2025 San Diego Supercross | Kickstart News and Photo Gallery

What a race! The 450 main at Snapdragon Stadium had the crowd on its feet as Eli Tomac came through the pack to earn his first win of the season, fending off defending Supercross Champion Jett Lawrence. Cooper Webb led the main event early on, but simply could not fendc off the advances of either his Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha teammate or Honda HRC Progressive's Lawrence.

"This one feels good," said Tomac. "Sure I won a race last year but it was a Triple Crown. All the work that we put into this season getting ready. It wasn't and easy race by any means. Ferrandis got a great start on the inside of me, it was almost like he timed the gate. I was certain I could sweep from the outside and holeshot like I did in my heat. But I had to come through the pack. Jett and I traded passes a few times, I got close to Friese once...it was just a tough race and it feels good."

For Tomac, the win was extra gratifying as he pulled off what could be the most-Instagrammed pass of the year - a wide-open outide pass on Lawrence - and then kept the champion at bay throughout the rest of the main. The win was the 53rd premier-class win of Tomac's career, and he sits solidly in second on the all-time win list ahead of James Stewart with 50, but behind Jeremy McGrath who has 72.

Eli's wife Jessica and son Noah, happy as the other 25,000 people on hand inside Snapdragon Stadium to see ET3 win.

Tomac's San Diego win marked the 11th straight year that ET has earned a win, giving him sole possession of the record for the most consecutive seasons with a premier-class victory. Amazing.

Red Bull KTM's Julien Beaumer earned the first 250 Supercross win of his career in his sophomore season. The former Jet Ski World Champion also took control of the championship points lead, as he was second at the season kickoff last weekend.

Beaumer and his mechanic Austin Watterman will have red numberplates next weekend at Anaheim Two!

We asked JuJu what felt better; his first Jet Ski World Championship or his first 250 Supercross win, and he replied, "No contest. This is unreal!"

Beaumer credits much of his success to his trainer, former 250 Supercross Champion Davi Millsaps. JuJu's fitness and mental strength have come a long way from his rookie year. Last season, speed was never the issue as he ran up front on numerous occasions only to fade or make a mistake late in the race. Millsaps and Beaumer have come a long way.

What did you think of the San Diego track? Riders all commented on how tight it was, but for fans it certainly produced some exciting racing. Was this the last time we'll see a quad jump this year? Rider opinions were mixed, but it was mostly 250-class riders who weren't overly fond of it.

San Diego SX Faces: Cooper, Mariah, Indy, and Presley Webb, after Coop's third-place finish in the 450 main event.

San Diego SX Faces: Hunter Lawrence and his mechanic, Cameron Camera. Hunta was under the weather all weekend long in San Diego, suffering from the bug that has stricken many inside the pits. Lawrence finished fifth in San Diego and sits eighth in the series points.

San Diego SX Faces: Yoshi Sako came to the United States at the age of 40 to pursue a career in the motocross industry. The Japanese suspension technician travels to every race to watch over enzo racing riders.

San Diego SX Faces: Team Solitaire/Heart Beat Hot Sauce/Yamaha rider Robbie Wageman suffered a fractured and dislocated wrist while practicing a few days before Christmas. On hand to support his teammates in San Diego, Wageman hopes to return to action by Seattle.

San Diego SX Faces: Honda HRC Progressive's Jo Shimoda picked up a new personal sponsor at Anaheim One: Drink Weird, which is an energy iced tea and yerba matte brand. "It is my new helmet sponsor," said Jo. "Since it is tea and I am from Japan, it sort of fits good! They do some cool designs on my helmet, too."

Here's a look at Shimoda's new Drink Weird helmet. Because the deal was finalized at A1, all he had was a sticker on the back of his helmet that was actually covered by his goggle strap.

The little caricatures on Jo's helmet can also be found on the Drink Weird cans.

Personally, we like the little monster on the side of Jo's name the best!

The Drink Weird artwork also found its way onto Shimoda's Fox pants.

San Diego SX Faces: This is Shimoda's new on- and off-bike trainer, Joe Cancellieri, who also works with Jorge Prado and Ryder DiFrancisco off-bike. We've enjoyed getting to know Joe at the track as he rides and races a pretty pristine Honda CR250R. In the past he's worked with other racers Martin Davalos, Shane McElrath, Adam Cianciarulo, Seth Hammaker, Zach Osborne, Nick Romano, Jerry Robin, as well as social influencer Frankie Garcia.

The heartbreak of the day happened during the final timed qualifier for the 250 class as Coty Schock's mechanic struck Shimoda's clutch hand with his pit board, fracturing two of Jo's fingers. Shimoda taped his fingers up and soldiered on to seventh in the main event and dropped to third in the point standings. No official word yet on whether he will have surgery or continue to race with his fingers taped, but Cancellieri says, "At the moment he wants to race...Samurai Jo!" The team installed a single hand guard to protect Jo's injured hand during the race.

San Diego SX Faces: Cameron Camera wrenched for Jo Shimoda when he was on the GEICO Honda amateur team, but when Hunter Lawrence landed on US soil he was assigned to the Aussie. The two have been a formidable pairing ever since, winning multiple races and two championships.

San Diego SX Faces: Cassandra Clark - wife of Team Solitaire/Heart Beat Hot Sauce/Yamaha team owner Ryan Clark - is no stranger to motorsports. In the early 2000s she was our co-worker as an editor of our sister publication QU4D Off-Road Magazine. Currently, Clark owns and operates Yum AF Bakery, which specializes in gluten-free treats, and plays in New Chums, an indie rock band. Both are based in Phoenix, Arizona....check them out!

San Diego SX Faces: Jett Lawrence was in a fine mood after the San Diego main, even though he didn't win. "What a fun race, and a big improvement over Anaheim One," he joked. "It was good to race behind Eli and learn from him."

"What a great main event," said Jett Lawrence in the How Was Your Weekend video that you can find elsewhere on the website. "It was awesome to race Eli he was unreal tonight. It was a learning opportunity for sure."

San Diego SX Faces: MCR Honda rider Vince Friese currently leads the AMA Arenacross championship, but he is contesting the early West Coast rounds of Supercross as well. Friese was the lone MCR Honda rider in San Diego as Ryan Breece tweaked his knee earlier in the week, and 250-class rider Noah Viney

San Diego SX Faces: Former World Motocross, National Motocross, and Supercross Champion Grant Langston, and his girlfriend, Christina. While we really miss GL on the TV broadcast, we love him in his role as owner of Benny's Subs, an amazing sandwich shop in Murrieta, California. Of course, GL and his family still own Langston Motorsports, a multi-line motorsports dealership in Perris.

San Diego SX Faces: Cooper Webb's third-place finish after leading early in the 450 main event was especially impressive because he was battling either the stomach flu or a case of food poisoning. "Battled some demons spraying out of both ends for the night show," he said on his Instagram. Can't wait to see a healthy 2 this weekend!

San Diego SX Faces: New Zealander Cole Davies was very impressive at San Diego. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider holeshot both the heat race and main event, earned his first 250 heat race win, and led several laps of the main before settling into fourth. We expect to see the rookie pro land on the podium soon and wouldn't be surprised to see him notch a win before the series is through.

San Diego SX Faces: Last week, Haiden Deegan wore a nasal strip with DNGR written on it in permanent marker. This week, we noticed Jason Anderson with his daughter's name SIGGY on his. Rad dad.

San Diego SX Faces: Chase Sexton came to San Diego with the red plate but a crash on the first lap of the main saw him rejoin the race and battle back up to sixth. Sexton now sits in second, only one point behind Tomac.

Sexton's first lap saw his chances for a win go out the window when he crashed in the corner before the whoops and also took down teammate Aaron Plessinger, but it was nearly disastrous two sections earlier when he missed the triple and was nearly landed on by Dylan Ferrandis. The Phoenix Honda rider was somehow able to manipulate his bike in the air, land off the track, and miss Sexton. It was a nail-biting moment, for sure.

San Diego SX Faces: Frank Thomason operated what could be the longest-running Saturday motocross series in Southern California for decades. Racing Enterprises Motocross started at the legendary Carlsbad Raceway and relocated to Glen Helen when the facility closed down in 2004. Thomason and his wife Myra retired from race promotion in 2023 after a 35-year run. Thomason is now in negotiations with MX Sports to help with track safety, and he was getting the feel for things at Anaheim One and San Diego.

San Diego SX Faces: Jorge Prado is paired at Monster Energy Kawasaki with mechanic Derek Dwyer, who has a wealth of experience. Dwyer has wrenched for riders such as Jeremy Martin, Cameron McAdoo, Christian Craig, Malcolm Stewart, and Pierce Brown. "Jorge is a cool guy to wrench for," Dwyer told us at Snapdragon Stadium. "He really knows what he wants out of his bike and he is a very sensitive tester. He is getting the feel for things and he has made huge progress on the bike and in Supercross since he first got here."

San Diego SX Faces: Jordon Smith's wife, Katie. With the switch from Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha to Triumph Racing, the Smith family has relocated closer to Georgia and love their new surroundings. With former Star Team Manager Jeremy Coker and teammate Stylez Robertson also making the switch, its been an easy transition for Smith.

San Diego SX Faces: Quad Lock Honda's Joey Savatgy is one of several racers who wear a mouthguard to not only protect their teeth, but guard against concussions, as well. Were you aware that you can suffer a concussion from your teeth clacking together too hard? Now you are.

San Diego SX Faces: Rynopower founder and co-owner Ryan McCarthy has a second hat to wear these days as he also serves a Chairman of the Board at Road 2 Recovery. McCarthy was on hand in his hometown, helping work the R2R booth that is currently selling merch and raffle tickets to win one of two 250 motocross bike packages, with all ticket sales benefiting injured riders in need. Check out more at road2recovery.com

San Diego SX Faces: Alex Lipps is one of Fox Racing's support crew who takes care of the gear for the brand's sponsored racers. With the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, plus Jo Shimoda, Ken Roczen, and Jorge Prado in San Diego, Lipps was a busy guy! The boot washing setup is impressive as it includes two battery powered handheld powerwashers and a catch tub for the muddy water.

Our friend and social media star Connor Ericsson, best known as Buttery Films, is making the switch to a Yamaha YZ450F after years on Hondas, and he commemorated the occasion with an old Yamaha Graves road racing jacket in the pits.

San Diego SX Faces: It was good to run into Kenny Watson at San Diego. Vegas KDub may be best known for his role as Team Manager of the Hart and Huntington team back in the day. Currently, he is helping the Tedder Racing team with on-site activation and merch.

San Diego SX Faces: Props to Jett Reynolds. Now in his second season with the Club MX Yamaha team, Reynolds is looking to start stacking speed now that he's got some healthy time under his belt. Reynolds was 13th at San Diego.

San Diego SX Faces: Jordon Smith and Stilez Robertson warm up before practice at Snapdragon Stadium. Robertson's day came to a premature end when he over-jumped a triple and tweaked the same wrist that sidelined him throughout 2024. At press time, our buddy from Bakersfield was still awaiting results from his doctor. Stay tuned.

San Diego SX Faces: This is John Knowles from Scott Sports. One of the best guys in the industry, he's camera shy and it's rare to capture him on photo or video. Knowles is responsible to signing athletes to Scott's program, and taking care of their race-day needs on weekends. You'll never see a busier guy at a mud race!

San Diego SX Faces: When Ty Masterpool was called up to race the Western Regional 250 series in place of Levi Kitchen, his mechanic Ryan Hughes said that his race bike was already primed and ready for action, so there was no "fire drill" feeling when he had to spring into action several weeks earlier than expected.

We asked Hughes if Masterpool had any especially unique preferences when it came time to setting up his race bike, and he was quick to point out Ty's rear brake pedal height. "He likes it really high...above his peg height," he said. "Ty is really hard on the rear brake and I have to replace pads and bleed new fluid in every ride."

San Diego SX Faces: Jason Anderson and his mechanic Jason "Rango" Montoya talk suspension with Showa's Kaipo Chung, who has been with the company for decades. Chung, originally from Hawaii, came to the mainland in his teens as a fast intermediate-class racer back in the 1980s, and found a place for himself in the motocross industry.

San Diego SX Faces: Danny Minney is Bell Helmets' on-site support tech who takes care of the helmets of Eli Tomac, Dylan Ferrandis, and the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki squad. Check out the new team paint on Jesse Masterpool's Moto 10 Spherical...cool!

enzo racing's Ross Maeda (swap's big brother) was on hand in San Diego overseeing the teams that enzo sponsors. The most unique suspension configuration enzo supplies at the highest level is the KYB conversion kit for WP components, which essentially replace the internals of the WP AER air fork with mechanical spring KYB internals. The conversion requires the use of some machined lower fork lugs that are easy to spot. Justin Hill has been using this setup for multiple seasons.

Eli Tomac told us before Anaheim One that he had switched to the KYB PSF1 air fork because he preferred its action over the factory LSF hybrid air/mechanical spring fork. Unlike the KYB PSF2, Showa SFF TAC, or WP AER air forks, the PSF1 has air springs in both forks, rather than utilizing the single-sided design of the others.

Haiden Deegan came by the SML offices last week and we asked if he had made the same switch as Tomac, but he said that he has made no major suspension changes from 2024. We thought it was interesting that Deegan and Tomac have the same mounting location for their Works Connection Launch Control mechanisms, as we assumed a 450 would have a deeper setting than the less-powerful 250.

Following his win at Anaheim One, Jo Shimoda's Honda CRF250R looked great decked out with the red numberplate backgrounds that signify the championship points leader. This was the first time in Shimoda's career that he's had the red plate, and his riding at press day in Friday seemed a little spicier than normal.

No guessing what kind of air filters team Honda uses.

Cooper Webb had a new helmet for San Diego that nicely complemented his red and black Fly Racing Lite gear. With Yamaha's contract stipulations that require blue gear at specific events and at a certain number of races, it sure is nice to see BluCru racers enjoying some contrast!

We're not sure why, but Justin Hill's Tedder Racing KTM was decked out in Las Vegas graphics at San Diego.

There's something about the Pro Circuit bikes' lower fork tube coating against green fork guards....

The back doors of the Honda HRC Progressive rig still feature the Lawrence brothers, but the new graphic has them mounted on CRFs rather than leaning against the door frame.

Check out this clever two-pair boot dryer in the Pro Circuit pits, fashioned from a hair dryer and some PVC pipes.

We're not sure, but we believe that Rango used and endorsed Mechanixwear gloves while he works on Jason Anderson's factory Kawasaki KX450SR.

When changing clutch plates, most mechanics rest the handlebars against the bike stand, but Kawasaki's in-house fabricator Kiyoshi Bansho made the team these cool stands to both hold the bike securely and prevent damage to the end of the grip. Bansho is also the person who came up with the team's fork compression lever that is used to set the holeshot device on the starting line.

Bansho also made this cool stand to hold the clutch components while the plates are being replaced. Every team needs a Bansho.

Many - including us - expected to see defending 250 Supermotocross Champion Haiden Deegan show up with a point to prove in San Diego. It looked like things were rolling when the Star Yamaha rider qualified fastest, but a crash in his heat race held him to third, and he reported that he pumped up in the main and had to salvage the final podium spot after a poor start. "It's embarassing, really," he said. "I pumped up pretty bad and had to salvage it from there."

At first, we thought that the Club MX team's custom colored Gaerne SG22 boots were mismatched with. the red FXR gear, but on closer inspection we caught the blue hits in the gear and on the 6D helmets.

Garrett Marchbanks earned the first 250 heat race win of the night after pulling this quick pass on race leader Jordon Smith. Unfortunately, Marchbanks didn't have the same tempo in the main, where he finished eighth.

Another Weird Tea butt patch on Shimoda's Fox Racing pants.

We saw Shimoda's left hand before he took to the track, and he has his pinky finger completely taped up in black duct tape, then has his middle and ring fingers taped together. He used his index finger for the clutch.

With the Triumph's black plastic contrasted with florescent yellow graphic panels, the bike works perfectly with several lines of FXR Racing apparel, the team's official racewear. We liked this multi-colored kit that Smith and Robertson wore in San Diego.

Cole Davies has holeshot three of the four races he's competed in at Anaheim and San Diego. Last weekend, he led teammate Michael Mosiman off the line in the heat race and was never challenged as he logged his first heat win in only his second pro race.

Shout out to Ludovic MacLer, who is fielding the only Suzuki RM-Z250 on the West Coast. The Frenchman finished ninth in the LCQ. With the Bar-X team's switch to Yamahas for 2025, riders like MacLer really stand out. RMArmy, assemble!

TJ Albright finished 16th in San Diego and sits 13th in the Westerg Regional point standings. The Rock River Yamaha rider from New York is renting Justin Cooper's old Murietta residence throughout the early rounds. Stay tuned for an upcoming Dunlop Privateer Power profile...

Big get well vibes to our friend Talon Hawkins, who suffered a broken femur in his heat race. We're not sure what caused him to crash yet. but it was the most spectacular loop out we've seen next to Ryan Villopoto's career-ender in the MXGP series.

We know that Freddie Noren got a good start in his heat race, but things went downhill from there. A crash knocked him down to 20th in the 450 LCQ and it just doesn't seem like a proper main without Fast Freddie.

After finishing third at the Anaheim One season opener, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Jason Anderson struggled with a cold all day long in San Diego and finished 13th. Here's hoping that El Hombre gets well this week and looks more like his round one self.

Mitchell Oldenburg felt better on the track than his 19th -place finish looks on paper. "We're making good progress with the bike and I'm excited about that," he said. "But I was in the wrong place at the wrong time in the main when another rider drug a Tuffblock into the sand right in front of me and I had nowhere to go."

Twisted Tea/Progressive/Suzuki rider Colt Nichols

Twisted Tea/Progressive/Suzuki rider Colt Nichols had a better round two and qualified for the 450 main, but the former 250 Supercross Champion is not happy with his 18th in the main. "It's a long way from where I want to be nut it's gonna be a slow build and I gotta take the little gains when I can right now," he said.

Obligatory 30 seconds shot.

Can you guys even remember the days when starts were Eli Tomac's Achilles heel? The days of ET3 rounding turn one in the back of. the pack are but a fading memory.

On the first lap of the second 450 heat that Tomac holeshot, one of. the top running riders made a mistake and wasn't able to jump the far triple and forced the riders behind him to double it. This gave Tomac an instant lead, which he stretched to nearly five seconds.

When Lawrence sat in second behind Tomac in the closing stages of the main event and reeled him in for a moment, tensions in the crowd were at an all-time high as it looked like the veteran's chances to win were drying up...

...Tomac, however, dropped the hammer and reestablished the gap between himself and the Honda rider, and win number 53 became a reality. How many more can Eli rack up this season? Comment below!

Malcolm Stewart had a horrendous crash in his heat race at Anaheim and soldiered to 10th in the main. Extremely sore all week, his condition coming in to San Diego was dampened even further by the cold that seems to be running through the sport. Malcolm's seventh in the 450 main is even more impressive, knowing that he was so far from 100%.

The media photo den was supplied by coffee by Billy Laninovich and Outhouse Coffee.. Thanks, Lano! But what an interesting name....

Evan Ferry's Phoenix Honda CRF250R sat idle and on display at San Diego. Ferry suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon when he landed from a jump in his heat race. The second-generation rider had surgery last Tuesday and will be off the bike for at least three months before he can resume casual riding. No projected return date for racing as of yet. Heal up, Little Red Dog!

Dylan Ferrandis' Phoenix Honda CRF450R is a thing of beauty. Can you spot any trickled-down factory parts?

We asked what the rivets on the radiator shroud are for, and were told that Gavin Towers crashed and folded his radiator shroud backward and inward at Anaheim, so the team riveted some carbon fiber braces to the insides of all the team bike shrouds.

We inquired about the Call of Duty logos on the radiator shrouds of the factory Triumphs. We're no gamers at SML, but we're told that in the popular video game, you can select a TF 250F as a mode of transportation! No details about sponsorship or financial contributions to the team were given.

Someone on the Triumph support team got a new 3D printer, according to Jeremy Coker. This footpeg cover was partially created in jest because the team's truck driver cut his hand on the razor-sharp footpegs last weel.

This front brake holder was also 3d printed. While a zip tie can do the same job, it's not nearly as cool or easy to remove. Applying constant pressure to the front brake lever for an extended period of time can force all of the air bubbles out of the fluid and yield an extremely strong feel at the lever, but sadly the effect is only temporary.

We can't think of a reason that the shock adjuster might need a cover, but if we had a 3D printer maybe we'd make one, too! haha!

Vince Friese's Arenacross bike - complete with red plates - sat on display in the MCR Honda pits. It was interesting to learn that the team has one bike for each series.

Canvas MX has earned a decent marketshare on the starting line, and the idea that Michael Leib had in his racing days has not only become a solid reality, but an inspiration for dozens of other companies that have joined in on the custom apparel front. How many kits does Canvas supply per race? Looks like three jerseys and two pants for MCR Honda's Vince Friese.

San Diego-based company Luxon has been supplying the Club MX team with triple clamps for several seasons now. Check out the dog bone attachment on the lower triple clamp - it firms up the feel of the split design that is made to increase flex and improve comfort. Apparently, precision overrules comfort at the highest levels.

We spotted some Luxon engine mounts on the Club MX team bikes, too. The category was created by Works Chassis labe years ago and to the best of our knowledge, now enjoys two other brands, FCP and Luxon, now.

Free hot sauce samples at Tea Solitaire are always nice. Heartbeat Hot Sauce kicks!

San Diego local Billy Laninovich looked forward to his hometown race, but the "old man" of Supercross had a crash in practice that left him battered and bruised. "Had some x-rays on the ribs and pelvis, but everything looks ok, just some bruising and the possibility of some fractures they can't see," he reported on his Instagram. "Be back on the bike soon!"

This is, by far, the coolest fan fest photo op we saw all weekend!

What did you think of the massive quad? Should there be more in 2025?

See you next week! Was Tomac's San Diego win a start of a storm? We will see!