Injury-tested Drew Adams keeps it positive ahead of RedBud Nationals

Having missed the gate drops of the first four motos of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship due to wrist and thumb injuries suffered at the Cleveland Supercross last April, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki racer Drew Adams has been giving it everything he has to get back up to maximum speed and physicality in the competitive crucible that is the 250 classification. Coming off of 14-15 moto finishes at the High Point National in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, Adams recently stated via Facebook post: “Highpoint was a step in the right direction, let’s keep digging.”

Currently holding down 25th in the 250 MX point table, Adams will now place his focus upon the hamlet of Buchanan, Michigan and the next round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship set for the world-renowned RedBud MX circuit on July 4th. Adams checked in with RACER while stationed down in Florida to bash out training and testing laps in preparation for RedBud.

“I’m in Dade City, Florida,” said the racer. “I’ve been there for the past four years now training at the Dog Pound. I just got done with a solid day and did two 30-minute motos. Since we have an off weekend this weekend, we have to work a little harder this week. It’s no fun. It’s very hot down here. I mean, realistically, that’s how you want to train. You want to do the hard stuff at the training facility and then make the races easy.

"The races are never actually easy, but we try to replicate race conditions as much as we can down here at the compound. Sometimes we have some good battles at the compound. You know, me and Seth Hammaker and the boys and stuff. We try to have a happy environment around here.

“I’m coming back from injury,” continued Adams. “I got injured at the Cleveland Supercross. Last weekend at Colorado was my first race back, and I didn’t do too hot. I had a lot of good training and preparation, but it just wasn’t my weekend. This recent weekend at High Point, I got decent starts and I kind of just worked my way forward the whole time, which was kind of my goal because last weekend I just went backwards. It was definitely a step in the right direction.

"The first moto at High Point was okay. I kind of started around 14th and just stayed there the whole moto. It was a so-so moto. In the second moto, I went off the track in the second turn, and I was SO far behind. I was in 40th place, and then I ended up making my way back up to 15th. I was happy with that moto.

"My endurance is slowly getting better. You just have to race. That’s all you have to do. The more you can race, the better your endurance will be. For me, I’m just trying to be at the races every weekend and get the gate drops and do all the laps, and I’ll definitely evolve after that.”

And Adams adheres to the common theory that nothing matches the fierceness of racing and competition to keep a racer at an optimum level of performance.

“Even when I was growing up racing, like until I was 11 years old, I didn’t really train anywhere. I just went and raced every single weekend, and I feel like that helped me more than training. I need to be at the races every weekend and just keep on going.”

Adams is looking forward to the RedBud National – the nation's biggest and most prolific motocross race – and the 30,000 rabid Midwestern fans that will come along with it this upcoming Saturday.

“I love RedBud,” said Adams. “I’ve always loved the fans there. They’re just crazy. I think this year is going to be extra crazy with the race being on the Fourth and America’s 250th birthday. It’s going to be pretty gnarly. And the track is always super rough, and it gets hot there, too. That’s one thing that I love about that place. I love the heat. I really do love the outdoors. I love that it just whoops you in the ass sometimes. That’s what I love about it. Every kid growing up races outdoors. I really do love it on the inside.”

Plagued by injuries throughout his young career, Adams has set an objective of remaining healthy and on the bike all season long in 2026.

“Yeah, I feel like every dirt bike rider gets injured at one point,” explained Adams. “That’s how it goes. A lot of the guys do struggle with not making the full season, especially with how long our series is now. I mean, I think we race 33 times in the year, and it’s tough for sure. But like I said, as long as I’m just there every weekend and I focus on myself and not worry about others, I think I can be a real machine.”

With six rounds and 12 motos left to be run during the AMA Pro Motocross Championship this summer before the curtain drops at Budds Creek, Maryland on August 29, Adams weighed in on how he’ll approach it all.

“I’m just taking it weekend by weekend, you know?” said Adams. “Obviously, me missing the first two rounds of the championship fight hurt me, so I’m really just going to get through one weekend. When I get to the next weekend, I’m going to focus on that one. I’m not looking at a long game or nothing. It’s just trying to get better every single weekend and throw up a good result for the team.

"RedBud is up next, and I really do like that one. I’ve raced there five times now throughout my whole amateur and pro career. It’s a fun track. Southwick, the next round, I’ve never actually been to. Last year I broke my finger in the second moto at High Point, and then I missed Southwick. I missed the one round. I’m actually super excited to go there this year because I’m a very good sand rider, and I feel like with my height and everything, it will play in my favor. I’m really looking forward to that round.

"Millville, Minnesota comes up the week after. I like Millville, too. Last year was my first year at Millville, and I just think it’s such a pretty track. The scenery is so nice with the big hills and everything. It’s super fun to ride on. Then comes Washougal, Washington. I’m not the biggest fan of the west coast dirt, you know? I’m more of an east coast type of guy. Washougal is challenging because there are all the trees and everything, and riding in the shadows is no joke. The second moto there, you’re squinting your eyes the whole time trying to see the ruts and stuff. I do enjoy it, and it’s a fun track.”

All along the way, in one of the fiercest sports there is, Adams works hard to maintain a positive attitude.

“Mental is one of the biggest games in dirt bikes. After you have a bad moto and stuff, all you want to do is just go back and throw a fit and be mad. You really just have to look at the next moto, you know, and start focusing on that. I try to have a strong mental game. Obviously, everyone has their moments and stuff. It’s all about staying positive and just looking at the ups and focusing on what you can do better on the downs.”

And the goals he wants to achieve and marks he wants to hit during the reminder of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship?

“I’m looking for some top fives,” said Adams. “Obviously, it has been a slow start, but I think I just need some good starts. My fitness is there. My endurance is there. If I can get some good starts, I feel like I can run up there with the boys. Once you get up there with the pace, you start to feel it. It just comes natural. When you’re back in 25th off the start, it’s a real battle back there. People don’t realize that. It is a battle. I just need to get some good starts and I feel like I can be in the top five in a lot of the motos.

"When the season is complete, I don’t want to feel like I cheated myself. I just want to leave everything out there in every moto. I don’t want to ever feel like I didn’t try my hardest. I feel like I’m doing a pretty good job with that now. As far as an end result, I want to try to get in the top 10 in points for sure. It’ll definitely be possible with seven rounds still to go. I want to try and leave everything out there in every moto.”