Image: Octopi Media.

A crash in the final SMX Next qualifying session at Houston’s NRG Stadium on Saturday afternoon ruled Kayden Minear out of the night’s main event, the Australian prospect suffering from a head-knock after colliding with another rider.

The 18-year-old was second-fastest during Q1 in Texas, logging a lap time that was 0.384s off Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate and eventual race victor Caden Dudney.

While attempting to improve his time in Q2, the Anaheim 2 winner tangled with Kade Johnson (Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green) in the whoops, with a subsequent head knock ruling him out for the remainder of the night.

“[I] started off the day really good feeling comfy on the bike,” recalled Minear. “Unfortunately, another rider made a mistake, resulting in me going down and knocking myself unconscious. Nobody’s fault, it’s all part of racing. My body is sore, but we will be back in Daytona – thank you to my amazing team and sponsors.”

Minear had previously expressed interest in a professional transfer to the 250SX East ranks for Monster Energy Supercross in 2026, following his A2 win, with the division’s season-opening round scheduled for Arlington at AT&T Stadium on February 21.

“There’s always a chance, right? You never know what Bobby [Regan] is going to do,” he commented during the Race Day Live broadcast in Houston before his mishap. “We’ll wait and see.”

SMX Next will return to action for its third event on the 2026 schedule at Daytona’s eighth Supercross round on February 28.