The 2026 AMA Supercross season kicked off at a sold-out Angel Stadium, and the Quad Lock Honda Team showed they have the pace to compete but know there’s work to do.
Lining up against nine factory teams and 19 factory-supported riders in the 450 class, the team entered Anaheim 1 determined to make a statement in the opening round.
Qualifying set the tone for the night, with only the top nine from each heat advancing directly to the Main Event. Joey Savatgy finished fifth in Heat 1, Christian Craig fourth in Heat 2, and Shane McElrath battled to ninth to secure the final transfer spot.
Team Principal Martin Davalos reflected, “In 20 years of racing, I don’t think I’ve seen this many factory riders and teams in one field. Qualifying is the first battle, and I was relieved all three riders made it through. There were four factory riders in the LCQ, I’m glad none of them were ours.”
The Main Event was red-flagged after a first-lap collision between Malcolm Stewart and Justin Barcia. Both riders were conscious and treated by medical staff before a restart. Craig rode in the top 10 for much of the race, climbing to sixth before minor mistakes dropped him to 11th. “We improved from first practice to the Main Event. It’s been close to a year since I lined up against this field, and I rode tight at times, but there are clear positives. This won’t be an overnight turnaround… we need to find a second to a second and a half to be racing inside the top five. Considering I missed the first nine rounds last year with injury, this is a positive start,” Craig said.
Savatgy had a difficult night after a heavy crash early in the race, remounting from near last to finish 13th. “That could have been much worse. I was pushing to make passes quickly and put myself in a bad position after a poor start. The positive is I’m really enjoying the bike, the team has done a great job. Thirteenth in points is better than last year’s opener, and now we focus on starts,” he said. McElrath finished 17th, admitting, “That was terrible. I can’t do that again. I know what needs to be done, and it’s on me to get to work.”
Despite flashes of speed, the team knows consistency is key. Davalos said, “There’s no overnight fix in Supercross; we race 17 weekends in a row. Joey needs starts; he can race with the front runners if we fix that. Christian is impressive, but people forget the past two years of injuries; consistency takes time. Shane needs to lift because we expect more. The goal is simple: improve every week. There’s no tolerance for going backwards.”
Round 2 heads to San Diego this weekend, and the Quad Lock Honda Team will focus on executing, improving, and closing the gap. Competitive, but not content, the team is chasing the front of the field every week.
