Haiden Deegan didn’t need to win the season finale at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, but when asked prior to the round if he would race any differently since the Eastern divisional riders still had a championship to decide, he answered with an emphatic ‘no.’ He would race to win and let the chips fall where they may.
Deegan was never part of the divisional battle. He earned the holeshot and rocketed away from the chaos behind him, ultimately finishing nearly 10 seconds ahead of Julien Beaumer as the two young guns renewed their rivalry on the podium stage. Deegan ended the 2025 season with the most 250 wins at four.
Beaumer started the season strong with three podiums in the first three rounds. He injured his shoulder in qualification for Arlington and lost momentum in the middle of the season, but he bounced back at the end of the year to score back-to-back runner-up finishes in the last two rounds. He was passed for position by both Seth Hammaker and RJ Hampshire mid-race, but regained the spot when they crashed while battling for the East championship.
The real beneficiary of the Hammaker / Hampshire crash was Tom Vialle. He started the race in second but lacked the pace of his rivals. Vialle faded to fifth, but there was a method to his style. He knew the only way to secure the championship was to stay out of harm’s way when the other two title contenders were forced to overextend their luck. Vialle moved back into a podium position on Lap 15 and held Hammaker at bay for his second consecutive 250 title.
Vialle will be forced to move into the 450 Supercross division next year by rule, which does not allow 250 champions to stay in the support class for more than one year after winning a title.
Relive the 250 Heats
Hammaker did not get the best of starts and was as far back as fourth on Lap 8. He had speed, however. Hammaker ran afoul of Vialle’s teammate Beaumer in the race’s closing stages, and when he was ridden wide, he lost enough momentum to allow Hampshire to close the distance. Hampshire lost patience on Lap 15 and cleaned out his competitor just shy of the finish line jump. Hammaker remounted his bike in fourth, but lost too much distance to catch and pass Vialle.
Hampshire accepted responsibility for the incident: “Everyone always says they’ll do whatever it takes to win a championship. Well, I did it. I was the guy. I take full accountability for it,” he said in an interview with RacerX.com. Hampshire apologized to Hammaker and Pro Circuit team principal Mitch Payton after the damage was done.
Hampshire will move into the 450 division next weekend when the Pro Motocross season begins at Fox Raceway in Pala, California.
Cole Davies crashes hard, injures arm
Michael Mosiman finished fifth to score his third top-five of the season. Erratic results netted only a ninth-place average despite scoring seven top-10s in 10 250 West rounds.
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