The 2026 AMA Supercross season roared to life at a sold-out Angel Stadium, delivering a dramatic opening night packed with high-stakes action and intense battles across both the 450 and 250 classes.
Eli Tomac powered to victory in the 450SX main event after a red-flagged start saw Justin Barcia stretchered off following a heavy crash with Malcolm Stewart, while Jorge Prado earned his first 450SX podium, finishing third behind Tomac and Ken Roczen. In the 250 West main event, Max Anstie claimed the win with a late-race charge, as Chance Hymas and Ryder DiFrancesco completed the podium, while defending champion Haiden Deegan battled back from a mid-pack start to finish fourth.
With star riders on new machines and teams eager to make their mark, the packed stadium got a perfect preview of what promises to be another thrilling Supercross season.
450 Class
In the 450 class, qualifying turned into a duel between Chase Sexton and Eli Tomac, with Ken Roczen also firmly in the mix. Roczen led early in Q1 before Sexton and Tomac traded fastest laps, Tomac initially edging ahead with a 1:05.049. The second session belonged to Sexton, who broke into the 1:04s and secured pole with a 1:04.466 in his first qualifying appearance on Kawasaki machinery, ahead of Tomac and Roczen. Further back, Malcolm Stewart, newly minted Supercross World Champion Jason Anderson and Spaniard Jorge Prado filled out a tight top six, while Aaron Plessinger and Justin Barcia had tougher starts, qualifying 16th and 20th.
Heat 1 of the 450 class saw New KTM recruit Prado charge in hot and looked set to grab the holeshot, but went wide and allowed teammate Aaron Plessinger to sneak up the inside to lead, with Cooper Webb close behind. Webb then lunged up the inside of Plessinger, making contact and sending both riders down, which handed the lead to Prado ahead of Justin Barcia and Eli Tomac. Barcia held Prado at bay early while Tomac struggled to find a way past, eventually making a decisive move stick after an initial failed attempt. Tomac closed to within striking distance in the final minute and applied heavy pressure to his teammate on the last lap, but Prado defended smartly through the final corner to take the win over Tomac, with Barcia, Dylan Ferrandis, Joey Savatgy, Malcolm Stewart, Austin Forkner, Cooper Webb and Mitchell Oldenburg filling the remaining transfer spots, while Plessinger was sent to the LCQ.
450 Heat 2 Heat Two exploded off the line as Ken Roczen, Chase Sexton, Justin Hill and Hunter Lawrence charged into turn one in close attendance as they jostled for position. After the dust settled, Roczen emerged in front ahead of Sexton and Lawrence, but Sexton’s charge ended when he crashed into the face of the over-under bridge and lost a lot of ground while still salvaging a transfer. Out front, Roczen controlled the race, building a four-second cushion over Lawrence, with Jason Anderson a further six seconds back, before cruising to the win ahead of Lawrence, Anderson, Christian Craig, Sexton, Hill, Vince Friese, RJ Hampshire and Shane McElrath, while Garrett Marchbanks, Justin Cooper and Colt Nichols were sent to the LCQ.
The 450 LCQ was full of heavy hitters, with Plessinger blasting into the lead off the gate, followed by Colt Nichols and Kevin Moranz, while Marchbanks ran fourth and Cooper struggled out of sixth. Cooper quickly worked past Mitchell Harrison and Moranz to join the front-runners, but Marchbanks went down in the whoops and lost any chance of advancing. Plessinger held on for the win, with Cooper, Nichols, and Harrison claiming the remaining transfer spots.
The 450 main event got off to a dramatic start, but disaster struck almost immediately when Barcia collided with Stewart, who had only doubled the first triple. Stewart managed to get up under his own power, but Barcia wasn’t so lucky and was stretchered off the track, with the severity of his injury unclear. With medical attention needed, the race was red-flagged.
When the race restarted, Prado grabbed the holeshot, with Tomac, Lawrence, and Roczen close behind. Tomac wasted no time, barging inside Prado a few turns in and block-passing the former MXGP World Champion to take the lead to the delight of the crowd. Lawrence dropped a couple of spots early to a charging Roczen and Jason Anderson, while Roczen made a bold move over a triple—narrowly avoiding a Tuff Block—to claim second a few laps later. Prado held third, fending off pressure from Lawrence and Anderson, who traded positions as the race unfolded.
Meanwhile, Chase Sexton had a nightmarish restart, running 11th with 14 minutes to go. He slowly worked his way forward, passing Dylan Ferrandis and moving to seventh when Cooper Webb went down, only to make a mistake off-track later that dropped him back to ninth. Sexton eventually finished eighth in a frustrating outing for the former champion.
Up front, Eli Tomac controlled the pace throughout the main event, maintaining a steady two-second advantage over Ken Roczen. Jorge Prado rode a largely solitary race in a distant third, holding a three-second buffer over Jason Anderson before Hunter Lawrence eventually worked his way past Anderson to move into fourth. Lawrence closed rapidly on Prado in the closing laps but ran out of time, and while Prado’s third-place finish was confirmed at the flag, his KTM 450 SX-F later failed the post-race sound test, resulting in a three-point championship penalty. Tomac secured his 54th career Supercross 450SX victory ahead of Roczen, with Prado completing the podium.
“This one feels good!” Tomac said. “Leading from the get-go like that is tough, because you need to really maintain focus the whole time, but my motorcycle was the best it was all day in the Main Event after a slight adjustment from the Heat Race. We went in the right direction, and this is the perfect way to start a new season and with my new team in Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. After a big off-season with both myself and the team testing and developing all over the place, it means a lot to achieve this early success together.”
Second-placed Roczen reflected on his night, saying, “We had an amazing race. Eli and I were just yo-yo-ing within one second. I would catch him a little bit then I’d make a little mistake, and he’d gain a little bit. It was just tough. It was a very tricky and very busy track that I expected to be softer than it was. You had to be really patient on the throttle. Overall, I’m very excited with this second place and I hope we have many more of those coming.”
Prado admitted the result exceeded even his own expectations, with the Spaniard emphasising that his focus coming into the Anaheim opener was simply to build experience and stay out of trouble as he continues to adapt to Supercross, before reflecting on a standout heat race and an emotional podium finish.
“This is really ahead of my expectations – the goal for this weekend was to just get through each session and do the best that I can,” Prado said. “I had a great preparation leading into this year, but I am still so new to Supercross. Getting the Heat Race win was awesome, but I am really happy with my Main Event and to be on the podium. I rode within my limits, and still don’t have a lot of words to describe my feelings right now, but all I can say is that hard work always pays off! It’s great to start the season this way, so now we’ll keep learning and look forward to a new opportunity next week.”
250 West Class
The 250 West class saw the rivalry between Haiden Deegan and Levi Kitchen continue, with the pair trading fastest times across both sessions. Deegan struck first before Kitchen responded with a 1:06.217 in Q1 to top the charts, a time that ultimately stood as the fastest of the day. They finished one-two again in the final session, ahead of Chance Hymas and Ryder DiFrancesco.
250 Heat One saw Deegan grab the holeshot and quickly open up a gap after the opening lap, leaving Max Vohland and Cameron McAdoo to battle over second. McAdoo applied steady pressure before making the move with around two minutes remaining, while Carson Mumford ran fourth and closed on Vohland late but couldn’t get the job done, as Deegan cruised to the win ahead of McAdoo, Vohland, Mumford, DiFrancesco, Robbie Wageman and Lux Turner.
Little-known Hunter Yoder grabbed the holeshot in Heat Two and briefly led under immediate pressure from Max Anstie and Levi Kitchen, before Anstie took over at the front. Yoder remained stubborn in second as Kitchen applied heavy pressure with Michael Mosiman and Hymas close behind, but Kitchen finally made the pass near the finish line; moments later Mosiman crashed and was unable to recover, sending him to the LCQ. Anstie took the win ahead of Kitchen, Hymas, Yoder, Dylan Schwartz and Avery Long.
The 250 LCQ saw Mosiman break away early after a first-turn pile-up, while behind him Crockett Myers secured second and Matti Jorgensen capitalised on a prolonged battle between Italian Lorenzo Camporese and Jack Chambers to charge through and claim the final transfer spot.
Chance Hymas grabbed the first holeshot of the year in the 250 main event as the class blasted out of the gate to kick off 2026. Defending champion Deegan had a poor start and was floundering mid-pack, while Kitchen also struggled off the line and began his race from dead last. Up front, DiFrancesco quickly got by Hymas and tried to pull away, with Hymas holding second under pressure from World Champion Anstie and McAdoo, while Mosiman was lurking a few bike lengths back, looking for an opportunity to move up.
As the laps ticked down, Deegan worked his way forward, passing Avery Long for eighth and then McAdoo, who went down in the rhythm section just as Deegan made the move. Up front, Anstie caught DiFrancesco and applied pressure, and after a few key moves the Brit hit the lead. Deegan continued to push hard, slicing past Mosiman for fourth and closing in on DiFrancesco in third, but the gap proved too large to reel him in before the finish. Anstie took the win, with Hymas and DiFrancesco completing the podium, Deegan fourth, Mosiman fifth, and Kitchen recovering to sixth after his tough start.
Max Anstie summed up his incredible night, saying, “I’m just blown away. I remember coming here when I was 7 years old watching Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart race around here. To actually win tonight, that’s something special. Anaheim has a place in my heart. I always dreamed of being here and now I’m here. I’m 32 years old and this is the best night of my career thus far. It’s only Round 1. I know I’ve still got nine more [races] to go, and I know after last year what can happen. I’ll refocus tomorrow and go back to work for this championship.”
Chance Hymas reflected on his return to the 250 racing, saying, “I’m kind of speechless. It’s been a long road just to get back to this. I haven’t raced since High Point [during the Pro Motocross Championship]. I honestly thought my career was over. I dug deep and I’ve got some really good people in my corner. The pieces are coming together and I’m figuring it out. It’s the first round and we came away with a really good result.”
DiFrancesco summed up his 250 main event podium, saying, “I got out front and thought I was going to give it all I got and win this thing or pull it into a third. I dream about this, especially at A1. I grew up coming here. I laid it all out there tonight.”
Defending Champions Deegan did not get the start he was hoping for and found himself back in 14th in the final. Undeterred, the five-time 250 class champion put his head down and charged through the field to finish fourth, earning valuable points in his title defence.
“Today was a little unfortunate because I’ve worked my butt off to try and win this first round, but we’ve got a long season ahead,” Deegan said. “So you can’t really care about that too much and just take it as it comes. We’re healthy, so that’s the main part, and we got the heat race win, which was cool. Our speed and fitness are there. We’ve just got to come out swinging next week.”
The Championship continues next Saturday, January 17, in San Diego, California with round 2.
| 450 Main Event Main Event Results – R1 Anaheim | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | # | Rider | Interval | Hometown | Team |
| 1st | 3 | Eli Tomac | 20 Laps | Cortez, CO | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| 2nd | 94 | Ken Roczen | 1.470 | Clermont, FL | Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki |
| 3rd | 26 | Jorge Prado | 26.956 | Lugo, Spain | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| 4th | 96 | Hunter Lawrence | 28.678 | Landsborough, Australia | Honda HRC Progressive |
| 5th | 21 | Jason Anderson | 31.935 | Edgewood, NM | Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance |
| 6th | 32 | Justin Cooper | 32.484 | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing |
| 7th | 1 | Cooper Webb | 34.935 | Newport, NC | Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha |
| 8th | 4 | Chase Sexton | 45.249 | La Moille, IL | Monster Energy Kawasaki |
| 9th | 14 | Dylan Ferrandis | 49.616 | Avignon, France | Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing |
| 10th | 7 | Aaron Plessinger | 57.541 | Hamilton, OH | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| 11th | 28 | Christian Craig | 1:01.738 | Temecula, CA | Quad Lock Honda |
| 12th | 45 | Colt Nichols | 1:16.232 | Muskogee, OK | Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance |
| 13th | 17 | Joey Savatgy | 1 Lap | Clermont, FL | Quadlock Honda Racing |
| 14th | 46 | Justin Hill | 1 Lap | Riverton, OR | Team Tedder Racing |
| 15th | 33 | Austin Forkner | 1 Lap | Richards, MO | Triumph Factory Racing |
| 16th | 52 | Mitchell Oldenburg | 1 Lap | Alvord, TX | Liqui Moly Beta Factory Racing |
| 17th | 12 | Shane McElrath | 1 Lap | Canton, NC | Quadlock Honda Racing |
| 18th | 24 | R.J. Hampshire | 1 Lap | Hudson, FL | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna |
| 19th | 719 | Vince Friese | 1 Lap | Cape Girardeau, MO | ISRT Kawasaki |
| 20th | 41 | Mitchell Harrison | 1 Lap | Brighton, MI | Partzilla Blaster PRMX Racing |
| 21st | 51 | Justin Barcia | 20 Laps | Monroe, NY | Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing |
| 22nd | 27 | Malcolm Stewart | 20 Laps | Haines City, FL | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna |
| 250 Main Event Main Event Results – R1 Anaheim | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | No | Rider | Gap | Hometown | Team |
| 1st | 61 | Max Anstie | 15 Laps | Newbury, England | Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha |
| 2nd | 29 | Chance Hymas | 6.733 | Pocatello, ID | Honda HRC Progressive |
| 3rd | 34 | Ryder DiFrancesco | 9.058 | Bakersfield, CA | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna |
| 4th | 1W | Haiden Deegan | 9.814 | Temecula, CA | Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha |
| 5th | 23 | Michael Mosiman | 16.482 | Sebastopol, CA | Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha |
| 6th | 47 | Levi Kitchen | 20.698 | Washougal, WA | Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki |
| 7th | 19 | Maximus Vohland | 28.270 | Temecula, CA | ClubMX Yamaha |
| 8th | 60 | Hunter Yoder | 34.551 | Menifee, CA | ClubMX Yamaha |
| 9th | 57 | Avery Long | 42.284 | New London, MN | AEO Powersports KTM Racing |
| 10th | 42 | Dilan Schwartz | 46.848 | Alpine, CA | Toyota Redlands BarX Yamaha |
| 11th | 71 | Carson Mumford | 50.350 | Simi Valley, CA | AEO Powersports KTM |
| 12th | 237 | Robbie Wageman | 54.912 | Newhall, CA | Heartbeat Hot Sauce NanoXtreme Yamaha |
| 13th | 224 | Joshua Varize | 59.125 | Perris, CA | Grindstone Friesen Group Kawasaki |
| 14th | 40 | Parker Ross | 1:07.110 | Herald, CA | Toyota Redlands BarX Yamaha |
| 15th | 43 | Lux Turner | 1:07.813 | Gardnerville, NV | Toyota Redlands BarX Yamaha |
| 16th | 70 | Anthony Bourdon | 1:09.443 | Hossegor, France | Partzilla B’laster Power PRMX Racing |
| 17th | 131 | Crockett Myers | 1 Lap | Navasota, TX | The McGinley Clinic Privateer Support Program |
| 18th | 245 | Matti Jorgensen | 1 Lap | Hillerod, Denmark | SLR Honda |
| 19th | 83 | Justin Rodbell | 1 Lap | Prince Frederick, MD | SLR Honda |
| 20th | 388 | Brandon Ray | 1 Lap | Fremont, CA | The Law Tigers Privateer Paddock |
| 21st | 284 | Lorenzo Camporese | 1 Lap | Italy | FRT Motorsport |
| 22nd | 142 | Cameron McAdoo | 1 Lap | Sioux City, IA | Monster Energy Pro |
