SETH HAMMAKER INTERVIEW: “I HAVE THE SPEED AND ALL THE REST OF THE TOOLS TO BE ABLE TO WIN”

Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker is a man on a mission in 2025. Prior to this season, the Pennsylvania native had one Supercross win in his career. That was back in 2021, when coincidently was his first year as a pro. And that year (2021) the now 24 year also was also named “Supercross Rookie of the Year”. Seth’s subsequent years have shown blazes of speed coupled with significant injuries. Just before 2025, Hammaker made a scenery change to Florida to “The Dog Pound” where Honda brothers Jett and Hunter Lawrence train (among others). Seth appears to have a fresh, relaxed, and confident attitude that has propelled him to be the only rider in the 250 East Coast Supercross to take two wins. although he lost the red plate in Pittsburgh, Seth is ready to take home this championship!

 

BY JIM KIMBALL

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SETH, THIS SEASON, YOU LOOKED GOOD RIGHT FROM THE GET-GO, EXCEPT FOR THAT FOOD POISIONING IN DETROIT. HAVE YOU FELT GOOD ABOUT THE 2025 SUPERCROSS? Yes, I felt good to start the season. I made a lot of changes this off-season with going to Florida, with technique, riding style, and a little bit of mindset stuff coming into the season. That brought some confidence, and I was ready to see where all that I had been working on through the off-season, put me up at the beginning of the season. I did well early on. Unfortunately, at the second race in Detroit, I got food poisoning, so that was a bummer but honestly, since then, it has been good. It is cool to see all the improvements working and helping me – and there is a lot more to go too.  

Seth Hammaker had a slow start to the season but quickly made up points as he started grabbing wins.

THEN CAME THE INDY SUPERCROSS WHICH YOU WON AND IT WAS A 250 EAST WEST SHOWDOWN. That was huge. You know it has been so long since I won; four years until my second win, so that was super cool. And then to do it at the East-West Showdown with everybody there was awesome, on a very technical track in Indy, so that was cool. That brought even more confidence to me for the rest of the season. Yes, it was just super great to be able to pull that one off, and it has propelled me into more of the championship points, which is the big picture.

AT INDY, IT APPEARED EVERYONE AROUND YOU, WHETHER FAMILY, FRIENDS, FANS, TEAMMATES, OR COMPETITORS, WAS HAPPY FOR YOU. DID YOU GET THAT VIBE TOO? 100 percent I got that vibe! It was cool and gratifying to see all of that, hear all those congratulations, and see the people be happy for me. Even other competitors seemed like they were happy. A lot of my teammates congratulated me and shot me texts and that was cool. I feel like everybody in the sport knows how hard it is to get that top level. With four years apart in between wins to finally get my second one after four years was super special. It is not easy to do or is it easy to stay there, so it is just super rewarding.  

He became the points leader until a tough result in Pittsburgh left him one point behind Tom Vialle.

MANY PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW FAST YOU ARE, AND HOW HARD YOU WORK; ALONG WITH THE HEARTBREAK YOU HAVE HAD WITH INJURIES. Absolutely. You know, to put all the pieces together, I feel that is what we have really been working on this season. I have always had great speed; I feel like and the speed to win. It was a guessing game of “Okay, everything really needs to fall in place.”

Now I feel like there is a plan, everything is executed, and I can control the race better now. It is not just like I am winging it and hoping for the best with the speed that I have. So, that has been a huge mindset change with just being confident going into these races and feeling like I am one of the guys. I have the speed and all the rest of the tools to be able to win these races.

DO YOU FEEL MORE PRESSURE OR DO YOU FEEL MORE CONFIDENT HAVING THE REP PLATE OR BEING NEAR IT? For me, it builds more confidence.  Honestly, Philadelphia was my first race of sharing the red plate or even having a red plate for myself. I was sharing it with Tom Vialle, and after Philly, went to East Rutherford and I was sharing it with R.J. Hampshire, and then in Pittsburg I had it solo which was cool. I feel like you always have pressure on yourself, and I believe pressure is a good thing. Honestly with the red plate, that all gets thrown out the window when you are on the bike and can’t see that. You are just doing what you do and executing what you need to. I just don’t think about that, and I still have one race to go and try to click off another win.

Heading into the final race of the season which is another East/West showdown Hammaker is favored as he already has a showdown win.

R.J. HAS BEEN A BIT BANGED UP, AND TOM HAD THAT BIG CRASH IN QUALIFYING, DID YOU THINK ABOUT THAT GOING INTO THE PITTSBURG MAIN EVENT? I don’t think about it.  I feel like I just need to be ready for any of those guys to be at their best game each weekend. That makes me bring my A game where I try to execute a good start, ride my laps, and see where it puts me at the end – but I don’t think about it. It is cool to be racing both defending champs from last year on the same coast.  That is cool and I was leading them into Pittsburg. Still another race left but it is a good feeling so far and going to keep carrying the confidence.

DO YOU RACE ANY DIFFERENTLY WITH THE POINTS LEAD? My plan is just to go keep doing what I had been doing and not think about it. I won’t ride like I am protecting it, I ride like I want to go out there and win the race, so that is my plan.

TALK ABOUT BEING IN THIS SPOT AS A POTENTIAL CHAMPION. It is super cool to be in this position and to have the chance to put a number one plate on Mitch’s door would be a dream come true. We are close to it, but I am not trying to think too far ahead. I have lot of stuff to execute yet, but yeah, it would mean the world to me. I’m looking forward to fighting this thing down to the end for sure.

The East Coast riders have seen some difficult conditions this year, but Salt Lake is a much more dry and hard packed track.

NOW TOUCHING ON THE PITTSBURGH MAIN EVENT; WHAT HAPPENED? I spun off the start gate, and that caused me a mid-pack start; where I got into all sorts of trouble (laughing.) I almost crashed a couple of ties and started to panic. But soon I was able to settle down and get calmed. Then I could focus on moving up, and at least take that fifth, and stay in the championship fight.

FINISHING UP WITH OUTDOORS, YOU ARE AN AMAZING MOTOCROSS RIDER. ARE YOU LOOKING AHEAD AT OUTDOORS AT ALL?  COULD YOU WIN TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS? I feel like my outdoor skills are just as good as Supercross, but I still have a lot to learn with that this year as well. hopefully, I can make the jump that I did with Supercross this year and translate that to the outdoors as well.  We will see what that brings.  Obviously, I would like to be a champion indoors and out and if it is this year, great, and if it is not, that is okay too.  Just continue to learn and build and stay healthy.