Bar-to-bar battles and unpredictable moments defined the night at NRG Stadium, as the first Triple Crown round of the season put both 450SX and 250SX West contenders to the test. We’ve gathered the direct takes from riders for this Reaction feature from round four of the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Fourth:
That was such a high-speed on-off there, the triple on-off, and in the transition, I ended up stomping on my rear brake. Thankfully, I was able to get through my bars – I was like, ‘Wow, I really need to step through my bars right now.’ I felt a little tag by the bike, but the limbs are good, I’m good, and I’m excited I was able to get that rebound in the final race. If I’m going to toss one away, this is the one to do it at, and I’m just happy to get fourth overall, because that was a ride! Glad to move on to next week.

Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Seventh:
Riding-wise, I think this was a very good event. I think I rode well all day – I got a solid start in the first race, same as the second race, and then in the third one I just messed it up big time in the first corner. I was really, really behind in that one, and it was very hard to pass a lot of riders in such a short time, so I am disappointed with the end result because I think that I could’ve done way better. It is what it is, we’ll take the learnings from tonight into next weekend in Arizona.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – 13th:
Qualifying was going pretty well in Houston, before I cased a jump and hit my ankle pretty good. I got a decent start in the first Triple Crown race, but then made a few mistakes and dropped back – I was just really involved in those mid-field battles, which are tough. And then Race 2 was much the same – just didn’t execute as well as I should. And then, for the third one, I got a decent start again and was riding alright, but then my ankle started hurting, which sent me back. Overall, not a great night, but we’ll shift our focus to the next one in Glendale for a rebound.

Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – Second:
It was a bit of a bummer in the first race, it was just a silly little mistake – it wasn’t really a crash, but then as soon as I went off the track where it meets the concrete, it’s just so slippery and it’s hard to save that. I just reset after that one, and I think we did pretty good. I’m happy with how the night went, honestly. This format is one of the tougher ones for me, those short-duration sprints don’t come easy. I find the short turnaround from the first to the second race easier than the last one, where you’re kind of waiting around a little bit longer. I feel like the longer you wait, the tougher it is because it’s like you’re starting fresh again. The start is everything – even in a normal main event, it just makes your night so much easier. You see the chaos that goes on and I’ve been on the other side of that, so I just try to give myself the best shot into that first turn. In the last moto, I didn’t get that one middle lane, and that gave Eli the inside, that was where that race was decided, I think. I still tried to push and get in a rhythm. I knew the night win was there, and I needed to get him, but I think that if I keep putting myself in the top five around the first turn every weekend and click off good laps, good things are going to start happening. I like my chances over the next couple races. From what it could’ve been, we did pretty good damage control, and we pulled four points back on the lead. We live to fight another day, and I’m looking forward to Glendale.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
It feels amazing. It’s been a really tough month – mentally, physically, and emotionally… It’s never over, like I said last week. I thought it was a nail in the coffin, but that’s why I’m proud of myself. It’s a Cooper Webb move right there, to come back a week later and put myself in position to win. Qualifying went a lot better, a lot smoother, and then it was just a very consistent, solid night of racing. I rode really well all night and put myself in a good situation. The last one got a little hairy. I made a big mistake on the finish line jump on the first lap, and got pushed back. Then I made some good passes and put myself in position to get the win. It’s a sigh of relief for myself and the team. I’m just motivated to keep this feeling going.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Ninth:
It was a tough day overall, but we learned a lot today, and we can take a lot of positives going into the next few races. I feel like this race went way better than the previous one, and there were improvements. I’ve just got to fine-tune some areas and will be ready to go racing again.

Chase Sexton (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Fifth:
Tonight was tough. The first race was solid, and I felt like I was right where I needed to be, but the second race made things harder with the start, and I had to work my way forward and be smart about it. Going into the third race, it was about salvaging the best overall result possible and staying consistent. The speed is there, and I know we’re close. The team never stopped pushing, and we’ll learn more about the bike and apply it moving forward.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 15th:
This weekend was about continuing to build and get more comfortable every time I was on the bike. It wasn’t an easy night, especially when you’re working through the pack in multiple races, but I felt better as the night went on. Each race I was able to settle in, find a rhythm, and make progress, even when the starts weren’t ideal. There are definitely positives to take away, and I’m happy with the direction we’re heading. I’m grateful to be back racing and putting laps together, and I know we’ll keep improving as the season goes on.”

Dylan Ferrandis (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing) – 10th:
I think my first moto was just bad. I got a good start, but I was fighting with the bike and myself a little bit and was not very comfortable in the first laps and made a lot of mistakes. My starts were not very good, but by the last moto I had a better feeling on the bike and I think we started to really get a very good base, chassis-wise. This week we need to work and improve on starts as we keep learning the bike. I feel super good and super comfortable, but when you’re out there with so much competition, you have to have the mind, the body, the bike, everything perfect to fight with these boys.

Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Eighth:
Houston was trending in the right direction for me! I felt pretty good through all three races tonight. We’ve just been making sure to do all of the right things regarding recovery, and I have been working with Dr. G all week. I’m starting to feel a lot better and getting closer to feeling normal, so this is a very positive night. I know on paper it doesn’t look that good, but under the circumstances from Anaheim 1, this is a big win for us. So, all we need to do is keep moving forward, keep putting in the work, and I know I can get back up to where I need to be. Glendale is always a fun one and one of my favorites, so I am looking forward to that race next week.

RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – 11th:
Houston was a long day for me I didn’t qualify well ––even though I felt good on the bike – and then my first race was decent after riding strong the whole time. Second one, I had a decent start inside the top 10 and then ended up going down pretty late in it, which dropped me back a few spots. Last race, I had a pretty good start again, but it was just decent, nothing overly special tonight. I still feel like there was progress made from our time on the bike, so we’ll head back home this week and come out swinging in Arizona.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki) – Third:
I was comfortable on the track [early], although when the racing came around the track was pretty sketchy, it was very high-speed and we had a couple odd obstacles that enhanced that a little bit. I started off the first race with the holeshot, or a near holeshot. [From there I] was in the lead the whole time and was able to win that one. That felt really good to start the night off with a good result like that. The second race was a little bit tougher, as I didn’t get off the gate as well. But I was able to ride my way up to fifth, and we ended up finishing there. That it made it tight for the for the overall going into race three, I knew what I had to do and where I had to be to be able to pull off the overall. There was a lot of madness going on in that last one. Going over the finish line jump on the first lap I had a near-collision and it was very sketchy, but we all got out of it good. Then the battle started. In the middle of the race, I lost a couple of spots because I missed the rhythm section, and I ended up being right behind Cooper. Unfortunately, that put us from first to third [overall]. I don’t want to complain, because it is a podium, but it is tough when a win is right in front of you and you just didn’t get it. Nonetheless, we’re happy to finish it off healthy here on the podium. The championship is looking really good, too.

Jason Anderson (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – Sixth:
I feel like my speed is better than what my result shows. We fought hard, ended up sixth overall, and I was one point out of fourth. So, it would have been nice to be able to stay in the top five, but we’ll keep working and see if we can get there next weekend – but obviously we want to be further up even than that.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 16th:
It was a much better day for me, start to finish, the results don’t show it, but practice was way better. I was single digit in qualifying for a long time, and ended up qualifying overall P13. In the first race I got 13th. In the second race I crashed and then just could not get going – I had a really bad finish there. And then in the third race I got out of the gate a lot better and then just didn’t quite ride like I wanted to for the first few laps. We have some stuff to work on, per usual, but I feel like I’m in a much better spot – I’m finally knocking the sickness I had, so we’ll be good to go for next weekend.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
Yeah, tonight was another perfect day, so that was awesome. Being P1 in qualifying was huge. It was a Triple Crown, so qualifying is pretty much a heat race. I had a good gate pick and rocketed out to a holeshot in that first race, and kind of set the tone. Then, the next two, I was able to get a pretty good start around the top three and get to the lead. Going 1-1-1 on the night for my first ever Triple Crown sweep – that’s cool.

Max Anstie (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Sixth:
It was a tough night, but the last moto was better. I went down in the first one and came out 10th, then in the second moto, I got a bad start and got to sixth. The last one, I had a decent start and rode around in second. It’s not my best work, but we’ll go to work this week and come back swinging in Phoenix.

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Eighth:
It was a tough night in Houston. It started out solid in qualifying and the first main event, but in the second race, I fell early and struggled to get the bike started. I was able to work my way back some, but that mistake was costly. Then the last moto, I struggled to find a flow. Eighth overall was not the night I was hoping for, but there is a lot to learn from tonight, and I will make better decisions going forward. That’s how progress is made.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Second:
I’m pretty happy with tonight. Getting a couple of good starts and feeling that pace again was huge for me. Having three chances tonight really helped me work through some of the things I’ve been dealing with, and overall it was a solid night. The track was good, the racing was fun, and the competition was strong. I can’t thank my family, friends, and everyone who supports me enough, along with the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
Triple Crowns are intense, and I love that pressure. After losing a podium late last weekend, I really wanted to respond, and tonight felt like me again. We worked hard this week, and it was awesome to put two Pro Circuit bikes on the podium. That meant a lot to all of us – we want to do it for Mitch. I’m grateful for my team, my family, my friends, and the fans. This is the greatest sport in the world, and I’m thankful I get to race at this level.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Fifth:
Houston Triple Crown was good for me. I started off the day with good speed in qualifying, and then the first race didn’t begin very well with a bad start. The track was tough tonight – it was super-technical and fast, and you needed to concentrate a lot on hitting your marks every lap. There weren’t a lot of passing opportunities, so where you started made it tough to move forward. We need to clean a couple of things up, be a little more consistent with my laps, but I’m super-stoked to get to Glendale and Seattle because those have been two of my better rounds!