Skip to content
We Went Fast
PREVIEW

2025 Thunder Valley Preview

By Brett Smith

We’ve got your weekly key stories ready for you. As always, don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Round 20: Thunder Valley

Nestled in a valley between Denver and the Rockies, Thunder Valley MX Park sits at 6,128-ft. of power-robbing elevation. Its origins date to 1974 but under David Clabaugh’s ownership TVMP’s Pro Motocross has run uninterrupted since 2005.

  • Ken Roczen is the all-time 450MX winner at TVMX (5)
  • Freddie Noren has the most TVMX 450 starts all-time (11)
  • Ryan Dungey has scored the most 450 points here (343)

More info in the Thunder Valley Venue History page.

TVMX HISTORY

450MX Facts

  • Say what!? Hangtown Moto 1 was the first time Jett Lawrence has finished 3rd in a 450MX moto.
  • Four different riders have holeshot the four motos run so far. In 2024, 7 different riders earned holeshots over 22 motos.
  • Cooper Webb’s moto 2 holeshot was his first since Hangtown Moto 2… 2021!
  • Jett Lawrence has been Fastest Qualifier 16 times in the 18 450 MX events he’s raced.
  • Jett Lawrence has led 452 career 450MX laps. He’s averaging 12.55 laps led per moto.
  • Aaron Plessinger has now led laps in 9 different 450MX motos for a total of 61 laps led. He’s still looking for that first moto win.
  • Jett Lawrence, Aaron Plessinger and Hunter Lawrence are the only riders to finish top 5 in all four motos. In 2024, only H. Lawrence and Chase Sexton were top 5 through 4 motos.
  • 7 different countries are represented in the top 20 in the points standings: USA (12), Australia (2), Spain, France, Switzerland, Venezuela (2), Sweden (and Estonia is knocking on the door).

250MX Facts

  • Haiden Deegan is the first rider in 11 years to win the first 4 250MX motos of the year (Jeremy Martin, 2014)
  • Haiden Deegan’s the only rider to win 3 or more motos to start the season more than once.
  • Haiden Deegan has won the last 5 straight 250MX motos going back to the final moto of 2024 at Ironman. He’s tied with 9 other riders for 11th longest moto win streak in the 125/250 class. The last rider to win 5 motos in the 125/250 class: Jett Lawrence in 2022.
  • If Haiden Deegan goes 1-1 at Thunder Valley, ****he’ll tie Travis Pastrana (2000) for 9th all-time in 125/250 consecutive moto wins.
  • Jo Shimoda is -12 in points, a huge improvement from 2024 when he was -35 after 2 rounds.
  • Wow: Tom Vialle, Levi Kitchen and Chance Hymas finished 2-4 in the 2024 championship. They’re currently 6th, 5th and 9th (-48 and -55 pts)
  • On that note, Deegan and Jo Shimoda are the only two riders to finish top 5 in each moto. In 2024, four riders were top 5 in all 4 motos (Deegan, Vialle, Kitchen and Hymas).

All-Time Pro Motocross List (All Classes)

We’ve mentioned Jett Lawrence tying (now passing) Jeff Emig for 11th on the all-time 450MX wins list.

But what about the COMBINED Pro Motocross list? All of it. 125s, 250s, 450s, 500s….

  • Lawrence pulled even with Ryan Villopoto for 9th all-time and he’s only 6 wins from tying 5th place Bob Hannah!
  • If his overall win streak continues, Lawrence pulls even at Washougal.
  • Check Eli Tomac! Four more wins and he’s 2nd all-time.
Most Pro Motocross Wins All-Time (all classes)
  • How about those average finish positions for RC, RV and the Golden Boy, Broc Glover!

Eli Tomac: 2nd All-Time (450 Moto Wins)

Eli Tomac’s first moto win at Hangtown gave him sole possession of 2nd on the all-time 450MX moto wins list.

  • It was Tomac’s first moto win since round 12 of 2022 (1,001 days)
  • Only 73 more moto wins to pass Ricky Carmichael on the all-time 450MX moto wins list.
  • If he wins every moto from this weekend through moto 1 of round 6 in the year 2028, he passes RC… 🙂
450MX All-Time Moto Wins List

Age Doesn’t Matter If Your Eli Tomac

Eli Tomac is re-writing the record books. He’s not the GOAT, the King, or the Fastest Man on the Planet, but Beast Mode will never be forgotten. Maybe most impressive is the fact that he continues to be one of the best in the world at 32 years old.

When he won the main event at Round 2 in San Diego earlier this year, he won for the 11th consecutive year AND became the 7th oldest winner in Supercross history. With his first moto victory at Round 2 in Hangtown last weekend, he became the 3rd oldest moto winner in Pro Motocross history.

Oldest Moto Winners – 250/450 Class

Injuries have kept him sidelined for at least parts of the last 5 series, but he’s returned to the starting gate just as strong each time. Maybe most impressive is the age of his competitors.

  • When he won the 2022 Pro Motocross championship, he beat Chase Sexton who was 6 years, 10 months, and 9 days younger than him.
  • If that’s not enough, the age gap between the Eli Tomac (Hangtown M1 winner) and Jett Lawrence (M2 winner) ranks 7th biggest in the history of the 250/450 class!
Biggest Age Gaps – 250/450 M1 vs. M2 Winners

Haiden Deegan: Rolling

Haiden Deegan is currently riding the longest moto win streak to start a 250MX season since 2014, when Jeremy Martin won the first 5 motos.

  • If Deegan goes 1-1 AGAIN, it’ll be just the third time in 125/250 class history that a rider has won at least 6 straight motos from the start of the season.
  • Streaking from the first gate drop is rare in this class. In 33 of 52 years, the opening round has seen two different moto winners.
  • Couple Deegan’s four straight motos with his Denver and Salt Lake City 250SX wins and he’s on fire right now.
125/250MX Consecutive Moto Wins (to open a season)
  • At Thunder Valley in 2024, Deegan went 1-2 for first overall.

Aaron Plessinger: Career Best 450MX Start

Aaron Plessinger started the 2025 SuperMotocross season with 9-22-22 finishes. It was not good. He didn’t let that change his outlook though…

  • He finished the season with top 5s in 8 of the last 9 rounds, including the Foxboro win.
  • 5 podiums total.
  • 6th in the Supercross championship standings.

In Pro Motocross, Plessinger is off to a career best start with 4th and 2nd overall finishes. He sits 2nd in the championship standings!

  • Note: he hasn’t finished worse than 5th in a moto since moto 1 at Southwick 2024 (12th) – 17 motos ago!
  • Maybe most impressive is he’s been on the moto podium 12 of those 17 motos.
  • Also, AP has impressively raced in 36 consecutive rounds of 450MX…
  • Plessinger is still looking for his first moto win.
  • “I’m proud of myself,” Plessinger said after he led 30 minutes of Hangtown Moto 1.
Aaron Plessinger 450MX Career (thru 2 Rounds)

Justin Cooper Loves Thunder Valley

Justin Cooper has kept the momentum going. He finished Supercross with 3 podiums (all 3rds) and placed 3rd in the championship. He’s now finished a career best 2nd (twice) in the first 4 motos of 2025 Pro Motocross and sits 4th in the standings.

And now we’re headed to a track he says he loves: Thunder Valley. And his career results show it. In 2024, his rookie 450 season, he pulled both holeshots and led 11 and 12 laps (23 total laps). He finished 3-3 for third overall.

  • Between his 6 career 250MX Thunder Valley starts and his 2024 450MX start, Cooper has been on the overall podium 6 times.
  • He’s simply been brilliant in the elevation of Colorado.
Justin Cooper Career @ Thunder Valley (all classes)

*Personal Venue Rank is in parentheses.

Garrett Marchbanks (also) off to Best MX Start

Who will be the top Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider after 2 rounds of Motocross in 2025? You would not have said Garrett Marchbanks so don’t even try to claim ‘told ya so…’

  • Not only is Marchbanks the leading PC rider, he’s having a career best season start. His 65 points is the most he’s scored through the first 4 motos of a Pro Motocross season.
  • Garrett is currently 4th (-35 points) with 6th and 5th overall finishes.
  • His 5th at Hangtown was the 4th top five finish of his MX career (3 in 250, 1 in 450).
  • He has yet to finish on the podium overall or in a 250 moto.
  • He does have one 450 Moto podium (High Point 2023).
Garrett Marchbanks MX Career (First Two Rounds)

*In 2023, Marchbanks raced 250MX in rounds 1 and 2 and then switched to the 450 class. He did not race MX in 2020 and in 2024, he didn’t race the first two rounds.

I have this image of Eli smoking everyone by over a minute or something. Right now I’m going to have to go wipe my brain and make sure I get that out of my head and be confident.

–Jett Lawrence on watching Eli Tomac’s Hangtown 2015 ride.