Racers rolled into State Farm Stadium as the 450SX and 250SX West classes delivered for the Arizona fans in another exciting Saturday night of Supercross action. We’ve gathered the direct takes from riders for this Reaction feature from round five of the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – 12th:
I put myself in a position where bad things can happen. I got a little pinched at the start and then got taken out – so I don’t know what happened before that, all I know is, I was done. It took me a little while to get warmed up again, kind of got my body loosened up and going, and that’s what I had to get back to 12th. The good thing is, we’re not too far down – we’re fine – so we’ll just have to do some digging now.

Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Fifth:
My start was actually very good, it was just that I didn’t have much space entering the first corner. But still, I managed to get around the turn decently, and then I was battling back and forth with Justin [Cooper], which made me get a little bit tight. I ended up bringing it home in P5, which I would say is a solid night. We’re getting better and better with P1 in qualifying and the heat race, and then fifth in the main event is a good progression. I am happy with my riding and effort, so thanks to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team – they’re doing a great job, we have a great bike, and hopefully I can put it on the box again soon.

Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – Eighth:
Glendale was a step in the right direction. The result may not show it, but the last few weeks have been really tough, so this week was a lot better as a stepping stone and I think we are on the way to turning things around. I felt better on the bike – that was my first 20-minute moto since San Diego – and it is safe to say that things have been up and down. But, either way, we are moving forward, and that’s a positive for us. We’ll go back, do some more homework this week, and show up for Seattle! I’m ready to go.

Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – Second:
Second again, we just focus on the positive. I just felt a little flat – usually, around the 10-minute mark, I feel like, ‘Alright, we’re on,’ but I couldn’t quite get into that tonight. I tried to make a push at the end with Kenny [Roczen] and closed a little bit on him, but a little too late. The first thing I focus on is the start, and I saw Eli down when I came back on the start straight – that was obviously in my favor, but I just focused ahead. Kenny had the sand line really good. The majority of the day, the outside was a better run into that double-triple, I hadn’t gone inside yet in the race, and I didn’t realize how good it actually was. Sure enough, after I got passed [by Roczen], I went inside for the rest of the race, so that’s on me. Before the beginning of the season, I had supercross circled on my calendar for this year. I’m happy to have the red plate – it’s cool. I want to keep it, but I just want the red plate at the last round, plain and simple. From 2020, the amount of work to be here, it’s kind of tough to put into words how much goes into getting to this point, but it is pretty damn cool.

Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Third:
Glendale Supercross was a good night for me, overall. Qualifying was good, and I felt good all day. I was able to get a good start in the main event, get into third, and kind of rode there all night. I was there with Hunter [Lawrence] for a little bit, and then, the boys just kind of got me. But, overall, I’m happy with the night. For me, this is a place that isn’t my favorite, so it’s good to get a podium here. We’ll keep the ball rolling. We’ll start getting to these tracks that I really enjoy, so we’re back in the swing of things, which is nice.

Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth:
I got decent starts in the heat and the main. I felt like I had a good pace going at the front. I made a few mistakes in the middle, just trying to push. This track is a little bit hard to push on, so you almost have to relax a bit to find a better flow to move forward, and that’s kind of what I started to find towards the end. It was a big improvement from last weekend. Fourth place on a track and dirt that I usually struggle on a lot was really good. I was close to the podium, but we’ll take it as a win, and we’ll move on to next weekend in Seattle. Then we go east. I’m excited for the rounds coming up and dirt that suits me a little bit more.

Chase Sexton (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Seventh:
Not the results I was looking for today. We had some positive moments to take away from the day and some adjustments we made to the bike that are going in the right direction. I felt like I had the speed all day to run up front, but my starts were holding me back today from being up there. In the main event, I really had to work to get up to where I did. Seventh was unfortunately all I had in me today, and I’m not satisfied with it. We’ll continue to test and build this week and look towards Seattle.

Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 13th:
We made really good progress during the week leading into Glendale. We put in a lot of time on Tuesday and Wednesday to get the bike dialed in. We put in about 100-120 laps altogether in just those two days of riding. We made a lot of changes to the bike to help me feel more comfortable. I wanted to make adjustments that would make me feel more at home when we go racing, and I felt like we made the right decisions during this week to lead to that this weekend. In qualifying, I felt really good in both sessions and qualified my best in the second session. In the main event, I didn’t get the best start and had some riders flinch on the gate near me that didn’t help. There was a big first turn crash that I was able to avoid, and I made some good passes midway through the race. I got up to 11th and started to lose my flow in the last five minutes. I’m working on getting up to race pace shape with the longer format in the premier class, but I’m happy with 13th, my best result of the season so far. We’ll keep moving forward and look to next weekend.

Dylan Ferrandis (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing) – Ninth:
It was overall a very difficult day for me. I came to this race a little sick. Then first practice, I was hit by a rock… and I cut my eyebrow and I had to pull out from the practice to go stitches. So we lost one full practice and track time and was struggling a lot with a good feeling on the track. I had great starts every time we were on track, so that was very, very positive for today. I struggled a bit with the bike set up, and I made some change for main event and It was better. It was a bad beginning of the day but We salvaged to make at least the same result as my best result so far.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki) – First:
Glendale, Arizona, you have been a hell of a time. We always want to get better. Our riding has been so good over these last few weeks, but we were lacking in the starts. So, we did a bunch of testing this week for the first time in a long time. I’m glad that we did, because it shows that we want to get better, and starts nowadays are so important. Tonight we got a good start in the main event and we just had overall such good momentum. My motorcycle worked great, and we were able to take it all the way to the checkered flag. [It was] a phenomenal first place for me as part of my family, Griff, my oldest, and my wife were here. So, to do it again in Arizona, this is my fourth win here, I kind of have to let it sink in a little bit on the flight home and enjoy this one.

Jason Anderson (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 11th:
This weekend was not the best, but my riding was a lot better in the main event, so that was nice. In the heat race I started in P5, got up to third, and ended in third. And then in the main event I got squeezed on the corner exit and stalled it in the first corner and then worked my way back up to 11th. I think my riding was quite a bit better than where I finished, but we’ll get there.

Colt Nichols (Twisted Tea Suzuki) – 16th:
I crashed in the first turn with two other riders. I tried to do everything I could to come back, but the field was pretty spread out, not like in a big group, and I just couldn’t really do anything with it. So, P16 for the night. I’m frustrated, I want to get out of the gate better and try to put myself in a better position. I’m sick of being back there. It’s just the result of being back in the back of the pack, being stuck, and running into guys and crashing. We just need to be better out of the gate, straight up. But my riding’s a lot better. I’m improving every weekend through practice and the heats. I’ve just got to be better in the main.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – First:
Four in a row, and it was another perfect day, so yeah, it’s amazing. The track was pretty technical in the main event, pretty slick, but we were able to make it happen. I finally pulled a holeshot in the main event, so that was very nice. That’s a wrap on Glendale. Now we’re on to Seattle.

Max Anstie (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Eighth:
It was not a good day today. I got a bad start in the main and only made it back to eighth. I did all that I could, but it wasn’t good enough tonight.

Michael Mosiman (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) – Fourth:
Glendale delivered a solid points night. Qualifying wasn’t where I wanted it to be, but I had confidence in my riding and my abilities going into the main event. My starts were strong, which was a big focus for me after last weekend, so that was a positive takeaway. Losing the podium in the final laps was frustrating, and that’s on me. I know exactly where I need to improve, and I’m confident I can make those adjustments to finish races stronger. I’ve worked hard to get back to a place where I’m consistently fighting for podiums, and the same determination and resilience that got me here will keep driving me forward. A big thank you to the team for their effort and support.

Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Second:
Yeah, it was a good night. There were a lot of positives, but there was also a negative, and I can’t keep doing that. Track position is super important, and I did put myself there, but I felt good on the bike every race. I’ve just got to keep working and keep trying. I’m going to keep fighting. Thanks to the whole Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team for sticking behind me, along with my friends and family. I’m excited to get back to work with a home race next weekend. That’ll be fun, and maybe a little mud would be nice. Thanks to the fans in Glendale, and I’ll see you next week.

Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) – Third:
I had to fight for that one. I got myself into third early, dropped back, and then just kept digging. With a few laps to go, I knew I had more in the tank and made it happen. Having my sister here meant a lot, and that gave me some extra motivation. I can’t thank my team enough for sticking behind me through the early rounds. This one was special, and it felt great to put two Pro Circuit bikes on the podium again.

Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) – Fifth:
Glendale was good. I started off the day really fast in qualifying and then ended up going down in the heat race, but managed to fight my way back to eighth. That gave me a bad gate pick, but I positioned myself really well, actually, to start the main event. I ran third for a while, and lost a couple of places from there, so we have some work that needs doing between now and the next one, but I like the ruts and I like Seattle. We’ll make some tweaks and come out swinging next weekend!