Monster Energy 2025 Supercross Preview
Get acquainted with some familiar names and new faces that are part of the '25 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Team.
It’s that time of the new year when we introduce the Monster Energy-backed supercross racers and teams to the Monster Army as the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, part of the SMX World Championship™ Series, gets set to kick off at Anaheim’s (Calif.) Angel Stadium on Jan. 11.
For the 53rd year the American-born sport of supercross, which saw the first race starting gate drop in 1972 at the famed Los Angeles Coliseum, has been churning along, adopting the moniker “Saturday is Race Day.” In addition, Monster Energy is backing the soon-to-be-released supercross documentary: “Pay Dirt: The Story of Supercross.”
Many of the familiar names from the ’24 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season return running the M-claw logo, along with some new faces that we’ll touch on here below. One of the most notable returns has to be the defending 250cc class champion, Haiden Deegan (Star Racing/Yamaha). Deegan was crowned – for the second-straight year – the overall 250 SuperMotocross (SMX) champion, having finished 2nd overall in 250 Eastern Supercross Region (ESX) and 1st in AMA Pro Motocross’ 250 class. Also on the overall 250 podium was Levi Kitchen (Pro Circuit/Kawasaki), who finished 2nd in the Western Supercross Region (WSX) in a tight race with RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna).
In 450 class action Monster Energy returns the overall runner-up, Cooper Webb (Star Racing/Yamaha). Webb led a charge of Monster Energy 450 racers that took four of the top six overall positions, including teammate Eli Tomac in 4th,Jason Anderson (Kawasaki) in 5th and Justin Cooper (Star Racing/Yamaha) in 6th.
For the 2025 competition season Monster Energy has tailored its sponsorship effort to just three programs: Monster Energy/Kawasaki, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki and Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha. Here’s a breakdown of the teams and who’ll be racing for them, running that iconic glowing green M-claw logo from the Jan. 11thopener in Anaheim to the May 10th Monster Energy AMA Supercross Finals in Salt Lake City.
Monster Energy/Kawasaki
Since 1961, Kawasaki has been competing in dirt bike racing. And with an industry-best 38 premier class titles (250cc two-stroke and 450cc four-stroke) to go with 31 support class titles (125cc two-stroke and 250cc four-stroke) in AMA supercross and motocross, the heralded KX marque begins its 64th year as, again, a strong contender for even more championships.
450 class racers
#70 Jorge Prado – Probably 2025’s biggest off-season move in professional dirt bike racing, Monster Energy/Kawasaki brings into its stable, for his first time racing a full season of American supercross, the world’s top MXGP racer – Jorge Prado. Taking SX/MX great Adam Cianciarulo’s 450 spot adjacent to Jason Anderson, Spain’s Prado arrives on American shores as the two-time (2023-’24) defending MXGP champion. Running the No. 70 (a nod to Monster Energy Ricky Carmichael’s ’97 rookie number), and while Prado does have four rounds of SX experience under his belt in 2024 (though he managed just one top ten finish, 7th @ San Francisco), he sets sail into uncharted waters as the very first Spaniard to challenge for a full season in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross’ exclusive 450cc class title chase.
#21 Jason Anderson – “El Hombre,” as he’s affectionately known across America, returned to Monster Energy/Kawasaki having placed a solid 5th overall in last year’s 450 class points chase. The former supercross champion (2018) who hails from New Mexico will be not only be one of the favorites to challenge for the overall 450 class podium this year, but he’ll also play an instrumental role in helping develop the SX rookie Prado.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
One need look no further than the doors that open up to the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki hauler to understand the mark of excellence that team owner Mitch Payton has shown the supercross industry over the past 30 years. Count ‘em - 31 125/250 AMA Supercross and Motocross No. 1 plates highlight the passage into the hauler that houses, with good argument, the fastest dirt bikes in the world. And this year’s team, led by returning WSX runner-up, Levi Kitchen, will no doubt challenge to put up the 32nd No. 1 plate for Payton.
250 class Racers
#47 Levi Kitchen – The former Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award winner (’21) as the nation’s top amateur motocross racer, Kitchen improved upon his 2023 3rd place WSX finish with the runner-up position this past season. Kitchen then backed that supercross speed up with an impressive podium 3rd
#63 Cameron McAdoo – The ’21 WSX 3rd place overall podium finisher certainly has the speed to run up front, but a number of crashes – a couple of which were spectacular – and subsequent injuries have kept McAdoo off the 250 class SX overall podium the past few years. A 6th place overall ESX finish last season will be a good reminder to McAdoo that he has what it takes to win (3 career WSX/ESX victories) to not only contest for his regional 250 title, but also put it all together in order to win it.
#43 Seth Hammaker – Much like his teammate McAdoo, Hammaker, when on it, can win. But also like McAdoo (and many others in 250 SX for that matter), Hammaker has suffered his share of misfortune through crashes – race and/or practicing, and, after finishing 10th overall in WSX, he missed the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross season because of it. The 2021 AMA 250 SX Rookie of the Year, Hammaker has a victory to his credit, along with five WSX career podium finishes.
#81 Ty Masterpool – A proven motocross specialist who placed 5th overall last year in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship’s 250 class (and 7th overall the previous season as a privateer), Masterpool joins the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki program for the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season – his full SX season (having contested just four supercross races in 2024). No matter for the 2019 Pro Motocross 250 Class Rookie of the Year as he’s got experience in his corner, along with Mitch Payton.
#26 Garrett Marchbanks – New to the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki program, the 2019 250 SX Rookie of the Year will look to improve upon his career-best 4th place overall 250 ESX finish (’20) with the proven power of Pro Circuit-tuned KX250F. Marchbanks has won one 250 ESX race, and compiled a solid four 250 WSX podium finishes in his career. Marchbanks actually got his start with Pro Circuit over the summer, and challenged for the podium in his first race at Unadilla. Proven speed with proven equipment should be a solid combination for the veteran racer for 2025.
Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha
Bobby Regan’s Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team looks to be all-in for the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season – quite literally. With no less that seven (7!) 250 class racers in his stable and four 450 class racers, Regan’s team is, by far, the largest in all of pro SX and MX. As mentioned, Star Racing/Yamaha returns perhaps the most exciting, most talked about racer in all of supercross (and motocross), Haiden Deegan. But it only begins with Deegan as the team also added 250 class frontrunner Pierce Brown, along with Brit ex-patriate Max Anstie and white hot rookie racer Cole Davies. And the hits just keep on coming for Star Racing/Yamaha in the 450 class as it not only returns Cooper Webb, Eli Tomac and Justin Cooper – all of whom placed in the top six in supercross last year – but it adds proven veteran Christian Craig.
450 class racers
#3 Eli Tomac – 4-time AMA Pro Motocross outdoor champion and 2-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross premier 450 class overall champion, Tomac is as close to a living legend racer as it gets for 2025. With an impressive 52 career supercross main event wins (2nd only to Monster Energy Jeremy McGrath’s jaw dropping 72 career SX wins), Tomac may very well be racing his final full supercross season. So with that said, you can bet he’ll lay it all on the line – as he always does – in pursuit of a third SX title in 2025.
#32 Justin Cooper – The former 250 WSX champion (’21) and two-time Pro Motocross 250 class overall runner-up (2021-’23), Cooper begins his second full season racing the premier 450 supercross class having placed a solid 6thoverall in that division in 2024. With an impressive array of amateur racing accolades in his corner, including the ’17 Nicky Hayden AMA Amateur Horizon Award, Cooper has also scored well in the SuperMotocross World Championship (6th in ’23 on a 250 and 8th in last year on a 450).
#2 Cooper Webb – Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s top dog this past season in the 450 SX class, Webb took the title chase with Honda’s Jett Lawrence right down to the wire before placing 2nd overall. A two-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross champion (2019-’21) and two-time runner-up (2020-’24), Webb ranks in the top ten (10th) of all-time supercross race winners with 25. He’s also stepped up and raced for Team USA on numerous occasions in the yearly Motocross Des Nations, including this past year, and then won – for the first time in his career – the King of Paris Supercross.
#28 Christian Craig – Returning to the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha program, where he won the 2022 250 WSX championship, the veteran Craig will not only challenge in the 450 class, he’ll also work with helping develop the team’s 250 riders, along with his buddy, Deegan, as the sophomore pro looks to move up to race the 450s in 2026.
250 racers
#38 Haiden Deegan – A spectacular race year for the Temecula, Calif., native, the one series he’d like to have back would be the four point loss (172-168) to KTM’s Tom Vialle in the 250 ESX championship chase. And while Deegan would handily defeat the veteran Vialle outdoors (481-412) to capture the outdoor 250 title, his big moment of ’24 came when he defended his SuperMotocross 250 World Championship in Las Vegas. Win or crash trying, Deegan puts more butts in supercross seats than any racer in the series. Fun, brash and outspoken on the podium, you can never take an eye off Deegan when he’s at the track.
#57 Nate Thrasher – A top five (5th) finisher in 250 WSX in 2024, Thrasher continued his solid run of securing places of 7th, 5th and 7th in the last four years of WSX racing. But injury would keep Thrasher from contesting the AMA Pro Motocross series this past summer following descent 7th and 11th place runs at Fox Raceway (Calif.) and Hangtown (Calif.). A healthy Thrasher is a fast Thrasher, which will be ideal for the start of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season at Anaheim.
#59 Daxton Bennick – After dominating the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Championships at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in 2023, and being named as the Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award, Bennick dipped his toe into supercross with Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha and scored two Monster Energy AMA Supercross Futures 250 class wins (to go with four podiums). In 2024 the rookie would place a respectable 9th in the 250 ESX division.
#37 Max Anstie – Banging out a top five (5th) result in 250 ESX this past season, the veteran Anstie, who first raced Yamahas in Monster Energy AMA Supercross way back in 2010, is a ‘re-recruit’ for the 2025 Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team. With proven skills to win on equipment less than he’s got at his fingertips with the Star Racing-tuned YZ250F, Anstie hopes to even improve upon his 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season where he placed 3rd in 250 ESX.
#38 Pierce Brown – Way back when Pierce Brown was the fastest kid in Utah, he put himself on the map by winning the first-ever Loretta’s championship on the then new Cobra Motorcycles CX65. Since then Brown has continued to rise through the ranks, this past season placing on the overall podium with a 3rd place run in the 250 ESX. Brown would then follow that up with the biggest win of his career to date when he captured the top spot at Las Vegas’ 250 SuperMotocross World Championship in September.
#28 Michael Mosiman – Another former Gas Gas racer (like Brown), Mosiman joins the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team with a long list of pro racing achievements – the most impressive being the speed that led him to a 3rd place overall finish in the 250 WSX title chase back in 2022. Mosiman also carried that speed through the summer months, scoring three career AMA Pro Motocross 250 class podium finishes.
#17 Cole Davies – The fastest racer to come out of New Zealand in some time, Davies, a multi-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250X Futures winner and the 2024 250X Futures National Champion, joined the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team just before the 2024 RedBud (Mich.) Outdoor National’s Scouting Moto Combine. Davies finished up the Summer of ’24 with a big Combine win at Ironman Raceway (Ind.), then closed out the season with a win in the World All-Stars at the Vegas SMX World Championships.
About Monster Energy AMA Supercross, part of the SMX World Championship™ Series
The 17-race Supercross schedule is poised to visit 16 cities across 13 states, from California and Arizona to Alabama and Pennsylvania, which includes four rounds in the Northeast as the SMX League continues to drive growth of the sport within the region. Additional stops include Tampa at Raymond James Stadium and East Rutherford, N.J. at MetLife Stadium. New to the schedule this season is a stop at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., home to the six-time Superbowl winning Pittsburgh Steelers.
