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MONSTER ENERGY® KAWASAKI RIDERS PODIUM IN PITTSBURGH
Foothill Ranch, Calif. (April 27, 2025) – Monster Energy® Kawasaki Team Green™ riders Landen Gordon and Enzo Temmerman battled through the tough elements and even tougher competition to secure second and third place in the SMX Next National Championship, as Monster Energy® AMA Supercross returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since 1983. Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Seth Hammaker showed non-stop speed all day, but a poor start in the East Division 250SX Main Event forced him to charge from mid-pack to take home a fifth-place finish and will take the championship fight to the final round in Salt Lake City.
The Northeast's relentless weather continued into Round 15 in Pennsylvania, with rain coming down all night Friday and into Saturday morning. The organizers decided to cover the track in preparation for the weather and canceled practice sessions, leaving two shortened eight-minute qualifying sessions for the riders to dial in the track. When uncovered, the track revealed slick and muddy conditions throughout the course. The track would dry up throughout the day to shape up for a competitive night of racing.
Hammaker didn’t let the conditions affect him as he started quickly learning the track and putting down fast laps in the first 250SX qualifying session. He showed his speed and skills, qualifying on top in the first session and second overall heading into the night show. His quick riding gave him first gate pick for Heat 1, where he chose the gate on the inside of the starter. In the Heat Race, he jumped ahead of his competition off the gate, quickly claiming the holeshot. The No. 56 KX™250 was instantly putting in fast and solid laps. He quickly pulled away from his competitors and finished the race in first place with a three-second lead.
In the 250SX Main Event, Hammaker faced the conditions of the rutted, deteriorating track. The muddy starting grate proved difficult to provide traction for a strong start as he jumped off the gate and was put into mid-pack. On Lap 1, Hammaker made a remarkable save after another rider jumped into his front wheel, almost taking him out. Shortly after, he soon found himself tangled with another rider who jumped onto the side of his bike. The No. 56 recollected himself and focused on his charge to the front. The track provided a split lane that allowed Hammaker to go outside, then inside to make up valuable time on his competition. He set the fastest sector time through this section, along with the sector six rhythm section and sector eight straightaway into the finish line. Charging by his competition, Hammaker would finish the night in fifth place and now sits second in the Eastern Divisional 250SX points standings, only one point behind first place going into the final round of the season in Salt Lake City.
Pittsburgh held the final round of SMX Next racing this weekend, putting the championship title in a winner-take-all position. The SMX Next riders also had their schedule shortened, with one less practice session due to the weather. The Monster Energy® Kawasaki Team Green™ riders consistently put themselves in the Top 10 during qualifying. Gordon showed his speed in the final session, taking the fastest overall qualifying position. His teammate Temmerman secured fifth, and Vincent Wey earned eighth. In the SMX Next National Championship Main Event, all three riders pulled a strong start off the gate. Gordon ripped into the first turn in third, while Wey was close behind in fifth and Temmerman in sixth. Gordon settled into third early on, but by mid-race he was applying pressure to the rider in second, who eventually went down in the whoops, allowing Gordon to make the move into second. Temmerman stayed consistent after the start, passing by riders to quickly move himself into third place. After starting up front, Wey made an error on Lap 2 that caused him to drop back to 17th place, but he would climb his way back up to finish 15th on the night. Gordon and Temmerman would settle into their positions and put their KX™250 machines on the box, finishing second and third, respectively.
“The day started pretty good, I ended up P2 in qualifying, behind RJ [Hampshire]. I felt really good on the bike and the track all day. In the Heat Race, I got the holeshot and led every lap. I felt really good and got the first gate pick for the Main Event. I spun really bad off the grate for the start of the main and put myself in a bad position right off the bat. The first couple of laps I got together with a few riders. I got really sketchy in the first few laps and was way far back and had to climb my way up. I ended up fifth in the race and only one point out going into Salt Lake City. It’s going to be a winner-take-all there, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do and I’m ready for the battle.”
- Seth Hammaker
“I had a pretty good day here in Pittsburgh. The track was pretty slick and tacky, but it shaped up well throughout the day. With the first practice being canceled, we had less time to learn the track, but I was feeling good out there. I was able to put down a fast lap in the last session and get P1 overall. It was a busy day, but I was ready to go into the night and battle. This was the last race of the season for us, so I needed to put my best effort out there. I got a good jump off the gate and was able to move into the front right away. I kept clicking off my laps, then Jesson [Turner] went down in front of me in the whoops, and I moved into second. I’m happy with a podium finish and now I’m ready to put my full time and effort into prepping for the outdoor.”
- Landen Gordon
“I’m happy to finish off the SMX Next season on the podium. I’ve learned a lot throughout this process. I think it was really good being able to race all five of the SMX Next races. My biggest takeaway was staying healthy and getting through all the rounds. These tracks have been rough with all the weather we’ve faced and sharing the same track as the pros, but it was a good learning experience for me. I made a lot of progress from the first round till now with all the track time. Now it’s on to the outdoor season. My first race will be the Moto Combine at Hangtown.”
- Enzo Temmerman
