Pro Motocross 2026 tackled the iconic sands of Southwick, with one of the series’ toughest and most unique venues once again producing a standout round of competition. Hear more from the leading riders of each category in this Reaction feature.

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Image: Octopi Media.

P1 | Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive):
Hunter and I had a pretty big lead in the first moto, so when I fell, I was able to get up in second, thankfully. In the second moto, I was just pacing myself and trying to save something for the end if I needed it. Obviously, you don’t want to see someone crash and gift you a race win, but we’ll take it. It’s definitely tough battling with my brother, but it’s fun – I wouldn’t want to be battling with anyone else. I know where I’m at, I know where he’s at, and I feel like we’re at the top of our sport right now. To battle your brother for a championship is really cool, and not many people get to experience that.

P2 | Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive):
It was a bit of a bummer how it finished, but it shows we were pushing. I felt like I had found a good rhythm and put a good lap together, then I accidentally bumped the gear shifter into neutral which, in the sand, was enough to throw me off. I kind of half-winded myself, and at max heart rate in that heat, it felt like I was going to die – I needed a lap to gather myself and figure out the gap, and then I just brought it home. That’s what’s so unique about our sport, there are a million different possible outcomes every time you hit the track. If you were to ask me which track is going to be the toughest, it would be this one, just because we don’t have many sand tracks on the schedule – it’s kind of a one-and-done. I’m happy with the bike, we made a little change today for the second moto, to try and make the bike a little calmer. We have a good idea of what we might do for next weekend, but I know my setup has been so good this year, so I’m really happy.

P3 | Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
Today was good. We tried a new setup in the first session, and I didn’t like it, so we ended up going with what we knew and liked for the second qualifying, and it was a whole lot better. I had great starts today – P3 in the first start and P2 in the second start – so they’re getting better, and the bike is too. Moto one was a good ride. I kept on digging as much as I could. Then moto two was a dog fight. I get mad because I probably should have won that race. I shouldn’t have let Jett [Lawrence] by, but again, I’m here to learn. I’m trying not to do anything stupid because this year is kind of about building the foundation. I finished P2 in the second moto for third overall, so it was a good day. I’m continuously getting better. We’ll keep working.

P4 | Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
The first moto start held me up big time – as soon as I got to fourth place, the guys up front were already over 20 seconds away. But we started together in race two, I was just fourth right there the whole time, and I couldn’t do more than that. I tried my best and we pushed very hard in the last laps – Haiden [Deegan] did a good job, and we were ripping on the last lap. Third in the second moto is okay, we’ll keep improving, and hopefully soon we get back on top.

P5 | Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Kawasaki):
The day was solid. Qualifying was okay – I got off to a bit of a slow start trying to find the best settings for the track through both sessions. We nailed it pretty good for moto one with a fifth-place finish. In moto two, I got off to my best start of the year in fifth place. I was trying to follow those top guys and tried a new line I hadn’t tried all day and tried jumping a section and just went down. I only had to pass two guys to get back into fifth, so it was a solid day.

P6 | Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
My last Southwick was a dig, to say the least. This place is gnarly, but I had my best overall yet with sixth overall, so I’m stoked on that. Once again, I had great starts and two solid motos. The first one, I struggled a little bit. Then we had a good bike change for the second one, and I felt really good. I ran up to the top five for a while, then made my way to sixth and kept it there. I’m really happy with that. I’m still a little under the weather, so it was definitely a dig. Southwick is no joke – it was hot and rough.

P7 | Dylan Ferrandis (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing):
It’s a tough one, a very tough one. Moto one, I had my best start of the season. I was fourth and managed my race the best I could to finish sixth. In moto two, I got another good start, but RJ crashed in front of me in the first turn and I couldn’t avoid getting held up. I lost a lot of time and had to come through the pack. I put my head down and gave everything I had, but I used a lot of energy making those passes. We’re getting closer with the bike, but it’s still very track dependent, and today in the sand was challenging for us. We’ll keep working this week and be ready to give it
another shot at Spring Creek.

P8 | RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing):
Honestly, Southwick was a really tough day. I crashed in the first moto, and never found the flow – I was struggling pretty badly. Moto two, we made some changes and got a pretty good start, but lost the front in the first corner, so I was dead last, but felt much better in the race. I worked my way back into the top 10, so overall we finished with P8 on the day – it wasn’t great, but I’m happy to salvage a result.

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Image: Octopi Media.

P2 | Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki):
In moto one, I got into third going into the back section of the track and crashed on the opening lap and went back to ninth place. This track is really tough when you fall because your heart rate goes up and it’s just physically demanding, so to get up to that second in the first moto took a lot of my energy. The second moto I just felt a bit flat after being pretty depleted from the first moto, but I’m glad to be back on the podium and to close back in on the points lead.

P3 | Cole Davies (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
It was an up-and-down day, but all around it was pretty good. I came out with the points lead, so I can’t complain. We’ll move on to Millville now and have a good day there. I’m looking forward to it and to keeping this going.

P4 | Kayden Minear (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
What a good day. I felt comfortable on this bike since this morning. The first moto wasn’t a great start, but I managed to battle my way through the pack, and I’m proud of myself for that. The second moto was a much better start. I got my way into third for a podium finish in the race, so it was a good day.

P5 | Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
I’m really strong and we’ve known that for [some time now]. Obviously, last weekend wasn’t great with two motos [coming from] 40th, but my riding was good today – I started that second moto around 30th, and just had to work through the pack. The bike is amazing, so we’ll keep plugging away and come back in Millville.

P6 | Chance Hymas (Honda HRC Progressive):
Southwick was a big step in the right direction for me. I had two good starts and rode up front in both motos. I lost a little bit of energy in the second moto and kind of lost my legs, but overall, it was a really good day for me. I’m looking forward to next weekend.

P7 | Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
It was a solid weekend at Southwick. The track was gnarly, but we were 11-6 on the day for seventh overall. We’ll get better this week and give it another go next weekend.

P8 | Francesco Garcia (Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki):
[Equal] points with seventh overall, my feeling was really good I gave my 100 percent. I’m so happy with my riding, and I enjoyed some good battles and the racing here.