BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After the lone off weekend of the season, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship made its anticipated return to action for Round 10 of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship from Protective Stadium. It proved to be a statement night for 450SMX Class points leader Hunter Lawrence, who enjoyed arguably the single-best performance of his career with Honda HRC Progressive in a dominant ride that netted the Australian back-to-back victories and three wins over the past four races.
Hunter Lawrence Dominant in Birmingham as Back-to-Back Wins Extend Championship Lead Inside Protective Stadium
The 20 Minute + 1 Lap Main Event for the 450SMX Class got underway with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine of Jorge Prado out front for the holeshot ahead of Lawrence. The Honda rider went on the attack immediately and seized control of the race while Prado settled in ahead of his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Eli Tomac. Behind them, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb, the reigning champion, and Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen gave chase.
With a clear track, Lawrence was able to build a multi-second lead in the opening laps as Tomac engaged in an extended battle with Prado, which allowed Roczen, who came out the gate in 16th, to join the fight from fourth. Tomac made the move on his teammate for second and brought Roczen along into third. It wasn’t long before Roczen then went after Tomac and made quick work to take control of second. From there, the lead trio remained unchanged as Lawrence managed a lead of about four seconds over Roczen, while Tomac dropped well back and lost touch with his rivals. While Roczen did make inroads on Lawrence at times, heavy lapped traffic hindered any significant gains of momentum.
Lawrence took his third career win by a margin of 2.3 seconds over Roczen. Tomac followed more than 30 seconds back in third but made the most of a challenging evening that saw him navigate his first LCQ since the 2019 season after an incident with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper in their Heat Race.
Lawrence extended his lead in the 450SMX Class standings over Tomac to nine points, while Roczen’s sixth podium finish of the season allowed him to take hold of third, 31 points behind Lawrence.
Hunter Lawrence – 1st Place – 450SMX Class:
“It feels good [to win for the third time in four races]. I’m just taking it one race at a time. It’s easy to think about the end result, which is the title, but I’m just trying to stay focused in the moment. Anything can happen, as we’ve seen tonight, so I’m just happy to be up here.”
Ken Roczen – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class:
“I’m ecstatic, honestly. I think I rode really well, but you can’t start 15th and expect to win a race. Inconsistency on the start [is something] I’m not happy with. I rode so good tonight. Coulda, woulda, shoulda, but with racing like that I’m totally fine with it.”
Eli Tomac – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class:
“I just wasn’t as good tonight as the front two. That’s it. Of course, the LCQ was very stressful and a high-pressure moment, but I got myself out there to a good start [in the Main Event] on the outside gate and just got beat tonight. Just a little bit off. It’s tough, one of those nights, but we’ll try to regroup next week and see if we can get back up front.”
Haiden Deegan Finishes First in 250SMX Class East/West Showdown, Penalized One Position for Cutting Track
The 250SMX Class came into Birmingham with heightened tension as the first East/West Showdown of the 2026 season brought together the best of both the Western and Eastern Divisional Championships. The 15 Minute + 1 Lap Main Event began with Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen alongside Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies, the Eastern Divisional points leader. Kitchen edged out the young New Zealander for the holeshot and the pair then defined the first half of the race by trading for the lead three times before Davies appeared to assert his control of the Main Event with just over seven minutes remaining.
The battle behind the lead duo was exceptional as well between Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan, the Western Divisional points leader and reigning champion who started well back of his rivals in 10th place. Shimoda compiled an impressive march to the front that saw him pass Kitchen for second and challenge Davies for the lead late in the race. Deegan, meanwhile, mounted a charge of his own that carried him by both Hammaker and Kitchen into third to establish a three-rider fight for the win. Shimoda came up short on several attempts to pass Davies for the lead in the waning minutes, which played into Deegan’s hands. The Yamaha rider made the move on Shimoda for second and moments later surged past his teammate to grab the lead with about a minute left on the race clock.
Deegan sprinted away in the closing laps to take an impressive come-from-behind victory. Davies battled back from a last lap pass by Shimoda to finish second, 3.6 seconds behind Deegan, while Hammaker took advantage of a miscue by Shimoda with two turns remaining to steal third. Kitchen rounded out the top five.
Following the conclusion of the race, AMA officials reviewed a moment during the Main Event that saw Deegan make an illegal lane shift through a split-lane section of the racetrack that required riders to commit to a single lane. As a result, Deegan was penalized one position for cutting the track, which ultimately gave the win to Davies.
With the penalty and subsequent win, Davies now leads the Eastern Divisional Championship by six points over Hammaker, with Shimoda nine points behind in third. In the Western Divisional Championship, Deegan’s healthy lead in the standings sits at 42 points over his teammate Max Anstie, who finished seventh, with Kitchen 47 points out of the lead in third.
Cole Davies – 1st Place – 250SMX Class East/West Showdown*:
“Looking at the positives, I [gained] points tonight, but I’m not exactly happy with that. I rode terrible, to be honest. I was just overriding. We still made [gains] in points so I’m happy with that, but I’m not happy with my riding. It is what it is and we’re on to the next round.”
*Quote recorded prior to enforcement of penalty.
Seth Hammaker – 3rd Place – 250SMX Class East/West Showdown:
“I’m a little disappointed [with my result]. You always want to come out and win at the showdowns, but I didn’t have it tonight. Those other guys were riding good. Early on and midway through the race I didn’t really have the pace. I felt better at the end but that’s not when you need it. It’s good to know I have the endurance, but I need to be better at the beginning. Other than that, solid night.”
The fourth and final qualifying race of SMX Next – Supercross served as an exciting addition to the action in Birmingham, as 22 of the most elite A and B class prospects in amateur motocross gathered one more time before the AMA National Championship on April 25th in Philadelphia. Three different racers had claimed victory at the first three events, which set the stage for a wide-open battle for the win inside Protective Stadium. A multi-rider incident in the first turn of the Main Event eliminated two top contenders off the start as the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing duo of Kayden Minear, the Anaheim winner, and Landen Gordon, the fastest qualifier, came together and dropped out of contention. Out front, Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Vincent Wey took full advantage of a stellar start to turn a holeshot into a wire-to-wire performance in which he never faced a serious challenge. Wey, the son of former SMX racer Nick Wey, was consistent and continuously added to his race lead throughout the 8 Minutes + 1 Lap Main Event to capture his first SMX Next victory and continue the exceptional parity that has defined the development division all season. Fellow Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green racer Kade Johnson finished second for a 1-2 sweep, while ClubMX Yamaha’s Ryder Malinoski finished third.
Vincent Wey – 1st Place – SMX Next – Supercross:
“That was the sickest race of my life. I got a great start and hit my marks every single lap. That was so much fun. Me and my dad have had a lot of long days, just logging laps. We came here last year, and I think I crashed every single time I went on the track. I came in here with the mindset to do better than last year and I think I did that.”
The Monster Energy SMX World Championship and Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will continue next Saturday, March 28, with Round 11 from Detroit’s Ford Field. Live broadcast coverage on Peacock will begin at 1 p.m. ET with Race Day Live, followed by the Gate Drop at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, a domestic Spanish language broadcast is available on Peacock while international viewers can choose from dedicated English, French, and Spanish broadcasts via SMX Video Pass (www.SMXVideoPass.com).
All 17 rounds of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and 11 rounds of the Pro Motocross Championship are on sale. Tickets for the SMX World Championship Playoff Rounds and Final are now on sale at Supermotocross.com. Saturday FanFest will take place at all postseason races, Friday FanFest and camping will be available in Columbus and Ridgedale, additional details to follow.
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