For the second week in a row the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship welcomed a sold-out crowd to begin its season, this time inside the intimate setting of Snapdragon Stadium for the second round of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship. One week after he captured a memorable debut victory with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 450SMX Class points leader Eli Tomac went back-to-back following a hard-fought Main Event in which he outlasted Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen and Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence for the Colorado native’s 55th career win.

Another sold out crowd was on hand inside Snapdragon Stadium as the
2026 Monster Energy Supercross season traveled to San Diego.

The 450SMX Class Main Event began with Lawrence leading the way for the holeshot, followed closely by Roczen and Tomac. The trio quickly asserted themselves at the front of the field and soon pulled away to set the stage for a three-rider battle for the win. Lawrence was impressive early on and successfully fended off heavy pressure from Roczen, but as their battle continued Tomac joined the fight, which pushed Roczen to make a pass around Lawrence with 14 minutes and a lap to go. Tomac was able to move into second as another battle for the lead unfolded. Tomac briefly made the pass on Roczen, but the German battled back to reclaim the position and lead most of the Main Event. 

With time running out, Tomac made the move on Roczen again and solidified his hold of the lead with six minutes remaining. Roczen’s pace slowed enough for Lawrence to make the pass for second and from there the Australian looked to track down Tomac. Tension was high in the closing laps, but Tomac kept Lawrence at bay on the final lap for his 87th career SMX win (Supercross + Pro Motocross) by a margin of 1.3 seconds. The victory moved him into a tie with Jeremy McGrath for second all-time. Lawrence’s runner-up finish equaled the best result of his career, while Roczen now has second and third place finishes to begin the season.

Just off the podium in fourth was Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton, who impressed in a come-from-behind effort after he hit the gate to begin the Main Event and started at the tail end of the field. Along the way, Sexton made contact with defending champion Cooper Webb, who went down in the incident and recovered for an eighth-place finish aboard his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine.

Tomac’s pair of wins through the first two races has extended his lead in the 450SMX Class standings to eight points over Roczen, while Lawrence moved from fourth to third and sits 10 points out of the lead.

It’s back-to-back wins for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac,
who captured his 55th career Supercross victory and 87th career SMX win
to move into a tie Jeremy McGrath for second all-time.

Eli Tomac – 1st Place – 450SMX Class

“Me and Ken [Roczen] had an unbelievable battle there and once we got into the lead I felt like I was in a really good groove. Towards the end there I was not paying attention and just looking at my front fender, I didn’t know Hunter [Lawrence] was there [because] I was so focused on marking Kenny around the track. I [went] over the tunnel on the last lap and heard Hunter revving his bike and was shocked he was right there. I feel fortunate I held onto the lead there. I guess I need better self-awareness next time. That was close.”

Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence came close to capturing his first Supercross victory and impressed every step of the way in a runner-up effort.

Hunter Lawrence – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class

“It’s bittersweet when you’re so close. I wanted to be there with those guys last week [up front] so we worked really hard this week and made some progress, which is always rewarding. I think I shot my shot too fast on the last lap and thought I’d dive bomb into the corner, but at the last minute I thought it was going to be a really dirty move if I followed through, so I backed out of it. It was cool. A really great race.”

Another podium performance by Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen has him in the thick of the early title fight in the 450SMX Class.

Ken Roczen – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class

“Me and Eli [Tomac] went back and forth a couple times and then in the middle of the race I just had a couple laps where I was all over the place and fell off the back a bit and got passed. I tried to just settle back in and at least stay close to those guys. We have 17 rounds and it can swap around real quick, so being on the podium is really good. We want to win, but at the same time we can’t be mad at a podium. We’ll keep at it, see if I can snag a couple of wins, and see where it goes.”

A captivating battle between teammates headlined the second race of the Western Divisional 250SMX Class, as Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan came out on top for the first time this season. The eighth career victory for the defending Western Division Champion wasn’t without controversy, as he went bar-to-bar with fellow Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider Max Anstie, who entered as the points leader. After Anstie grabbed the holeshot, he and Deegan resumed their entertaining battle that began in the Heat Race with a multi-lap fight for the lead. Deegan appeared to be faster, but the Englishman’s veteran savvy kept his younger teammate at bay. With nine minutes and one lap to remaining Deegan made his move in a bowl turn and aggressively cut down under Anstie, who went high to concede the position. As he exited, Deegan’s rear wheel hit Anstie’s front wheel and took the red plate holder to the ground. Deegan sprinted away as Anstie eventually remounted in sixth place.

As Deegan established a lead of over five seconds, the attention shifted to an exciting battle for the podium between Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Michael Mosiman. After McAdoo made the pass on Hymas for second, Mosiman followed through shortly after as Hymas nearly crashed defending the position.

Deegan went unchallenged and took his first win carrying the No. 1 plate by a margin of 7.6 seconds over McAdoo, who finished last (22nd place) at the Anaheim opener and is coming back from a torn ACL suffered last season. Mosiman recorded his 11th career podium finish in third. Anstie battled back to finish fifth.

With the win, combined with Anstie’s finish, Deegan moved from fourth to first in the Western Divisional 250SMX Class standings, a single point ahead of Anstie. Hymas, who finished sixth, sits third, five points out of the lead.

While it wasn’t without controversy, the first win of the season for
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan moved
him into control of the Western Divisional Championship.

Haiden Deegan – 1st Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class

“This one feels good. I wanted to show it at A1, but stuff happens. I came out swinging [tonight]. Sorry to Max [Anstie], I didn’t really want it to go that way. I tried to cut down [in the corner] so he wouldn’t cut down [to counterattack] and we came together.”

After a challenging opening round where he finished last,
Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo
rebounded with an impressive second-place effort.

Cameron McAdoo – 2nd Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class

“I didn’t expect to get 22nd place last weekend and end up in B practice this morning, so I had something to prove. It has been a long time and as you all know this sport is about trying. I always pride myself on being able to come back after being off the bike for a long time. Tonight was pretty special. I’m just a kid from Iowa living my dream and I’m really grateful I keep getting to do this. I have a lot of belief in myself that I belong here.”

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Michael Mosiman was consistent throughout the Main Event and recorded his 11th career podium result.

Michael Mosiman – 3rd Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class

“It feels great. We’ve been putting in the work, and it’s been a long road. Just to be able to hang in there the whole moto, to be right there and end up on the podium. To be able to push the pace feels really great. We’re going to keep it rolling.”

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Max Anstie entered as the points leader and was leading the Main Event until an incident with his teammate Deegan put him on the ground and resulted in a fifth-place finish.