The Pacific Northwest welcomed Pro Motocross 2026 to Washougal for the annual Military Appreciation Race, with the forest-lined facility once again producing no shortage of storylines. Hear more from the leading riders of each category in this Reaction feature.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

P1 | Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive):
This weekend was actually sick compared to how Washougal has been every other year for me! That was the talk of the week, right? How this isn’t our best track? So it was unreal to go 2-1. The bike’s in a good spot, and we made one change between the first and second moto that really helped me out. We tested a few things this week, and we knew we could lean into a stiffer bike that doesn’t normally work on East Coast tracks, and it paid off today. I think riding each other’s bikes with Jett [Lawrence] is a benefit to both of us and the team. He had a different setup yesterday from what I did, and that’s our theory – let’s put it to the test and see which one we like better, there’s no secrets, and it’s a level playing field. I’m happy to get the win, but it’s such a tough championship, going up against the best guy in the sport. I’m already thinking about what I want to work on and where I can be better in the weeks to come.

P2 | Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive):
I feel like I found a good setting, this is the best my bike has handled in the past year, so I was super happy. I think riding each other’s bikes with Hunter on press day is a benefit to both of us and the team, because we’re able to see what works better and figure out what we like. In the second moto, I just kept pushing. I felt good, and I was hoping maybe I could catch him off guard, but obviously he had a little bit of an idea where I was at. I’d rather be right there in case something happens than be back, so I tried and just fell a little short. It is what it is, and we’ll take it. I do really want it badly. I want to win – that’s what I like doing and that’s why I like racing. I think sometimes that can hurt me a little bit, because I want to make those points up, but it’s just things I have to get better at. The word of the year has been ‘getting closer,’ so we’re getting closer to feeling like myself. Hopefully, bit by bit, I can get back to where I was.

P3 | Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
Today was good. I got my first-ever P1 in qualifying, so I was happy about that. And then I pulled a holeshot, my first ever in the 450 class, but then I went down. So it wasn’t too great of a first moto, but I just dug my way back up to fourth and put myself in a position where I could get on the podium. In the second moto, I rode a good race, fought all the way till the end, and had some good battles. I ended up getting second in that moto due to Jett getting docked for going off the track or whatever, so I was stoked. Third overall and another podium – these are good. We’ll just continue to get some podiums, and eventually, it’d be nice to get that win.

P4 | Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
Fourth overall in Washougal, it was an okay day – nothing great, but not too bad. In moto one, I was in a good position to fight for the win, but I just didn’t have the speed. Then in the second moto I was again in a pretty decent spot, but had a tip-over on lap one, which had me lose so many positions. I got back to fourth, but by that time the riders at the front were already gone. We’ll step it up and keep working!

P5 | Dylan Ferrandis (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati):
The day started not so good. I wasn’t completely comfortable, kind of like last weekend. The bike was similar and I struggled with pace and comfort. After practice two the team decided to go big and make a major chassis change, and it ended up being a game changer. Moto one was great. I got a bad start but came through the pack to finish P5. In moto two I got a really good start and was P4 right away. Prado got by me later, so I finished P5. It’s awesome to get a second top-five overall this season, so it was a good day. Good starts, good motos and good pace.

P6 | RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing):
Washougal was an eventful day! I felt good on the bike – I just had some issues on the opening lap of moto one and had to come through the pack back to seventh. Second moto, better start, but I caught an edge on the side of the track and landed in a soft spot, and had a pretty big one… I was still able to manage sixth in the moto and sixth overall on the day, so we’ll enjoy these next couple of weekends off, and then give it a good push to finish out the final three rounds.

P7 | Justin Barcia (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati):
I felt good in practice and the track was really good early on. As it got rougher and more choppy, I struggled a little. Last week I felt like I found a flow, but this week I had a harder time finding that rhythm with the tighter sections and the choppiness, which made today more difficult. I fought really hard and gave it everything I had, but it wasn’t quite enough. Overall, we’re still moving forward since Spring Creek, but we need that one more step to consistently be in the top five. We have a few weeks off now, so we’re going to work hard, put in some motos, continue testing with the bike and come out swinging at Unadilla.

P8 | Jordan Smith (5.11 Triumph Factory Racing):
I had a hard crash in qualifier one, but two solid motos. I had decent starts and rode well. It was nothing crazy. I’m happy to head into the break with my best overall result of the season. I’ll shoot for the top five in these last three rounds.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

P1 | Cole Davies (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
It was a good day today – qualified first and won both motos. I really feel like I kind of needed this to get back into the championship hunt. I’m not going to back down. We’re ready to fight till the end, and hopefully we’re going to be in a good spot coming down to the last race and last round. It was honestly pretty slick and sketchy out there, but I had fun. It was a good day, and we’re ready to keep this going.

P2 | Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing):
It was a great weekend. Coming this way to the west coast, it’s close to home and has a special place in my heart. The Washougal fans were great today, and to put a whole day together was my goal coming into the round. To take 2-2 on the day for second overall, I’m stoked with the results!

P3 | Chance Hymas (Honda HRC Progressive):
It’s been a slow build, which was really frustrating because every time I’d come back from an injury before, I was pretty much right back up front. This time it took me a while, mentally. Southwick was the first weekend I felt like I was getting over it, and now I’m just focused on the race instead of all the ‘what ifs.’ Each weekend, my confidence keeps building, and I’ve really been enjoying the race weekends, and the process of trying to be a better version of myself. With Wim [Van Hoof] coming over, we’ve been making really good progress with the bike the last few rounds, and today it really showed. He’s brought a lot of knowledge from Europe, and it’s been really good working with him.

P4 | Carson Mumford (AEO Powersports KTM):
Fourth overall at Washougal. Epic day, pumped to back up last weekend’s results!

P5 | Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki):
There have been a lot of first turn crashes for me this year, and I’m getting pretty tired of picking my bike up, but I did what I could to salvage as many positions as possible. In the second moto, I didn’t have much in me. I put a lot out there in the first moto to get up there, and then in the second moto I was trying to go where I went in the first one, and it wasn’t quite working, leading me to get stuck at a slower pace. The results may not have shown it, but today was the most fun I’ve had here. I’m glad to be leaving healthy and look forward to a little time off headed into the break.

P6 | Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
I finished up 8-5 for sixth overall at Washougal, which wasn’t my best day. Moto one, I was caught up in a second-turn crash, which had me come from the back, and in moto two I just didn’t feel great and was able to salvage a fifth. Although it’s not ideal, it’s still points scored, and we’ll get back to work and come out swinging for the final three rounds.

P7 | Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
The day was okay. I got off to a good start in the first moto and put myself in a good situation, but didn’t ride my best, to be honest. I struggled a bit with the bike setup. This track has never been my favorite. It is probably my worst track on the calendar. So coming out today in the second moto, we changed the bike completely, and it was way better. It was a worse start, but I actually had some fight in me, and I felt good. I’m just trying to build, and a seventh on the day here – I’ll take it. We’ll keep going and keep getting better. Next time out is Unadilla. I love the last three, so let’s do it.