The 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship got underway at Fox Raceway in California with Australian Hunter Lawrence delivering a statement performance in the premier 450 class, while Seth Hammaker celebrated a long-awaited maiden outdoor overall victory in the 250 division.
After finishing runner-up in the 2026 Supercross Championship, Lawrence carried that momentum into the opening round of the outdoor season and was untouchable throughout the day. Fastest in qualifying and victorious in both motos, the Honda HRC Progressive rider swept every session to leave Fox Raceway with the championship red plate.
The opening 450 moto began with Triumph newcomer and former MXGP rider Mikkel Haarup grabbing the holeshot in the British manufacturer’s first premier-class outdoor appearance, but Lawrence wasted little time taking control of the race. Duel World Champion Jorge Prado quickly followed him through into second as the pair established themselves at the front.
Behind them, defending Pro Motocross champion Jett Lawrence faced a difficult start to his title defence after beginning outside the top 15, while two-time 250 champion Haiden Deegan endured an equally challenging start in his first professional outdoor race aboard a 450.
As Hunter Lawrence steadily stretched his advantage, attention turned to the remarkable charge through the field from both Jett Lawrence and Deegan. The pair sliced through the pack together, at one stage exchanging positions before Lawrence asserted himself and continued forward.
By the closing stages, Hunter Lawrence had built a comfortable advantage and cruised to victory by 8.7 seconds over Prado. Justin Cooper completed the podium while Jett Lawrence salvaged fourth and Deegan rounded out the top five.
Moto two again saw Hunter Lawrence and Prado emerge at the front, with Lawrence claiming the holeshot before the Spaniard briefly snatched the lead on the opening lap. The Australian responded immediately, retaking the position one lap later and pulling clear once more.
With improved track position, Jett Lawrence quickly moved forward from 11th on the opening lap and climbed into third before halfway. Deegan also worked his way through the field to fourth but was unable to challenge the leading trio.
Out front, Hunter Lawrence controlled the race from start to finish to secure his first career 1-1 sweep in Pro Motocross and the second overall victory of his premier-class career.
“I feel awesome. It was a great day. P1, a perfect day. On top in every session. I’m just fired up. I can’t really ask for anything more,” said Lawrence.
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.
Prado’s pair of runner-up finishes earned him his first career Pro Motocross podium, while Jett Lawrence’s determined rides from poor starts secured third overall.
“Motocross is a lot harder than I remember,” joked Jett Lawrence. “I was just trying to figure it out today. I found out what arm pump was in the first moto. It wasn’t the best conditions for my foot, but I thought I rode great. I just didn’t get the starts today and need to work on that.”
The result gives Hunter Lawrence an early six-point lead over Prado in the championship standings, with Jett Lawrence a further six points back in third.
250 Class
The 250 class produced one of the biggest stories of the day as Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker finally broke through for his first Pro Motocross overall victory.
Hammaker grabbed the holeshot in the opening moto and looked set to claim his first outdoor race win before teammate Levi Kitchen charged through from eighth to take the lead late in the race. Hammaker settled for second while New Zealand’s Cole Davies completed the podium after a strong ride from 10th on the opening lap.
Moto two proved even more dramatic. Julien Beaumer claimed the holeshot while Kitchen’s hopes unravelled after a first-lap incident dropped him outside the top 30.
Hammaker stalked Beaumer through the opening laps before making a decisive move for the lead shortly before halfway. Once in front, the Kawasaki rider never looked back and powered to the first moto win of his outdoor career.
Kitchen mounted an impressive recovery ride through the field to salvage 13th, but it wasn’t enough to deny Hammaker the overall victory.
“Those last few laps didn’t feel real,” Hammaker said. “I felt great all day. What an unreal way to start the year, to get my first Pro Motocross win. It feels awesome.”
A chaotic day behind the winner resulted in a three-way tie on points for second overall. Sixteen-year-old Yamaha rookie Caden Dudney secured the runner-up spot courtesy of a stronger second moto, earning his first professional podium finish.
“It was definitely tough to get on the podium, but I’ve got what it takes. I made it happen. It feels amazing to get my first podium,” said Dudney.
Davies completed the overall podium in third after backing up his East Coast Supercross title-winning campaign with another impressive outdoor performance.
“It was a tough day, but we’re here now,” said Davies. “It was a good start to the season, and we’ll learn from today and try to be better from here on out.”
Hammaker leaves the opening round with a 13-point advantage in the championship standings over Dudney, Davies and Kitchen as the Pro Motocross Championship heads to round two next weekend.
The 2026 Pro Motocross Championship will continue next Saturday, June 6 at Northern California’s Prairie City SVRA for the Coker Pump Hangtown Motocross Classic.
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc. MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.
| 450 Class Overall – Round 1 – Fox Raceway National | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike |
| 1st | Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 1 – 1 | Honda |
| 2nd | Jorge Prado | Lugo, Galicia, Spain | 2 – 2 | KTM |
| 3rd | Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 4 – 3 | Honda |
| 4th | Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States | 3 – 6 | Yamaha |
| 5th | Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA, United States | 5 – 4 | Yamaha |
| 6th | Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL, United States | 7 – 5 | Kawasaki |
| 7th | R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL, United States | 6 – 7 | Husqvarna |
| 8th | Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH, United States | 8 – 9 | KTM |
| 9th | Dylan Ferrandis | Avignon, France | 9 – 10 | Ducati |
| 10th | Christian Craig | El Cajon, CA, United States | 11 – 11 | Honda |
| 11th | Mikkel Haarup | Silkeborg, Denmark | 10 – 14 | Triumph |
| 12th | Cooper Webb | Newport, NC, United States | 13 – 13 | Yamaha |
| 13th | Kyle Webster | Korumburra, Australia | 16 – 12 | Honda |
| 14th | Garrett Marchbanks | Coalville, UT, United States | 28 – 8 | Kawasaki |
| 15th | Justin Barcia | Monroe, NY, United States | 17 – 16 | Ducati |
| 16th | Dante Oliveira | Hollister, CA, United States | 19 – 15 | KTM |
| 17th | Malcolm Stewart | Haines City, FL, United States | 12 – 40 | Husqvarna |
| 18th | Benny Bloss | Oak Grove, MO, United States | 14 – 21 | Beta |
| 19th | Colt Nichols | Muskogee, OK, United States | 20 – 17 | Suzuki |
| 20th | Jordon Smith | Belmont, NC, United States | 15 – 23 | Triumph |
| 21st | Vince Friese | Cape Girardeau, MO, United States | 24 – 18 | Kawasaki |
| 22nd | Grant Harlan | Justin, TX, United States | 21 – 19 | KTM |
| 23rd | Cornelius Tøndel | Norway | 18 – 26 | Kawasaki |
| 24th | Mitchell Harrison | Lansing, MI, United States | 22 – 20 | Kawasaki |
| 25th | Bryce Hammond | Pleasanton, CA, United States | 25 – 27 | Yamaha |
| 26th | Hamden Hudson | Danville, VA, United States | 23 – 29 | Kawasaki |
| 27th | Fredrik Noren | Lidköping, Sweden | 30 – 24 | Yamaha |
| 28th | Lorenzo Locurcio | Venezuela | 29 – 25 | GasGas |
| 29th | Mason Semmens | Australia | 27 – 30 | KTM |
| 30th | Justin Rodbell | Prince Frederick, MD, United States | 39 – 22 | Honda |
| 31st | Anton Nordstrom | Göteborg, Sweden | 34 – 28 | KTM |
| 32nd | Ryan Surratt | Corona, CA, United States | 32 – 31 | Honda |
| 33rd | Magnus Smith | Denmark | 31 – 32 | Yamaha |
| 34th | Valentin Guillod | Switzerland | 26 – 39 | Yamaha |
| 35th | Jack Chambers | Auburndale, FL, United States | 33 – 34 | Kawasaki |
| 36th | Mitchell Oldenburg | Alvord, TX, United States | 37 – 33 | Beta |
| 37th | Dayton Briggs | Riverside, CA, United States | 35 – 37 | Yamaha |
| 38th | Clayton Tucker | El Dorado Hills, CA, United States | 38 – 35 | Yamaha |
| 39th | Josh Mosiman | Sebastopol, CA, United States | 36 – 38 | KTM |
| 40th | Vincent Luhovey | Greensburg, PA, United States | DNS – 36 | Kawasaki |
| 41st | Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO, United States | 40 – DNS | KTM |
| 250 Class Overall Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike |
| 1st | Seth Hammaker | Bainbridge, PA, United States | 2 – 1 | Kawasaki |
| 2nd | Caden Dudney | Des Moines, IA, United States | 6 – 4 | Yamaha |
| 3rd | Cole Davies | Waitoki, Auckland, New Zealand | 3 – 8 | Yamaha |
| 4th | Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA, United States | 1 – 13 | Kawasaki |
| 5th | Julien Beaumer | Lake Havasu City, AZ, United States | 11 – 2 | KTM |
| 6th | Jo Shimoda | Suzuka City, Japan | 4 – 7 | Honda |
| 7th | Lux Turner | Gardnerville, NV, United States | 8 – 6 | Yamaha |
| 8th | Chance Hymas | Pocatello, ID, United States | 10 – 5 | Honda |
| 9th | Nick Romano | Bayside, NY, United States | 5 – 11 | Kawasaki |
| 10th | Ryder DiFrancesco | Bakersfield, CA, United States | 19 – 3 | Husqvarna |
| 11th | Carson Mumford | Simi Valley, CA, United States | 12 – 9 | KTM |
| 12th | Kayden Minear | Western Australia, Australia | 15 – 10 | Yamaha |
| 13th | Maximus Vohland | Sacramento, CA, United States | 13 – 12 | Yamaha |
| 14th | Daxton Bennick | Morganton, NC, United States | 7 – 38 | Husqvarna |
| 15th | Landen Gordon | Murrieta, CA, United States | 14 – 16 | Yamaha |
| 16th | Nate Thrasher | Livingston, TN, United States | 9 – 36 | Yamaha |
| 17th | Mathys Boisrame | France | 26 – 14 | KTM |
| 18th | Derek Kelley | Riverside, CA, United States | 21 – 15 | Kawasaki |
| 19th | Deacon Denno | Fort Worth, TX, United States | 18 – 20 | Triumph |
| 20th | Coty Schock | Dover, DE, United States | 16 – 22 | Yamaha |
| 21st | Casey Cochran | Portsmouth, VA, United States | 40 – 17 | Husqvarna |
| 22nd | Dilan Schwartz | Alpine, CA, United States | 17 – 40 | Yamaha |
| 23rd | Marshal Weltin | Ubly, MI, United States | 23 – 18 | Kawasaki |
| 24th | Brock Bennett | Bakersfield, CA, United States | 24 – 19 | Husqvarna |
| 25th | Avery Long | New London, MN, United States | 20 – 25 | KTM |
| 26th | Gavin Towers | Venetia, PA, United States | 31 – 21 | Honda |
| 27th | Michael Mosiman | Sebastopol, CA, United States | 25 – 23 | Yamaha |
| 28th | Jeremy Fappani | Scottsdale, AZ, United States | 27 – 26 | KTM |
| 29th | Cole Timboe | Calimesa, CA, United States | 28 – 27 | Yamaha |
| 30th | Devin Ruth | San Diego, CA, United States | 35 – 24 | Triumph |
| 31st | Gage Linville | Lake Park, GA, United States | 32 – 28 | Triumph |
| 32nd | Parker Ross | Herald, CA, United States | 22 – 39 | Yamaha |
| 33rd | Jace Allred | Riverton, UT, United States | 34 – 30 | KTM |
| 34th | Russell Buccheri | Duxbury, MA, United States | 30 – 34 | KTM |
| 35th | Gavin Betts | Clifton Park, United States | 33 – 32 | Kawasaki |
| 36th | Austin Forkner | Richards, MO, United States | 38 – 29 | Triumph |
| 37th | Brandon Ray | Fremont, CA, United States | 39 – 33 | Triumph |
| 38th | Dylan Cunha | Modesto, CA, United States | 36 – 37 | Husqvarna |
| 39th | Jonathan Getz | Old Town, FL, United States | 29 – DNS | Husqvarna |
| 40th | Cole Zeller | Murrieta, CA, United States | DNS – 31 | KTM |
| 41st | Tre Fierro III | El Paso, TX, United States | DNS – 35 | Yamaha |
| 42nd | Max Anstie | Newbury, England, United Kingdom | 37 – DNS | Yamaha |
