the bike, I felt like I rode a lot better, and I qualified better. It was definitely a better heat race, and then put myself in a better position in the main. I fell off the pace a little bit at the end, so I was a little disappointed in that. But overall, I felt much more like myself on the motorcycle.

Kyle Chisholm (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 13th:
I made a little mistake and couldn’t double into the first rhythm section. Another rider doubled and clipped my arm and, man, I went for a ride. The impact and from all the other bikes landing on me and the bike, it was just completely mangled. Andrew, my mechanic, and Joe, Colt’s mechanic, and Billy, Ken’s mechanic – definitely a team effort – they did a great job with a quick turnaround. We still had few things that we didn’t have time to do, but I went out in the LCQ and ripped an awesome start. The guy who was leading made a mistake and I got the win. I think that gives me the most LCQ wins, so that’s a little bittersweet. In the main I got out to an okay start and kind of worked my way up. I was up in the fight for the top ten, and running in the top ten for a bit, so I’m happy with that and happy with my riding.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Fourth:
Fourth place in Seattle, just a bad line choice in the main cost me a lot. I should have been blitzing the whoops, then I got stuck behind the lapped riders, too, and didn’t make good choices there. I became frustrated, which ultimately cost me a lot of time. Overall, it was a step in the right direction with my riding, as my shoulder is improving, and we’re on an upward trajectory. I’m ready to get back to work and come out swinging in Philly.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
Today was pretty solid, besides crashing in the main event. I qualified first in both sessions and then ended up falling in the heat race, which wasn’t great. In the main event, I just messed up my start and then crashed. So third on the day and gained some points, which is good, but we need to win. We’ve got some things to work on. We’ll get back to work.

Cole Davies (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
I’m stoked to get my first win here in Seattle. It’s a huge accomplishment to get a win in my rookie season and a lifelong dream of mine, but we’ll get back to work now. Let’s keep this going.

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was a chaotic night in Seattle. I felt good in qualifying and felt strong on my starts. We got a good start in the heat race, but that didn’t last long with an early crash. A bad gate pick for the main made sure that I had to come through the pack twice. I’m pleased with my fight early on to come through the pack, but after I got into sixth, it was a long way to fifth, and I just brought it home. It was a disappointing night, but I’m happy to be healthy and pushing on to the next race. We will work hard to make progress towards the front.

Jo Shimoda (Team Honda HRC Progressive) – Fifth:
I know I have a lot of work to do, but my fingers are good and my body feels fine. No excuses – the team and I are going to keep working hard to get everything dialed in. We’ve got three more rounds, and I definitely want to be on the podium – honestly, I just want to win. But for now, we’ll keep pushing, and hopefully we can show the fans a better result in the next race.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Second:
After Indy I dug deep into some things outside of and within my riding. I changed trainers after the injury in practice before A2. I started working with Broc Tickle on the bike and kept working with Alex Martin off the bike. Broc and I started working on some other things on the bike to help me with technique and sprint work. This is the best two weeks I’ve felt health-wise and on the bike, I am nearly at 100 percent. I feel like I found some things that were able to make a difference and tonight everything was clicking. I had one of my best qualifying results even though I was P7, but I’ve never been a top guy in qualifying, it’s just not my thing. I like racing a lot more and once the gate drops for the main event I am a different guy. It was nice to get the monkey off my back and finally get a podium again. It’s been a long time and I’m happy to do it for the team.

Jordon Smith (Triumph Factory Racing) – 12th:
It was good to be back at the races! I struggled today and didn’t feel too comfortable all day. I was trying to avoid crashes, but I made a few too many mistakes today. Despite the setbacks, I gave my all as always. Luck wasn’t on our side here in Seattle, but we’ll get a couple of solid weeks on the bike and come back strong in Philadelphia.