Monster Energy Supercross returned to Indianapolis for round nine of the 2025 AMA Supercross Championship, with Lucas Oil Stadium playing host to an intense night of racing.
The St. Jude-themed event delivered exciting action as riders battled through the soft, deeply rutted track—one of the most technical layouts of the season.
In the 450SX class, Cooper Webb put in a commanding ride, leading from start to finish to secure a dominant victory.
Meanwhile, the highly anticipated East-West 250 Showdown saw Seth Hammaker rise to the occasion, claiming a breakthrough win after years of adversity and injuries.
450 CLASS
Fresh off his Daytona victory, Ken Roczen carried his momentum into Indianapolis by setting the fastest qualifying time of the day at 48.728 seconds.
The four-time Indy winner barely edged out Malcolm Stewart, who was just 0.04 seconds behind with a 48.767. Chase Sexton was also right in the mix, posting a 48.784 – just 0.06 seconds off Roczen’s pace – making for an incredibly tight battle at the top.
Championship leader Webb had a shaky session, suffering a crash in the whoops on Indy’s technical track during Q2, but he still managed to qualify fourth overall with a 48.920. Jason Anderson rounded out the top five with a 49.024.
The fast-starting Justin Hill grabbed the holeshot in 450SX heat one but quickly surrendered the lead to Webb in the opening corners. However, Webb’s hopes of another heat race win vanished when he crashed in the sand a few turns later, marking his second crash of the day.
Hill reclaimed the lead and held it until mid-race, when Stewart made his move, taking control and cruising to a comfortable six-second win. Justin Barcia finished second, fending off Joey Savatgy, while Webb recovered to take fourth.
In heat two, Sexton wasted no time moving to the front, passing his teammate and holeshot winner Aaron Plessinger by the end of lap one. From there, Sexton was unchallenged and rode mistake-free to a dominant nine-second victory over Daytona winner Roczen. Dylan Ferrandis crossed the line in third, followed by Plessinger in fourth and Anderson in fifth, 24 seconds behind Sexton.
Sexton, Webb and Barcia all got strong starts in the 450SX main event, but Roczen had a rough beginning, crashing into Anderson after Anderson had fallen in the first turn. This sent Roczen to the back of the pack, forcing him to fight through the field.
Barcia grabbed the early lead but soon gave way to Webb, who quickly established control at the front. With Webb pulling a three-second gap, Barcia held second until Sexton made his move, dropping Barcia to third.
Meanwhile, Justin Cooper was running a solid fourth, while Roczen charged back into the top 10 by lap five.
Over the next few laps, Webb extended his lead with consistent, fast laps, and by the halfway point, he was in complete control.
As the race progressed, second-placed Sexton began losing ground and eventually crashed in the sand section, marking his fifth consecutive round with a crash. This mistake cost him, allowing Cooper to move into second, though he was still 13 seconds behind Webb.
Savatgy also suffered a hard crash in a rhythm section after getting cross-rutted on a takeoff. The impact appeared serious, with medical crews taking extra time to assist him as he looked to have sustained a knee injury.
Despite Roczen’s charge, he could only manage seventh after getting stuck in mid-pack traffic. Webb backed off in the final laps, ensuring a safe finish while still securing an eight-second victory – his third win in the last four races. Cooper finished second, with Sexton five seconds behind in third. Barcia crossed the line in fourth, while Plessinger rounded out the top five.
Despite a tough day that included two crashes leading up to the main event, Webb turned things around when it mattered most. The two-time champion admitted his frustration but delivered a dominant ride to take the win in Indianapolis.
“I was pissed off,” Webb admitted. “I made a lot of mistakes today. Man, that was an awesome main event for me, probably one of the easier ones of my career. Got a good lead and could ride the pace. Obviously, when Chase went down, it really opened up the cushion … I executed my start, rode great laps in the beginning, and then put it on cruise control and (had a) drama-free race.”
After weeks of narrowly missing the podium, Cooper finally broke through with a well-earned second-place finish. The Yamaha rider admitted the struggle of coming so close in recent rounds but stayed committed to the process, making his long-awaited return to the podium.
“I’ve been fighting demons,” Cooper said. “I’ve been top-five the last four weekends, three of them being fourths, so it’s been tough to go home, regroup, and go after that podium again. I’ve been sticking to it, trusting the process, and really been riding good each weekend, consistent. … It’s cool for the team. One-two is big. This has been long overdue for me, and I feel like I’ve been fighting for this for a while now.”
Sexton showed strong pace early in the night, winning his Heat Race and running well in the 450SX Main Event before a crash in the sand section cost him valuable time. Despite the setback, he regrouped to secure third place and is focused on coming back stronger after the upcoming break.
“I had a good flow going early, but after the red cross flag (for Joey Savatgy’s crash), I lost my rhythm and ended up going down,” Sexton explained. “It took me a few laps to get back into my groove, but by then, there were only two laps to go. Unfortunate, but that’s racing. Now we have a week off to regroup, and hopefully, I can come back stronger and build momentum for the last eight rounds.”
Webb’s first-ever Indianapolis win extends his 450SX championship lead to 15 points over Sexton heading into the upcoming break in the season.
250 CLASS
This event marked the first of three East/West Showdowns of the season, where the best riders from both coasts battled for supremacy.
Haiden Deegan topped the 250SX qualifying charts with a 49.044, while Seth Hammaker led the East riders with a 49.288—just over two-tenths off Deegan’s time. Kiwi Cole Davies rounded out the top three with a 49.617, while East Coast points leader Max Anstie slotted into fourth at 49.946.
In the 250SX West heat, Deegan made a statement by grabbing the holeshot and leading from start to finish. Davies followed with a strong ride to claim second, while Michael Mosiman finished third, eight seconds back. In the 250SX East heat, Anstie took the holeshot and fended off a hard-charging RJ Hampshire to take the win. Hammaker rounded out the top three in a closely contested race.
In the 250SX main event, fastest qualifier Deegan had a rough start with a poor jump, while Austin Forkner’s bad luck continued as he went down early. Up front, holeshot winner Hammaker and Tom Vialle quickly set the pace, with Julien Beaumer in close pursuit. Deegan settled into fifth on the opening lap but wasted no time making moves, climbing to third by lap three. Meanwhile, Hammaker stretched out a two-second lead, while Vialle held strong in second.
Further back, Beaumer and Jo Shimoda were locked in a fierce battle for fourth while Davies, who had gone down earlier after running into the back of another rider in the sand section, was charging through the pack. East Coast points leader Anstie found himself buried in seventh, with Hampshire just behind him, clawing his way forward after starting 17th.
With four minutes remaining, Hammaker remained in control out front, while Deegan struggled to find a way past Vialle for second. The biggest mover of the race was Davies, who climbed from outside the top 10 to sixth before making the pass on Shimoda to break into the top five.
As the chequered flag waved, Hammaker secured a commanding six-second victory over Vialle for his second career win. Deegan dropped back slightly in the final minutes, finishing nearly four seconds behind in third. Although he missed out on the win, Deegan’s podium finish was still a solid result, adding valuable points to his championship tally. Hampshire crossed the line in fourth, with Davies rounding out the top five.
“What an unreal feeling,” said Hammaker. “This is my second career win, and it’s been a while since I stood on the top step of the podium, so it feels amazing. I got a great start, sprinted early, and did my best to stay focused on a really tough track. Leading with a gap was a challenge, but I’m proud of how I managed it. Huge thanks to my team, my family, and everyone who has supported me through the ups and downs—it takes so much to get here.”
Frenchman Vialle rode a calculated race, staying close to the lead but ultimately settling for second.
“I’m slowly getting back into rhythm, and I felt great tonight,” Vialle said. “Like Daytona, I was close to victory, but Seth [Hammaker] rode amazing. The track was tricky, easy to make mistakes, so I’m pretty happy with second. We’re right in the championship, which is where we want to be.”
Deegan left Indianapolis frustrated but still managed to salvage a podium finish. The 250SX West points leader was in the hunt for the win but had to play it smart in the closing laps to secure third.
“I was upset. Obviously, I wanted the win,” Deegan admitted. “I aired out that quad and ended up busting something in my engine when I landed super hard. Those last few laps, I just tried to be smart and ride it in. No excuses—Tom [Vialle] and Seth [Hammaker] were the better guys tonight.”
Vialle’s second-place finish sees him take over the East Coast points lead, moving one point ahead of Anstie. Hammaker’s win elevates him from sixth to third in the standings, now 11 points behind Vialle, while Hampshire sits just a single point back in fourth.
On the West Coast, Deegan’s third-place finish extends his lead to 12 points over Beaumer, while Davies sits in third, 25 points behind Deegan.
Next, the championship takes a one-week break before resuming in Birmingham for Round 10.
Photo courtesy Kawasaki
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