Marchbanks ready to hang 'em high at Hangtown

Currently fifth overall in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship 250SX West series with podium scores earned at Seattle and Denver along the way, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki pilot Garrett Marchbanks fired off his 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship campaign last Saturday afternoon at Fox Raceway in Pala, Calif. Racing to 6-5 moto scores in the fiercely competitive 250cc classification for sixth overall. Next on his list is the 56th Annual Hangtown Motocross Classic set for the Prairie City State Vehicle Recreation Area in Ranch Cordova, Calif.

“Yeah, Pala was good,” offered Utah's Marchbanks of his sixth place at the curtain raising round last Saturday. “I didn’t really know how I was going to do the first round, but I was definitely pumped with the result. Obviously the podium was right there, but at least I know what I can do.

“I didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on myself. I've told myself, ‘You know I have to be fifth or better,’ or ‘I have to be 10th or better’ a number of times that I have done that through the years and sometimes it just puts too much pressure on yourself. For me, I just kind of went into it and told myself to do the best that I can and get some good starts and put in good laps and see where I ended up. It was way better than I thought. Now I know where I am supposed to be at.”

Marchbanks felt he was consistent and competitive in both 30-minute motos at the high-speed, jump-filled Fox Raceway circuit.

“The second moto was definitely way gnarlier than the first moto," he reflected. "In the first moto it seemed like there were a lot more outside lines that you could use. It wasn’t quite broke down as much. There was a lot more passing that you could do in the first moto. It felt like in the second moto, and just in how the track broke down, it became pretty one-lined towards the end of the race.

“I was just happy that the endurance was good and the speed was finally there. I had some good lap times through the day. A lot of people, like my trainer Broc Tickle, came up to me and talked with me about the race. The team was also pretty happy with the speed I showed. Overall, it was a great day.”

Tickle, a former race and championship-winning racer in the U.S. from 2007 through 2021, has been a profound plus to Marchbanks' efforts.

“Broc has been amazing,” said Marchbanks. “I’ve been kind of missing the training-side of things on the bike for a long time and he has really helped me with technique and some stuff on the track like line selection. He kind of helps me in silly areas, like where to be on the gas at and where to be off the gas. Just little things that you wouldn’t really think about that actually makes a difference. Even things like where I should be standing up more and even sitting more. A lot of those things actually made a huge difference. It is good to have him around. He’s a good vibe to have. He’s always positive and there is always a smile on his face. You know every day he shows up at the track, you know it’s going to be a good day with Broc.”

Back with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki organization for 2025 after a short stint with the Muc-Off/FXR ClubMX Yamaha outfit, Marchbanks is absolutely enthused with his racing surroundings.

“Being back with Pro Circuit the second time around has been amazing. I’ve really enjoyed it this time around," he said. "The team atmosphere has been great. They’ve done everything that I’ve wanted them to do. I couldn’t be happier with everything. I’m really thankful for [team owner] Mitch Payton.”

A primary goal for Marchbanks during the AMA Pro Motocross Championship is to finish every round. He wants to have points scored in all 22 motos of the season.

“Yeah, I still haven’t raced every single race in my career,” said Marchbanks. “I’ve always missed one. Even this year, I missed a heat race. If I made every single outdoor round, that would be a huge achievement for me. I’ve always just wanted to be there every single weekend and be competitive. I think that if you can do that in every race you’re going to put yourself in a good position for the title.”

Another mark Marchbanks wants to hit: try and be within the top five in every single moto.

“I want to win the title in supercross,” he explained. “I would say it’s easier on me. Outdoors I would say I want to be in the top five just because I haven’t really raced the 250 in the outdoors in a long time. Pala last week was kind of to see where I would be at. Yeah, and to go 6-5 for sixth overall was strong. It just tells myself and proves to me that I can be in the top five and mix it up there with those guys. The plan and the goal is to be up there and to get some moto podiums and even some overall wins this year. That would be awesome.”

And Marchbanks believes that the 2025 Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki KX250F he competes on is right where it needs to be to make a run at his goals.

“We hammered down for a couple if weeks with setup and we found it pretty quick. I would say that probably the second week of outdoor testing was when we really found it," he related. "I’ve just kind of kept it all the same. We have made little tweaks here and there, but I like the bike. The forks, the shock, the chassis setup and everything is perfect and how I want it.”

Racing in what is arguably the most competitive supercross and motocross championship in the world, Marchbanks fully knows what he’s up against.

“I knew this championship was going to be pretty stacked for the outdoor season. All of us were fast at Pala," he said. "I mean I think in the top 10, all of us were within a second of each other in qualifying. In the racing, it was pretty stacked. Those top-six guys are pretty quick dudes. You definitely have to stay consistent with your starts and put yourself in a good position and not be starting in 15th. That’s where I started in the first moto and it’s kind of hard to get back up there in that top-five mix. It’s definitely a stacked field right now in the 250 class and yeah, you definitely on you’re A Game in both motos.”

So now it is time to bring on the Hangtown Motocross Classic.

“I’m excited,” Marchbanks said with a smile. “I haven’t raced Hangtown in quite some time. The last time I raced there was in 2023. I’ve always liked Hangtown. The conditions are always really good and rutted. It gets pretty rough and that’s what I like typically. I like rough and whooped-out tracks. Yeah, I’m excited for it. Let’s see how it goes.”