Dream to Be Great | The Rookies' Journey 10

The 2025 Monster Energy SuperMotocross Championship is upon us, and once again, a new batch of rookies will make their pro debut. Leading up to the 2024 season we talked to some riders from that rookie class to get their thoughts on living their dreams and hear their expectations. We recently checked in with a few of them to get an update as they enter year two. We also talked to a few of the rookies for 2025 who are about to recognize their dream to be great.

One's rookie season can be daunting with the pressures and expectations of teams, media, fans, and riders themselves. It can also be a time to shine, stand out, and separate oneself from the pack. It comes down to several factors such as skill, luck, awareness, and mentality. In 2024, eleven riders, including Chance Hymas, Ryder DiFrancesco, Daxton Bennick, Evan Ferry, and Julien Beaumer, lined up for their rookie seasons. They each entered with certain goals and projections, and they each finished with different levels of success. 

Ryder DiFrancesco, who had left Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and signed with Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas hoped for top fives and to be in the mix for podiums and wins at every round but had some struggles adjusting to the GasGas motorcycle and new team. He told Vital MX he went in thinking it would be easier than it was and once the struggles popped up, he had a hard time dealing with them. Evan Ferry signed with Triumph Racing in their inaugural season of SuperMotocross, but things did not go as planned. At the opening round of the East Coast in Detroit, Michigan, Evan won the LCQ but later was caught up in a first-turn pile-up during the main event. He made his return in Arlington, but a press day crash resulted in a shoulder injury. He didn't line up for another Supercross race and left the Triumph Racing team mid-season, but will return in '25 with Phoenix Racing Honda.

Favorable outcomes were also prevalent for some of the rookies. Julien Beaumer finished seventh in the 250 West division with seven top-ten finishes and was named Rookie of the Year. He said, "Rookie of the Year was a goal, but I wanted more. I fell short on some things and made too many mistakes." Then there's Yamaha Star Racing's Daxton Bennick who said the highlights of his season was getting a podium at his first race in Detroit and a second in his heat race in Salt Lake City. 

History tells us it can take several years for a younger rider to adjust to racing at the pro level. Just because one was successful in the amateurs doesn't mean it will transfer to racing at the highest level. Unfortunately, they don't always have the time to adjust, take it all in, and grow into the success they seek. Teams and sponsors often expect wins or fights for podiums immediately, leading to many riders losing opportunities and falling by the wayside. It's a hard truth the riders must accept as they begin their careers.

For 2025, Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Drew Adams, Yamaha Star Racing's Cole Davies, Phoenix Racing Honda's Gavin Towers, AEO Powersports KTM's Avery Long, and Muc-OFF/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha's Reid Taylor look to start their pro careers with much anticipation. Will they meet their goals and what will their seasons look like? We'll find out soon enough, but in the meantime, we talked to a few of them to hear their goals for '25.

"In my position last year with Star I was expected to win, or at least battle up front at the Futures races. This year, there's the pressure of the unknown. I need to go out and log my laps, learn, and get better each round." - Gavin Towers

Cole Davies: "I will definitely be nervous on the line, but no one expects me to do well. So, I'll just block out the nerves because I've been riding well at the Farm. I'm excited to go racing."

Avery Long: "I want to make big gains and progress daily. I don't have any expectations for Supercross. Just do the best I can each week and improve.

Reid Taylor: "I want to do my best and learn. I need to see where I am. I'd like to be in the top ten and build throughout the season."

Hearing a rider say they don't have big expectations and just want to learn could come across negatively, but that may not be true when looking for long-term success. When asked what advice last year's rookies would give the incoming group, many stated that taking it slow is important.

Ryder DiFrancesco: "Come in with no expectations. If you come in and race your dirt bike with no pressure, that's the best way to do it. If I could return to '24, I'd slow down and take it all in."

"You only get one rookie season, so soak it up, take it all in, and learn as much as possible." - Julien Beaumer

Casey Cochran: "Take it slow and let everything come to you. Learn, and it will continue to get better throughout the season. Stay positive when it doesn't go as planned. You've worked your whole life to get here, and it's a love for the sport you have to have."

The love for the sport is key. All the hard work, training, long days, struggles, pain, sweat, and tears are because they love racing dirt bikes. The chance to line up under the lights of a stadium for Monster Energy Supercross has been a dream for these riders since they were little kids, and those dreams are about to be fulfilled.

Avery Long: "It's literally a dream come true. I don't know what to think, and I'm beyond excited. My first memory of Supercross was in 2013 in Minneapolis. Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto battled all the way to the finish, and I was there sitting on my dad's shoulders. I was hooked and knew it was what I wanted to do, and here I am."

Cole Davies: "It's a surreal feeling. I can barely believe it's happening, and I don't know what I'm getting myself into. If I could talk to little Cole, I know he'd be stoked."

Reid Taylor: "When I was younger, my family visited the U.S. for a holiday, and we watched a Supercross race in Las Vegas. It was one of my best childhood memories."

Struggles will be had, and mistakes will be made, so these young riders need to have a good group around them and understand it is a process. As Casey Cochran said, they've been working their whole life for this, but the work is not over. Over the coming months we will watch as these young men test their fortitude, fight to find their place in the landscape of Supercross, and attempt to achieve their dream to be great. As author Zig Ziglar said, "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."