Seth Hammaker’s Championship Week?

How's the week been?
It's been great. We didn't ride Monday; we just had a bike ride in the morning to keep some active recovery going. Then we worked on the track a little bit, helped out with the skid steer to get it ready Tuesday, and did a couple of motos today, sprint laps, and a bunch of starts. Today we won't do as much riding, but just more starts and a few shorter laps to get the intensity up. But yeah, the week's been good so far. Tomorrow [Thursday] we'll fly out to Salt Lake, have press on Friday, and then it's go time on Saturday morning.

What a fierce year it’s been for you as well as Tom Vialle and RJ Hampshire. How fulfilling would it be to win a war like this?
Yeah, that'd be amazing. It'd be a dream come true. You know, racing those two guys and all of us being within three points—Tom's at the top, I'm one back, and then RJ is three back from Tom—so it all comes down to this last race. I’m battling both of last year’s champs. To come out on top of them would be just amazing and would just feel really good. But I'm just going to stick to the plan and make sure I do all the things I need to, and then the end result will be what I want it to be.

How do you feel about those two guys?
They're both great competitors. RJ, we know he's going to be tough, and he's always going to give it his best. And then Tom really shows up when it counts. I've noticed that in the past couple of races—how he struggles a little during the day or in the heat races. But when the main events come around, he always seems to turn it around when it counts. So, I feel like I'm aware of what they're going to do, and I respect both of them a lot. They're going to put up a great fight. But, yeah, I feel like I'm ready for the task. If I do everything right, I'm going to be better than those guys.

Were you happy with how the season has gone so far? You’ve gotten two wins already.
Yeah, I've been happy with it so far. It's been consistent. I had food poisoning at the second race, so that kind of led to a bad result there. But other than that, it has been consistent, and getting two wins and being in the championship fight has been really cool. The move to Florida and all the hard work and sacrifice—it's cool to see it kind of working. I just want to keep building off of what we have been doing and continue to get better and progress, no matter what happens in this championship on Saturday.

Like you said, with the move to Florida and how you worked on your consistency and your riding, you’ve put everything you had into this, didn't you?
Yes, I did. I threw everything at it. I didn't want to leave anything on the table or have regrets. Whether it all works or not, at the end of my career, I just want to know that I did everything I could and made sure that I tried everything. I'll be happy with that regardless of what happens. So that's what keeps me calm too; I feel like I put everything into it that I have. Whatever's going to happen is going to happen. But I know I'm as prepared as I possibly can be.

Your boss, Mitch Payton, hasn't won a 250SX title since '17. I imagine there’s got to be some excitement in the hallways over there at Pro Circuit.
Yeah, I think he's excited for sure. It's cool to be the guy who has an opportunity to put the next #1 plate on the doors of the rig. And it's been so long, you know—since 2017 with Justin Hill. And I believe the last East Coast title was 2010 with Christophe Pourcel. So, it's been a long time. I know they're all motivated and excited for the weekend, and I'm definitely extra motivated to get it done and put everything behind me. I've been through a lot, so it's cool to be in this position. I definitely don't want to think about that too much yet, but I would love to get it done, you know? That would be cool.

Seems like you two guys are stuck with one another. Mitch has stuck with you, and you’ve stuck with him, too, since you signed back in 2021.
Absolutely. Yeah, it's a cool story. He’s been loyal. I've been loyal. And that means a lot to me. I know he's got my back.

Now you're rolling into Salt Lake City. How do you feel about everything? How's everybody been to you?
It's been really good, especially since I got the red plate at Foxborough. And then I had a bunch of hometown races [Philly, East Rutherford, Pittsburgh] and probably gained a bunch of new fans—having more people following along has been really cool. They've just been excited for me, and I feel like I've grown a little bit more of a fan base, too, over the past four races or so, which has been awesome. I feel like everything has come together and the media is covering it well. They see all the changes and improvements that I've made this year, and carrying it all into this championship fight has been cool. Everyone's been super cool and cheering me on, which is awesome. I love that.

Do you still get back to Pennsylvania to hang out at all?
Yes, I went home for Easter after MetLife, which was awesome, just to see the family and hang out. I think I'm gonna go home after High Point this year because we have a weekend off and then we'll have a day or two to go visit.

Seven guys won this year in the 250SX East, and now you guys are separated by three points. I think the fans are all on pins and needles. They love this stuff.
It's just awesome to have this opportunity. I'm really grateful and thankful to be in this position, and I'm just going to keep that mindset going and stay calm and relaxed and enjoy the whole weekend, because these moments are special.

You’ve raced in Salt Lake City twice before; is that a good place for you?
Yeah, it's been good. We're at elevation a little, and the track is a little bit different because the floor is a little bit smaller than in other stadiums, but yeah, in the past, I felt good there. It's a little hard and slick, but I feel like that suits me. Overall, good vibes going into Salt Lake.

Right on, Seth, good luck this weekend.
Thank you! I’m really looking forward to it.