SMX World Championship Round 2 Adds More Drama to the Playoffs

Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles, CA — September 19, 2026

Round Two of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship™ Playoffs from Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, California, is going to offer a completely different racing experience than the mudfest last Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. The forecast calls for mostly sunny, warm, and dry conditions, with temperatures peaking in the 85°F–87°F range.

250SMX Moto #1

The opening 20 Minute + 1 Lap 250SMX Class moto began with Julien Beaumer(13) out front ahead of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco(34).

A collision between several riders bunched the field and allowed the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki duo of Drew Adams(35) and Levi Kitchen(47) to move into third and fourth, respectively. Beaumer quickly established his hold of the lead while DiFrancesco settled into second. Further back, Kitchen, the points leader, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies(37) closed in on Adams for third. Davies then made the move around both Kawasaki riders to take control of the position. The top three settled in through the middle of the moto, with Adams staying within striking distance from fourth. Kitchen, meanwhile, went down while running fifth and dropped to 11th. Back up front, Davies began to pressure DiFrancesco for second, which pushed them closer to Beaumer. The top three were separated by less than 1.5 seconds with just over five minutes to go. As he looked to make the pass on DiFrancesco, Davies went down in the sand, which dropped him to fourth behind Adams. Beaumer never put a wheel wrong and completed the wire-to-wire performance for his first moto win in postseason competition. DiFrancesco followed 5.6 seconds behind in second, with Adams in third. Davies finished fourth, followed by his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Kayden Minear in fifth. Kitchen recovered to finish seventh.

450SMX Moto #1

The premier class started its first 20 Minutes + 1 Lap moto with Jorge Prado(26) out front for the holeshot ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing pair of Cooper Webb(2) and Haiden Deegan(34), while Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen(94) slotted into fourth. Prado inched away to assert his hold of the position while the trio behind him swapped spots, with Roczen able to get by both Yamaha riders to take control of second as Deegan slotted into third.

Behind them, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac(3) moved into fourth. Prado and Roczen proceeded to trade fast laps through the first half of the moto, with the lead hovering as just over a second. Then, just before halfway, Roczen made his move with an aggressive and decisive pass on the Spaniard to seize control of the lead. Once out front, the Supercross Champion quickly opened an advantage of more than two seconds. The lead stabilized until inside the final five minutes when Prado was able to close back in on the German native as they navigated lapped riders. Deegan put in a charge as well to close in from third. The lead duo was separated by less than a second to begin the final lap. The international champions duked it out, to the thrill of the crowd, but Roczen held off Prado to take the moto win by 1.3 seconds.

Deegan finished in a close third, with Pro Motocross Champion and Honda HRC Progressive rider Hunter Lawrence(94) fourth. Webb rounded out the top five.

250SMX Moto #2

The second and deciding moto saw Beaumer lead the field with the holeshot once again, with DiFrancesco and Davies in tow. As Beaumer sprinted out to a lead of more than a second, Davies made the pass on DiFrancesco, while Kitchen moved his way into fourth.

As he looked to give chase to Beaumer, Davies crashed hard out of second, which caused DiFrancesco to hit his motorcycle and go down. DiFrancesco dropped outside the top 10 before continuing, while Davies eventually remounted and retired from the race. Amidst the chaos, Beaumer maintained his hold of the lead ahead of a hard-charging Kitchen, who moved up to second, while Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Landen Gordon(180) slotted into third. Kitchen continued to chip away at Beaumer’s lead and with just under 13 minutes to go on the race clock he made the pass. Once out front, Kitchen quickly opened an advantage of more than three seconds. Several laps later, Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda(30), the reigning SMX World Champion, made the pass on Gordon for third. The Japanese rider didn’t stop there. He methodically closed in on Beaumer and made the move for second with just over a minute to go. Further back, DiFrancesco’s recovery from his early misfortune saw him make a valiant charge into the top five, which loomed large in the overall classification.

Kitchen was never challenged the rest of the way and took his first postseason moto win by 5.7 seconds over Shimoda, with Beaumer in third.

250SMX Overall Event Results

250SMX Points Standings

450SMX Moto #2

The final moto saw Lawrence emerge with the holeshot but he was soon passed by Prado. Moments later, a bobble by the Spaniard allowed the Australian to reclaim the lead. Behind them, Webb slotted into third, while Roczen charged up to fourth ahead of Deegan. Lawrence was able to move out to a lead of more than a second over Prado, as Roczen made the move on Webb for third. As the opening five minutes drew to a close, Lawrence’s lead grew to more than three seconds.

Prado fended off heavy pressure from Roczen to maintain his hold of second, while both Webb and Deegan remained within striking distance of the top three.

At the halfway point of the moto Prado went down in the sand. As they made their way around the downed KTM, Deegan made the pass on Roczen for second. Prado remounted in fourth and went back on the attack, catching Roczen and making the pass for third. Each pass during this thrilling sequence carried major implications in the championship standings, as a four-way tie for first in the overall classification was in play. With three minutes left on the race clock an intense battle for second between Deegan and Prado took shape until Deegan went down in the sand.

As Prado carried on in second, Deegan and Roczen got tangled up as Deegan reentered the race. That allowed Webb to slip past both riders, only for Deegan to make contact during a pass by his teammate that put Webb on the ground. Deegan continued in third, with Roczen fourth, while Webb lost touch in fifth. Lawrence enjoyed a dominant, trouble-free moto and stormed to the moto win by 14.9 seconds. Prado secured a resilient second-place finish, with Deegan third and Roczen fourth.

450SMX Overall Event Results

450SMX Points Standings

Playoff Event #2 Recap

450SMX: Prado’s consistent 2-2 effort put him atop the overall classification by a single point over Lawrence (4-1) and Roczen (1-4), who finished tied for second. Lawrence’s second moto win gave him the tiebreaker for the runner-up spot, leaving Roczen third. Deegan finished just off the overall podium in fourth despite two moto podiums (3-3). Prado added to his lead in the SMX World Championship standings, as double points moved him 16 points ahead of both Deegan and Lawrence, who sit tied for second. Roczen sits 18 points out of the lead in fourth, while Webb, who finished fifth (5-5), is 20 points back. Triple points will be up for grabs at the Final, setting the stage for an exciting conclusion to the postseason.

250SMX: By virtue of his consistent 1-3 performance Beaumer easily secured his first ever Playoff triumph, continuing an incredible comeback story from a broken back suffered one year ago. DiFrancesco’s late-race pass for fifth moved him from fourth to second overall (2-5), for a pass worth eight points in the championship standings. Kitchen bounced back from a challenging first moto to round out the overall podium (7-1). Kitchen maintained his possession of the points lead and will carry a three-point lead over DiFrancesco into the SMX World Championship Final. Beaumer gained seven positions in the standings with the win to move into third, 16 points out of the lead. The three riders all remain within the thick of the title fight with triple points on the line next weekend.