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MONSTER ENERGY® PRO CIRCUIT KAWASAKI RIDERS FIGHT TO PODIUM FINISH AMID STORM-SHORTENED SMX PLAYOFF 1
Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders displayed top-tier speed all day at Playoff 1 of the 2025 SMX World Championship™ in Concord, North Carolina. Charlotte Motor Speedway set the stage for the beginning of the exciting three-round SMX World Championship and Round 1 of 2 for the SMX Next World All Stars. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Seth Hammaker set the pace for the field, grabbing the holeshot in Moto 1 and taking second overall. Levi Kitchen followed close behind his teammate, crossing the line in third place, but ultimately taking fourth after a penalty. Ty Masterpool started his day on top, earning fastest qualifier and the wildcard race win to finish 10th overall. Drew Adams would follow his teammate across the line in 11th and Garrett Marchbanks suffered an unfortunate crash early in Moto 1 that ended his race early.
The special two-day race format provided the riders with two practice sessions on Friday and qualifying on Saturday. The unique SMX track at Charlotte Motor Speedway featured a hybrid style Motocross/Supercross layout stretching the length of the speedway and a split lane starting gate. The Kawasaki riders proved their skill and speed throughout qualifying. Masterpool set the pace in the first unseeded session to claim fastest overall qualifier with over a one-second gap between him and the second-fastest rider. This gave him the first gate pick for the wildcard race. Kitchen took the fastest time in the second seeded session for third overall. Hammaker suffered a crash in the first session, but was able to come back for the second session and put down a fast lap for sixth overall. Marchbanks and Adams took 10th and 16th, respectively. SMX Next riders Enzo Temmerman and Vincent Wey quickly learned the difficult track to take sixth and seventh overall, respectively.
Due to the races Masterpool missed during Supercross and Motocross while injured, he came into SuperMotocross outside the Top 20 in combined points, leaving him to fight his way into the motos through the wildcard race. Masterpool shot out of the right side starting gate to put himself into second through the first turn and quickly moved his way to the lead. The No. 26 went on to win the race and secure a spot in the motos with the 16th gate pick.
In 250 Moto 1, Hammaker grabbed the holeshot aboard his KX™250 to instantly take the lead and charge away from the field. Adams and Kitchen pulled strong starts within the Top 10, while Masterpool and Marchbanks were shuffled to the back of the field off the start. On the opening laps, Hammaker withstood intense pressure from the competitors behind him and found himself with a 12-second lead at the halfway point. As the race continued, Hammaker would push to hold off the field behind him, but slipped to second with two laps remaining. He’d finish on the podium with a hard-fought second overall, but would be docked five championship points for jumping on a red cross flag, placing him third in the standings. Kitchen made his presence known in the opening laps as he moved from ninth to third by Lap 5. He would hold onto third to cross the finish line, but was later docked five points for jumping on the same red cross flag as his teammate and penalized one position for passing a rider in the corner after the jump. This moved Kitchen to fourth overall and fifth in points. Masterpool surged through the field, setting the fastest time in Sector 7, the second speed section at the back of the track. He also claimed hard charger as he passed nine riders to place him 10th overall. After the start, Adams battled with the Top 10 field until he had a tipover in the back section of the track. Adams remounted his bike and pushed to make up time, but ultimately finished in 11th. Marchbanks suffered a heavy crash early in the moto in the second sand section, injuring his knee and ending his race early.
During the midway point of the day program, storm clouds began rolling into the area along with heavy rain and lightning, putting the race day on hold. After a two-hour weather delay, the race organizers canceled the second motos and the SMX Next Main Event due to continuous lightning in the area and diminishing daylight. Overall results were taken from Moto 1 scores, and the SMX Next class will make up their missed race at Playoff 2 in St. Louis on Friday.
“I’m happy to start the SMX playoffs on the podium. I was really looking to grab that win, but happy with how I rode. I’m pretty frustrated with getting docked the championship points. I was looking to go back out in the second moto and fight for another podium finish, but the weather put a halt to finishing up the day. All we can do now is look to St. Louis and push for better results there.”
Seth Hammaker
“My day was pretty good. I only got to race once, but ended up fourth after I got docked a position. Overall, I'm feeling a lot better on the bike. We went back to my Daytona setup for this race with the hybrid style track. I feel like I showed good speed today, and I feel like I have a pretty good chance of getting some wins these next few races. My goal is to end the year on a high note with my results, and we’re going to stay positive going into these last two rounds.”
Levi Kitchen
“The day started out well with getting first overall in qualifying. First moto, I had a terrible gate pick because I was unseeded and had to get in through the wildcard. I’m bummed that being fastest in qualifying didn’t go towards my gate pick. In Moto 1, I got a bad jump off the gate, and someone went down in front of me, then I almost went down in the second corner, which put me in the back of the pack. I worked my way through the field and did the best I could with where I started. Unfortunately, they canceled the second moto. I was really looking forward to getting back out there and showing them what I got, but we just focus on next weekend now.”
Ty Masterpool
“It was a pretty mediocre day for me. Qualifying wasn’t the best, but I turned it around a bit during the race. In Moto 1, I got a decent start and was running around seventh when Garrett [Marchbanks] went down, and during his red cross flag, I made a simple mistake and fell over. I ended the moto in 11th. I know I can do better, but I’ll take the result and focus on St. Louis next week.”
Drew Adams
“I’m bummed with how today turned out. I was excited to show what I could do in SMX after coming off my best outdoor season and coming into the series third overall in SMX points. The track was pretty loose and unpredictable in a lot of areas, making it difficult to ride. I’m a bit banged up after my crash, but I’m going to head home and get checked out on Monday and go from there.”
Garrett Marchbanks