Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles hosted Playoff 2 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship on Saturday, setting the stage for this weekend’s finale in Missouri. Revisit the action through our Captured feature, highlighting the defining moments from the weekend in illustrated form.

16 points is Jorge Prado’s advantage atop the 450SMX standings. Honestly, no one but Jorge and perhaps Red Bull KTM Factory Racing could’ve predicted such an uptick in form, with the Austrian manufacturer’s performance rising across the board. Even the Deegs was impressed!

The same can be said for Julien Beaumer, who won 250SMX in Los Angeles to complete the double victory for the team alongside Prado. Whatever has gone on in their respective developments is clearly paying dividends right now, and the encouraging part for KTM is that there appears to be no sign of slowing down.

There was trouble in paradise, if your version of paradise is Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing. Haiden Deegan and Cooper Webb got into an on-track incident that allegedly spilled over into the pits, which makes this weekend’s finale all the more intriguing. Suffice to say, Webb wasn’t exactly in the best mood in the aftermath.

Despite the chaos unfolding behind him in 450SMX moto two, Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence was never truly headed at the front of the field save for Prado’s first-lap pass, with Lawrence breezing to a 14.903s win by race’s end.

It was a tough weekend for Cole Davies, who crashed out of 250SMX moto two during the opening stages. The position of his clutch lever is less than ideal…

This is how close the battle was between Ken Roczen and Prado in 450SMX race one, with Roczen admitting that he wasn’t aware Prado was so close, instead marking Deegan [third] throughout the encounter. Prado made a couple of late attempts, but it was never quite enough to get by the number 94.

Levi Kitchen’s second moto was almost over before it began, as the crew rapidly changed a flat front tire on his motorcycle prior to the gate drop. It was a good thing, too, because Kitchen went on to victory and now leads the 250SMX standings by three points over Ryder DiFrancesco.

Talking about Ryder D – he’s right in this 250SMX title hunt, just three behind Kitchen entering the finale.

The Monster Energy SMX World Championship has come under scrutiny of late – however, Los Angeles was a step in the right direction from Columbus. It did lean closer to a Supercross-style circuit, though, leaving us wondering about the hybrid layouts we’ve seen previously.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton made an appearance – will he be part of Kawasaki’s factory effort next year? It all still seems to be up in the air.

It was a neat touch from the Honda HRC Progressive team in Carson, which sported a special graphics kit in collaboration with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. The design showcased the Imaginary Friend Society, a cast of cartoon characters created to help children better understand complicated cancer topics.