Pre-Season 250MX Power Rankings: Who Takes Control?

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As I wrote about yesterday, the 250 Class in the Pro Motocross Championship appears to be WIDE OPEN… at least for now. It will inevitably NOT be wide open after a few rounds, so let’s enjoy it for what it is right now: Good bench racing. 

I have a LOT of questions surrounding this class, so this initial Power Rankings was tough to put together. With that said, you CAN NOT hold me to this one. This is for fun. I’ll drop another one after Fox Raceway that you can maybe hold me to. Maybe. 

Anyway, let’s get into MY pre-season Power Rankings for the 250 Class. 

10: Austin Forkner

That Austin continues to lineup behind the gate every weekend is a testament to his will, determination and toughness. Most mortals would have packed it in by now. I want this outdoor season to work out for Austin. Rather he wins or gets podiums, nobody cares. Okay, maybe his team and sponsors do, but us fans, just want to see Austin get through a season healthy.

9: Cameron McAdoo

See above. Cam really needs to stay healthy, get through all 11 rounds and build a base. He’s been injured so much recently, it’s hard to maintain race fitness, etc. He deserves a full season injury-free.

8: Julien Beaumer

I’m not sure what to expect from Julien. He’s been off for a long time with would could have been a career ending injury. Similar to Forkner and McAdoo, not sure title or even race wins is the goal this year. Get through the first couple rounds, build and make a push for the podium toward the end of the season.

7: Ryder DiFrancesco

Could be my surprise of the summer. Coming off a healthy, very productive Supercross season, Ryder D has a LOT of momentum entering outdoors. He showed flashes a year ago, but wasn’t in the mix for race wins. Does that change this year? I very well think it could.

6: Max Anstie

The veteran of the class is embarking on his first full 250 season in a long, long time. He missed all of outdoors in 2025 and only raced six rounds on a 250 in 2024. Before that, you’d have to go all the way back to 2010! Yeah, Anstie has been in this game for a long-time. With this bike and his level of experience, Anstie could get hot and make a run toward a title.

5: Chance Hymas

I hate that we always bring up injuries with Chance because he has the talent to win a lot of races. Unfortunately, he has missed a LOT of time since turning pro so it has to be mentioned. We all know he has the speed–you don’t win two overalls without it–but he really needs to stay on the track in 2026 to see if he can battle for a championship.

4: Levi Kitchen

Will his back hold up? That’s the obvious question entering the season for Levi. If it was a certainty, I think I would have him much higher on my list. But, I don’t think it’s a certainty. He told Racer X recently he’s feeling much better, but that’s before the first 30+2 of the year. I think we revisit him after Fox Raceway.

3: Cole Davies

Two. Two rounds of Pro Motocross is all Cole Davies has done. That’s not a lot. BUT…. this kid is special. Getting used to the tracks, the heat, etc. will be a challenge for the SX champ, but you can’t not have him high on the any list due to his pure speed. It may be too much to ask for a title in his first full year, but I wouldn’t count it out.

2: Seth Hammaker

Can he take the next step outdoors? I think this is Seth’s year to become a week-in week-out race winner/podium threat. He wasn’t super consistent a year ago, but he showed he can run up front a lot. Getting off to a good start will be key, as to not let this next guy slip away.

1: Jo Shimoda

Yeah, I know he’s coming off two injuries in less than a year, but I can’t keep Jo out of this spot. He was the clear #2 behind Haiden Deegan last year. He won the SMX Playoffs, and I think he finally has the experience and confidence to get it done. Again, I may change my mind after Fox next weekend.

Stay tuned next week for the 450 Class and as always, fax complaints to Weege.