The 2025 Pro Motocross Championship visited Ironman Raceway in Indiana on Saturday for a wild day of racing under hot and humid conditions. Hunter Lawrence finally broke through for his first 450 Class victory, while Haiden Deegan continued his dominant season with another sweep in the 250 Class.

The premier class provided plenty of excitement and controversy throughout the day. In the first moto, points leader Jett Lawrence had a disastrous start when he hit the starting gate before it dropped. This caused him to get a slow start and fall deep in the field.

Meanwhile, his older brother Hunter Lawrence battled with Eli Tomac early before taking the lead. Defending champion Chase Sexton crashed on the first lap but worked his way back through the field along with Jett Lawrence.

The race came down to a fierce battle between Sexton and Jett Lawrence for second place. The two rivals made contact several times while racing side by side. Sexton eventually pulled away and caught Hunter Lawrence for the lead, winning the first moto by 4.7 seconds.

However, race officials penalized Jett Lawrence one lap for his starting gate incident, dropping him from third to 17th place. This moved RJ Hampshire up to third and promoted several other riders.

The second moto saw Tomac grab another holeshot, but Hunter Lawrence quickly passed him for the lead. Jett Lawrence was determined to make up for his first moto penalty and charged through the field.

Jett passed both Justin Cooper and Tomac to take second place, then engaged in a brief battle with his brother Hunter before taking the lead. Hunter settled into second while Tomac held third.

The race changed when Hunter Lawrence crashed while running second, dropping back to fourth. Sexton moved up to third but then suffered his own crash when his front wheel locked up on a jump, ending his race.

This allowed Hunter Lawrence to move back up to second place when Tomac’s bike stalled late in the race. Jett Lawrence won the moto by 6.4 seconds over Hunter, with Tomac third.

Despite not winning either moto, Hunter Lawrence’s consistency with two second-place finishes gave him his first 450 Class overall victory in his 20th start in the division.

“I haven’t got the energy to be emotional or happy. It’s hot and I’m finished,” Hunter Lawrence said after the race. “I’m just happy to get one win. A lot of second place finishes, but it’s good to get the monkey off my back.”

RJ Hampshire earned his first 450 Class podium with a second-place overall finish, going 3-4 in the motos. Eli Tomac rounded out the podium in third place with finishes of 6-3.

Jett Lawrence’s penalty and strong second moto left him sixth overall, while Sexton finished 10th after his second moto crash.

The drama cost Jett Lawrence 14 points to his brother in the championship battle. Jett still leads by 47 points over Hunter with two races remaining. If Jett can gain just three points on Hunter at the next race, he will clinch his second championship in three years.

While the 450 Class provided chaos, the 250 Class was all about Haiden Deegan’s continued dominance. The defending champion swept both motos for his fifth 1-1 performance of the season.

In the first moto, Jo Shimoda grabbed the early lead and built a seven-second advantage. But Deegan methodically closed the gap and passed Shimoda with just over two minutes remaining, then pulled away to win by 7.9 seconds.

The second moto was even more dominant for Deegan. He grabbed the holeshot and led wire-to-wire, winning by 12.3 seconds over Shimoda for his 12th moto victory of the season.

“I felt like myself again, which was nice. It’d been a while,” Deegan said. “I was able to find some sick lines. It was awesome, especially to do it when I was announced to be a part of Team USA for the Motocross of Nations.”

Deegan’s victory extended his championship lead to 51 points over Shimoda with two races remaining. If Deegan maintains a 50-point lead after the next race, he will clinch the title one race early.

Shimoda finished second overall with 2-2 finishes, earning his fourth straight podium. Tom Vialle returned from missing the previous race to finish third overall with consistent 3-3 finishes.

450 Class Overall: 1. Hunter Lawrence (2-2), 2. RJ Hampshire (3-4), 3. Eli Tomac (6-3), 4. Justin Cooper (4-5), 5. Jorge Prado (5-6)

250 Class Overall: 1. Haiden Deegan (1-1), 2. Jo Shimoda (2-2), 3. Tom Vialle (3-3), 4. Garrett Marchbanks (4-6), 5. Drew Adams (8-5)

The Pro Motocross Championship continues with the penultimate race of the season on Saturday, August 16th at the legendary Unadilla MX in New York. Both championships could potentially be decided at this historic track.

The race will be broadcast live on Peacock starting at 1 p.m. ET, with coverage beginning at 10 a.m. ET. With Hunter Lawrence finally getting his first 450 win and both titles hanging in the balance, Unadilla promises to be another exciting round of racing.

Photo Credit: MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.