Jett Lawrence sweeps Hangtown as Hunter strengthens SMX lead

2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship

Round Two – Hangtown

The second stop of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship took the paddock to Hangtown, where the weekend served up three very different but equally important storylines across WMX, 450MX and 250MX.

In WMX, reigning champion Lachlan “Lala” Turner opened her title defence with a 1-1 sweep, but Australian Charli Cannon made her work for both wins. Cannon was in the fight throughout, and while a Race One penalty cost her second in that moto, her 3-2 scorecard still secured second overall ahead of Mikayla Nielsen. There was also plenty of Australian interest deeper in the field, with Taylah McCutcheon fifth overall on her U.S. debut and Emma Milesevic seventh overall after a pair of seventh-place finishes. Full report and results from WMX further down the page.

Lachlan “Lala” Turner celebrates the WMX overall victory at Hangtown after a 1-1 start to her 2026 championship defence.

The 450MX class then brought the return of Jett Lawrence to the top step. After finishing third at the Fox Raceway opener while still clearly managing his ankle recovery, the defending Pro Motocross and SMX World Champion looked much more like himself at Hangtown. Jett later remarked that Hangtown was easier on his ankle than Pala, but it is still obvious that he is dealing with pain and compensating for the discomfort and lack of leg strength on that side almost every time he gets on the bike. Anyone who has suffered a similar ankle injury will know that even when the speed starts to return, the discomfort and guarding do not simply disappear. It is hard to imagine any round this season being entirely pain-free for the defending champion, and he will be managing that throughout the remainder of this year, and likely even into next.

Jett Lawrence returned to the top step at Hangtown, winning both 450MX motos despite still managing the effects of his off-season ankle injury.

Big brother Hunter still strengthened his position in the broader SMX picture. His 2-2 day behind Jett kept him on top of the 450 Pro Motocross Championship, six points clear of his brother after two rounds, and pushed him further away at the top of the SMX regular-season standings. Hunter now sits on 440 SMX points, ahead of Cooper Webb on 359 and Ken Roczen on 349.

Jett Lawrence led a Honda one-two on the 450MX podium at Hangtown, with Hunter Lawrence second and Haiden Deegan third.

Roczen, the AMA Supercross Champion, has hinted on social media that he may line up for an AMA Pro Motocross round soon, adding another major name to the outdoor narrative. Eli Tomac, meanwhile, was absent at Hangtown as he continues to recover from his bruising crash at the season opener.

In 250MX, Pro Circuit Kawasaki again left with the overall victory, but this time it was Levi Kitchen who did the damage. Kitchen’s 2-2 scorecard gave him the round win, Julien Beaumer took his first Pro Motocross podium with second overall, and Seth Hammaker retained the championship lead despite being caught in the first-turn Moto 2 carnage.

450MX

Jett Lawrence set the tone early at Hangtown, topping 450MX qualifying with a 1m49.886 and becoming the only rider to dip into the 1m49s. Haiden Deegan was second fastest, Jorge Prado third, Hunter Lawrence fourth and Justin Cooper fifth.

When the gate dropped for Moto 1, Jett made his intentions clear. He grabbed his first holeshot of the season and immediately put himself in clean air, with Deegan and Hunter Lawrence in pursuit and Prado slotting into fourth.

Through the opening phase, Jett built a small but controlled advantage. Behind him, Deegan held second for much of the race, while Hunter stayed close enough to apply pressure when it mattered. As the moto moved into its final stages, Hunter made his move on Deegan and pulled clear to complete a Honda one-two.

Jett won the opening Moto by 7.781 seconds over Hunter, with Deegan taking his first 450MX moto podium in third. Dylan Ferrandis finished fourth for Ducati, while RJ Hampshire charged to fifth for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna.

Prado’s race unravelled late. The Red Bull KTM rider had been running fourth for almost the entire moto and looked capable of threatening the podium group, but a late technical issue cost him heavily, and he was classified 36th.

The second 450MX moto was interrupted early by a red flag and subsequent full restart. Cooper Webb made the most of the second gate drop to take the holeshot, but Jett quickly moved through to the lead, while Hunter settled into second after a brief exchange with Webb.

Cooper Webb grabbed the holeshot on the restarted second 450MX moto, but Jett Lawrence soon took control and rode away to complete the sweep.

From there, the Lawrence brothers pulled clear. Hunter kept Jett honest for much of the moto and appeared to be setting up a mid-race challenge, but Jett responded with a sharp sprint that stretched the gap from less than a second to almost four seconds in only a handful of laps.

Jett went on to win the final bout by 6.875 seconds, again ahead of Hunter, while Deegan worked forward from an 11th-place start to take third. Chase Sexton was fourth and Garrett Marchbanks fifth.

The 1-1 result gave Jett his first Pro Motocross overall victory of the season and underlined how quickly he is rebuilding after missing the entire Supercross campaign. It was also his 19th premier-class overall win and his 25th premier-class victory from just 29 starts.

“I knew if I picked a fast pace early that Hunter would be right there with me and would make it a lot harder,” Jett said. “I chose to get a better flow for about 15 minutes and then decided to push for a quick sprint to try and mess up his rhythm, and it worked. It’s good to be back up here with a 1-1.”

Hunter’s 2-2 scorecard backed up his perfect Fox Raceway opener and maintained his 450MX points lead. He now has 94 points, with Jett second on 88 and Deegan third on 75.

“It’s harder racing against Jett,” Hunter said. “He’s my toughest competitor. It got to a point where I was going to take the time to reset and make a push, but he decided to do a sprint and gapped me. Still a solid result. It was a tough track today, so I’m happy.”

Jett and Hunter Lawrence quickly turned Hangtown into a Honda family affair, with Jett sweeping the motos and Hunter finishing second in both races.

Deegan’s 3-3 day gave the 450 rookie his first premier-class overall podium. It was a relatively quiet podium in race terms, but a significant step in only his second 450MX outdoor appearance.

Haiden Deegan claimed his first 450MX overall podium at Hangtown, going 3-3 in just his second premier-class Pro Motocross start.

Behind the podium, Ferrandis went 4-6 for fourth overall, Marchbanks was fifth on 6-5, and Hampshire took sixth with 5-7 results. Hampshire’s consistency has moved him to fourth in the 450MX standings after two rounds.

“It was another solid weekend at Hangtown,” Hampshire said. “I was around that top-five for most of the day again – my second moto start was a little better, but still, I need to start further toward the front. I was battling all day long, ate a lot of roost, but it’s a solid start to the season with four good motos.”

Triumph also had another encouraging day in 450MX. Mikkel Haarup ran inside the top five early in Moto 1 and finished seventh, then recovered from a poor restart in Moto 2 to finish 12th. His 7-12 scorecard gave him ninth overall and moved him to 10th in the championship.

Prado’s Hangtown weekend was costly after his strong Fox Raceway debut. He qualified third and showed podium pace early, but the Moto 1 issue and a difficult gate pick for Moto 2 left him with 36-13 results and 17th overall. He remains seventh in the 450MX standings.

Aaron Plessinger also had a difficult day for Red Bull KTM. He recovered to 12th in Moto 1 after an early off-track excursion, then was caught up in a heavy incident before the Moto 2 restart and later withdrew from the restarted race.

Among the Australians beyond the Lawrence brothers, Mason Semmens scored points with 19-19 results for 22nd overall, while Kyle Webster had a difficult day and was classified 41st overall.

250MX

The 250MX class remains the most unpredictable division in the Pro Motocross paddock, and Hangtown reinforced that theme.

Seth Hammaker entered the round with the points lead after winning the Fox Raceway opener, and he started Hangtown in commanding form. He topped qualifying with a 1m52.621, narrowly ahead of Ryder DiFrancesco, Jo Shimoda, Cole Davies and Levi Kitchen.

Hangtown again showed how crowded and costly the opening exchanges can be in 250MX, where a strong launch could make a race and a bad first turn could undo a round.

Hammaker then carried that pace directly into Moto 1. He launched to the holeshot and led every lap, riding what he later described as probably the best outdoor moto of his career. Behind him, Davies went down on the opening lap after starting near the front, which helped shuffle the early order.

Julien Beaumer moved into second early, with Nick Romano initially in third, before Jo Shimoda worked his way into the podium places. Kitchen, who had started outside the top ten, was the fastest rider on track in the middle and late stages. He worked forward to fourth, then passed Beaumer and Shimoda to finish second behind team-mate Hammaker.

Hammaker won by 7.273 seconds over Kitchen, with Shimoda third, Beaumer fourth and Chance Hymas fifth. Kayden Minear put in a solid ride for sixth, while Romano finished seventh.

The second moto changed the complexion of the round almost immediately. A large first-turn crash collected a group of riders, with Hammaker in the middle of the incident. He eventually remounted deep in the pack and was left with a damage-limitation ride.

The 250MX starts played a major role at Hangtown, with Seth Hammaker controlling Moto 1 before the second-moto first-turn pile-up reshaped the round.

Triumph rookie Deacon Denno grabbed the Moto 2 holeshot and led early aboard the TF 250-X, giving the British manufacturer another useful marker in its developing U.S. motocross program. Davies soon moved to the front, however, and once in clean air he controlled the race.

Kitchen avoided the first-turn carnage and started inside the top five. From there, he worked through the front group, passing Denno and then Romano to move into second. By then, Davies had a large lead, and Kitchen chose not to take unnecessary risks on a rough Hangtown circuit.

Davies went on to win Moto 2 by 9.337 seconds over Kitchen, with Beaumer third, Romano fourth and Max Vohland fifth.

The Hangtown 250MX podium featured Levi Kitchen on top, Julien Beaumer second and Seth Hammaker third after another unpredictable afternoon in the quarter-litre class.

Kitchen’s 2-2 scorecard was enough for the overall win, his first since the 2024 Budds Creek National and the fourth overall victory of his career. It also gave Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki back-to-back overall wins to open the season.

“The day was pretty good,” Kitchen said. “I’m happy with my speed. The starts could definitely be a little better, but overall it was a good day. In the second moto, I got shut down early, but honestly, it probably saved me from getting caught up in that first-turn pileup. Sometimes you’re the hammer, and sometimes you’re the nail, and a lot of guys were the nail this time around. The bike is working great, the team’s happy, and I’m happy.”

Levi Kitchen’s 2-2 consistency delivered the 250MX overall at Hangtown, ending a winless run that stretched back to the 2024 Budds Creek National.

Beaumer’s 4-3 scorecard delivered his first AMA Pro Motocross podium. It was an important result for the Red Bull KTM rider, who is still rebuilding after being sidelined since last year’s SMX Playoffs.

“I definitely didn’t think it would come so quick,” Beaumer said. “Man, I feel like I am dreaming – it was a long nine months, and I think today shows the work that we put in, and that the decisions we’ve made while I was away were the right ones.”

Julien Beaumer backed up his injury comeback with the first Pro Motocross podium of his career at Hangtown, going 4-3 for second overall in 250MX.

Hammaker salvaged third overall after his ninth-place recovery in Moto 2. His 1-9 scorecard tied Beaumer on 38 points, but the second-moto countback put him third for the day. More importantly, he retained the 250MX championship lead with 85 points, seven clear of Kitchen and 14 ahead of Beaumer.

“Hangtown started off really well,” Hammaker said. “I qualified P1 and felt amazing on the track. In Moto 1, I got the holeshot, led every lap, and honestly it was probably the best outdoor moto I’ve ever ridden. Everything just clicked. In Moto 2, I got caught up with some riders in the first turn and had to come from way back. We fought all the way up to ninth, which gave us third overall.”

Seth Hammaker dominated the opening 250MX moto from the front, then recovered from first-turn Moto 2 carnage to salvage third overall and retain the championship lead.

Romano continued his strong start with Pro Circuit Kawasaki, going 7-4 for sixth overall in just his second outdoor appearance with the team. His Moto 2 ride was particularly promising, as he ran near the front early and briefly moved into second before finishing fourth.

Davies, after the early Moto 1 mistake, recovered with a Moto 2 win and fourth overall on 11-1 results. Shimoda completed the top five overall with 3-6 finishes, while Vohland was seventh, Hymas eighth and Carson Mumford ninth.

Minear was again the leading Australian in the 250MX results, going 6-13 for 10th overall. Ryder DiFrancesco qualified second and showed the pace to run at the front, but poor starts left him fighting through the pack. He went 12-8 for 11th overall and now sits 10th in the 250MX standings.

“Qualifying was really good at Hangtown,” DiFrancesco said. “I was first in the first session and then second overall. First start led me to be in the back the whole time fighting to come forward, and I spent some energy doing that. Then I dodged a bullet by missing the first turn pile-up in Moto 2, but I still need to be up front. I’m capable of winning and taking podiums every weekend, but I can’t be starting from the back.”

Daxton Bennick finished 13th in Moto 1 but was caught in the multi-rider first-turn incident in Moto 2 and withdrew. Casey Cochran was 15th in the opening moto and was also ruled out of the second race after the same crash.

Triumph’s 250MX program had some bright moments despite mixed results. Denno’s Moto 2 holeshot and early lead stood out, and his 16-10 scorecard gave him 12th overall. Austin Forkner charged from outside the top 30 to 18th in Moto 1, but his Moto 2 was compromised by the first-turn pile-up and front-fender damage that required a pit stop.

In the 250 SMX standings, young Kiwi Cole Davies continues to lead on 301 points, ahead of Hammaker on 265 and Kitchen on 255. Haiden Deegan remains fourth on 233 despite having now moved to the 450MX class outdoors, while DiFrancesco sits fifth on 211.

The series now heads to Thunder Valley in Colorado for Round 3 of Pro Motocross and Round 20 of the SMX season.

450 Moto One Results

450 Moto Two Results

450 Round

450 Pro Motocross Points

450 SMX Points

250 Moto One Results

250 Moto Two Results

250 Round

250 Pro Motocross Points

250 SMX Points

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WMX

Turner opens WMX title defence with Hangtown sweep

Reigning Women’s Motocross Champion Lachlan “Lala” Turner made a perfect start to her 2026 WMX title defence at Hangtown, but the 1-1 scorecard did not tell the full story of a hard-fought opening round that also delivered a strong Australian showing.

The Altus Motorsports bLU cRU Yamaha rider swept both motos at the Coker Pump Hangtown Motocross Classic, fending off sustained pressure from Queenslander Charli Cannon, while Mikayla Nielsen completed the overall podium after a consistent 2-3 result across the two races.

Cannon finished second overall on countback via 3-2 finishes, edging Nielsen’s 2-3 scorecard after both riders ended the round on 42 points. Taylah McCutcheon also made a solid start to her U.S. campaign, taking fifth overall on debut, while Victorian Emma Milesevic finished seventh overall with a pair of seventh-place moto results.

Race One

The first WMX moto was staged on Friday afternoon over 12 minutes plus one lap, with Turner taking the holeshot ahead of Cannon and McCutcheon. Turner initially looked set to sprint away, but an early fall dropped her to fourth and handed Cannon the lead.

Cannon used the clear track to establish a margin over McCutcheon and Nielsen, while Turner quickly regrouped and began working her way back through the front group. She passed Nielsen and McCutcheon on the same lap to return to second, then set about closing down Cannon.

Turner and Cannon were the central WMX battle at Hangtown, with Turner holding off the Australian to open her title defence with a 1-1 sweep.

The lead battle tightened late in the race after Cannon ran off track and rejoined just as Turner was threatening to move through. Cannon held the place initially, but Turner completed the recovery with a final-lap pass to take the win.

Turner was credited with victory, while Nielsen was promoted to second after race officials reviewed Cannon’s off-track excursion and applied a one-position penalty for accelerating before re-entering the circuit. Cannon was therefore classified third, ahead of McCutcheon and Jordan Jarvis.

Race Two

The second moto ran on Saturday alongside the Pro Motocross program, with the WMX field facing a rougher and more demanding Hangtown circuit.

Piper Bell grabbed the holeshot, but Cannon, Nielsen and Turner quickly moved through. Cannon then opened a gap at the front, while Turner worked past Nielsen to move into second.

Charli Cannon pushed Lachlan Turner hard across both WMX motos at Hangtown, finishing second overall after a 3-2 scorecard.

Cannon’s bid for victory was interrupted when she went down while leading. Turner and Nielsen moved through while the Australian remounted in third, but Cannon responded quickly, repassing Nielsen and then closing onto Turner again.

That set up another Turner versus Cannon fight for the win. Cannon kept the defending champion under pressure to the flag, but Turner held on by just 0.781 seconds to complete the moto sweep. Cannon finished second, with Nielsen third, Jarvis fourth and McCutcheon fifth.

Lachlan Turner began her bid for a third straight WMX crown in perfect fashion, winning both races at the Hangtown opener.

Australian interest

Cannon’s pace was one of the major talking points of the opener. The Quad Lock Honda rider was in the fight for both race wins and left Hangtown level on points with Nielsen, only missing second place in Race One after the penalty.

McCutcheon made an encouraging U.S. debut for Partzilla Blaster Power PRMX Kawasaki. The Cornubia rider qualified third, then went 4-5 for fifth overall, tied on 35 points with Jarvis.

Emma Milesevic was also in the mix at the front end of the WMX field, qualifying fifth and finishing seventh in both motos for seventh overall. The Lal Lal, Victoria, rider starts the season seventh in the championship on 30 points.

Turner leaves Hangtown with the early WMX Championship lead on 50 points, eight clear of Cannon and Nielsen. The six-round series continues next weekend at Thunder Valley in Colorado, with Race One on Friday, June 12, and Race Two alongside the Pro Motocross Championship program on Saturday, June 13.

WMX Race One Results

WMX Race Two Results

WMX Points

WMX Qualifying