Webb wins Houston without winning a race – AMA SX Round Four

2026 AMA Supercross Championship

Round Four – Houston

The fourth round of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship marked the series’ first visit outside California this season, as the Monster Energy SMX World Championship headed to the Lone Star State and the domed confines of Houston’s NRG Stadium.

2026 AMA Supercross Championship – Round Four – Houston

The opening Triple Crown of the stadium portion of the calendar delivered the most unpredictable racing of the young season. Three different riders claimed victories across the trio of 450SMX sprint races, yet none of them emerged as the overall winner on the night. Instead, reigning 450SMX Champion Cooper Webb turned consistency into reward, assembling a solid set of results to secure his first overall victory of the season. The result provides a timely lift for the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider after a frustrating start to his title defence.

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450 Main One

Race 1 was controlled from start to finish by Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen, who claimed the holeshot and converted it into a measured wire-to-wire victory. The German rider was never seriously challenged for the lead, taking the chequered flag 1.9 seconds clear of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac third.

450 Main One

Reigning champion Cooper Webb opened his night with a solid fourth-place finish, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado completed the top five. Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence was in podium contention late in the race, but a small mistake and subsequent tip-over dropped the Australian to seventh at the finish.

450 Main One

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450 Main Two

Race 2 began with Jorge Prado claiming the holeshot, leading Hunter Lawrence and Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance’s Jason Anderson through the opening laps. Cooper Webb slotted into fourth early, while Ken Roczen started further back in eighth. Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton faced early work, circulating outside the top ten in 11th and 17th respectively.

Prado looked comfortable at the front and controlled the race for more than half the distance before Lawrence mounted a late charge. The Honda rider made a decisive move in the closing stages and pulled clear to secure the win. Webb continued his steady progress through the field, moving into the top three and then passing Prado to finish second, 2.1 seconds behind Lawrence.

Prado held on for third, with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper fourth and Roczen completing the top five. Sexton recovered well to finish ninth after his poor start, while the defining incident of the race came when Tomac crashed while running sixth. The championship leader remounted and salvaged a 13th-place finish.

After two races, Webb and Roczen were tied at the top of the overall standings, with Lawrence and Prado locked together in second heading into the final race of the night.

450 Main Two

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450 Main Three

The third and deciding race delivered a fitting conclusion to the night, opening with Eli Tomac grabbing the holeshot ahead of Jason Anderson and Hunter Lawrence. Cooper Webb started seventh, while Ken Roczen and Jorge Prado faced an uphill task from 11th and 14th, respectively.

450 Main Three

Early in the race, Webb suffered a setback when a mistake over the finish-line jump sent him off track and dropped him to eighth, leaving him behind all of his main title rivals. At the front, Anderson charged past Tomac to take the lead, with Lawrence following through into second. Tomac quickly regrouped and mounted a counterattack, reclaiming second from Lawrence before retaking the lead from Anderson.

450 Main Three

Roczen was making strong progress and had climbed to fourth, positioning himself well for the overall result. Lawrence then passed Anderson to move back into second, which temporarily put the Honda rider in line for the overall victory.

Behind them, Webb had recovered from his earlier error and was closing on the top five. As he and Chase Sexton pressured Roczen, the Suzuki rider mistimed a rhythm section, allowing Sexton and Webb to push him back to sixth. Sexton then moved past Anderson into third but made an error of his own shortly after, opening the door for Anderson, Webb and Roczen to come back through.

Webb capitalised on the chaos, making a decisive pass to move into third — a move that ultimately secured him the overall victory on the night. Out front, Tomac responded emphatically to his Race 2 adversity, pulling clear to take the Race 3 win by 4.3 seconds over Lawrence.

Webb successfully held off a late charge from Roczen to claim third, sealing the overall victory, while Lawrence’s second-place finish in the final race completed a tightly contested Triple Crown finale.

450 Main Three

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450 Round

Webb’s 4-2-3 finishes and nine total points sealed the 31st win of his decorated career and his sixth Triple Crown triumph. Lawrence came up a single point shy of a maiden victory with 10 points on 7-1-2 finishes but netted a third consecutive runner-up result. Roczen rounded out the overall podium after 1-5-4 finishes tied him with Lawrence but placed him in third via Lawrence’s better Race 3 result. Tomac’s victory in the final race was significant in the overall standings as he finished fourth with 17 points on 3-13-1 finishes. Sexton rounded out the top five (2-9-6), one week after he claimed victory at Anaheim 2.

By missing the podium for the first time in 2026, Tomac’s lead in the 450SMX Class standings dropped to just four points over Lawrence, while Roczen moved to within 12 points of the lead. Sexton sits fourth (-14), while the win vaulted Webb up to fifth (-17).

450 Round Points

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Quotes

Cooper Webb – P1

“This feels amazing. I can’t even put it into words. Honestly, it’s weird not to win a [race], but I’ll take any skin I can get right now. It’s been a really tough month mentally, physically, emotionally. Even yesterday was a rough day. Just to come in here today and make this happen means so much. It’s never over. I thought last week might be the nail in the coffin [in the title defence], but that’s a Cooper Webb move to come back a week later, put myself in a good position, and win. I’m proud of myself. We’ve still got plenty of work to do. We need to be better, but it’s a breath of fresh air and a boost of confidence. It’s just good to be back on top.”

AMA SX 2026 – Round Four – Houston – 450 Podium

Hunter Lawrence – P2

“The first [race] is where it all went bad for me. Just a silly little mistake. I’m happy with how the night went from that point on, honestly. I rode really well and this format is one of the tougher ones for me. Short duration sprints don’t come easy to me. I’m pretty happy with how it went after the first [race] and what could have been. We did good damage control and pulled four points back on the lead. We live to fight another day.”

Hunter Lawrence

Ken Roczen – P3

“I’ve got a little bit mixed emotions. This could have been my night. I got a little bit held up by my teammate [Anderson] and that forced me into a couple mistakes where I lost the rhythm and two positions. Here we are, back in third place. It’s the difference between catching Cooper [Webb] and winning and doing what I did. But I don’t want to be too bummed. We’re going to keep chugging along on the podium. My time will come.”

Ken Roczen

Eli Tomac – P4

“That was such a high-speed on-off there, the triple on-off, and in the transition, I ended up stomping on my rear brake. Thankfully, I was able to get through my bars – I was like, ‘Wow, I really need to step through my bars right now.’ I felt a little tag by the bike, but the limbs are good, I’m good, and I’m excited I was able to get that rebound in the final race. If I’m going to toss one away, this is the one to do it at, and I’m just happy to get fourth overall, because that was a ride! Glad to move on to next week.”

Eli Tomac

Jorge Prado – P7

“Riding-wise, I think this was a very good event. I think I rode well all day – I got a solid start in the first race, same as the second race, and then in the third one I just messed it up big time in the first corner. I was really, really behind in that one, and it was very hard to pass a lot of riders in such a short time, so I am disappointed with the end result because I think that I could’ve done way better. It is what it is, we’ll take the learnings from tonight into next weekend in Arizona.”

Jorge Prado

Malcolm Stewart – P8

“Houston was trending in the right direction for me. I felt pretty good through all three races tonight. We’ve just been making sure to do all of the right things regarding recovery, and I have been working with Dr. G all week. I’m starting to feel a lot better and getting closer to feeling normal, so this is a very positive night. I know on paper it doesn’t look that good, but under the circumstances from Anaheim 1, this is a big win for us. So, all we need to do is keep moving forward, keep putting in the work, and I know I can get back up to where I need to be. Glendale is always a fun one and one of my favourites, so I am looking forward to that race next week.”

Malcolm Stewart

RJ Hampshire – P11

“Houston was a long day for me. I didn’t qualify well – even though I felt good on the bike – and then my first race was decent after riding strong the whole time. Second one, I had a decent start inside the top 10 and then ended up going down pretty late in it, which dropped me back a few spots. Last race, I had a pretty good start again, but it was just decent, nothing overly special tonight. I still feel like there was progress made from our time on the bike, so we’ll head back home this week and come out swinging in Arizona.”

RJ Hampshire

Aaron Plessinger – P13

“Qualifying was going pretty well in Houston, before I cased a jump and hit my ankle pretty good. I got a decent start in the first Triple Crown race, but then made a few mistakes and dropped back – I was just really involved in those mid-field battles, which are tough. And then Race 2 was much the same – just didn’t execute as well as I should. And then, for the third one, I got a decent start again and was riding alright, but then my ankle started hurting, which sent me back. Overall, not a great night, but we’ll shift our focus to the next one in Glendale for a rebound.”

Aaron Plessinger

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450 Championship

Cooper Webb’s overall victory marks his first win of the 2026 season and provides critical momentum as the championship begins to take shape. After a frustrating opening three rounds, the Yamaha rider’s consistency in Texas has firmly reinserted him into the title conversation.

Eli Tomac remains a key benchmark, showing race-winning speed in both San Diego and Houston, though his Race 2 crash prevented a stronger overall result.

Hunter Lawrence continues to build confidence with another race win and sits well within striking distance of the points lead in what has been his best start to a Supercross season.

Ken Roczen’s night was solid but inconsistent, while Prado showed flashes of front-running pace without quite converting it into a breakthrough result. Sexton’s recovery ride again highlighted his raw speed, but errors continue to cost him heavily.

As the series heads back west for Round Five, the 450 title fight is tightening rapidly, with multiple riders now separated by small margins and momentum beginning to swing. The Triple Crown format may be behind them for now, but the intensity is only increasing as the championship moves into its next phase.

450 Championship Points

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250

The Western Divisional 250SMX Class belonged entirely to Haiden Deegan at Houston, with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider sweeping all three races in commanding fashion.

Deegan controlled Race 1 from the holeshot to the chequered flag, winning by 2.0 seconds over Levi Kitchen and teammate Cameron McAdoo.

Race 2 required more work, as Deegan carved his way forward after another strong start, passing McAdoo and long-time leader Kitchen before stretching away to a 3.9-second victory.

Race 3 proved the most demanding. Deegan and Kitchen traded aggressive moves early in a tense battle, before Deegan moved past Max Anstie and then hunted down Max Vohland to take the lead. Once clear, he again controlled proceedings to complete the clean sweep, winning by 1.3 seconds over Anstie, with Kitchen third and McAdoo fourth.

250 Main Three

The Triple Crown sweep strengthens Deegan’s title defence, extending his win streak to three races and growing his points advantage in the Western Division. Kitchen rebounded from a difficult start to the season with his first podium of the year on 2-2-3 finishes, while McAdoo landed his second podium in three rounds. Deegan now holds a 19-point lead over Anstie and a 20-point margin over Michael Mosiman as the championship heads to the next round.

250 Main Results One

250 Main Results Two

250 Main Results Three

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250 Round Points

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250 Quotes

Haiden Deegan – P1

“It’s racing. I’m just trying to get into the lead and win races, so I’m down with cat and mouse [with Kitchen]. Aggressive is pretty much my middle name at this point. [It was] a good race and it was nice to hear some cheers out there [from the fans]. I appreciate that. I tried to make it entertaining for them and hope they enjoyed it.”

Haiden Deegan

Levi Kitchen – P2

“It’s been a rough start to the season, so I need to give a lot of thanks to my team and everyone for sticking behind me. I’m pretty happy with tonight, to just get a couple good starts and kind of feel that pace [up front]. Haiden is riding phenomenal and I’m just trying to go out there and do my best.”

Levi Kitchen

Cameron McAdoo – P3

“I’m pretty happy with tonight. Getting a couple of good starts and feeling that pace again was huge for me. Having three chances tonight really helped me work through some of the things I’ve been dealing with, and overall it was a solid night. The track was good, the racing was fun, and the competition was strong. I can’t thank my family, friends, and everyone who supports me enough, along with the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team.”

Cameron McAdoo

Ryder DiFrancesco – P5

“Houston Triple Crown was good for me. I started off the day with good speed in qualifying, and then the first race didn’t begin very well with a bad start. The track was tough tonight – it was super-technical and fast, and you needed to concentrate a lot on hitting your marks every lap. There weren’t a lot of passing opportunities, so where you started made it tough to move forward. We need to clean a couple of things up, be a little more consistent with my laps, but I’m super-stoked to get to Glendale and Seattle because those have been two of my better rounds!”

Ryder DiFrancesco

250 West Championship Points

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250 LCQ Results

250 Qualifying Results

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450 LCQ Results

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450 Qualifying Results

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SMX Next

For the second week in-a-row, the action of the 450SMX and 250SMX classes was complemented by the budding stars of SMX Next – Supercross. An elite group of the top A and B class prospects in amateur motocross took to the track once again with a field of 21 racers, with last week’s winner Kayden Minear missing in action after the 18-year-old Australian crashed aboard his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine during qualifying and was forced to sit out.

As the gate dropped on the 8 Minute + 1 Lap race, it was 16-year-old Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green rider Vincent Wey who put himself out front early with the holeshot. It wasn’t long before 17-year-old Triumph Racing America rider Deacon Denno, a Texas native, took the lead to the delight of the home crowd. As the race wore on, all eyes were on another Texan, 16-year-old Caden Dudney, who charged to the lead aboard his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing ride and stormed to his first SMX Next victory by a margin of 1.5 seconds over Denno for a Texas 1-2. Wey crashed out of third in the closing laps while he attempted to pass Denno for second, which allowed 18-year-old Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider Landed Gordon to finish third.

Caden Dudney – P1

“The track was pretty tough out there, but it feels good to get the win in my home state. I was pretty close last weekend and that kind of pissed me off, so I had to get redemption on that. I had to put in the work [during the week] and here we are.”

SMX Next Qualifying Results

SMX Next Main