Blow by blow recap from AMA SX Round Three – Anaheim II

2026 AMA Supercross Championship

Round Three – Anaheim

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450 Main

Eli Tomac and Hunter Lawrence both launched well off the gate and charged towards turn one, but it was Chase Sexton and Jason Anderson who held the sharper inside lines and emerged at the front. Jorge Prado and Ken Roczen were buried outside the top ten on the opening lap, and a fall on lap two proved costly for the German.

Lawrence wasted little time asserting himself, edging past Sexton for second on lap two and setting off after Anderson, who held a 1.2-second advantage as lap three began.

Sexton responded a lap later, reclaiming second place and set about making it count. Tomac sat just over a second adrift in fourth, ahead of Aaron Plessinger and Cooper Webb.

Sexton soon dropped Lawrence and began to reel in Anderson. By the six-minute mark, Sexton was firmly on the Suzuki rider’s rear wheel, setting up a rare, of late, and entertaining yellow-on-green duel for the lead. The pair traded positions over several laps before Sexton finally asserted control, while Anderson fell back into a three-way scrap with Lawrence and Tomac. Webb also remained a factor looming large from behind as the leaders disrupted each other’s rhythm at the front.

With 12 minutes remaining, Tomac displaced Lawrence for third and immediately applied pressure to Anderson for second. Meanwhile, Sexton was quietly opening up a buffer at the head of the field.

Anderson initially resisted Tomac’s advances, breaking the KTM rider’s momentum just enough to allow Lawrence to regroup and retake third. Only five seconds covered the top five with eight minutes still to run.

Lawrence then made his move on Anderson to claim second and used the clear track ahead to build a small margin. Moments later, Tomac forced Anderson wide over a berm, Cooper Webb capitalised on the Suzuki man’s misfortune, demoting Anderson back to fifth. Up front, Sexton remained three seconds clear as the chaos unfolded behind him.

Hunter Lawrence began chipping away at Sexton’s lead, trimming it to just over two seconds with three minutes left on the clock.  It was a similar margin back to third-placed Tomac, with Webb close enough in fourth to keep the pressure on. Anderson, however, had fallen out of podium contention. Webb then made a costly error and went down, surrendering what had looked like a solid fourth-place finish back to Anderson.

Sexton’s advantage dipped to just under two seconds when the white flag was shown, but he responded decisively, doubling that margin by the chequered flag as Hunter was baulked by lapped traffic.

After a difficult opening to the season, Sexton claimed his first victory for Kawasaki and was clearly buoyed by the result.

Tomac completed the podium in third, a further eight seconds adrift.

Webb mounted a late charge and nearly repassed Anderson on the run to the flag, but came up just short.

Joey Savatgy finished a further four seconds back in sixth, ahead of Prado.

Roczen salvaged valuable points after coming through the back from almost dead last, finishing eighth ahead of RJ Hampshire and Justin Cooper.

Tomac retains the championship lead on 70 points, with Lawrence moving up to second on 62. Sexton’s win vaulted him into third on 57 points, just one behind Roczen.

450 Main Results

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Quotes

Chase Sexton – P1

“It’s been a long few months, going back to the [crash at the] Vegas SMX finale. That was not good for me. It’s hard to get back here [atop the podium], honestly. It’s been a journey. Even after the Heat Race tonight, I was wondering what I was doing wrong and knew I needed to just go out there and do my laps. I strapped up for the Main Event and just rode solid and more within myself. I can’t say enough about the team and everything they’ve done to get us to this point. It’s good to put Kawi back on top.”

Hunter Lawrence – P2

“It was a good day—the battle with Eli [Tomac] was cool! I was behind Chase [Sexton] and Jason [Anderson], and I know that the first 10 minutes of these races are always such a super-intense, high pace, so I was just trying to stay in the hunt. I know I have the legs to go the distance, so I was just trying to give myself the best shot, stay in it in the beginning and move forward. I believed that I could get there, I knew I had some good lines and was feeling good. I was trying to up the intensity towards the closing stage, and I looked up and there was like six minutes left; I was like, ‘Alright, let’s empty the tank.’ I would’ve liked to see how the last two laps unfolded had there not been traffic with the two lapped riders. It’s been my best start of the season for Supercross, which is what I wanted to do. We’ve still got so many races to go. It’s been some really good racing.”

Eli Tomac – P3

“I felt like I was in offence and defence mode the whole time during that Main Event – it was very busy! I was happy to claim a podium spot tonight, but also, there are a couple of things I think back to that maybe I could have done differently to try and stay in front of Hunter [Lawrence], but that’s all should have, would have, could have at this point. This race had a bit of everything, but everyone is hauling the mail, and the pace was super-fast. It’s good to finish with a podium here – if you had told me at the beginning of the series that I’d go 1-1-3, that’s an awesome start, so I’m proud of the team.”

Jason Anderson – P4

“The weekend here at Anaheim 2 went pretty well. Practice was mediocre; I qualified ninth overall. In my heat race I was able to get a third, and then in the main event I [grabbed] a good start and was able to get fourth. So, we’re trending upwards, but obviously we want to be on the podium.”

Jorge Prado – P7

“Anaheim 2 was a positive night – I am very happy with my performance. Winning the Heat Race was good, and then I got cut off at the start of the Main Event, and I had to work through the pack from there. I came back to P7 and was very close to the top-five, so I like the rhythm I had, and the improvements that we made during the week, especially in my ability to come through the field. I’m also very happy with my bike, I think today was the best the bike has felt across the three rounds. There is still much to learn, although I think we are in a very good place right now, and I just can’t wait for the next rounds – the team is doing a great job!”

Ken Roczen – P8

“Anaheim 2 was not quite the night that we wanted. My starts just weren’t there, and I made a big mistake on lap two and went down. We charged from 21st to eighth and left it all out on the track. That was as far up as I could [reach]. Luckily, I didn’t lose too many points, so on that side of things it’s all good. I’m pumped on the effort we all put in, and sometimes that’s just the way it goes. So, we’re going to try again in Houston.”

RJ Hampshire – P9

“A2 was a massive step forward. I had my best qualifying in P3. The team has been working really hard to get me comfortable, and I think we have found something now, which we just need to keep getting familiar with. My starts were great today – both of them – my Heat Race wasn’t an ideal finish after holeshotting, but I wasn’t too down about that, because running up front is a big learning curve for me right now. I know I can get there, it’s just about stacking these performances up, and a top-10 at Anaheim 2 is a good place to build from.”

Dylan Ferrandis – P11

“That’s a wrap for A2. It was a little disappointing because we’ve been working so hard lately, and I felt good today. I had the speed, the bike is awesome, but the result on paper is not good. At the start, I decided to play it safe by choosing better ruts over a better position. I had a good start, but I was so far outside and got blocked in the first turn. I was pretty far back and did everything I could to come back and gave a big fight. We need better starts for sure, but we figured out a lot today. I think now we have a good base for the rest of the season. Honestly, I feel awesome – my body feels good, the bike feels good, and my speed in the whoops was back this weekend. With a better start, we can fight up front for sure.”

Malcolm Stewart – P12

“I was feeling so-so at A2. We finished just outside the top-10, but we were well in the fight during the race – that group I was in was battling hard! It’s a lot to ask for in the position that I am in, but all I can do is continue to keep building. I got off to a great start and put myself in the best position to hang in there, but the reality is that we’re dealing with an injury, and we hung in there as long as we could. Mentally, I’m walking away with my head high, because it was good to race those guys and we’ll continue to build from here.”

Colt Nichols – P16

“It was a rough day, [I’m a] little under the weather and just had to figure it out and push through.  It was just a struggle, I was a little off all day, the mental clarity wasn’t quite there, but I survived and did as best as I could with what I had today. We’ve got a lot of work to do to try to get out of the gate; we need to snowball my day a little bit better, starting with qualifying, and just give myself a better chance. If we do that, we’ll be okay. The speed’s good, the bike is good, I just have to give myself a chance, so we’ll try again next weekend.

Austin Forkner – P17

“This was my best qualification on the TF 450-X, for sure, but I was taken out early in the 450SX main event. It was not bad, just one of those first lap incidents in all of the shuffling around. I climbed back to 17th. My riding was decent, but I rode by myself for six or seven laps. If I could have caught the pack quicker, then that would have helped. We made more positive steps with the bike today! All in all, it was a nice step forward.”

Aaron Plessinger – P22

“I actually felt pretty good today, coming off having the flu for a couple of weeks. I was feeling it in my Heat Race and was closing in on Jorge with a lap to go when I hit something and was sent flying off the face of the jump, so I hit the ground really hard. I banged myself up real good. I was able to get up and cross the line in eighth, so I qualified for the Main without having to race the LCQ, which was a positive. I did my best in the Main Event and was good on opening laps, but honestly, my body really started to feel it midway into the race, and I just had to salvage what spots I could. I will regroup this week, get a bunch of therapy on my body, and hopefully have a better race in Houston next weekend.”

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450 Championship Points

 

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250 Main

Michael Mosiman grabbed the holeshot ahead of Max Vohland, Cameron McAdoo and Haiden Deegan. Max Anstie slotted into the fringes of the top ten early on, while Chance Hymas’ night unravelled immediately, the Honda rider caught in a four-rider pile-up on the run to turn one. He later withdrew from the race, presumably due to damage sustained in the incident. Levi Kitchen also went down early in a separate crash.

Out front, Mosiman capitalised on the clear air as Deegan sliced past McAdoo and Vohland to settle into second. By lap three, Mosiman had opened a three-second lead. Further back, Anstie worked his way up to sixth before a mistake halted his progress and cost him several positions.

At the halfway point, Deegan began to reduce the deficit, though not at a dramatic rate, with the gap hovering between 1.5 and 2 seconds. With five minutes remaining, that margin dipped to just over a second for the first time. One lap later, it was down to half a second, and Deegan was now applying sustained pressure, repeatedly showing Mosiman a wheel.

Just under three minutes from the end, Deegan committed to the pass, diving up the inside to seize the lead and immediately pulling clear. By the chequered flag, his advantage had stretched to a commanding 8.5 seconds. Although his fastest lap was only marginally quicker than Mosiman’s, Deegan’s late-race pace proved decisive.

Ten seconds further back, Cameron McAdoo and Ryder DiFrancesco went head-to-head over the final podium position, with the Husqvarna rider ultimately emerging on top.

Anstie recovered to sixth place late in the race to salvage useful points, but overall, A2 proved a disappointing round for the Brit.

For Hymas and Kitchen, disappointment is not a strong enough noun, as DNFs dealt significant blows to their championship hopes.

Deegan leaves A2 with 68 points, while Mosiman moves up to second in the standings on 59, just one point ahead of Anstie.

250 Main Results

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Quotes

Haiden Deegan – P1

“That was amazing. Good ride. Solid ride. I need to give it up to [Mosiman], when people put in that extra work a lot of the time it goes unnoticed. He’s the only guy I see out there putting in the extra effort. I gotta give him credit and that’s what makes him such a tough competitor.”

Michael Mosiman – P2

“It feels great [to be on the podium]. Every time I go to the gate I look up at the stands, see all the fans, and make sure I appreciate the moment. We put in so much work just to be able to perform and when that happens it’s just an amazing feeling. I’m stoked on the race and stoked on my start. Whenever you can get a holeshot that makes a world of difference.”

Ryder DiFrancesco – P3

“I’m really happy with my A2 result and how I charged through the Main Event. I started around eighth and worked my way up to third place, which is a confidence-booster in being able to climb from the mid-field. I found some good lines tonight while I was coming through the pack and I knew that if I could be there toward the end of the race – and nail the three, three, after the whoops – that I could get close and make a pass for the podium. I’m glad that I proved to myself that I can start mid-pack and still land on the box, and now I’m ready for the Triple Crown next weekend!”

Cameron McAdoo – P4

“Overall, it was a solid night. I felt good on the bike all day and put myself in a position to fight for the podium. The start was solid, and I was able to run up front and battle in the top three for most of the race. I made a small mistake late in the main that cost me that podium spot, but fourth is still something we can build on. The speed is there, the confidence is growing, and we’re heading in the right direction. I’m excited to keep this momentum rolling into Houston.”

Levi Kitchen – P21

“It was a little bit of a frustrating day. The speed is there, and I feel good on the bike, but a few small things kept setting me back. The crash in the heat race was unfortunate, and then in the main I slid out and my arm got hit in the mix. It didn’t feel great after that, so I pulled off, which was a bummer. The main thing is staying healthy so I can come back and fight in Houston.”

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250 West Championship Points

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AMA Supercross Results
2026 Round Four

250 Heat One Results

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250 Heat Two Results

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250 LCQ Results

 

250 Qualifying Results

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450 Heat One Results

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450 Heat Two Results

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450 LCQ Results

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450 Qualifying Results

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SMX Next

Also on the schedule for A2 was the first race of SMX Next – Supercross this year, featuring the most talented and high-profile A and B class prospects in amateur motocross. The race featured a hand-selected field of 22 racers.

18-year-old Kayden Minear got the holeshot in the SMX contest at Anaheim and was never headed thereafter.

16-year-olds Caden Dudney and Vincent Wey had a heady battle over second place during the early laps before Dudney managed to break away and then started to reel in Minear.

At times, it looked as though Dudney might have the speed to steal the victory from Minear, but the Western Australian responded to the challenge and went on to take the victory.

Further back, Wey and 18-year-old Landen Gordon tussled hard over the final laps for the remaining rostrum position. Gordon got the nod at the flag to make it a Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 1-2-3.

SMX Next Results