One of the most anticipated races of the year is the Motocross of Nations. The annual tradition will be back on American soil this year, heading to Ironman Raceway for the first time. 38 nations will attempt to qualify for Sunday’s motos, with 20 vying for the coveted Chamberlain Trophy. Take a look at the top contenders in today’s preview article, with the podium finishers from 2024 and a pair of other dangerous teams ready for action.
Team Australia
2024 was a monumental victory for the Aussies, as the nation claimed their first win at the MXON event. Australia is keeping their lineup intact, putting Jett Lawrence in the MXGP class. The 22-year-old wrapped up his second 450MX title this summer and recently scored his third consecutive SMX Playoff championship as well. After going 1-2 in the Open class a year ago, Jett will be swapping to the MXGP class and face many of the other top racers in the world. With two previous class wins and the overall victory a year ago, Lawrence could be the catalyst for back to back Aussie wins.
Hunter Lawrence returns to the team fresh off an incredibly consistent summer. Lawrence scored seven overall podiums in the last eight Pro Motocross rounds, winning at Ironman and finishing second on six occasions. Lawrence also performed well in the playoffs, winning St. Louis and finishing just behind his younger brother again. Hunter may be the favorite to win the overall in the Open class and has gone 1-2-2-2-4 in his class at the event previously.
The wild card for Team Australia was a major part of their victory a year ago. Kyle Webster returns after clinching another Australian Motocross 450 title, but will step back down to a 250. Webster made three starts in America this summer, scoring a top ten overall finish at Unadilla and battling with Eli Tomac in the second moto at Budds Creek. Typically a member of the Quad Lock Honda team, Webster will compete aboard a Team Honda HRC factory machine once more. An 11th place finish in the MXGP + MX2 race a year ago was a pivotal ride to help Australia take the win. With two of the best in the world plus a veteran who fared well under pressure a year ago, Australia enters the weekend as favorites to repeat.
Team USA
After altering their lineup at the last minute and securing second overall a year ago, Team USA is back in the same position for 2025. The one constant on the team is Eli Tomac, who put together a strong day to lead the runner-up finish. Tomac ran up front in the SMX playoffs, challenging the Lawrence brothers at all three rounds after an up and down Pro Motocross campaign. The veteran has experience leading Team USA to victory in 2022 and will enter his sixth MXON this weekend.
After a strong year and two championship victories, Haiden Deegan was tabbed to be America’s choice for the MX2 class. However, Deegan’s crash at Las Vegas resulted in a broken collarbone. The decision about Deegan’s possible involvement for Team USA went until Tuesday, when it was announced that Justin Cooper will return to the 250 division aboard a Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine. Like Tomac, Cooper was a member of the 2022 winning team at RedBud. Cooper put together a solid year, competing at all 31 SMX rounds, racking up several podium finishes. Cooper’s usual consistency could be a major asset for Team USA this weekend in the midst of an MX2 field that has experienced fluctuation throughout the year. While he hasn’t raced a 250 machine in two years, Cooper won the MX2 overall in 2022 with strong 9-4 scores.
Chase Sexton was also planned to represent America, but his brutal crash at Las Vegas took him out of the event for the second year in a row. Enter RJ Hampshire, who will represent Team USA in the Open class. Hampshire put together a strong rookie 450MX season and was a frequent top five face. He previously competed at the 2023 Motocross of Nations and heads back to Ironman this weekend, where he scored his first premier class podium in August. Despite the changes, Team USA has a strong lineup that will easily have home field advantage with the stars and stripes in full force.
Team Netherlands
While it is natural to focus on Team Australia and Team USA due to their familiar riders, The Netherlands could also walk away with a victory this weekend. Between experience and speed, the Dutch lineup is undoubtedly fierce.
The team is led by Glenn Coldenhoff in the MXGP class. After 11 seasons in Europe’s premier class, Coldenhoff may have wrapped up his final full-time MXGP season. Competing for Fantic Factory MXGP, the veteran logged six overall podiums en route to finishing third in the championship standings. Coldenhoff also won a moto at Matterley Basin and is no stranger to success at MXON, winning the Open class in 2018 and taking the victory as a part of Team Netherlands in 2019.
Calvin Vlaanderen was also on the 2019 team that won on home soil. The Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP rider was quiet during most of the season, but scored a few podiums in the last third of the year. Vlaanderen will compete in the Open class and aim for his second victory in the event.
With Haiden Deegan injured, many people will now have Kay de Wolf tabbed as the MX2 favorite. The Nestaan Husqvarna rider won the 2024 MX2 World Championship and came up just shy of defending his crown. de Wolf won the MX2 class at last year’s MXON and has been one of the fastest 250 racers in the world over the last few years. His championship experience and speed combined with Coldenhoff and Vlaanderen’s veteran expertise make the Dutch lineup contenders for the win.
Team France
The most successful nation at the Motocross of Nations over the last decade has been France. Winning five straight from 2014 to 2018 and another on home soil in 2023, Team France is usually at or near the front of the pack. Two members of the 2023 team will be competing for the nation this weekend, with Romain Febvre leading the charge. The veteran scored 16 overall podiums in 20 starts this year, including a streak of 14 consecutive from March to August. Febvre scored four overall wins this season to clinch his second MXGP World Championship and Kawasaki’s first since 1998. Febvre is also one of the most decorated MXON riders of all time, with four victories for Team France and an Open class win in 2015. Febvre typically isn’t flashy and may not have the high end speed of some racers, but his track record at the event speaks for itself.
Maxime Renaux returns to Team France once again aboard his factory Yamaha. He began the year on a high note, winning the overall at the opening MXGP round. Unfortunately, crashes and lingering injuries derailed his season. Renaux may have experienced an up and down year but he is another racer with a strong pedigree at MXON, beating Eli Tomac to win the MXGP class in 2022 and winning the Open class in 2023 to help France secure the win.
The biggest question mark for France comes from their MX2 rider. Tom Vialle is absent from the team as a move back to the MXGP circuit aboard a Honda looks imminent. The French chose rookie Mathis Valin to fill the spot after completing his rookie MX2 season. Valin had a typical rookie season, with some ups and downs. He missed a few rounds near the beginning of the season but still claimed a top ten points finish and broke out at the MXGP round in the Czech Republic, where he won the qualifying race and went 3-3 to secure his first overall podium. The team may not be favorites to win in 2025, but you can never count the French out.
Team Belgium
While many teams are geared around experience and veteran leadership, Belgium is taking a different approach. All three racers for Team Belgium are 21 or younger, bringing some youth to the prestigious event. 450 class rookie Lucas Coenen leads the team into Ironman after an impressive debut season in the MXGP class. The Red Bull KTM de Carli Racing rider took the championship fight to the last round and displayed his speed throughout the year, taking six overall victories. Coenen could be one of the best in the world for the next decade, putting together an incredible rookie year at just 18.
Twin brother Sacha Coenen will compete in the MX2 class. Sacha scored a pair of overall victories at Kegums (Latvia) and Shanghai before taking fourth in the championship. Like his brother, Coenen is very fast. Unfortunately, Sacha has issues staying upright. Coenen has a bit of a crashing problem and while he is extremely quick and typically a good starter, crashes have knocked him down the order several times this year. Thankfully, the teenager seems to be made out of rubber and usually pops back up and climbs aboard his KTM shortly after hitting the ground.
Liam Everts completes the lineup, contesting the Open class aboard a Nestaan Husqvarna. The third generation racer is usually an MX2 competitor but has experience racing the Open class division at MXON before. Everts began the year strong, holding the red plate early in the season. He faded back a bit and a rough crash at the MXGP of Finland took him out of action for a couple of races. Everts claimed second overall in the Open class during the 2023 edition, going 3-10 in a solid performance. Belgium may not take the win this weekend, but their youth and level of talent could have them near the front of the pack for many years to come.
This story was originally reported by Motocross (Deprecated) on Oct 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the NEWS section. Add Motocross (Deprecated) as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
