The 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship is underway. Jason Thomas was on hand as a trackside reporter for NBC Sports for round two over the weekend in San Diego, California, and we fired off some questions to him after the race.
Lap times in San Diego were a good 10-15 seconds faster than they were last week in Anaheim. Was the track that much shorter, or did it just have higher speed sections?
Jason Thomas: It was less back-and-forth and less busy. This was a much more traditional SX track overall. Anaheim was awkward and slow in many sections, making the lap times over a minute. A1 was also a track that caused many riders to feel uncomfortable. San Diego was “easier” to feel comfortable on.
There was a rhythm lane that had a three-four option in it, but there was also a two-three-two option that looked just as fast. Was it actually just as fast? If so, why did so many riders opt for the three-four option?
The triple-quad was faster, period. The only time the 2-3-2 option was close is if the corner had broken down badly and riders were not able to carry speed through the higher ruts. The ultimate flex was when the 450 elite were doing the 3-4 from the low ruts late in the main event and shortening the corner up to the maximum. 250s weren’t able to do that and had to try to carry the outside even when it got rough and rutted.
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Mon Jan 20 Deegan: “I just want to win. It’s miserable not winning.” Jo Shimoda was forced to race the main event with two broken fingers in his clutch hand after an unfortunate collision with a pit board during qualifying. Is there a way to describe how difficult it is to race on a supercross track with a hand injury like that?
It was a testament to Jo’s toughness. His grip strength had to be severely handicapped and also the sheer pain of holding on and using the clutch was likely hard to verbalize. The key in that scenario is to be smooth and not have any unexpected incidents. The more predictable the action, the less likely he would be forced to use those fingers in an extreme way. I think that’s why we saw him slower in both the heat and main event—he was solely focused on putting in perfect laps, versus the edgy riding it takes to be at the front. He was managing risk and giving it the most he could without going over the line. If he made a big mistake, he likely wouldn’t have had the grip strength to save it.
Haiden Deegan got a bad start in the main and never got a chance to compete for the win. Were you expecting him to come through the pack a little quicker than he did?
It hasn’t been a smooth start to the season for Deegs. His starts are the main issue. He is putting himself in precarious spots on the opening lap and having to fight through traffic for the rest of the race. He is fast enough to win or even catch up, but not from 12th. He’s going to have to clean up the details if he wants to win. I think he will, though. Adversity is going to be something he faces now and again for the rest of his career. He will overcome.
Cole Davies was brilliant, leading laps and finishing fourth in just his second race as a professional. Where was he excelling in San Diego?
He just has all of the tools needed to succeed. He is technically sound, great in the whoops, and looks far more comfortable than he did a year ago. Less than excelling in one particular spot, he just doesn’t have any glaring deficiencies. His future is very bright.
The performance from Julien Beaumer cannot be overstated. He waited for the right time to make a move on Davies and rode the rest of the race perfectly to take his first win, and the points lead. What did you find most impressive about his ride on Saturday night?
I am most impressed by his demeanor and confidence at the front. He isn’t shying away from the moment or making critical mistakes when his adrenaline is redlining. He looks like he has been there and done it before, even when he hasn’t. This is a critical year for JuJu and he has delivered thus far. Most importantly, he has confirmed he’s going to be “a guy” in the 250’s moving forward, which will solidify his employment status.
The 450SX main was incredible, with Tomac clicking off ridiculously fast lap times deep into the race, despite immense pressure from Jett Lawrence. How hard is it to ride flawlessly, at that pace, with pressure, for so long?
Tomac was in the zone. When he’s in that mode, he isn’t thinking much about what’s happening around him. He’s simply reacting and riding on instinct. It’s the purest form of anyone’s game and Tomac usually wins in that scenario. He looks comfortable in his own skin, and a confident Tomac is a dangerous one.
Things didn’t pan out the way Chase Sexton wanted them too. But despite crashing on the first lap and coming from the back, he still salvaged a sixth. Did he blow it in San Diego or did he dodge what could have potentially been a much worse situation?
His first lap was an absolute disaster. He threw away a good start, nearly got landed on, and then crashed on his own all within 30 seconds. He did salvage what could have been very difficult on a points scale, coming back to sixth. He had good speed coming through traffic, too. Overall, it wasn’t an ideal main event but he will be much more aware of his lack of urgency on the first lap moving forward.
Cooper Webb was leading the main event for a while before ending up third on the night. He even fought off a charge from Ken Roczen later in the race to hold onto the final podium spot. What was he doing out there that helped him do as well as he did? Was there anything specific you noticed about his riding that impressed you?
Webb is very good at staying low in the berms and shortening the track. He grabbed the early lead and was just doing his thing until Tomac upped the ante. He mentioned in the offseason there will be nights when he simply isn’t fast enough to win. On those nights, he needs to maximize points and be right behind the leaders. Other nights, things will go his way and he needs to win. San Diego was a night in which his top-end speed was just a touch off the level that Tomac and Jett took it to. Holding onto third is exactly what he was alluding to when maximizing the situation. Count Webb out of this championship at your own peril.
