Marchbanks heads to Ironman National looking for more after first Pro Motocross podium

Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki racer Garrett Marchbanks scored his first career AMA Pro Motocross Championship podium at the recent Washougal National in Washington, and he hasn't come down from the heights since.

“It definitely feels great,” said the native of Coalville, Utah who holds down third place in the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship 250 Class. “I mean, through my whole outdoor career I’ve never had an overall podium. It feels super good to show all the hard work I’ve been doing is finally paying off.”

Marchbanks comes off a summer break in the hectic AMA Pro Motocross Championship schedule in which he was able to catch his breath, regroup and perform some motorcycle testing.

“It was really good break,” pointed out Marchbanks. “I got to go out and do some fishing with some friends. I also did some extra training and stuff like that. No, it was really nice. It was nice to be able to take some time off. It definitely helped, for sure. It is a long year and the two-week breaks definitely help a lot to just chill out."

Marchbanks said the Washougal result fortified both his self-confidence and resolve.

“Getting my first podium ever in outdoors was definitely awesome. I was pumped to finally be able to do that and put two good motos together," he said. "Through the break we finally worked on putting some good starts in and figured some things out that can hopefully translate over to the races.”

Following this weekend’s Ironman National in Indiana will come the Unadilla, (N.Y.) and Budds Creek, (Md.) national rounds. The last six motos of the season, Marchbanks believes, can take him to the top step of the box.

“Yes, it definitely does make believe that I can win motos,” said Marchbanks. “And I’ve been so close to getting the podium so many times this year. I even tied with Levi Kitchen for a podium. To finally get it done at Washougal was definitely awesome to do. Honestly, a track like Washougal, I never really been a huge fan of. I’ve always struggled at Washougal. I’ve never had a lot of success. I think I’ve had one top-10 finish overall there. So I was kind of like, ‘Let’s just get through it and put a good day together.‘ We started off the day in P1 in both sessions. I was like, ‘OK, that was really cool.’ Yeah, to get the overall podium, it was sick. I definitely turned that track around and I’d have to say that it is one of my more favorite ones now!

“To stand on the podium in motocross, it’s totally different from supercross. I mean, just the fans at outdoors… Everyone is right there in your face and screaming your name and stuff like that. It was definitely a surreal moment. It was super-cool to be on the podium and be there spraying the champagne and holding the trophy up. I’ve always wanted to do that in outdoors.

In the top 10 at every national thus far this summer, Marchbanks has been focusing intensely on race and results consistency.

“That’s kind of what I’ve lacked through the last couple years,” explained Marchbanks. “That was kind of my plan this year, to be consistent and try to be top five every round. I just know that in the 250 class, a lot of guys shift around a lot. I was like, ‘If I can be top five at almost every round, I can be in the top three in points.’ I’ve done that pretty much at a lot of the rounds this year and we are third in the points and have a little bit of a gap over fourth. It has definitely been a good year so far.”

Typecast as a struggling race starter, Marchbanks and the team around him have taken a long and hard look at his starting style and technique. Repeatedly struggling to launch out of the starting gate and come out of the first turn with the lead racers, Marchbanks has been forced to pass countless riders in an effort to get to the sharp end of the field.

“Yeah, for sure I have got to get better behind the starting gate,” said Marchbanks. “I think they’ve said I’ve averaged about 15th-place starts. Not ideal. I’m just going to keep working on it. That’s all you can really do. And the team has been great. I’m super-pumped with the team. They’ve done everything they can to help me to be better every weekend. They were there for me during the tough times at the beginning of the year just when I was struggling. It has been great. I really enjoy the team and to be able to re-sign with them for 2026 makes me super-pumped. I’m definitely pumped to be back again. It’s definitely a big confidence-booster for me.”

And for those last six motos of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship?

“I’ve been feeling really good on the bike, so I would love to come out swinging and try to get some wins and some podiums.”