The 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship post-season continued into Los Angeles for Playoff 2, where a pivotal night unfolded with the title battles intensifying ahead of the finale. Hear more from the leading riders of each division in this Reaction feature.

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Image: Octopi Media.

P1 | Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
Well, we just keep improving! My jump out of the gate [in moto two] was good, I was right there with Hunter [Lawrence] and made an aggressive pass for the lead in the third corner. I then cased the quad and thought I was going over the bars, but the bike saved me – then cased it again three laps later! But man, I knew this race was going to be hard. We were all ripping. I rode it home safely after putting in a charge following my crash, but this is incredible. We’re in contention for the title – let’s get it at the last round.

P2 | Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Ecstar Suzuki):
I’m honestly really happy with our racing day. We were actually able to [deliver] a really awesome race. In the first one we got the race win there after some good battles. And then in the second one, I was fighting pretty hard, but I just ran out of [energy] a little bit. This was really our first, if you want to call it ‘blow-out,’ as in a really intense race. Last weekend in the mud didn’t quite count in that way It was difficult in its own way. [Today] I’m happy – it’s just tough coming back after a few months [without racing], and I feel like my intensity is pretty good in the first race and it’s just not quite enough to bring it home for two Races. But I think I will get there pretty quickly. You just can’t buy this intensity, you have to be out there racing and get better in that environment, and that’s what we’re doing. So, I can’t fast forward time, but I sure will work on myself and just show up better every weekend.

P3 | Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive):
On the start in the first moto, I got tangled up and hit from behind and pushed into Coop [Cooper Webb]. I was fortunate to not go down, and I reevaluated to get back to the highest position possible. I was just chipping away, but I wasn’t able to take out 15 seconds or whatever. In the second moto, I was just focusing on myself, hitting my marks. I saw who was in the train behind me, and then when it was like three minutes left, I was like, ‘Okay, it’s just [Jorge] Prado.’ I wasn’t aware of the points and stuff — I just wanted to have a better race than the first one. It’s been a long year, with a lot of wear and tear on the body – me and Cooper [Webb] are the only guys that have done every single race. Championship drain is a real thing, but I’m doing what I can during the week to make sure I’m ready when I show up.

P4 | Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
LA, it was good. I’m still second in points. I would have been a little happier if I rode just a tad better at the beginning of the races and made passes quicker. It’s just something we’ve got to work on. I had a good second race. I made a few passes, got into second, and then biffed it in the sand. So it is what it is. We were 3-3 on the day, fourth overall, and leave here second in the points. We’ll just give her all she’s got at the last round. We’re 16 points behind Prado and tied with Hunter. So, it’s going to be a fun last round.

P5 | Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
LA SMX was a crazy day, a crazy weekend, but we had good weather, so that was nice. Practice went well – I was fourth in both of those. Then, in the first moto, I just pumped up really bad, so I was kind of in survival mode and ended up fifth. Then in the last one, it was a sick battle. I got a great start and was going back and forth with everybody and was feeling good. Then Haiden and Kenny made mistakes, and yeah, it was just a bummer deal. Haiden went up the inside and put me down. That kind of sucks, but it’s racing – risk for a lot of money. Overall, we’re still in this fight, and with triple points next weekend, anything can happen.

P6 | RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna):
Playoff 2 in LA was decent overall. I felt pretty good on the bike all day – I had good speed – and in moto one I got off to a solid start, but made a mistake and lost the front. We picked it up, and after that I felt the best I have on a 450 inside a stadium, and I salvaged what I could. Moto two [was] nothing too special, we just got a decent start and put our laps in to finish sixth overall. I’m feeling good for this last round, so we’ll look to end it on a good note.

P7 | Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki):
The day was solid. We found some good settings for the second qualifier, and I ended up getting sixth overall. Moto 1, I was kind of struggling with myself, and I just couldn’t find a flow. I wasn’t hitting my lines how I’d like, but got through it for 10th. The second moto, I was off to a way better start. I was around seventh for a little bit, but I was having similar struggles as Moto 1 where I couldn’t find my flow. I was trying to force passes and got passed by a couple of guys, and so I realized I needed to back it off a little bit and focus on riding better. I was able to regroup at the halfway point, and the last seven laps were really good. I hammered down, got around some guys for eighth place and seventh overall. After the last couple of weeks, I had some big crashes, especially last weekend, injuring my knee and ankle, and my crash on practice day Friday was not ideal for my body. So I’m happy with the Top 10 finish and being sixth overall in the series. I plan to just keep it going and end the season strong.

P8 | Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna):
LA was completely opposite, conditions-wise, to last weekend. We kept it on two wheels across the day and ended up eighth overall, which was decent. The fans were great, and I’m really looking forward to the season-finale in Missouri next weekend – it’ll be bittersweet, but we’ll have fun for the last one together.

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Image: Octopi Media.

P1 | Julien Beaumer(Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
I saw Levi [Kitchen] and Jo [Shimoda] and knew they didn’t have the greatest of first motos, so I didn’t want to risk too much [in moto two], obviously. The track was pretty tricky, and the sun made things harder as well, but I’m happy to come out with the overall. I said I needed to win these last two rounds, so it’s a good start!

P2 | Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna):
Los Angeles was one of my best weekends as a professional, I’d say. Today was really solid. Moto one was a lot of fun, and being able to separate yourself from the rest of the field like that is cool. I made up some good points in the championship too. And moto two, again, was one of the best rides of my career, to salvage those points, click off a lot of riders, and give myself a real shot in Missouri.

P3 | Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki):
The first moto was pretty bad – I didn’t ride like myself, but the second one was much better. I had a talk with Mitch [Payton] after the first moto, and he helped straighten me out so I knew I needed to turn it around. Having to change the front wheel right before moto two wasn’t ideal, but I think it got my intensity up a bit. I’m stoked to still have the red plate. It’s coming down to what I expected – no matter what I feel like with this series, you’re going to have fireworks at the end. I put myself in a good position right now, and I’m excited with where I’m at and look forward to ending the year as best as we can.

P4 | Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC Progressive):
It’s a good step forward. We found some big improvements on the bike, and just having normal racing conditions helped a lot too. We have only one more round left, but we’re going to see what we can do next week. It should be fun.

P5 | Kayden Minear (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
That’s a wrap for SMX round two. It was kind of a good day. I started off a little slow in qualifying, but all day I felt comfy on the bike. In the first moto, I got a good start. I executed the first few laps really well and put myself in a good spot. Then I was just kind of riding around in fifth place by myself. So that was kind of nice – quite relaxing. The second race wasn’t so easy. It was mostly a death battle the whole race. I think I ended up like eighth in that, but was P5 overall. I felt really good, and we’re fourth in the championship. So we’re looking good coming into the last round.

P6 | Pierce Brown (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
It was a better day for me in LA. I felt good on the bike all weekend. Unfortunately, moto one started with a fall on the first lap, but I was able to get back to 10th from last, and finished fourth in moto two. We’re taking the positives and carrying it into next weekend.

P7 | Drew Adams (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki):
It was definitely a 50/50 day. Getting my first SMX moto podium was a great experience, and I was really happy with that first race. Moto two was frustrating. I got pushed off the track, and from there it was really difficult to make passes. I’m going to hit the reset button this week and make the most of those triple points at the finale.

P8 | Landen Gordon (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing):
It was another eighth-place day in Carson. It was nice to be home for a few days, and I’m happy with my second moto. Let’s keep it rolling!