San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium set the stage for a thrilling night of racing, with intense battles playing out across both the 450SX and 250SX West categories. We’ve gathered the direct takes from riders for this Reaction feature from round two of the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – First:
It was quite a back-and-forth race tonight! At the beginning, I tried to play the patience game as Hunter [Lawrence] and Ken [Roczen] were really dicing it out, so I tried to warm into the race from there. It was close racing all main event, but of course, it was a great night, and to get two race wins in a row is massive. I feel very happy with what I am working with right now. As far as winning two in a row to open the season, you dream of it, but making it happen is a whole different deal. So, it’s been a great start for us – I feel really at one with the KTM and it’s showing.

Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – 13th:
Round two was a positive day. Even though the main event didn’t go as well as I would have liked, I was still P2 in qualifying and then was also second in the heat race, so up until then, things were going very well. Then in the main, I missed the start and after that I was riding tight. I didn’t really ride like myself, I would say, and it was a bit of a struggle. I kind of fell into some other riders’ pace around me, so I’ll need to learn from this, and again, it’s a good learning experience to be better in the future. We’ll come back solid for A2.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Seventh:
San Diego was pretty good! I’ve been sick all week, but I was feeling better in practice than I did last weekend, and I was actually feeling really good going into the heat race. Once I got done with that one, my chest was on fire and I had a headache, so it was tough… No excuses, though. I went into the main event and did what I could – I was around sixth for a while, and then was there until the last lap before a lapped rider held me up. It’s racing, but we’ll go back this week, return to 100 percent, and then be ready for A2.

Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – Second:
I definitely feel more confident on the bike, we tried a lot of things during the week to help where I felt like we struggled [at A1]. That’s one thing I pride myself on, being able to show up in the main event when it counts. We were close, it was a good race. I feel like the first 15 minutes was just trying to get it under my belt, as I feel like the last five minutes is where I can make up that gap. Honestly, for me the heat race is the hardest race of the night – it was just a frustrating one – but I shook that off and put all the chips on the main. I really love what I can do in 20 minutes and just hit my marks. All day, I look forward to the main event.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Eighth:
It was a tough night overall. Another crash in the heat race put me in a bad spot, but I felt like I was moving forward in the main and making good passes. Then I got taken out. When I got up, the bars were bent, levers were everywhere, and I just tried to do the best I could. It’s a bummer to have two weekends in a row that aren’t great. We’ll regroup and come back at A2.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was another so, so race day. I’m just not getting the starts I need to put myself in a good position, so it’s been tough. I came from way back again in the main and got another sixth place. That’s not bad on paper, but it could be a lot better because my riding’s been pretty good. I’m putting in a lot of work out there. We just have to get off the gate better if we want to be up front.

Chase Sexton (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Fourth:
The day was up and down. I had good speed during qualifying, but issues with timing didn’t reflect the effort I put in on the track. I’m happy with my heat race win, and I felt prepared going into the night after that. The main event went well for me based on the circumstances. I had good speed for about 15 minutes of it and then fell off a little bit, but I had to put in a big effort coming from last to fourth. I was frustrated that I put myself in that position off the start, but we fought back and saved a lot of points tonight. I had the bike to win tonight, but I made a mistake on my part. I’m going to put those mistakes behind me and focus on next weekend.

Dylan Ferrandis (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing) – Ninth:
The night was not bad honestly. We made some improvements on the bike this weekend. It was hard to replicate the race situation, so I came to the race ready to adapt a little bit, and we did. We changed a little bit on the bike between sessions. Overall, I think we made big improvements. The bike was really, really awesome. I was in P6, then got passed for P7, and I tried something different in the whoops and ended up crashing. I lost a couple positions and ended P9. The whole team feels very comfortable with the bike and what we can achieve with it, and I think we’re going to improve again this week and come back stronger for
A2.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – 10th:
First things first, I’m stoked to be out here racing. We had a big one last Saturday night, and then did a bunch of therapy during the week to be able to line up in San Diego. Practice went okay even if I was really sore, and then the heat race was decent, but all-in-all, I just geared myself up for the main event. I did everything I could and I am really proud to say that P10, honestly, means a lot to me. I rode my own race, which I’m happy with, and these next few weeks are going to be tough, but we’ll do some more therapy and then get ready for A2.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – 12th:
I felt a lot better on the bike this weekend. We made big improvements as a team during the week, even if tonight’s result doesn’t really reflect that. I had better speed and it’s just about putting it all together now – getting stronger, completing the laps, and I think we’ll continue to grow. We’ll aim for a solid result next weekend. We’re not close to where we can be, so we’ll keep pushing to be better over the next few rounds. Thanks to the team for all the work they’ve been putting in.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki) – Third:
We had a really good day overall. We were third in qualifying, we won our heat race, and we had an insane battle throughout the main event. The race leader and I went back and forth a couple of times. I led a bunch of laps in the beginning, and I ended up third, but not far off the leaders. I lacked just three to five percent, you know? It’s very minimal, but I definitely wasn’t the best guy tonight. Overall, we had a really good night. I’m not going to complain about a podium by any means. So, the second round is done and dusted and we’re looking forward to Anaheim 2.

Jason Anderson (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 11th:
This weekend was not as good as last weekend. We ended up 11th in the main event – I just kind of hit a wall there in the main and then went backwards a little bit. But we’ll be ready for next weekend, and hopefully we can come out and do some damage.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 16th:
Round two was not a great night for me. I started [at the back] in the main, and you just can’t do that in this field. I’ve got a lot of work to do to get out of the gate and give myself a chance. But overall, I’m riding the bike really well. We’re going to be okay, and that group that I want to be in is right there in front of me. We just need to clean it up and give myself a good chance, and we’re going to do that next weekend.

Austin Forkner (Triumph Racing) – DNS:
I had some pain around my kidney area, so the medical crew wanted me to head to the hospital for checks. I went there and everything checked out okay – it all looked okay. I was just really stiff, but otherwise fine. I will have some work done this week and I should be fine for Anaheim 2!

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Chance Hymas (Honda HRC Progressive) – Sixth:
It was a little bit of an up-and-down day for me, I just felt a little bit off all day but had some really good showings for me. I just made a couple of mistakes in the main, but overall blessed to be okay. We’re five points down in the championship – not too bad after this weekend – so we’ll regroup and go after A2.

Max Anstie (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fifth:
I genuinely didn’t want to play that game, but it is what it is. I know who I’m racing against. I’m a big boy and have to take it on the chin. There are a lot of positives to pull from tonight – my starts were great, and we’re right there. We’ll regroup, focus on ourselves, and go again next weekend.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
This is what I had on the goal list – a perfect day. Fastest in qualifying, a perfect heat race, and a perfect main. I wish I could’ve shown this last week because I worked my butt off, but that’s the nice thing about racing, we get to come back swinging the next weekend.

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
San Diego’s always been good to me. I got my first win here, so there are always good feelings when I come here. I didn’t get a great start in the main, but I made some really good moves early and just kept on it lap after lap, and was there all the way to the end. I wish we had gotten one more spot, but it was really close. I’m happy to start the season with two solid finishes and put myself in the points hunt. We’ll keep it rolling to A2.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Fourth:
The day was pretty good. I had another good qualifying session, and the heat race was alright, but I started pretty far back. In the main event, I had a really good start, but I clipped a tough block in the first turn and fell. I was able to move my way from last to fourth. I finished two spots higher than last week, from starting last, but I need to stop starting last. The goal for next week is better starts.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Second:
I didn’t expect to finish 22nd last weekend, so I definitely had something to prove to myself. I want to win, and I expect myself to win. This is one position behind what I wanted to do tonight. I know I’m capable of always being on the box, and I expect myself to stay up here moving forward. These last 10 months have been a long road to get back, and as everyone knows, this sport isn’t easy. I’ve always taken pride in being able to respond, and tonight was pretty special. Being off the bike for that long and then being able to race at that pace again means a lot. I’m grateful for my family, my team, and everyone who has stuck with me. I can’t thank the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team enough for believing in me, and I’ll always stand behind them.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Seventh:
San Diego was good! I qualified really well, we were all so close on the leaderboard between the top-three, so my speed is really not a problem. I just need to work on putting myself in a better position from the start, but I feel like everything is coming together. My endurance and mental side are solid, so we’ll be aiming for some more podiums and wins as the season continues.