Slaw Dog
Monster Energy/Yamaha Star Racing rolled out their official team announcements for the 2025 SuperMotocross season this week and in addition to the already announced 250 squad, they have also confirmed their 450 team.
Key Takeaways
- Eli Tomac is back for another year with the team. Yamaha did say in their press release this will be the last full season of SuperMotocross for Tomac.
- Entering his fourth year with the team, in the previous three seasons (despite missing time with injury) Tomac has earned 15 wins in 450SX and 14 moto wins in 450MX.
- Cooper Webb is back for his second season in his return to Star Racing.
- In 2024, Webb finished runner-up to Jett Lawrence in the 450 Supercross title behind four wins and a total of nine podiums and then secured a top-five finish in the 450SMX Championship despite being sidelined for 10 rounds of the 31-round series due to a thumb injury.
- Justin Cooper returns for his eighth season with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing squad in 2025, his second in the 450 Class.
- In his rookie 450 season in 2024, Cooper finished 6th in SX, 4th in Pro Motocross and 8th in the SuperMotocross World Championship.
- Christian Craig will also race the 450 Class with the team, but he was part of the 250 announcement as he will help in rider development in addition to racing.
Team/Rider Quotes
Brad Hoffman – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Team Principal
“It’s been a productive off-season. In addition to all the work the team’s been putting in here at The Farm, we’ve been able to get some gate drops in overseas, which has been good for both Eli and Coop. Justin continues to build, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do this year. After all the hard work that’s been put in to prepare for the season, we’re looking forward to getting back to racing and battling for the championship.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #3
“I’m excited for 2025. For me the most important thing was to do my best to come in healthy, and as of now, I am a lot stronger than I was the year before. In 2024, I felt like I had a rushed preparation time, so I’ve done a lot of racing leading up to this point, and it should keep me sharp. To be sharp, coming into Anaheim is going to be very important. As usual, it’s going to be a very packed gate with a lot of guys that can win. I believe I am in a better position than the year before. I’ve had good results with the off-season racing and will try and continue that in the New Year.”
Cooper Webb – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #2
“So far, the off-season’s been great. We’ve been able to do some racing this year, which is awesome. I was able to win King of Paris, and then in Australia, I won the first main event. I had a crash in the second one and was a little banged up after that, but I haven’t missed any days. We’re back to riding, testing, and training for the upcoming year. So far, it’s been good. Everything is very similar for me in 2025 – same trainer, same bike, same team, and same program, so it’s just kind of building off of what we did last year. I’m feeling really good. We had a great 2024 and hopefully can improve off of that.”
Justin Cooper – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #32
First of all, I’m just really proud of myself for making it through the 31 rounds last season. That was important for me, as far as learning. It was a really good year for me. I hit the podium multiple times and, overall, just had a solid year. We have the same bike this year and kind of have a good starting point going into next season. It’s kind of a quick turnaround, I feel. We’ve only had a few months off, but I’m already looking forward to the next 31 races. I can’t wait to come into the new season and see what I can improve on. That’s going to be the fun part, seeing the progression, and hopefully it all pays off.”
Images: Yamaha
