Hunter Lawrence wins Denver to take 450SX title fight to the wire

2026 AMA Supercross Championship

Round 16 – Denver, Colorado

The 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will head to Salt Lake City with the premier-class title separated by a single point after Hunter Lawrence delivered a decisive victory at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.

The Australian did exactly what he needed to do in Colorado, winning the 450SX Main Event by more than 12 seconds over Ken Roczen. Roczen’s runner-up finish was enough to keep the red plate, but only just, with the Suzuki rider now leading Lawrence 332 points to 331 ahead of the final round.

Eli Tomac’s return to form was the other major 450SX storyline. After missing Philadelphia through injury, the Colorado native came back in front of a home-state crowd and stood on the podium, finishing third after recovering from an early stall in the sand section.

The 250SX West title had already been wrapped up by Haiden Deegan, but he continued his winning form in Denver with another controlled Main Event victory over Levi Kitchen and Ryder DiFrancesco. Kitchen strengthened his hold on second in the championship, while DiFrancesco remains firmly in that fight heading to Salt Lake City.

There was also a useful Australian thread in the 250SX West Main, with Perth’s Kayden Minear putting in a strong ride to fifth on the Star Yamaha. That gave the Denver round two clear Aussie angles, with Lawrence tightening the 450SX title race and Minear claiming a top-five finish in the west coast 250 field.

With Cooper Webb finishing 11th in the 450SX Main, the premier-class championship has narrowed to a direct Roczen versus Lawrence contest. Roczen still has the point advantage, but Lawrence leaves Denver with the momentum.

450 Main

Jorge Prado made the best start in the 450SX Main Event, taking the holeshot on the Red Bull KTM ahead of Lawrence, Tomac, Webb and Roczen. Lawrence was quickly into his work, moving past Prado and taking control of the race on lap two.

Once in clear air, Lawrence looked settled and fast. His 51.007 on lap six was the fastest lap of the race, and from there he was able to steadily extend the margin. Roczen moved forward from fifth in the early stages to second, but by then Lawrence had already made the most of the clean track and had the race under control.

Roczen’s result was still important. He could not match Lawrence’s pace in Denver, but second place prevented a complete points swing and means he will take a one-point lead into Salt Lake City. With both riders now on five wins for the season, and both having produced remarkably consistent podium campaigns, the final round has become a straight championship decider.

Tomac’s race had its own complication. He was in the podium group early before stalling in the sand and dropping back to seventh. From there, he worked back through the front group, passing Prado and Webb before reclaiming a podium position. He finished 19.466 seconds behind Lawrence, but after an injury interruption and a missed round, the result was a clear signal that Tomac still has front-running pace.

Malcolm Stewart was another rider who came on strong as the Main Event developed. After having to qualify through the LCQ, Stewart worked his way into the top five and eventually finished fourth on the Husqvarna, ahead of Chase Sexton. It was a useful salvage job after a difficult path into the Main, and enough to keep him eighth in the championship.

Sexton finished fifth, Prado sixth after leading the opening lap, with Garrett Marchbanks, Justin Barcia, Dean Wilson and Dylan Ferrandis completing the top ten.

Webb’s 11th place proved costly, ending any realistic chance of taking the championship fight to the final round as a three-way contest.

For Lawrence, the victory was about more than the 25 points. It shifted the pressure back onto Roczen at precisely the right time. For Roczen, the job now is simple enough to state, but far harder to execute: beat Lawrence in Salt Lake City, and he is champion…

450 Main Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Interval
1	H. Lawrence	Hon	21:46.832
2	K. Roczen	Suz	+12.314
3	E. Tomac	KTM	+19.466
4	M. Stewart	Hus	+23.442
5	C. Sexton	Kaw	+26.148
6	J. Prado	KTM	+28.406
7	G. Marchbanks	Kaw	+30.897
8	J. Barcia	Duc	+33.887
9	D. Wilson	Hon	+36.810
10	D. Ferrandis	Duc	+42.632
11	C. Webb	Yam	+45.357
12	C. Craig	Hon	+45.996
13	J. Cooper	Yam	+57.801
14	J. Smith	Tri	1 Lap
15	J. Hill	KTM	1 Lap
16	S. McElrath	Hon	1 Lap
17	C. Nichols	Suz	1 Lap
18	M. Harrison	Kaw	1 Lap
19	K. Moranz	KTM	2 Laps
20	G. Harlan	KTM	2 Laps
21	C. Clason	Kaw	2 Laps
22	T. Lane	Yam	2 Laps

Quotes

Hunter Lawrence – P1

“The bike was working good, giving me what I needed. It was a really tough track, not much traction out there; I had to kind of pick and choose where I made my arcs in the corners and bank off stuff whenever I was turning. My starts weren’t amazing all day today; we were kind of fiddling, massaging some things, and we got them sorted for the main. I love having to work for it a little bit during the day. I feel like that’s when I have my best days, and I love working with the team; I feel like we work so great together, and it brings the best out in me. Everyone knows what I needed to do—win the last two rounds—and we checked the first box. Now we need to go to Salt Lake City and try to do the same thing. I’d rather be in the position I’m in now than seven points down if Kenny had won. This is my title to lose, and I feel like under pressure, I’ve been the best guy this year. So, we’ll go to Salt Lake City and enjoy it.”

Ken Roczen – P2

Overall, we had a really good day,” said Roczen. “Being back at the altitude – the last time I was here it was at the 2023 [race] – it is always a surprise [regarding] the equipment [and] how much slower it is. Obviously, we’re all [of the teams] dealing with it, but it takes a lot getting used to it. From Q2 we had P-1 and went first [gate pick into] the night show. I had just an alright heat race; it was a third place, but I was really trying to figure out the track. I feel like we rode the best in the main event when it really counted. I wasn’t fast enough to get with [the rider in the lead], but I got into second place and just kind of maintained. Yeah, just wasn’t good enough for first, but good enough for second [tonight], so now we’re one point ahead and it’s really fun to see how this unfolds. Overall, I would say we had a really good day with a second place and we’re going into the last round happy and stoked to be in this position and we’re going to give this a shot.”

Eli Tomac – P3

“I’m glad to land on this podium for the Colorado fans! I was so bummed when I stalled it in the sand. I just happened to stomp on my rear brake there and then, honestly, like double-stalled. Anyway, I was able to claw back there, had some fun on this track, and that was just a good bounce back. I’m happy to get back for these last two rounds, and love being on the West Coast, too – of course, home state in Colorado – and we’ll try to get another podium next week.”

Malcolm Stewart – P4

“Every time we come to Denver, the track is tough. There was a lot going on in that race – you could’ve thrown a blanket over all of us! There was a lot of carnage, but at the end of the day, I guess Christmas came in May for me for a fourth! We’ve just got to continue moving forward. I struggled a little bit tonight and went to the LCQ, which I haven’t been to in a minute, but we just tried to ride our race [in the Main Event] and get it done.”

Chase Sexton – P5

“I had a good start to the day with fastest qualifier in the first session. I didn’t expect to go to the top in the final lap, but it felt good to back up there. The track having two sets of whoops played into my favor a bit. I felt good in the heat race, but played it safe to finish in second place. I had a bad start in the main event. I had to work my way through the field and struggled to feel comfortable. The last few laps, I was able to capitalize on a few guys that went down, putting me fifth on the night.”

Jorge Prado – P6

“I would say Denver was a pretty positive weekend for me – especially after a couple of tough weekends, it was nice to get back towards the front with a Heat Race win. I adapted to the track well for the night program, and small achievements like that Heat Race are a big confidence booster for me. And then in the Main Event, I got a good start and tried to race with the guys up front – their pace was a little stronger than mine, but I tried my best to hold on. I made a small mistake before the triple, which cost me, so I’d say 95 per cent of the race was good, just that last five wasn’t perfect. P6 for the night was decent and now we have one round to go.”

Garrett Marchbanks – P7

“I had a good day here in Denver. Qualifying went well, and the bike felt good. I didn’t have to make any changes throughout the day. I qualified ninth overall and felt good going into the heat race. It took me a little bit of time in the heat race to get comfortable. I had to adapt to how much the track had changed since qualifying. I got another solid start in the main event and just focused on putting in some good laps. Once Chase [Sexton] got around me, I just latched on and knew if I could stay with him, we’d make some passes, and that’s what we did. We got helped out a bit with some guys tipping over at the end, but that’s part of it. Another seventh-place finish, which I’m pretty pumped on.”

450 Championship Points

Pos	Rider	Points
1	K. Roczen	332
2	H. Lawrence	331
3	C. Webb	297
4	E. Tomac	275
5	J. Cooper	251
6	C. Sexton	212
7	J. Savatgy	194
8	M. Stewart	190
9	J. Hill	172
10	J. Prado	169
11	D. Ferrandis	165
12	S. McElrath	141
13	C. Craig	141
14	G. Marchbanks	132
15	C. Nichols	108
16	A. Plessinger	99
17	J. Anderson	84
18	J. Smith	68
19	M. Harrison	67
20	V. Friese	62
21	D. Wilson	48
22	G. Harlan	43
23	R. Hampshire	38
24	K. Moranz	30
25	J. Barcia	26
26	F. Noren	20
27	C. Thompson	14
28	A. Forkner	12
29	T. Lane	12
30	C. Clason	11
31	M. Oldenburg	6
32	J. Bogle	5
33	T. Masterpool	4
34	J. Cartwright	4
35	Z. Williams	2
36	J. Hand	2
37	S. Meshey	2
38	R. Breece	1
39	M. Miller	0
40	V. Luhovey	0
41	K. Chisholm	0

250 Main

The 250SX West title was already settled before Denver, but Haiden Deegan showed no sign of treating the penultimate Supercross round as a formality.

Max Anstie was credited with the holeshot, but Deegan was in control by the end of the opening lap and led the race from there. He completed the 19-lap Main Event in 16m33.016s, beating Levi Kitchen by 3.529 seconds, with Ryder DiFrancesco third.

Deegan’s best lap was a 51.915 on lap six, which was also the fastest lap of the race. Kitchen was closest on outright pace with a 52.423, while DiFrancesco’s best was a 52.828. Once Deegan had established the early margin, he was able to manage the gap and bring home another controlled victory.

Kitchen’s second place was a strong return for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki. After injury uncertainty in the lead-up, he qualified well, worked into second early in the Main and then maintained that position to the flag. The result keeps him second in the 250SX West standings and gives him momentum heading into the East/West Showdown.

DiFrancesco added a useful third place on a night where the fight for second in the championship tightened further. He had been quick from the outset, qualifying third and finishing second in his heat, then moved from fifth on the opening lap of the Main into the podium places during the early stages. His third podium of the season puts him fourth in the standings, just one point behind Anstie and eight behind Kitchen.

Anstie finished fourth in Denver and remains third in the championship on 148 points, one ahead of DiFrancesco and seven behind Kitchen. That means the title may be done, but second overall in 250SX West is still very much alive heading to Salt Lake City.

Perth’s Kayden Minear gave the race an Australian point of interest with a strong fifth-place finish on the Star Yamaha. Minear was ninth at the end of the opening lap and worked forward to fifth, finishing 44.213 seconds behind Deegan. It was a composed ride and another useful marker in his rookie-season progression.

Lux Turner finished sixth after running as high as second early, ahead of Hunter Yoder, Robbie Wageman, Joshua Varize and Max Vohland.

Cameron McAdoo’s return from injury proved difficult after a heat-race penalty sent him to the LCQ, before a poor start left him fighting back to 13th in the Main.

Deegan now takes a 60-point advantage over Kitchen into Salt Lake City, with the championship already secured. The final round will be more about adding another marker to his 250SX record, while Kitchen, Anstie and DiFrancesco settle the battle for second overall.

250 Main Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Interval
1	H. Deegan	Yam	16m33.016
2	L. Kitchen	Kaw	+3.529
3	R. DiFrancesco	Hus	+19.299
4	M. Anstie	Yam	+32.014
5	K. Minear	Yam	+44.213
6	L. Turner	Yam	+51.116
7	H. Yoder	Yam	+54.634
8	R. Wageman	Yam	+1m01.976
9	J. Varize	Kaw	1 Lap
10	M. Vohland	Yam	1 Lap
11	G. Linville	Tri	1 Lap
12	C. Mumford	KTM	1 Lap
13	C. Mcadoo	Kaw	1 Lap
14	P. Ross	Yam	1 Lap
15	C. Thompson	Yam	1 Lap
16	J. Rodbell	Hon	1 Lap
17	B. Ray	Tri	1 Lap
18	K. Rowley	Yam	2 Laps
19	C. Myers	Yam	2 Laps
20	R. Gordon	Kaw	2 Laps
21	P. Masciangelo	Gas	2 Laps
22	H. Schlosser	Hon	3 Laps

Quotes

Haiden Deegan – P1

“I’ve got to get [more] 250 [class] wins and add it to the record books. That was a good race; a perfect start and led it [from the beginning]. I got up to about a six second gap and just tried to pace myself and put on a show for the Colorado fans.”

Levi Kitchen – P2

“I’m actually really happy with this result. I took quite a bit of time off the bike to recover and rode for the first time on Monday this week. I felt good, so Mitch [Payton] and I had a conversation and decided to race Denver. This was a pretty last-minute decision, so to come in and have a good weekend like this feels great. In the main event, I got into second and just focused on putting in solid laps. The track was really difficult and could catch you pretty quick, so it was all about staying consistent. Overall, after a full race day, my back finally feels good again, and I’m relieved, especially with outdoors just a few weeks away. I really appreciate everyone sticking behind me through it. I’m looking forward to finishing strong next weekend in Salt Lake and moving on to outdoors.”

Ryder DiFrancesco – P3

“Moving up the championship standings has been the goal the past few weeks. Second would be ideal. Tonight, once I got into third there wasn’t really anything I could do. I just pulled it in and finished with a solid effort. We’ll go to Salt Lake City and try to stack [more] points.”

250 West Championship Points

Pos	Rider	Points
1	H. Deegan	215
2	L. Kitchen	155
3	M. Anstie	148
4	R. DiFrancesco	147
5	M. Vohland	130
6	M. Mosiman	107
7	H. Yoder	107
8	C. Mcadoo	106
9	P. Ross	82
10	J. Varize	80
11	L. Turner	75
12	C. Mumford	70
13	A. Long	58
14	D. Schwartz	44
15	R. Wageman	39
16	C. Myers	39
17	C. Hymas	38
18	J. Rodbell	29
19	A. Bourdon	28
20	M. Jorgensen	26
21	H. Schlosser	22
22	A. Shive	18
23	K. Minear	17
24	D. Thury	14
25	C. Thompson	13
26	P. Masciangelo	12
27	G. Linville	11
28	L. Camporese	9
29	B. Ray	8
30	N. Koch	5
31	K. Rowley	5
32	R. Gordon	4
33	T. Freehill	2
34	L. Leitzel	1
35	C. Copp	0
36	S. Varola	0

AMA Supercross Results
2026 Round 16

250 Heat One Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Interval
1	M. Anstie	Yam	7m35.230
2	H. Yoder	Yam	+3.889
3	M. Vohland	Yam	+4.722
4	L. Kitchen	Kaw	+10.420
5	J. Rodbell	Hon	+31.003
6	R. Gordon	Kaw	+35.518
7	C. Myers	Yam	+37.246
8	G. Linville	Tri	+40.690
9	P. Masciangelo	Gas	+58.436
10	M. Sanford	Kaw	+1m06.475
11	C. Mcadoo	Kaw	+44.272
12	K. Minear	Yam	1 Lap
13	K. Lewis	Gas	1 Lap
14	R. Orres	Hon	1 Lap
15	J. Boaz	KTM	1 Lap
16	K. Barboa	Yam	1 Lap
17	B. Saunier	KTM	2 Laps
18	L. Tucker	Yam	6 Laps
19	T. Gibbs	Yam	8 Laps
20	K. Aiello	Hus	9 Laps

250 Heat Two Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Interval
1	H. Deegan	Yam	7m33.111
2	R. DiFrancesco	Hus	+4.421
3	L. Turner	Yam	+12.768
4	J. Varize	Kaw	+15.747
5	C. Mumford	KTM	+20.348
6	R. Wageman	Yam	+22.433
7	C. Thompson	Yam	+31.574
8	P. Ross	Yam	+35.582
9	H. Schlosser	Hon	+36.330
10	K. Rowley	Yam	+38.319
11	B. Ray	Tri	+58.395
12	T. Freehill	Hon	1 Lap
13	L. Leitzel	Kaw	1 Lap
14	C. Millikan	Yam	1 Lap
15	S. Wennerstrom	KTM	1 Lap
16	C. Tolleson IV	Gas	1 Lap
17	A. Shive	Yam	4 Laps
18	D. Cunha	Hus	6 Laps
19	P. Taylor	Kaw	6 Laps
20	M. Henderson	Kaw	7 Laps

250 LCQ Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Interval
1	C. Mcadoo	Kaw	6m04.372
2	K. Minear	Yam	+8.795
3	B. Ray	Tri	+13.927
4	K. Rowley	Yam	+15.885
5	L. Leitzel	Kaw	+20.123
6	M. Sanford	Kaw	+22.540
7	T. Freehill	Hon	+26.198
8	S. Wennerstrom	KTM	+29.135
9	T. Gibbs	Yam	+32.778
10	J. Boaz	KTM	+33.656
11	K. Lewis	Gas	+33.976
12	C. Millikan	Yam	+35.899
13	L. Tucker	Yam	+44.779
14	C. Tolleson IV	Gas	+50.173
15	P. Taylor	Kaw	+1m04.618
16	K. Barboa	Yam	1 Lap
17	B. Saunier	KTM	1 Lap
18	R. Orres	Hon	1 Lap
19	M. Henderson	Kaw	4 Laps
20	A. Shive	Yam	7 Laps
21	D. Cunha	Hus	7 Laps
22	K. Aiello	Hus	7 Laps

250 Qualifying Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	TIme
1	H. Deegan	Yam	51.012
2	L. Kitchen	Kaw	51.348
3	R. DiFrancesco	Hus	51.562
4	M. Anstie	Yam	51.750
5	L. Turner	Yam	52.196
6	M. Vohland	Yam	52.692
7	J. Varize	Kaw	52.696
8	C. Mcadoo	Kaw	52.759
9	C. Mumford	KTM	52.829
10	H. Yoder	Yam	52.939
11	R. Wageman	Yam	53.045
12	K. Minear	Yam	53.346
13	C. Thompson	Yam	53.498
14	J. Rodbell	Hon	53.523
15	P. Ross	Yam	54.279
16	G. Linville	Tri	54.292
17	H. Schlosser	Hon	54.350
18	P. Masciangelo	Gas	54.857
19	B. Ray	Tri	55.212
20	C. Myers	Yam	55.559
21	L. Leitzel	Kaw	56.429
22	T. Gibbs	Yam	56.495
23	A. Shive	Yam	56.711
24	R. Gordon	Kaw	57.000
25	K. Rowley	Yam	57.080
26	M. Sanford	Kaw	57.659
27	T. Freehill	Hon	57.924
28	R. Orres	Hon	58.258
29	S. Wennerstrom	KTM	58.369
30	J. Boaz	KTM	58.824
31	D. Cunha	Hus	59.049
32	K. Lewis	Gas	59.339
33	C. Millikan	Yam	1m01.687
34	K. Aiello	Hus	1m01.810
35	C. Tolleson IV	Gas	1m02.231
36	L. Tucker	Yam	1m02.442
37	P. Taylor	Kaw	1m05.050
38	K. Barboa	Yam	1m05.120
39	M. Henderson	Kaw	1m07.562
40	B. Saunier	KTM	1m07.595

450 Heat One Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Interval
1	H. Lawrence	Hon	15m35.339
2	J. Barcia	Duc	+3.150
3	J. Cooper	Yam	+5.038
4	C. Craig	Hon	+6.075
5	E. Tomac	KTM	+7.437
6	J. Hill	KTM	+8.480
7	D. Wilson	Hon	+11.401
8	S. McElrath	Hon	+12.380
9	C. Clason	Kaw	+17.770
10	K. Chisholm	Kaw	+19.180
11	G. Harlan	KTM	+22.378
12	K. Moranz	KTM	+26.140
13	J. Short	Hon	+27.412
14	Z. Williams	Hon	+29.656
15	C. Carsten	Suz	+42.161
16	H. Edwards	Yam	+43.154
17	V. Friese	Kaw	+40.976
18	C. Harmon	Kaw	+51.556
19	J. Greco	Kaw	1 Lap
20	L. Shaw	KTM	5 Laps

450 Heat Two Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Interval
1	J. Prado	KTM	7m27.852
2	C. Sexton	Kaw	+2.273
3	K. Roczen	Suz	+5.763
4	C. Webb	Yam	+7.775
5	D. Ferrandis	Duc	+9.397
6	G. Marchbanks	Kaw	+15.274
7	J. Smith	Tri	+17.254
8	C. Nichols	Suz	+28.841
9	M. Harrison	Kaw	+35.266
10	F. Noren	Yam	+36.960
11	T. Lane	Yam	+45.144
12	J. Hand	Hon	+51.161
13	M. Stewart	Hus	+56.178
14	J. Starling	KTM	+57.248
15	J. Cartwright	Kaw	+1m02.658
16	S. Meshey	Hus	1 Lap
17	L. Karnow	Kaw	1 Lap
18	B. Piazza	Yam	1 Lap
19	R. Fisher	Kaw	2 Laps
20	C. Malcolm	Yam	6 Laps

450 LCQ Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Interval
1	M. Stewart	Hus	6m52.758
2	K. Moranz	KTM	+3.947
3	G. Harlan	KTM	+4.811
4	T. Lane	Yam	+5.627
5	F. Noren	Yam	+6.158
6	J. Starling	KTM	+10.828
7	J. Short	Hon	+11.901
8	J. Hand	Hon	+13.055
9	H. Edwards	Yam	+19.970
10	S. Meshey	Hus	+31.840
11	J. Cartwright	Kaw	+36.703
12	C. Harmon	Kaw	+39.966
13	C. Carsten	Suz	+41.759
14	L. Karnow	Kaw	+50.553
15	B. Piazza	Yam	1 Lap
16	J. Greco	Kaw	1 Lap
17	R. Fisher	Kaw	1 Lap
18	Z. Williams	Hon	4 Laps
19	K. Chisholm	Kaw	4 Laps
20	V. Friese	Kaw	5 Laps
21	C. Malcolm	Yam	5 Laps
22	L. Shaw	KTM	8 Laps

450 Qualifying Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time
1	K. Roczen	Suz	50.103
2	H. Lawrence	Hon	50.314
3	C. Sexton	Kaw	50.392
4	J. Hill	KTM	50.532
5	D. Ferrandis	Duc	50.771
6	E. Tomac	KTM	51.010
7	J. Prado	KTM	51.039
8	J. Cooper	Yam	51.054
9	G. Marchbanks	Kaw	51.350
10	C. Craig	Hon	51.524
11	M. Stewart	Hus	51.612
12	D. Wilson	Hon	51.712
13	C. Webb	Yam	51.765
14	S. McElrath	Hon	51.845
15	J. Smith	Tri	51.857
16	J. Barcia	Duc	52.309
17	M. Harrison	Kaw	52.649
18	V. Friese	Kaw	52.724
19	C. Nichols	Suz	52.884
20	C. Clason	Kaw	53.269
21	F. Noren	Yam	53.307
22	K. Chisholm	Kaw	53.446
23	T. Lane	Yam	53.508
24	G. Harlan	KTM	53.589
25	J. Savatgy	Hon	53.630
26	K. Moranz	KTM	53.665
27	J. Hand	Hon	53.828
28	J. Short	Hon	54.167
29	J. Starling	KTM	54.513
30	Z. Williams	Hon	55.181
31	J. Cartwright	Kaw	55.232
32	H. Edwards	Yam	56.307
33	S. Meshey	Hus	56.312
34	L. Shaw	KTM	56.542
35	L. Karnow	Kaw	56.635
36	C. Harmon	Kaw	56.738
37	C. Malcolm	Yam	56.769
38	C. Carsten	Suz	58.064
39	B. Piazza	Yam	58.131
40	J. Greco	Kaw	58.667
41	R. Fisher	Kaw	1m00.671
42	A. Emory IV	Yam	1m01.736
43	T. Bannister	Gas	1m02.349
44	D. Pulley	Yam	1m03.941

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