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MONSTER ENERGY® PRO CIRCUIT KAWASAKI RIDER SETH HAMMAKER SCORES TOP 5 FINISH AT HOMETOWN SHOWDOWN
Foothill Ranch, Calif. (April 13, 2025) - Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Seth Hammaker scored a fourth-place finish in the second East/West Showdown of the Monster Energy® AMA Supercross season, delivering a strong performance throughout the day at his home race in Philadelphia for Round 13. Teammate Garrett Marchbanks put in his best qualifying result of the season and fought through the slick and muddy conditions to take seventh place in the Main Event.
Another week in the Northeast brought more relentless weather. During the week, the organizers decided to change part of the track’s layout, removing the over-under section and covering the track on Thursday in preparation for the non-stop rain expected on Friday. As the weather continued to cause havoc, practice was canceled, and only two qualifying sessions occurred. Qualifying was shortened from the regular 10-minute format to eight minutes, leaving riders less time to dial in the track. Despite the wet and tacky condition of the track, Hammaker and Marchbanks put on a clinic in qualifying, leading a majority of their respective sessions. Marchbanks scored his best qualifying result of the season, sitting second overall in the 250SX Class, while Hammaker took fastest qualifier in the 250SX East Division second qualifying session and fourth overall.
As the day continued, the rain tapered off, and the sun slowly dried out the track, putting it in great condition for the night show. In the West Division 250SX Heat Race, Marchbanks’ impressive qualifying time earned him the second gate pick, and he strategically lined up right outside of the starter. Marchbanks had a strong start out of the gate aboard his KX™250. He powered his way into the inside of his competitors on the first turn and quickly secured fifth place. He advanced into fourth place, where he would ultimately finish. Hammaker dominated the East Division 250SX Heat Race. He lined up on the same gate as his teammate and rocketed out of the gate, hugging the inside of the first turn and grabbing the holeshot. Hammaker rode away from his competition, putting a six-second gap between him and second place. He’d easily sail to the finish line to take the Heat Race win.
In the Showdown Main Event, Hammaker grabbed another strong start, leading the field into the first corner and grabbing the holeshot once again. Marchbanks would avoid a pile-up in the first turn to put himself just outside the Top 10. Hammaker was beginning to pull away from the field, but after only a couple of minutes into the Main Event, a downed rider would cause the red flag to wave. The riders would go back to the gate to prep for a full restart and try to recompose themselves physically and mentally. When the gate dropped again, Hammaker charged to the front and settled into second place. Meanwhile, Marchbanks would fight the slick conditions off the grate to put himself in the Top 10. The top four riders would remain locked in a tight battle at the beginning of the race, all pressuring each other for positions. Hammaker swapped positions multiple times with his competitors, holding his ground until he eventually dropped back to fourth place. Marchbanks continued to click off laps and work his way up the field to finish seventh on the night. Hammaker would continue to push the pace and keep his competitors in sight, ultimately securing a strong fourth-place finish. His consistent performance allows him to maintain the points lead heading into next weekend’s round in East Rutherford, NJ.
“Today went pretty well. I got second in the first qualifier, then ended up P1 in the second qualifier. Coming into the night show, I felt pretty good. We got a little bit of rain during the day, but I ripped a good start in the Heat Race and rode away with it, which felt really good and gave me more confidence. In the Main Event, I ripped the holeshot again and was riding away with it a little bit, but then the red flag came out and we had to go back to the gate for a full restart. The restart was pretty tough. I was just trying to stay calm, get back on the gate, take some deep breaths, and try to execute another good start. It’s tough physically and mentally when you go out and have a two or three-lap sprint and then have to stop. I got another decent start on the restart, I was second behind RJ [Hampshire], but I didn't ride the best during the Main Event. I made a few mistakes and I was struggling to find the flow. I felt like I couldn’t get a clean lap in to put it all together. After the restart, a couple of riders got around me. RJ and I were battling for a while, but I ended up P4. It’s nice to have a good result in front of the home crowd. I wanted to be on the podium, but I got the Heat Race win and it was a good day in general with all my family and friends here. It’s really cool and always special coming here. I still have the red plate heading into New Jersey. I feel pretty good about it, and we’ll come out next week ready to go.”
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Seth Hammaker
“Qualifying was solid today. I ran P1 for most of both qualifying sessions until the last lap, and I got bumped down to P2. Second was the best qualifying result I’ve had in a long time. I was feeling good all day through qualifying and I had a good gate pick going into the heat. The heat felt solid, I just didn’t get off to the best of starts, made a couple of mistakes and got fourth. I was seventh gate pick going into the main, which was alright. The gates were pretty hammered this weekend because of how muddy they were. I had a little wheel spin off the first start, tried to make some quick passes, then the red flag came out by the time I got up to ninth. I was hoping to have a better start on the red flag restart but still had a little bit of a mishap off the gate. We are going to go back this week and work on starts in similar conditions. I blame myself a little for not learning that mistake for the second start so hopefully I can figure that out. During the main I tried to jump through the pack but got held up with some other riders. I felt like I was overriding for most of the main and just being too aggressive. Once I finally had a little bit of an open track I put some good laps together, but it was too late because those top six guys were too far gone. I’m a little bummed on how well I rode at the beginning of the day and didn’t execute the main in a similar way. East/West Showdowns are pretty tough but I’m looking forward to Salt Lake City for the third one. We’ve got Denver in three weeks, so we’ll keep building, working hard, and figuring some things out.”
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Garrett Marchbanks
