The 2026 AMA Supercross season opened like some other at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, with Eli Tomac scoring a breakthrough victory after a pink flag.
It was Tomac who took the holeshot within the first begin of the 450SX Principal Occasion. He rapidly relinquished the lead when he went extensive in flip two, giving up the result in reigning champion Cooper Webb.
Webb’s prime time was lowered because of a crash on the finish of the second rhythm, which introduced out a pink flag and the race was stopped shortly after it began.
A number of riders took half, however the ones that drew essentially the most consideration have been Malcolm Stewart and Justin Barcia. Stewart was pressured to withdraw from the Supercross triple on the finish of the rhythm as his trajectories converged with Ken Roczen as he approached takeoff. On the again, Barcia was concentrating on a triple bounce, however there was no solution to keep away from Stewart, whose Troy Lee-designed Ducati rider was about to land on the third lip of the impediment.
Consequently, Barcia landed on Stewart. He fell off his bike, rolled towards the bowl flip after the triple, and was hit by an overturned bike.
The most recent data accessible on the time of writing is that Barcia was acutely aware when he spoke to medical employees on the stadium and was initially taken to an area medical unit earlier than being transferred to an area medical middle for testing. Malcolm Stewart was additionally taken to a medical unit on the premises.
When the race resumed, a KTM rider as soon as once more took the holeshot, however this time it was Tomac’s fellow Supercross debutant Jorge Prado. The Spaniard solely led for a second, being overtaken by Tomac earlier than he reached the end line. Shortly after, Ken Roczen demoted Prado to 3rd place.
Roczen was the one rider inside touching distance of Tomac, however was by no means in a position to get inside two seconds of the longtime American motocross rival.
Tomac produced an ideal run for his second profession win at Anaheim 1, following his win in 2023 after an early crash. The omens bode effectively for the rider, who at the moment ranks second on the all-time listing with 54 wins. In 2023, he was on observe to win the title for the rest of the race, however retired from the lead at his residence spherical, the penultimate spherical in Denver, with a freak Achilles tendon damage.
Roczen’s second place marked a strong begin to the championship for the German veteran who picked up a win in his warmth race. By the top, he had a spot of greater than 20 seconds from third place.
That third place belonged to the aforementioned Prado, one other 450SX warmth race winner, who dropped under third place after being handed by Roczen.
Prado entered the season with strain on his shoulders after a controversial season with Kawasaki, leaving the Japanese manufacturing unit mid-way by a two-year contract to rejoin KTM, successful 4 world titles within the MXGP collection on that bike, and relocating to the US final 12 months.
Like Tomac, Prado ran virtually flawlessly all the best way to 3rd place, taking his first podium for a 450SX in simply his third begin.
Hunter Lawrence was an odd breed. He began in direction of the entrance in each begins, however even in his fleeting first begin he was falling again on the opening lap earlier than the pink flag. Though he fell again to fifth place on the restart, he regained his composure and finally overtook Jason Anderson for fourth place with three laps remaining. Sadly for Lawrence, who was the one HRC consultant after Jett Lawrence’s preseason damage sidelined him for not less than nearly all of the Supercross season, he did not have time to catch Prado, though Prado was barely quicker within the closing phases of the race.
Anderson maintained fifth place in his first run with the HEP Suzuki workforce. He was forward of the Star Racing Yamaha pair of Justin Cooper and Cooper Webb. The previous completed sixth after passing the LCQ, whereas the latter completed seventh after colliding with different riders and crashing twice, which is uncommon.
Webb’s first crash occurred throughout a warmth race when he collided with Aaron Plessinger within the nook after an over-underbridge. Webb appeared to count on Plessinger to go to the skin of the nook and hit the berm, however as an alternative he went inside and Webb (who was additionally below strain from Prado on the time) had no area to cease. Webb was in a position to bounce again and qualify instantly for the primary occasion, however Plessinger needed to advance to the LCQ, and though he received, he completed tenth in the primary occasion.
The reigning champion’s second crash occurred as he was making an attempt to get well from a tenth place begin on the opening lap and take fifth place from Hunter Lawrence. Lawrence jumped off the observe and joined simply in entrance of Webb, who had misplaced his rhythm, however Webb tried to go him.
He tried to drive Lawrence to surrender the place by driving him excessive on the identical flip the place the crash that prompted the pink flag occurred. Nonetheless, he misjudged and made contact, inflicting him to fall.
Webb doesn’t have a repute for making pointless contact in on-course battles. It was an unusually eventful evening for the defending champion and three-time champion.
Behind Webb was 2025 title rival Chase Sexton. One other prime rider, together with Tomac and Prado, made a high-profile workforce change within the low season, transferring from KTM to Kawasaki.
The day acquired off to a robust begin for Sexton, setting the quickest time in qualifying. Nonetheless, he crashed throughout his warmth whereas battling for the lead with Roczen, and made a number of errors in the primary occasion because of a poor begin. Sexton entered this season figuring out his pace was ok to win a title in 2025, however he was too inconsistent and the distinction in place between his good and unhealthy nights was too nice. Anaheim 1 2026 noticed little change in that regard.
Kawasaki was additionally unable to present optimistic emotions to the second rider. Garrett Marchbanks crashed within the whoops of the LCQ and missed the primary occasion within the first spherical aboard his manufacturing unit KX450.
Following Sexton, Dylan Ferrandis completed within the prime 10 in his Ducati AMA Supercross debut, a much-needed optimistic shot for the Troy Lee Designs workforce after Justin Barcia’s lap one crash.
250SX: Anstey has the higher hand
If the 450SX class was dramatic, the 250SX class was a lot milder, regardless of its Hayden Deegan-Levy kitchen parts.
Rider DiFrancesco rode a Rockstar Husqvarna for the primary time and took the holeshot in the primary occasion. Behind him was Likelihood Hymas after which Max Anstey.
It was Anstey who made the most important impression, passing Hymas and DiFrancesco within the first half of the primary occasion after which taking command of the race, securing his second straight win within the 250SX regional season opener following his first-round victory on the East Coast final 12 months.
Hymas additionally handed DiFrancesco earlier than the top of the race, incomes him his first dry-weather Supercross podium since his win at Foxboro Swamp final 12 months.
DiFrancesco was stopped by the aforementioned Deegan within the last phases. The reigning West Coast Champion began in tenth place and was beginning to regain his type, however ultimately he may solely transfer as much as 4th place.
Presently, Deegan’s predominant rival is considered Levi Kitchen. The rationale for that’s extra because of their contact on the St. Louis SMX spherical final September than their comparable efficiency potential. Kitchen’s day began effectively with the quickest qualifying time, however he went down within the first flip and will solely make it again to sixth place, two locations behind Deegan, with Michael Mosiman in between.
As within the 450cc class, Kawasaki had little else to stay up for because the returning Cameron McAdoo crashed halfway by the primary occasion after making mid-air contact with Deegan, who himself was making an attempt to go Max Vohland, who was sixth on the time. McAdoo remounted his horse and completed a lap down. Given the damage troubles which have befallen him in recent times, it could be a disgrace that his newest return ended successfully eight minutes into his first race.
In the meantime, Volland was handed by each Deegan and Kitchen earlier than the top of the race and completed seventh, forward of the highest 10 of Hunter Yoder, Avery Lengthy and Dylan Schwartz.
