Hammaker looking to build from Indianapolis win

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki racer Seth Hammaker first victory came in the third start of his career in Arlington on March 13, 2021.

Due to injuries and setbacks along the way, Hammaker did not win again for nearly four years until it all came right at the recent East/West Showdown inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Hammaker spent the last few years based in California before relocating to Florida last November to train at the Dog Pound in Dade City.

Over the recent off weekend and back training at the Dog Pound in Dade City, Florida before the approaching Monster Energy Supercross round set for Birmingham, Alabama and Protective Stadium this Saturday evening, Seth Hammaker talked about what he has been up to since the Indianapolis triumph.

“A year or two ago, I kind of had it in my head that I wanted to make it East Coast and get back to more of where I grew up. I’m from Pennsylvania and Florida is a pretty big hot spot for training for riding and I felt like it would be a big benefit,” he said.

“It was something that I wanted to do, so I brought it up to the team and had an opportunity to come down here to the Dog Pound. I’ve had riding coaches a little bit. Growing up, it was like I learned just off of videos and stuff like that and just rode in my backyard while growing up. I picked up on things as I went.

“Everyone has their own style, but with technique and fundamentals there were some things that I was lacking and some things that I needed to work on and I came down here. There was a lot of old habits that I had to break. In order to be a fast and safe rider, the technique needs to be on point. I feel like so far it has been a huge help, and that’s just a small piece if it, but I feel like it has been huge.”

After battling injuries over the past four years, Hammaker’s initial aim is to complete a full season without interruption.

“Yeah, I just need to get through a full season, regardless of what the results are,” he said. “Obviously I’m a racer and I want to win super, super bad, but at the end of the day I just need laps under my belt, races, a full season of supercross and motocross and SMX to just build on something. Not only confidence-wise – it also builds your endurance. It’s hard when you come back from injury to build back up and then get hurt again.

“Just to keep everything going is a big thing for me this year. I want to keep that mindset the same no matter what the results are. Even after the win this (past) weekend, we just want to get back to work and keep working on improving each weekend. If the win is not there, don’t do anything that is going to put me out with an injury or anything like that. That’s a big focus point this year. I just want to be healthy and to see everybody at the races every weekend.”

The 19-lap main East/West Showdown main event he recently won has also given him plenty to reflect on.

“It felt pretty good,” he said. “I mean, I got off to a really good start and then just tried to put in some solid laps early on. I got a little bit of a gap over Tom Vialle. Honestly, from there I just tried to focus on myself. The track was really challenging, with all the ruts and stuff. It kind of slowed down midway through the main event as it got rougher and I just tried to minimize my mistakes and not worry about if Tom got a little bit closer to me or not. I just hit my marks. With five laps to go I had a big mistake, but other than that I was really a pretty smooth main event. I felt like my endurance was good. Mentally, I could focus. I was really happy as all the things we’ve been working on has kind of came together. It’s one thing to practice it, but to do it means a lot.

Hammaker spoke about the feelings and emotions he has experienced between the two main event wins and the significant period of time between them.

“This one was a different feeling from the first one,” he said. “The first win came so early in my career, so I feel like I was obviously super, super happy to get my first win, but this one, after so long and after so many injuries and stuff that I went through to get back to the top, was just a great feeling. It was definitely different from the first one, that’s for sure. Yeah, it was all pretty rad.”

Since he turned professional in 2021, Hammaker has been a member of the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team owned and operated by Mitch Payton. Through all of the highs, lows, ups and downs, the Pro Circuit outfit has had Hammaker’s back and he’s grateful for it.

“It was awesome to win for them again,” said Hammaker. “They were so pumped. Like you mentioned, Mitch has stuck behind me through so much, you know? There were a lot of injuries, but he has always had my back. It was cool to celebrate the win with the team and they were super-happy and super-proud. I’m happy for the team as much as for myself. I wanted to give back to them and they all work super-hard, so that was awesome. For Kawasaki, too. They stuck behind me. It’s pretty cool. Just that whole night we were riding that high and it was awesome to celebrate with them.”

Currently third in the AMA East Region Supercross point standings with a number of events yet to run before it all wraps up at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 10, 2025, Hammaker is enthused with where he is at.

“Yeah, it’s going good,” he said. “I’ve been pretty consistent, other than the Detroit race. I got an 18th there, which is a major bummer. Honestly, besides that, it has been super-solid and consistent. That was one of my main goals coming into the season, so it is cool to see that. I just want to keep plugging away and like I said, I want to try and be on that box every weekend. I’m only 11 points down for the championship, so I’m not out of this thing by any means. I just want to click off solid races. I’m going to play it smart, and if the opportunities are available, I’ll absolutely take them.”