More from a press release issued by Honda HRC:

Hunter Lawrence Dominates Birmingham Supercross for second-consecutive win.

• Australian extends championship lead to nine points 
• Shimoda narrowly misses podium in 250SX East/West Showdown 

The Birmingham AMA Supercross saw Honda HRC Progressive rider Hunter Lawrence continue the upward trend he has shown all year. One month after taking the first premier-class Supercross win of his career, he grabbed his third victory and his second in a row, extending his title-fight lead to nine points. Teammate Jo Shimoda also rode well in the year’s first East/West Showdown, narrowly missing the podium. 

In the 450SX main event, Lawrence executed his strategy to perfection, launching inside the top three, quickly moving into the lead in the opening corners, and controlling the race from the front. Demonstrating improved early-race intensity, the CRF450RWE rider established a comfortable gap and maintained composure, eventually securing the win by 2.4 seconds over Ken Roczen. Quad Lock Honda’s Shane McElrath and Christian Craig finished in 12th and 17th, respectively. 

Shimoda sat eighth after turn 1 in the 250SX East-West Showdown but quickly advanced into podium contention. He took over third at the halfway point, passed Levi Kitchen for second soon after, and began closing in on the leading Cole Davies. Shimoda briefly took the lead, but a small mistake opened the door for both Davies and Haiden Deegan to get by. A last-lap, three-way battle saw Shimoda make an attempt to take over second, only to lose traction on the slippery track and allow Seth Hammaker by. The Japanese rider was fourth at the finish line, but he remains in contention for the East Region crown, just nine points off the lead. 

NOTES 

• The Birmingham round followed the series’ first weekend off after nine races in a row, and Honda HRC Progressive rider Hunter Lawrence welcomed the opportunity to rest: “I was kind of feeling that wear and tear, and I was like, ‘I’m going to take Saturday and Sunday off.’ I haven’t taken two days completely off since last year, after Motocross of Nations. I thought I’d feel fresh on Monday, but I actually felt like crap Monday and Tuesday. My riding wasn’t that good, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m not taking two days off again!’” 

• Ahead of the East/West Showdown, Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda and Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cullin Park were the East Region Honda representatives during media-day interviews and riding sessions on Friday. Honda HRC Progressive’s Lars Lindstrom joined the Feld-led team-manager media scrum. 

• West Region rider Chance Hymas (currently out with a shoulder injury) was in attendance in Birmingham and participated in the autograph session with teammates Lawrence and Shimoda, giving fans a chance to meet the (almost) full roster of Honda HRC Progressive riders. The Idaho native is set to start riding again this week. 

• Also making good progress is Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence, who has been out since an ankle injury incurred during the pre-season. Jett recently underwent a follow-up procedure to remove hardware, and a return to riding is expected in the next couple of weeks. 

• The race was attended by groups of Honda associates and representatives from Honda’s Alpharetta Powersports headquarters, from the North Carolina ATV manufacturing plant, and from the South Carolina side-by-side manufacturing plant. All were excited to witness Lawrence’s third premier-class victory. 

• Honda’s satellite teams featured reduced lineups in Birmingham, with Phoenix Racing Honda rider Gavin Towers and Quad Lock Honda rider Joey Savatgy both sitting out to recover from injuries sustained in Indianapolis. 

• Shimoda placed 12th in 250SX combined qualifying—including both the East and West regions. Phoenix Racing Honda riders Cullin Park and Evan Ferry qualified 10th and 22nd, respectively. Ryder Floyd (Ti Lube Honda) qualified in 25th, and Storm Lake Honda riders Luke Neese and Izaih Clark were 27th and 30th, respectively. SLR Honda’s Justin Rodbell qualified in 34th, while Next Level’s Hunter Schlosser was 41st.  

• In 450SX qualifying, Lawrence posted the second-fastest time. Quad Lock Honda riders Christian Craig and Shane McElrath qualified in 12th and 13th, respectively. Other Red Riders included John Short IV (Short Racing), Jeremy Hand (Valley Motorsports), Zack Williams (McGinley Clinic) and Ronnie Orres (Lasting Impressions), who qualified 24th, 25th, 29th and 41st, respectively. 

• Shimoda started the East Region heat race in eighth and steadily worked his way into the top five by the midway point, ultimately securing fourth place on the final lap. Park also advanced directly to the East/West Showdown with an eighth-place finish in his heat race. 

• Lawrence was second off the start in his 450SX heat race, while Craig was strong in fourth. The positions remained the same until the checkered flag. McElrath also advanced to the main event, with a fifth-place finish in his heat race. 

• Birmingham marked Hunter Lawrence’s third premier-class win (season and career), and he now holds a nine-point advantage over Eli Tomac.  

• Next up, Honda HRC Progressive heads to round 11 of AMA Supercross this Saturday in Detroit.

Hunter Lawrence: “The track layout was rather simple, but the conditions made it tricky, and we did a lot of laps. Kenny [Roczen] had a really good pace; when he got around Eli [Tomac], he put in some good laps, and I’mlike, ‘Alright, this is his really good sprint speed, so I need to kind of push at the beginning.’ I was trying to push as much as I could. That’s one of the things I find the coolest: a high-pressure moment or high-stakes scenario, and you’re able to deliver. You’ve got to be consistent, precise and just push the whole main. I don’t really want to think about the title, because it’s still seven races away and so much racing left to be had. I’m just trying not to be an idiot, and focusing on the week-in and week-out.” 

Jo Shimoda: “I almost had a good race, but the last-lap situation didn’t work out. I tried to make a pass, but I wasn’t close enough, and I also didn’t want to tangle with the lappers. After the whoops, I kind of wanted to go outside, get that speed, maybe have an opportunity to pass, but I knew Seth [Hammaker] was right behind me; if I went outside, maybe he could just come in pretty hard and take me out, which would be a lot worse. I think I didn’t race to be second tonight; I wanted to make a lot more attempts instead of just giving up on the last lap.” 

More from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA:

Suzuki’s Ken Roczen charges to second place at Birmingham Supercross. Ken Roczen Overtakes 14 Riders at Round Ten of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.

The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Season heads into the final stretch with the completion of the Birmingham Supercross. The event inside Protective Stadium paid points toward the 17-round Supercross season as well as toward the SMX World Championship. The Alabama track’s dirt was inconsistent and choked with large rocks. The unpredictable soil conditions put a premium on line selection and quick reaction times of the racers.

Race Highlights:

• Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear ECSTAR Suzuki
  • 450 Class
    • Ken Roczen delivered his sixth podium of the season and advanced into the top-three in the championship standings.
• Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance
  • 450 Class
    • Colt Nichols earned a top-ten result with his season-best performance.
    • Justin Bogle returned to AMA Supercross racing and has joined the Suzuki team for the Birmingham Supercross. 

Ken Roczen (94) displayed incredible speed from the start of the day in Birmingham. Roczen earned top-three spots in both qualifying sessions and in the overall qualifying results. In his heat race, Roczen rounded the first corner just outside of the top five. Roczen drove forward past his competitors and put his Suzuki RM-Z450 into the lead at the heat race midpoint. Roczen held on for his fifth heat race win of the season (in addition to two Triple Crown Race wins). In the main event, Roczen crossed the holeshot stripe in a disappointing 16th place, then launched a charge to the front that will likely be re-watched for years. With less than four minutes off the race clock Roczen reached fifth place and had no intention of anything less than a victory. Six minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap main event, Roczen put his Suzuki into second place. The race announcer and former Suzuki racer James Stewart commentated that Roczen has been riding really good all season and hasn’t adjusted his bike settings in nearly a year. Roczen went to work and posted the race’s fastest lap time, more than half a second quicker than the nearest competitor. As the ruts deepened and heavy rocks surfaced, Roczen steadily eroded the gap to the lead. He cut the gap to less than three seconds before a few minor mistakes late in the race halted Roczen’s progress. Roczen kept the pressure on and took the checkered flag in second place. The Birmingham points moved Roczen up one position in the championship standings and the pace demonstrated that Ken Roczen will be a title threat through the final stretch of the season.

 
“Alright Birmingham is done and dusted. We had a really good day overall,” said Roczen. “In [qualifying] I was always up on the board in the top three or so. The track ended up being trickier than I originally thought; the rhythms were pretty basic, but we had a lot of different dirt. It was new dirt, it was pretty rocky; and not just little rocks, but big boulders. [Also], part of the track was really rutty and deep, and other parts were extremely dry and pebbly with no traction. So, it ended up making it quite difficult… My starts just weren’t there tonight, and it was a really big bummer starting at around 15th or so. It’s hard to win when you’re that far back. Luckily, I was really on one tonight… I was pretty fast all [through the] main event and was able to click guys off. I ended up coming in at second. I was catching [the rider ahead] quite good but the track, with how rocky it was; you didn’t even have to make a mistake, but it ended up being [similar to the result of a] mistake just by landing on a rock a little bit and shooting sideways. So, I missed a couple of rhythms a couple of times, and the gap went back out to 5 seconds or so. I was able to get a little closer towards the end. Ultimately, I was really happy with the second place after that start. We rode amazingly tonight, and my bike worked well, too, so we’re on a good path.” 

Colt Nichols (45) came back from the season’s only off-weekend to re-emerge with newfound speed. Nichols matched his season-best result in the first qualifying sessions, which earned him a season-topping overall qualifying spot. After a strong start in the heat, Nichols gained positions to grab a fourth-place spot at the checkered. In the main, Nichols emerged from the first turn with a mid-pack start. Nichols battled inside the top ten throughout the 25-lap race and brought home an eighth-place result, his best yet of 2026. 

“It was a much better night for me for sure,” stated Nichols. “I actually got out of the gate decently and felt like I rode really well. I was pretty sick this week so I was struggling a little bit about halfway [through the main], but I dug in as hard as I could. I feel like I rode really well, and I ended up getting P-8 tonight. I wanted to get into the single digits, so I’m pumped we were able to do that. The bike [set-up] is in a much better spot after the break; we made a bunch of changes, so shout out to Mark at REP Suspension and everyone on the team. It’s been kind of a struggle year, to be honest, so to get an eighth is awesome and something to build on.”

Justin Bogle (891) returned to AMA Supercross racing by re-joining the Twisted Tea Suzuki team as a fill-in rider. With only four test days and a media day under his belt, Bogle charged right back into race mode with strong qualifying rides in the B group. Even with a mediocre gate pick, Bogle was strong off the gate of his heat race, grabbing a top-ten start and holding strong for a direct transfer into the main event. In the main, Bogle was not able to match his heat race start and found himself in 22nd place when the pack reached the green flag. Bogle put down steady laps, gained positions, and showed his protégé (the team’s Colt Nichols) that he still has the speed to earn points against the best Supercross racers in the world. 

“Tonight was interesting. It was fun,” said Bogle. “[It was] rough qualifying; it’s been a long time since I’ve raced. The heat race was awesome, P-6, straight to the main. I’m really pumped on that. In the main event I got out there, I think P-18, so not great but we’ll work into it. I’m really, really happy and loving to be at the races. Man, it’s really cool.”

“It was a really good night for the team. We had three guys in the main event [from direct transfers] through the heat. Ken won the heat, Colt got fourth and Bogle sixth, which was awesome to see. Obviously, Bogle is a new addition to the team, stepping in as our third rider right now, and to see him make it in with a sixth in the heat was awesome,” reported Dustin Pipes, Principal of the Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance team. “The main event went really well, too. Ken was 16th in the first corner; he had the fastest lap of the race and came back to second. It was really close. We felt like we were the best guy this weekend but [the lead rider] rode a complete race and we couldn’t get him in in the end. So, P-2 for Ken. Colt had his best finish of the year in P-8, and it was great to see him round that first corner in the top ten; and he stayed up there. That’s just where he belongs. We feel like he’s a top-ten guy and he’s starting to show it, so that was great to see. Bogle had a P-18 in the main; coming out of retirement, that’s kind of as much as we could ask for. We expect for him to build throughout the weeks and hopefully by the end of the season we’ve got something. But it was a really, really great night for the team.”

The Supercross season heads to Ford Field in Detroit Michigan for round 11 of the 17-round series. The Suzuki riders and team members are getting stronger as the season progresses and are eager to put their RM-Z450 race bikes higher in the season standings with a firm focus on the championship title.  

For the latest team updates, news, and race insights, visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross or pipesmotorsportsgroup.com.

More from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:

Birmingham supercross podium keeps Eli Tomac in 450SX Title Contention.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac delivered an eighth podium of the year at Round 10 of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship, racing to a P3 result in Birmingham to firmly keep himself in 450SX title contention.

Tomac was on pace from the outset at Protective Stadium as the series resumed following a single weekend off, with the number 3 posting a 50.962s lap to qualify fastest for the fifth time this year onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.

The 33-year-old then featured up front in the early stages of Heat 2 before an incident forced him into the night’s Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), where the double 450SX Champion took victory to secure his transfer into the Main Event.

From there, Tomac ran inside the top-three throughout the premier class Main Event after a strong start, ultimately taking home a third-place finish to maintain P2 in the 450SX standings. He now sits nine points outside of the red plate as the series heads to Detroit’s Ford Field next weekend.

Eli Tomac: “I just wasn’t as good tonight as the front two, so that’s about it. Of course, the LCQ was very stressful and a high-pressure moment, but I got myself out there to a good start from the inside gate, and I just got beat tonight. I was a little bit off and it was one of those nights that was tough, so we’ll try to regroup for next weekend and see if we can get back up front.”

Four-time world champion Jorge Prado powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the seventh-fastest qualifying time after overcoming a big crash during the afternoon sessions, before earning a convincing P2 result in 450SX Heat 2.

The Spaniard then launched to the holeshot in the Main Event and ran with the leaders during the early stages in second position. Maintaining a steady pace throughout, Prado ultimately recorded a P7 result, continuing to build momentum as the season progresses. He is now ninth in the 450SX standings with seven rounds to contest.

Jorge Prado: “I wrapped up Birmingham with P7. The round started with a big crash in practice, which I think affected the rest of my day. Obviously, the confidence goes down, and you start thinking about things a little more. Luckily, I walked away from that in one piece – I did hit my stomach very bad – but not bad enough to not be racing. P2 in the Heat Race was solid, and then I holeshotted the Main Event and got passed in the second corner. I stayed in P2 for a couple laps, but was missing a bit of my flow tonight, so it was a bit of a struggle. We battled for P5 most of the race, but all-in-all, it was just an okay ride. Not terrible, just medium, and I’m happy to be healthy with another week of training ahead.”

Also equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Aaron Plessinger set the ninth-fastest time in 450SX qualifying, before the Ohio native displayed front-running speed in the second Heat Race of the round, claiming P3 directly behind teammate Prado.

The 30-year-old then launched to a top-five start in the 450SX Main Event, holding fourth position early on behind Prado and Tomac. He then settled into eighth place for the majority of the race, only to endure a late-race mishap, which saw him credited with 21st place.

Aaron Plessinger: “I was planning on Birmingham being a good day. Practice went decent and the track was wild – dry and wet at the same time, if you can imagine that! It was just a wild track altogether, but I qualified ninth and then had a really good Heat Race in battling with Jorge and felt good. I got a good start in the Main Event, rode a little tight at first, and then started to loosen up as the race went on. Then I hit a rock on the face of a jump, and I felt the rear-end start to rise, which is when I knew I wasn’t going to make the triple. I tried to ditch the bike, but it was too late, and the bars hit my knees. After that it was a bit of a blur – I think I did a flip or two and, when I landed, I heard something really crunch so that was the end of my night. I went to the Medical Unit, they checked me out, and I am in one piece, but I am just sore and bummed out. I felt like we made a lot of good progress in the break, but I just have to keep grinding to get to where we need to be.”

Next Race: March 28 – Detroit, Michigan

More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper and Cooper Webb fight through a chaotic night of racing at Birmingham Supercross.

After a weekend break, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Championship returned to action last Saturday at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, with the title fight back in full force. It was an up-and-down night for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper and Cooper Webb, with both riders overcoming adversity to finish fourth and sixth, respectively.

It was an eventful heat race for Cooper. After grabbing the holeshot, it was an intense battle with Ken Roczen. Then on Lap 4 Roczen made the pass on Cooper, and right after, Eli Tomac came through and made contact, with Cooper’s leg getting caught in Tomac’s rear wheel. It took some time to get untangled and back on the bike, but the New Yorker showed a lot of grit and determination, charging from 13th to seventh.

Cooper carried that momentum into the main event, getting another strong start in second despite a less-than-ideal gate pick. He was shuffled back to fourth in the opening-lap battle and later dropped to sixth, but continued to push forward. Before the halfway mark, he had worked his way back to fourth, where he would finish.

“I didn’t like the track today,” said Cooper. “The dirt’s not very good, with a lot of rocks and all that, so yeah, I struggled a little bit with the bike all day. I obviously had that incident in the heat race and had a pretty sore leg for the main event, but I was able to get really good starts all day. That was the plus side. I got a good start in the main, top three, I think, and got shuffled around a bit and came home in fourth. I also got some major arm pump for the first time in a while. It was just a tough track all day, and I wasn’t really jelling, so fourth was good tonight.”

Webb also got off to a strong start to the night, grabbing the holeshot in his heat race and holding off pressure from Hunter Lawrence to secure the win. However, he didn’t replicate that start in the main event and found himself eighth. The reigning 450SX Champion quickly went to work, advancing to fourth in the opening laps. Then on Lap 10, he had a costly tipover in the tricky conditions that had him back in eighth. He regrouped and charged forward once again, ultimately finishing sixth to secure valuable championship points.

“Practice went well for me,” Webb said. “Then I was able to win my heat race, which was really cool. In the main event, I didn’t get off to the best start, then had a tip-over, which was a bummer. It put me back a ways, and I just wasn’t able to move forward. I also got pretty bad arm pump, so it was just a tough night, but we’ll regroup and get better.”

Although it wasn’t the results they were looking for, there were a lot of positives to take away from the 10th round of the championship.

“Qualifying and Coop’s heat race were big positives on the day,” said Rich Simmons, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 Team Manager. “He got a good start in the heat race, but not so much in the main. Then he just didn’t quite ride to the level he showed earlier and had that mistake that cost him some spots. We made some gains that didn’t really show on paper, so we’ll keep working with Webb. And then Justin — I thought he rode well all day. That incident in the heat race was tough, but he recovered well and was pretty sore going into the main. I’m proud of him for fighting through that and getting fourth. We need to hold our heads high, but it’s not the result we’re striving for, so we’ll keep pushing.”

Next weekend, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads north to Detroit for Round 11 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the Monster Energy SMX World Championship at Ford Field on March 28.

Cole Davies and Haiden Deegan Top the Podium in Birmingham.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies and Haiden Deegan make championship gains at the first 250SX East-West Showdown of the season in Alabama.

The stage was set for an epic showdown in Birmingham, Alabama, as the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East and West divisions went head-to-head for the first time this season. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan arrived riding a five-race win streak and holding a commanding 35-point lead in the West, while teammate Cole Davies carried the red plate in a tightly contested East Championship, with four riders separated by just two points.

The first Showdown of the season offered not only valuable championship points but also bragging rights among the best 250 riders in the sport. On Saturday night at Protective Stadium, Deegan was first to the checkered flag, but a penalty credited the victory to Davies. In the end, the team secured a 1-2 finish, with both riders extending their respective championship leads.

“It was a great night for the team, going 1-2 at the shootout with Haiden and Cole,” said Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team General Manager. “We’ve got to keep the fight for these titles, so we’ll go back to work and be ready for the next one.”

In the East, Davies won his heat race and headed into the main event with the first gate pick. From there, he got a great start in second and quickly claimed the lead. It was a hard-fought battle all race long. After being passed by Levi Kitchen on Lap 2, Davies continued to push and reclaimed the lead on Lap 8. The fight intensified in the closing laps, with Deegan moving past and one of his title rivals – Jo Shimoda – applying pressure. On the final lap, Shimoda made a pass, but Davies responded to reclaim second. Following a one-position penalty assessed to Deegan, Davies took home the win, extending his 250SX East Championship lead to six points.

“It’s not the way I wanted to win the shootout, that’s for sure,” said Davies. “I crossed the line in second, and Haiden got penalized for a track infringement. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing YZ250F was working really well all night, but unfortunately, I was overriding. I’m not entirely happy with my performance, but we banked maximum points and extended our championship lead after a wild night of racing. We’ll take the red plate to Detroit and keep pushing.”

With over a month break, Deegan was fired up to go racing and was looking to keep his win streak rolling. Despite not having the qualifying result he was looking for, he rebounded in the 250SX West Heat Race, charging from sixth to claim the lead before the halfway mark, earning his sixth heat race win of the season.

In the main event, he got buried after the start and was 10th on the opening lap. Undeterred, the reigning champion put his head down and charged through the field, taking over the lead with four laps to go. He set a blistering pace up front and crossed the line with a comfortable margin of victory. A post-race penalty for track cutting dropped him to second, but he still extended his points lead and leaves Alabama with a commanding 42-point advantage.

“It was good,” Deegan said. “Qualifying was a little rough, but then we were able to bring it around for the heat race. I kind of got my aggression back in my system come race time, so that was good. I was able to get the win in the heat race, but then had an unfortunate start in the main event. It put me mid-pack around 10th, so I had to work my way through the pack and ended up getting to the lead. It was probably one of the best races in my career. I was able to work through the pack well.”

Max Anstie, who maintains the runner-up spot in the 250SX West Championship, delivered a strong ride in his return to racing after undergoing surgery for a ruptured appendix following Seattle. Despite limited time on the bike, he showed speed with a runner-up finish in his heat race. In the main event, he got a solid start and ran fourth on the opening lap before ultimately finishing seventh.

“Well, we made it,” exclaimed Anstie. “I’m just glad to be here. It was definitely an eventful five-week break. I had my appendix taken out, so I literally sat on the couch for three weeks, not being able to do a lot. I came into today not really knowing how I was going to be. So honestly, I was really pleased with the seventh. The East-West shootout – it was gnarly. I honestly just felt pretty flat in the main event. I haven’t been able to push, so I lacked intensity, but that is to be expected with the lack of bike time and the lack of motos. All in all, I’m pleased to get out of here in one piece and move on to these couple of weeks when I can step it up again and be ready for St. Louis.”

Joining them in the top 10 was Nate Thrasher, who scored valuable points in the 250SX East Championship. After qualifying 11th, he delivered a solid heat race with a third-place finish. In the main event, he got a decent start in seventh and did what he could, but ultimately crossed the line 10th.

“The first East-West Shootout is done and dusted,” said Thrasher. “I didn’t have my best ride,  but we are working to get better and are somewhat healthy.”

Rookie Caden Dudney showed grit and determination throughout the night and transferred through the LCQ with a win. With the less-than-ideal gate pick for the main event, it was a difficult start for the young Texan who found himself 18th on the opening lap. He put his head down and made his way to 13th by Lap 4 and, despite a brief drop back in position, he kept pushing to finish 13th.

“Overall, I’m happy with the progress we made with the bike,” said Dudney. “The track was pretty challenging all day, but we still made it a good night, and I gave it my best efforts with the gate pick I had in the main. I also had my first LCQ, and let’s just say it was a bit nerve-wracking.”

It was a tough night for Pierce Brown, who entered the round third in the 250SX East standings. After being collected by another rider towards the end of the heat race, the Utah rider had to race the LCQ, where he finished second. Despite having the 20th gate pick, Brown got a strong start inside the top 10 in the main event. Then on the third lap, he had a big crash and withdrew from the race, dropping him to fifth in the point standings.

In SMX Next, Landen Gordon was the fastest qualifier with Kayden Minear third. Unfortunately, the pair got caught up in a first-turn crash after the start of the main event, ending Gordon’s night early. Minear rejoined at the back of the field, a lap down, but showed determination to finish 19th.

“The track was tricky today,” said Minear. “We played with the bike setup and really got it comfy in that last one, so I was going into the main event feeling confident. Unfortunately, I got tangled in a first-turn crash and was a lap down before I even got going. I’m just proud to finish the moto after that big crash.”

More from a press release issued by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna:

250SX contender Daxton Bennick sixth in East/West Showdown weekend.