450 Class
Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado withstood pressure all throughout the night in southern California and emerged victorious. His 2-2 moto scores got the job done and he became the first European rider to win an SMX Playoff overall in either class. He has won two of his last three races going back to Ironman and his points lead of 16 gives him a healthy cushion going into the finale. Along with his teammate in the 250 class, Julien Beaumer, the duo earned KTM their first ever SMX Playoff sweep. They also did this at Ironman.
After a crash slid Prado back to fourth in moto two, he uncorked the best or second best lap time in the next seven laps to charge back up to second. Even with his fall, he still managed the second fastest average lap time of the moto. He had the fastest average segment times in three of the eight segments in moto two. In moto one, he had a top three fastest average segment time in seven of the eight segments.
Hunter Lawrence
Hunter Lawrence streak of round two SMX Playoff victories came to an end in Los Angeles after a bad start in moto one held him to fourth. He responded with a win in moto two which granted him second overall. His overall win streak may be over but he has still at least won a moto at all four second rounds in SMX Playoff history. That second moto win was his fourth in the 450 class which puts him alone in second for most all time in the class. This was his fifth overall podium in the 450 class in the SMX Playoffs which moves him into a four way tie for second most with Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton, and Ken Roczen.
It was pretty smooth sailing for Hunter in moto two as he earned the holeshot and led all but one lap. He had the fastest average segment time in four of the eight segments and was fastest rider on track in 13 of the 24 full laps.
Ken Roczen
Ken Roczen was in the thick of the fight in both motos and ended up going 1-4 for third overall. It’s his fifth podium in the SMX Playoffs which is tied for second most in the 450 class. His moto one win was the second of his career in the playoffs and with his podium at Columbus one week ago, this is the first time he’s earned back to back overall podiums in the playoffs since the last two rounds of 2023.
Roczen had 15 career laps led in the playoffs going into the race and nearly doubled it by leading 14 in moto one. That pushes him to fifth most laps led in the playoffs in the class. Roczen’s moto one victory was clinical. He had the best lap time consistency rating of the moto. That is just the third time a moto/main winner has also been the most consistent rider on track in the class in 2026. Hunter Lawrence was last to do so all the way back in Birmingham.
Haiden Deegan
A wild night of racing for Haiden Deegan, who at one point late in moto two, would have been the points leader heading into the finale but his 3-3 moto scores put him in fourth overall. He is tied for second in the standings, 16 points behind the leader, Prado. Deegan can say he was unlucky to not be on the podium, he is the first rider in SMX Playoff history to finish on the moto podium in both motos but fail to earn an overall podium.
Both of his moto podiums in LA brought Deegan to 17 SMX Playoff moto wins across both classes, that is the most all time. He has finished on the moto podium in all four of his first motos in the 450 class. He joins Ken Roczen and Chase Sexton as the only riders to do so in the playoffs.
Deegan was the fastest rider in moto one, setting the best lap time of the moto and in moto two he found a flow. From laps 10-17 when he marched from P4 to P2, he set the fastest lap time in five of those eight laps. The three he didn’t were the second best of the lap.
Cooper Webb
Cooper Webb put together 5-5 moto scores to secure fifth overall. With his fourth at round one, this is Webb’s best start to an SMX Playoff and he sits 20 points off the points lead. It is the closest he will be to the lead going into the finale of a playoff. This is the second time Webb has secured back to back top five finishes in the playoffs. His only other time was at round 2 and 3 of 2024.
Webb has been finishing better than he ever has in the playoffs so far this season. His average overall finish in the three playoffs coming into 2026 was 6.33. After two rounds this year his average is 4.50.
R.J. Hampshire
R.J. Hampshire improved his overall position by ten spots in LA, going 9-6 for sixth overall after a sixteenth overall in the mud in Columbus. In the playoffs in dry conditions on a 450, Hampshire has been very solid. He now has three sixths and a fifth in such conditions. If his sixteenth in Columbus is excluded, his average overall finish in the 450 playoffs would be the fifth best all time.
Hampshire had to do some digging in both motos. He was up to sixth early in moto one but a small crash sent him to thirteenth. He managed to climb back to ninth. In moto two, he started eleventh and chipped away to sixth with the third best lap time consistency score. On three of the last six laps of the moto he had the third fastest time of the lap.
250 Class
Julien Beaumer
Julien Beaumer earned his first SMX Playoff moto victory and overall victory in LA with 1-3 moto scores. His starts were on point as he secured both holeshots and led 32 of the 48 laps. He is now third all time in the 250 class for playoff laps led. He is the first KTM rider to win an SMX Playoff and was a part of KTM’s first playoff overall sweep with Prado winning in the 450 class.
He was 10th in points, 26 points out of the lead coming into the race, and was able to surge up to 3rd in points, 16 points out of the lead. Beaumer is now one of five riders in history to win an SX main event, MX overall, and SMX overall in the 250 class. He earned his first pole position in the SMX playoffs, qualifying first, and his speed remained throughout the night, setting the second fastest lap time of both motos.
Ryder DiFrancesco
Ryder DiFrancesco survived a tip over with Cole Davies in moto two to salvage a second overall in the final laps of the race. His 2-5 moto scores got it done and second is a playoff career moto and overall best. He managed to cut his deficit in the points to just three going into the finale. Including the end of motocross at Ironman, DiFrancesco has finished on the overall podium at three consecutive races for the first time in his professional career.
I’ve mentioned before that DiFrancesco was one of the most improved riders in terms of average overall finish in both SX and MX this season. Now in SMX, he is doing the same. His SMX average overall finish coming into the season was 11.89. With his second and third so far in 2026, he is averaging 2.50. Late in moto two when he needed to make a pass for fifth, DiFrancesco set a top three fastest lap time in five of the last seven laps, including the fastest lap of lap 22 to set up his pass on Landen Gordon.
Levi Kitchen
Levi Kitchen survived a crash in moto one and a front tire swap on the starting gate in moto two to go 7-1 for third overall and retain his points lead. That second moto victory was the second of his playoff career which makes him one of only four riders in 250 SMX Playoff history to win multiple motos. He now has 53 laps led in the playoffs which is the second most all time. His now six SMX Playoff moto podiums are the fourth most all time. Kitchen has history on his side, the two riders that entered the final round of the playoffs with the points lead and raced have both held on to win the championship.
Kitchen was back to his best in that second moto win. He had the fastest lap time and average lap time of the moto. From laps 4-11 when he was catching and passing for the lead, he set the fastest lap in six of those eight laps. Kitchen had one overall SMX podium entering 2026 and now already has two in two rounds.
Jo Shimoda
Jo Shimoda finished his day strong in LA to earn fourth overall with 6-2 moto scores. He struggled with his starts in both motos but was able to claw forward well in both. He was 17th across the holeshot line in moto one and 9th in moto two. His second in moto two was his twelfth career moto podium in the SMX Playoffs which is second most all time. He is now one away from Haiden Deegan who has the most with 13.
Unfortunately with his high seeding after missing parts of SX and MX, combined with his rough go in Columbus, Shimoda sits tied for fifth in points, 31 points off the lead. A repeat of his championship will be difficult but things could get crazy with triple points in Missouri.
Kayden Minear
Kayden Minear earned an SMX Playoff career best in LA with a fifth overall by way of 5-8 moto scores. His only other playoff start was in the mud of Columbus and he improved that finish by ten spots. He was the top Star Racing Yamaha in the class for the day for the third time in his professional career after doing so twice during the summer in pro motocross.
Minear was the model of consistency in both motos. In moto one, he had the second best lap time consistency rating and in moto two, he had the best lap time consistency rating. He was smooth and steady and had something figured out in segment four. In moto one he had the second best average time through there and in moto two, he had the best.
Pierce Brown
Like his teammate Kayden Minear, Pierce Brown bettered his Columbus result by ten positions in LA. Brown would go 10-4 for sixth overall on the night. Brown did it the hard way as he rounded lap one of moto one in dead last, 22nd place. In moto two, he rounded lap one in 12th. That results in a net gain of 20 positions across the two motos from lap one to the finish.
Despite starting that far back in moto one, Brown had the best lap time consistency rating of the moto and even set the fastest lap time of the final lap, never relenting in his charge forward. In moto two, Brown had the third fastest average lap time even though he started that far back in 12th. He had a top three fastest lap time in each of the final four laps.
Drew Adams
It was an SMX Playoff career best night for Drew Adams in LA. He started it off with the first moto podium of his career in third. It was his best professional finish as his best main event finish is sixth and his best moto finish in motocross is fifth. His second moto went south when he was bumped off track while running ninth. He finished that moto in fourteenth and salvaged a seventh overall. That is his best SMX Playoff overall finish, besting his previous best of ninth which he set in the mud of Columbus.
His third in moto one was helped by one of the better starts of his career. He rounded lap one in third which ties his best lap one position in any discipline, SX, MX, or SMX. In that first moto he put down the third fastest average lap time of the race and had the fourth best consistency rating.