SOUTHWICK, Mass. – The Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, traveled to the motocross hotbed of New England for Round 23 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship, celebrating 50 years of racing from the iconic sand track at The Wick 338. The Crestview Construction Southwick National featured an array of international guests eager to test their mettle against the best in the world and it produced a captivating afternoon of racing across both classes during what is arguably the most grueling race of the summer campaign. In the 450SMX Class, reigning champion and Honda HRC Progressive rider Jett Lawrence [#1] made his return to the top step of the podium for his third win of the season after another showdown with his brother, Hunter. In the 250SMX Class, ascending Belgian talent and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Sacha Coenen [#109], the MXGP points leader of the MX2 division, put on a show with a dominant, highlight reel performance in just his second ever Pro Motocross race with a 1-1 sweep of the motos.

Jett Lawrence Back on Top at Southwick to Reclaim Pro Motocross Championship Points Lead. 

• 450SMX Class

Qualifying

• The increased international presence at The Wick was felt right away in the morning qualifying sessions, where the first outing of the day effectively set the field on a much smoother racetrack. Atop the combined time sheet was MXGP points leader and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Lucas Coenen [#104], as the Belgian set a time of 1:53.903. That placed him just over a second ahead of his Spanish teammate Jorge Prado [#26] and his time of 1:55.139, with the Australian Jett Lawrence in third [1:55.276].

Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

• The first premier class moto of the day got underway with the Lawrence brothers side-by-side exiting the first turn, with the holeshot and lead going to Jett, leaving his Honda HRC Progressive teammate Hunter [#96] to settle into second ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan [#38] in third.
• The top three soon settled in out front and opened a double-digit margin over the rest of the field. A rider on the move was Coenen, who went down in the first turn and started at the tail end of the field. The KTM sand specialist stormed through the running order with ease and broke into the top 10 less than 10 minutes into the moto, running upwards of four seconds faster than the leaders.
• As the moto reached its halfway point the gap between the Lawrences sat at just over a second, with Hunter slowly closing in on Jett. Further back, Coenen’s charge forward continued to the cusp of the top five. He then caught and passed Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis [#14] for fifth before engaging in a battle with Prado for fourth.
• Back up front, Jett was able to withstand the pressure from Hunter and rebuilt his advantage to multiple seconds. However, with less than five minutes to go he went down after an awkward launch and landing off a small jump, which handed the lead to Hunter as Jett remounted in second. Not long after, Coenen crashed out of the race while running fourth in a frightening incident but fortunately walked away.
• Hunter Lawrence managed a lead of well over five seconds until the red flag was waved on the final lap for a downed rider, which brought the moto to an end. It marked Hunter’s fourth win in the last five motos. Jett finished second, with Deegan in third. Prado followed in fourth, while Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Garrett Marchbanks [#36] was fifth.

Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

• Prior to the start of Moto 2, the Red Bull KTM team confirmed Coenen would not line up out of precaution.
• The final moto of the day kicked off with a stellar start by Hunter Lawrence, who grabbed the holeshot ahead of Deegan, Jett Lawrence, and Prado. The lead foursome set a torrid pace in the opening stages of the moto and opened a significant lead over the rest of the field.
• With his first opportunity to fight for the lead this season, Deegan gave a determined pursuit of Hunter Lawrence and kept his Honda rival within striking distance. Lawrence responded and inched away as Jett Lawrence closed in on Deegan from third. The reigning champion made a decisive pass for second as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Jett then looked to erase a 2.3 second deficit to Hunter with a little more than 20 minutes left in the moto.
• The Lawrences quickly moved out to a multi-second advantage over Deegan to set up a head-to-head battle for the win. The lead stabilized through the middle of the moto with about 1.5 seconds separating the Australian duo. 
• As the final 10 minutes approached Jett Lawrence mounted a challenge and closed to within a second, but lapped riders helped Hunter inch away once again. Jett didn’t relent and closed in once more, only for lapped riders to factor into their fight again, which slowed Jett’s pursuit.
• Inside the final five minutes, with a near two-second lead over Jett, Hunter hit neutral entering a turn flipped over the bars with a sudden stop. As Jett rode by to take the lead, Hunter remounted alongside Deegan, losing hold of second and then third after Prado made the move as well. Hunter then lost touch with the top three.
• Jett Lawrence went unchallenged the rest of the way to secure his sixth moto win of the season and milestone 50th of his career by 3.8 seconds over Deegan, who held off a charge from Prado on the final lap. Hunter Lawrence followed in a distant fourth.

Overall

• Jett Lawrence’s 2-1 effort resulted in his third win of the season and the 27th victory of his career, which moved him into a tie with AMA Hall of Famer Bob Hannah on the all-time wins list. It also ended Jett’s longest winless streak in the premier class outdoors at two races.
• Despite his misfortune in the second moto, Hunter Lawrence secured a runner-up finish with 1-4 finishes, which ended the two-race win streak he brought into Southwick. It’s the 23rd overall podium of his premier class career outdoors.
• Deegan earned the third podium finish of his rookie campaign in third (3-2) with his highest single event points total of the season.
• With the win, Jett Lawrence reclaimed the lead in the championship standings for the second time this season. He and Hunter are separated by just a single point.

• 450SMX Class Overall Results
• 450SMX Class Box Score
• 450SMX Class Championship Standings

1st Place – Jett Lawrence | #1 Team Honda HRC Progressive (2-1): “I got lucky there with [Hunter Lawrence] going down, but we’ll take it. It’s a gnarly track and we knew it would be the toughest one for my foot, so I’m happy. I’m not going to get too excited about the red plate because I already lost it this season. We’ve still got a long way to go and a lot of work to do.”

 
2nd Place – Hunter Lawrence | #96 Team Honda HRC Progressive (1-4): “I half winded myself [in the crash], enough for it to take a lap to get my breath back. That was tough, I hit neutral and stuffed it. It’s not the way I wanted it to end but we’ll get back to work and come out swinging next weekend.”
 

3rd Place – Haiden Deegan | #38 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (3-2): “That was a dogfight [with Prado]. I never gave up. I’m trying so hard to be up front and I’m getting closer and closer. I’ll never give up and will keep fighting to be up there every weekend.”

Sacha Coenen Puts on a Showcase to Grab 250SMX Win in Guest Appearance

• 250SMX Class

Qualifying

• The international impact was also on display in the timed morning sessions for the smaller displacement, as Coenen led the way in the first session with a time of 1:56.691. In the second session, New Zealander and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider Cole Davies [#37] paced the field with a time of 1:57.258. That left the pair 1-2 on the combined classification, separated by just over a half second, with Australian and Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki rider Jake Cannon [#303] in third [1:58.445].
• The qualifying session also carried significant impact on the ongoing, tightly contested championship battle as Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda [#30], carrying the red plate for the first time as points leader, suffered a fractured collarbone and mild concussion in a crash early in the final session. As a result, the Japanese rider was forced to sit out the action with an uncertain outlook on the immediate future.

Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

• The first race of the afternoon began with Davies and Coenen side-by-side out the gate and through the first turn. While Davies was able to edge ahead for the holeshot, it was Coenen who ultimately secured hold of the lead. Behind them, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco [#34] slotted into third.
• With the lead and clear track in hand, Coenen stormed out to a double-digit lead just 10 minutes into the moto. Behind him, Davies, DiFrancesco, and Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas [#29] sat within a couple seconds of one another in a battle for the remaining spots on the podium.
• While running second, Davies buried his front tire and went down just before the halfway point of the moto. While he got up quickly, he lost valuable time trying to restart his Yamaha and eventually resumed in 10th place. That moved DiFrancesco up to second and Hymas up to third, while Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen [#47] moved up to fourth, overcoming a crash of his own on the first lap.
• With Coenen more than 20 seconds clear of the field, the battle for the podium resumed between DiFrancesco, Hymas, and Kitchen. As they navigated lapped riders the battle intensified, with Kitchen able to get by Hymas for third. The Kawasaki rider kept pushing and passed DiFrancesco for second.
• Out front, Coenen was in a class of his own and completed the most dominant single moto of the season by a margin of 33.4 seconds over Kitchen, which is the fifth-largest winning gap since the 2012 season. It also signified back-to-back moto wins for Coenen, who won the final moto at Thunder Valley in his Pro Motocross debut. DiFrancesco finished third, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer [#13] fourth and Hymas fifth. Davies ended up seventh after his crash.

Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

• The deciding moto started with Davies out front for the holeshot ahead of Kitchen, DiFrancesco, and Coenen. The Belgian looked to go on the attack right away and made the pass for third and second on the same lap. He faced a 3.5 second deficit to Davies.
• As he looked to challenge Kitchen for third, DiFrancesco went down and dropped deep in the field, outside the top 30.
• Coenen quickly erased the deficit and initiated a battle for the lead as the top two moved out to a lead of more than 10 seconds over Kitchen. As the fight for first unfolded, so did a battle for third between Kitchen and Hymas. Up front, Coenen nearly got alongside Davies as contact between the two almost sent the Belgian to the ground, which allowed Davies to reestablish a lead of more than four seconds.
• As the moto surpassed its halfway point Coenen closed back within a second of Davies to begin another battle for the lead. The KTM rider was able to carry the momentum around his Yamaha counterpart and take control of the moto. Behind them, Kitchen fended off the pressure from Hymas but was then forced to contend with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rookie Kayden Minear [#99]. After he gave pursuit for several laps, the Australian made the pass for third.
• With less than four minutes to go Coenen suffered a hard crash after overjumping a section but was able to remount in first thanks to a lead of more than 14 seconds. When he resumed, he held a 2.8 second advantage over Davies but was forced to continue without his goggles.
• Coenen’s lead grew once more over the closing laps, and he completed the 1-1 afternoon by a margin of 3.8 seconds over Davies for his third straight moto win. Minear finished third, while Kitchen held off Beaumer on the final lap for fourth.

Overall

• Coenen became the season’s third different first-time winner and the 96th different rider to claim victory in the history of the 250SMX Class in Pro Motocross. However, he suffered an injury in the second moto crash and fought through the pain to complete the winning effort.
• Kitchen grabbed his third podium finish of the season (2-4) and ended a two-race absence from the top three overall.
• Davies earned a third-straight podium result in third (7-2), extending a hot streak that started on the heels of a season-worst finish at Thunder Valley.
• With Shimoda’s absence, Davies has taken control of the points lead for the first time and will become the fourth different rider to carry the red plate this season. He holds a two-point lead over Kitchen and a 33-point lead over Shimoda, who dropped from first to third.

• 250SMX Class Overall Results
• 250SMX Class Box Score
• 250SMX Class Championship Standings

Ian Harrison | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “It’s an unfortunate end to an incredible performance from Sacha [Coenen] today. He banged up his shoulder and will seek medical attention to determine the extent of the injury. We’re proud of his effort today and wish him the best as they return overseas.”
 
*Coenen was not available to speak on the podium after the race.
 

2nd Place – Levi Kitchen | #47 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki (2-4): “I needed a day like today, but it kicked my ass. I need to go back to work and keep trying to get better. I’m looking forward to next weekend and will try to keep it going.”
 

3rd Place – Cole Davies | #37 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (7-2): “Up and down day but I’m looking at the positives. My starts are unreal right now and I’m riding good. We’ve got the points lead so I’m stoked. Like I said, up and down day, but I’m happy where I’m at.”

The 2026 Pro Motocross Championship will continue next Saturday, July 18, for Round 24 of the SMX World Championship regular season, where the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” awaits at Minnesota’s Spring Creek Motocross Park. The FXR Spring Creek National Presented by Frescado’s Tortillas will be shown live in its entirety on Peacock, beginning with Race Day Live at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET, followed by coverage of the motos at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET.

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