Sidelines: Pro Motocross season preview

By Isabella Gaglione, Editor-in-Chief

Jett Lawrence and Eli Tomac plan to return to the sport for Pro Motocross later this month. (Photo courtesy of motocross.com)

With one more round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross to go, professional off-road motorcycle racing fans will be looking ahead to this summer’s Pro Motocross Championship, kickstarting in California later this month.

If this year’s supercross is any indication, the 450 class will be one to watch.

Cooper Webb and Chase Sexton are neck-and-neck in the indoor season and will continue to be top contenders for the outdoor title. Webb, the current red plate holder, is one of the toughest guys on track and knows that winning the most races doesn’t earn you the top spot. Sexton’s desire to be the top young gun in the sport is sure to carry over to Pro Motocross.

Fan favorites Eli Tomac and Jett Lawrence were sidelined this supercross season with injuries, and both will be entering AMA Motocross with something to prove. With the third-most premier division Pro Motocross wins to his name, Tomac’s long career may be coming to an end with this outdoor season. He has the skillset to pull off the last win fans have been itching to see, but only time will tell if he has the stamina.

On the younger side, Lawrence has proven since coming to the United States that his skills and speed are unmatched. Watching Lawrence — the “Justin Bieber of motocross,” who became the first motocross player to go to the Met Gala this year — got me into professional motocross, and it feels wrong to root against the two-time SuperMotocross world champ, but he’ll be joined by many powerful riders who have spent the time he’s been injured getting stronger.

Justin Cooper, Aaron Plessinger, Jason Anderson and Hunter Lawrence all have chips on their shoulders and goals of getting to the top. I’m hoping Malcolm Stewart gets a few podium finishes along the way.

The 250 class is shaping up to be a little less interesting.

Haiden Deegan — son of motosports legend Brian Deegan and brother of professional NASCAR driver Hailie Deegan — seems nearly unstoppable, having clinched last year’s 250SX Motocross championship. Last week, Deegan ran away with the 250SX West title by 25 points, and he currently stands at 36 points ahead of 250SX East frontrunner Tom Vialle.

Cole Davies — Deegan’s teammate, who he took out last week in a move that sent Davies into the berm — is being talked about as the next Jett Lawrence, but we’ll have to see if that can carry over to outdoors. Jet ski world champion Julien Beaumer is another name on Deegan’s hitlist and is vying to conquer a new sport with a score to settle.

Personally, I’ll always be rooting for consistent riders, and Jo Shimoda has a record of staying on course. Hopefully, this will lead him to a podium finish this year, as he accomplished in 2023.