A long and challenging 2025 SMX World Championship Series is now complete as the 31-race season came to a dramatic conclusion with the SMX World Championship Final from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The longest, fastest, and most dynamic track of the postseason provided an ideal opportunity for Toyota Redlands BarX Yamaha to finish the year on a high note, and each rider successfully rose to the occasion in Sin City, fighting through adversity to capture their best results of the Playoffs and head into the offseason with some momentum. For 250SMX riders Dilan Schwartz and Parker Ross, a pair of hard-fought top 15 finishes helped put some well-deserved bonus money into their pocket, while Derek Drake broke through in 450SMX to race his first motos of the postseason and mix it up with the world’s best.
Bradley Taft, Team Manager – Toyota Redlands BarX Yamaha
“The finale in Las Vegas went well for the team and our riders showed massive improvement. We found some things for the 250 guys during the week that allowed us to get more beneficial track time before the race. I wish we weren’t faced with so much misfortune in the first motos, but overall, we are super happy to end the season with our best results. It was a great year of building with a new brand in Yamaha, and we can’t wait to continue progressing with them next year.”
Schwartz came out swinging from the moment bikes hit the track for the first time. It was easy to see the layout was more favorable to his riding style and offered more attacking opportunities that ultimately landed the Californian eighth overall in qualifying, which set the tone for a promising evening. The night show ultimately proved to be a tale of two motos for Schwartz, as a crash off the start with his teammate in Moto 1 forced him to fight from behind every step of the way. He impressed in his ability to claw back up the running order, but a late tip over was the final blow in his hopes of a decent finish, ultimately settling for 18th place. Determined to bounce back, Schwartz seized the moment in Moto 2 and put forth one of his best rides of the entire season. After starting 14th, he went on a tear and made passes almost every lap to eventually break into the top five, right on the heels of his factory rivals. Schwartz took the final checkered flag of the year in fifth, where his 23 event points landed him 10th overall.
“I was definitely happy with my Moto 2 result. I felt great all day and just wish I didn’t have those couple crashes in the first moto. I think I could have had those kinds of results the entire postseason, but I was never able to put anything together those first two rounds. The 2025 season as a whole definitely had its ups and downs, but I feel like I showed some good speed and the potential to carry that momentum into next year.”
With his result, Schwartz gained an additional four spots in the 250SMX Playoff standings and finished the postseason just outside the top 10 in 11th place, with an improvement in each round. The final standing netted him a deserving $14,000 bonus.
After struggling to acclimate to the hybrid track designs at the first two rounds, Ross certainly looked more like himself on the Vegas track design and posted his best laps of the postseason. Unfortunately, his night got off to an uphill start when he and Schwartz were both forced to pick up their Yamahas to begin Moto 1, but the rookie stayed glued to his teammate’s rear fender and both riders navigated their way up the running order. The resilient effort netted Ross his first top 15 moto result of the postseason, from which he sustained the momentum with an even better ride in the final moto. He mixed it up alongside his factory peers and found himself in the thick of the fight for a top 10, ultimately surging in the closing laps to finish eighth. It was a memorable finishing touch on an impressive rookie campaign as his 24 event points, one shy of his teammate, landed Ross 13th overall.
“It was tough to get acclimated to the tracks in the postseason and find a rhythm, but I continued to fight and was definitely more comfortable in Las Vegas. I can’t help but wonder what could have happened had I not crashed in the first moto, but I’m happy with how I came back from that and with how I was able to make some key passes in the second moto. I’m definitely happy to end the year with the kind of ride I know I’m capable of and overall, I learned a lot in my first year that I know will pay off next season.”
With a top 15 finish to end the year, Ross was able to gain some additional positions in the 250SX Playoff standings and ended the year in 18th place. The finish gave the rookie a $7,000 bonus to cap off his inaugural season of professional competition.
Resiliency has become the trademark for Drake in his continued battle with Lyme disease and while the first two Playoff races didn’t go the way the veteran would have hoped, it was no surprise to see him at his best in Las Vegas. The speed was there for Drake to finally make his way out of the Wildcard race, and he made sure of it by starting second and holding strong through the finish to secure his spot to race in the motos for the first time. A finish of 20th was in no way indicative of how well he rode in the first moto, where he battled his way forward into the top 15 before losing positions late. It was a similar story in Moto 2 as Drake once again fought his way forward to the cusp of the top 15 and maintained his pace to secure 17th place. A 20th place finish overall was a tremendous accomplishment for the Californian in the midst of his arduous fight to overcome Lyme disease. With just six starts during the regular season the postseason was a longshot for Drake, but when the opportunity presented itself, he went all in and once again proved he’s one of the sport’s toughest and grittiest competitors.
“It felt so good to make it out of the wildcard race. I know I should have done that at all three rounds, but that’s the way it goes. I always have speed in me, but dealing with Lyme disease makes it tough to sustain it and my main priority is to kill it and make a return to 100% health. I’m definitely not satisfied because I know where I belong, but those are the cards I’m dealt with at the moment. We’ll see what the future holds.”
By making the motos, Drake was able to gain some valuable points in the 450SMX Playoff standings, where he finished in 26th place and earned a $1,600 bonus.
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