Round two of the 2026 Pro Motocross Championship took the series north to Hangtown, where the heat and high-speed track layout produced another day of intense racing and a bunch of talking points across the 450MX and 250MX categories. Hear more from the leading riders of each category in this Reaction feature.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

P1 | Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive):
I worked on my starts a lot this week, but didn’t ride as much, to try and save my ankle. I honestly think this track looked after my ankle a lot more than Pala – I had a lot of moments where I could rest my foot, and my ankle is definitely not as sore as last week. Obviously, Hunter’s my brother, so I know him very well – he’s always right there for the whole race. I spent the first 15 minutes getting a flow, using the least amount of energy, and then halfway through did one really fast lap to get a gap where I could pull away. It was a good day, and I’m happy I was able to go 1-1, like I used to – it gives me some confidence going into the rest of the season.

P2 | Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive):
It was a different kind of race craft today. Where normally most tracks, you can sit on a guy’s rear wheel for a good amount of time, and you can take different lines and not really lose that tag – you had to time things. Multiple times in the first moto, I’d take half a lap or a lap as a breather, and then I’d try and make another little push and make something happen. I tried doing the same thing with Jett in the second moto, but when I took the breather, he ended up sprinting for his fastest lap, and I couldn’t bridge that gap again. I feel like any time you were following someone and tried a different line, you just lost time, so I really do feel like that red flag messed me up.

P3 | Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
P3 on the day, stoked on my first 450 podium – let’s keep building!

P4 | Dylan Ferrandis (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing):
I told the team when I rode this bike the first time, I said this bike is really capable of good things. We just need to figure it out, and this week after Pala we did. It was a good improvement today. We didn’t touch the bike today, and I think when you do that, that’s really good and shows confidence. I was always right there in that top five or six position and battling, and I gave everything on the track.

P5 | Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Kawasaki):
Overall, it was a solid day. Qualifying made things a little difficult, but we were able to put ourselves in a good position when it counted. I had to work through the pack in moto one, then got another good start in moto two and made some strong passes to finish fifth. To come away with fifth overall is a great step forward for us. The team has been working really hard, and I’m happy with the progress we’ve made. We’ll keep building and carry that momentum into Thunder Valley.

P6 | RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing):
It was another solid weekend at Hangtown. I was around that top-five for most of the day again – my second moto start was a little better, but still, I need to start further toward the front. I was battling all day long, ate a lot of roost, but it’s a solid start to the season with four good motos. I’m looking forward to Colorado next weekend and then heading east, because I think we have a lot more still to give.

P7 | Chase Sexton (Monster Energy Kawasaki):
My result isn’t where I expected it to be, so there’s definitely some frustration leaving Hangtown today. I got off to a bad start in moto one, and was fortunately able to pick up my pace in moto two. We have a few things to work through this week, but I know what we’re capable of. We’ll keep fighting and putting in the work to show up ready to race at Thunder Valley.

P8 | Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
Hangtown – P8 overall. It was nice to get a holeshot on the moto two restart after cartwheeling the first start. My riding and bike felt like a step in the right direction this weekend. Hate seeing my teammate down like that, but glad he’s alright! Let’s keep working and take it to Thunder Valley.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

P1 | Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki):
The day was pretty good. My starts could definitely be a little better, but I’m happy with my speed, and overall it was a good day. In moto two, I got shut down early, but honestly, it probably saved me from getting caught up in that first-turn pileup. Sometimes you’re the hammer, and sometimes you’re the nail, and a lot of guys were the nail this time around. The bike is working great, the team’s happy, and I’m happy.

P2 | Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
I definitely didn’t think it [this podium] would come so quick! Man, I feel like I am dreaming – it was a long nine months, and I think today shows the work that we put in, and that the decisions we’ve made while I was away were the right ones. I’ve been working hard and I couldn’t be happier to do this for the team. They stuck behind me for the last nine months and believed in me, so to be up here for them is amazing – I can’t thank them enough. They put an amazing bike underneath me, my bike was awesome all day, and I couldn’t be happier to be on the podium.

P3 | Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki):
Hangtown started off really well. I qualified P1 and felt amazing on the track. In Moto 1, I got the holeshot, led every lap, and honestly, it was probably the best outdoor moto I’ve ever ridden. Everything just clicked. In Moto 2, I got caught up with some riders in the first turn and had to come from way back. We fought all the way up to ninth which gave us third overall, so I can’t be too bummed about that. We still have the points lead, and I’m happy with how I’m riding and feeling heading into Thunder Valley.

P5 | Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC Progressive):
Overall, it was a positive day. I think the bike has gotten better for me, but we still need to work on the starts a little bit. If we can get up in the front, I think we can avoid the carnage and get away with better results. But my riding is good, I feel pretty fit, and I’m excited for next weekend.

P6 | Nick Romano (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki):
It was a really good day here at Hangtown. Going 7-4 in the motos and getting a top five finish in moto two was a big step forward. We had two good starts and showed a strong fight all day. Everything is starting to click with the bike and the team, and I feel like we’re building momentum every weekend. I’m excited to keep it rolling heading into Thunder Valley.

P7 | Maximus Vohland (ClubMX Yamaha):
The hometown race was a dig coming from 27th to ninth in the first moto. Got a lot better of a jump off the start and wanted to be up front early in moto two and just snuck around the inside and avoided the pile up and went to work from there ending up fifth.

P8 | Chance Hymas (Honda HRC Progressive):
Round two at Hangtown was alright. It’s just too bad I got caught up in a pileup in the second moto. That wasn’t great, but we made improvements on the bike coming into this weekend, and we’re looking forward to restarting next weekend.