Hunter Lawrence dominates Pro Motocross opener

Hunter Lawrence put the sting of his Supercross title near miss behind him in emphatic style at Fox Raceway, while brother Jett marked his return with a gritty podium finish

The Monster Energy SMX World Championship shifted into its second phase on a bright Southern California day, as round 18 of the 2026 season doubled as the first race of the 55th Pro Motocross Championship. A huge crowd packed into Pala Casino Spa & Golf Resort Fox Raceway for one of the most eagerly awaited season openers in recent memory, and it was Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence who stole the show in the premier 450SMX Class with a commanding 1-1 performance. In the 250SMX category, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Seth Hammaker emerged from a wide-open field to claim victory.

Hunter laid down an early marker in qualifying, leading both sessions and setting the fastest lap in Qualifying 2 with a 2:16.832. That put him a little more than half a second clear of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado, who posted a 2:17.461.

When the gate dropped for the opening 450SMX moto, it was 5.11 Triumph Factory Racing’s Mikkel Haarup who grabbed the holeshot in the Dane’s first summer premier class appearance, as well as a milestone moment for the British marque. Hunter settled into second with Prado in third. Defending Pro Motocross and SMX World Champion Jett Lawrence, starting his 2026 campaign, was buried in 16th, ending his 91-lap streak at the front at Fox Raceway. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan, the two-time defending 250SMX champion making his 450 debut, was even further back in 19th.

Hunter did not wait long to take charge, moving past Haarup for the lead, with Prado soon following into second. Haarup then began slipping down the order as Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton climbed to third and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper moved into fourth. Sexton later ran into trouble and swapped positions with Cooper.

As the leaders settled, attention turned to the charge from Jett and Deegan, who carved through the field together and quickly worked their way into the top 10. Deegan briefly got past Lawrence, but the defending champ answered immediately and eventually edged away from the young newcomer.

At the front, Hunter steadily increased his advantage over Prado to nearly 10 seconds as the race wore on. Cooper made third his own after Sexton crashed and fell from fourth to seventh. Hunter then sealed a superb opening moto win, finishing 8.7 seconds ahead of Prado, who secured the best moto finish of his career. Cooper took third, with Jett recovering to fourth and Deegan ending up fifth.

Moto two began with Hunter and Prado again right at the front, with Hunter taking the holeshot. Prado struck back on the opening lap to seize the lead, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger slotted into third. Jett started 11th and Deegan was 15th.

Hunter responded almost immediately, reclaiming the lead from Prado on the next lap in the same section of track where he had lost it. Once back in front, he quickly opened a gap of more than five seconds.

This time Jett had far better track position and made rapid progress, climbing to third before halfway. Deegan also worked his way into fourth, but could not stay in touch with the leading trio. From there, the top three settled into place for the run to the chequered flag, with Hunter wrapping up a dominant afternoon by six seconds over Prado, while Jett completed the moto in third.

The result marked Hunter’s most convincing showing since moving into the premier class. His first career 1-1 sweep delivered just the second win of his 450 career and also gave Honda a fourth straight victory at Fox Raceway.

Prado’s 2-2 scorecard handed him his first Pro Motocross podium in second overall, while Jett showed typical determination on his return, making up a combined 20 positions across the two motos to salvage third overall with 4-3 finishes.

After the opening round, Hunter leads the 450SMX standings by six points over Prado, with Jett 12 points off the lead in third.

1st Place – Hunter Lawrence
“I feel awesome. It was a great day. P1, a perfect day. On top [of the standings] in every session. I’m just fired up. I can’t really ask for anything more.”

2nd Place – Jorge Prado
“Hunter [Lawrence] had some better lines and pulled away. It was a consistent race all day and we were all running good. It feels good to be fighting on the boys and make it back on the podium. This is where I know I belong.”

3rd Place – Jett Lawrence
“Motocross is a lot harder than I remember. I was just trying to figure it out today. I found out what arm pump was in the first moto. It wasn’t the best conditions for my foot, but I thought I rode great. I just didn’t get the starts today and need to work on that.”

2026 AMA PRO MOTOCROSS ROUND 1