Images and text – courtesy AEO Powersports
Round 11 Race Recap: Seattle, WA
Round 11 of the 2025 AMA Monster Energy Supercross season took place this weekend in Seattle, where the AEO Powersports KTM Racing team showed steady progression on one of the most challenging tracks of the season. After a weekend off while the East Coast was in Birmingham, Alabama, the team was more than ready to tackle the Pacific Northwest’s Lumen Field.
This race marked an exciting chapter for the team as rookie CJ Benard made his debut alongside teammates Lux Turner and Avery Long. With Talon Hawkins still sidelined due to injury, CJ completed the team’s three-rider lineup for the first time since San Diego.
Qualifying:
Qualifying saw some challenges for the riders, as inclement weather forced the removal of free practice from the race day schedule, leaving the riders with only two qualifying sessions to dial in the track.
CJ, who had suffered a practice crash just days before the race, resulting in a dislocated shoulder, was determined to make get his feet wet in his first Supercross race. Despite the pain, he pushed through the session to see where he stood against the field. However, after the first qualifying session, it was clear that racing that night wasn’t in the cards. CJ and the team made the difficult decision for CJ to sit out the remaining remainder of the day. The rookie will aim for a return in Denver for Round 16 of the 2025 season.
Lux Turner had a tough start to qualifying, crashing early in the first session while in 14th place. The crash left him with a tweaked ankle, and though he rode through the second session, he couldn’t improve, qualifying 31st in combined times.
Avery Long showed more favorable results, improving his times in the second qualifying session. A fast lap of 50.599 placed him 23rd in the combined qualifying times.
Heat Race:
Lux’s heat race started off strong with an incredible jump off the gate as he fought for the holeshot. However, the slick first turn quickly took him down, and he was forced to remount and started the first lap in the back of the pack. Lux fought hard to regain his confidence but couldn’t make up enough ground, finishing 16th and missing a direct transfer to the main event.
Avery, on the other hand, had a stellar heat race. He got a solid start off the line, maneuvered through the first turn without incident, and settled into 5th place. He fought hard throughout the race, only relinquishing one spot by the time the checkered flag flew, securing his direct transfer into the main event in 6th place.
LCQ:
Lux came out with a vengeance in the LCQ, delivering an excellent start off the gate and almost pulling another holeshot. Once out front, he quickly settled in, and with his head down rode a flawless race to take the win. This marked his second LCQ victory of the season.
Main Event:
In the main event, both Lux and Avery focused on staying upright and pushing forward, no matter where they found themselves after the first turn.
Lux was sitting in 16th place after the first lap but wasted no time getting to work. By lap two, he had started his charge forward, picking off riders. By lap nine, Lux had moved up to 11th place, just outside the top 10. He maintained his position over the next 10 laps, focusing on minimizing mistakes and keeping his momentum. Lux finished the race in 11th and pushing him into top 10 in West Coast Overall points.
Avery improved his start in the Main Event, sitting in 12th after the first lap. However, a few riders overtook him, and a small tip-over quickly dropped him to 18th by lap 16. But Avery wasn’t done, he continued to push, regaining positions on laps 6, 7, and 8, and found his way to 15th and eventually crossing the line in 16th place.
Lux Turner
Race Results: 11th
Overall Points Standing: 10th
Avery Long
Race Results: 16th
Overall Points Standing: 20th
