A dominant sweep across both motos, fastest in qualifying, and a 6-point championship lead — the elder Lawrence brother just changed the narrative overnight.
Fox Raceway has long been Jett Lawrence territory. The defending champion had gone 8-for-8 at this track — never beaten here. On 30 May 2026, his brother changed that. Hunter Lawrence was the fastest rider on track from the first qualifying session through the final lap of Moto 2: a complete, dominant, zero-luck-required performance that hands him a 6-point lead in the championship and rewrites his own narrative entirely.
In Moto 1, Mikkel Haarup grabbed the holeshot on his Triumph debut, but Hunter was past him within the opening lap. Jorge Prado tracked him through the first half, looking for a way through on a track where the Spaniard has always been a threat. He never found it. By mid-moto, Lawrence was managing an 8.7-second cushion. Behind them, Jett Lawrence — starting outside the top 10 after traffic off the gate — and Haiden Deegan charged forward together, engaged in their own private battle. Jett came through fourth, Deegan fifth. Chase Sexton crashed on Lap 12 and fell to seventh. Eli Tomac never saw lap two.
Moto 2 was tighter at the front. Prado grabbed the early lead on Lap 1 and immediately pressured Lawrence. Hunter fired back, reclaimed the top spot, and the pair traded tenths for several laps before Lawrence edged away. Prado crossed the line just 0.463 seconds behind, but the overall was already decided by Hunter's cleaner first race. Jett improved to third from an 11th-gate start. Deegan moved to fourth — solid for a 450 debut, but Prado and Hunter were in another conversation.
On the opening lap, Tomac and Garrett Marchbanks collided after Tomac moved across the track and was collected by the Kawasaki rider. Tomac was unable to continue and was transported off the circuit on a stretcher with a neck brace applied. He did not start Moto 2. Post-race, Red Bull KTM issued a statement confirming that on-site scans showed no broken bones. NBC trackside reporter Will Christien reported a suspected severe neck strain. The team confirmed he will undergo further evaluation during the week. His Hangtown status is unknown at time of publication. It was Tomac's third significant crash in a short period — he also went down in Supercross qualifying at Cleveland and at the Salt Lake City finale. This opening day result leaves him on zero championship points, though he arrived at Fox Raceway having completed the full season opener on the gate.
| Pos | Rider | No. | Bike | Moto 1 | Moto 2 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunter Lawrence | #96 | Honda | 1 | 1 | 50 |
| 2 | Jorge Prado | #26 | KTM | 2 | 2 | 44 |
| 3 | Jett Lawrence | #1 | Honda | 4 | 3 | 38 |
| 4 | Justin Cooper | #32 | Yamaha | 3 | 6 | 36 |
| 5 | Haiden Deegan | #38 | Yamaha | 5 | 4 | 35 |
| 6 | Chase Sexton | #4 | Kawasaki | 7 | 5 | 32 |
| 7 | R.J. Hampshire | #24 | Husqvarna | 5 | – | 31 |
| 8 | Aaron Plessinger | #7 | KTM | – | – | 27 |
| 9 | Dylan Ferrandis | #14 | Ducati | – | – | 25 |
| 10 | Christian Craig | #28 | Honda | – | – | 22 |
| 11 | Mikkel Haarup | #31 | Triumph | – | – | 20 |
| 12 | Cooper Webb | #2 | Yamaha | – | – | 18 |
Moto 1 & 2 individual positions shown for top 6. Colour dots indicate manufacturer. Source: promotocross.com / mxgpresults.com
Haarup holeshot; Hunter took over Lap 1. Tomac DNF Lap 1 crash. Jett started P16.
Prado led Lap 1; Lawrence reclaimed within 2 laps. Final margin: 0.463s. Jett started P11.
Jett Lawrence's 8-round unbeaten streak at Fox Raceway is over — but this was still a qualified success given the context. He returned from a fractured foot/ankle that kept him out of the entire 2026 Supercross season, started P16 in Moto 1 after getting caught in traffic off the gate, and charged to fourth. Moto 2 he started P11 and fought to third. He improved 20 positions in total across the day. On a track where he'd previously never been beaten, third overall on his comeback is a foundation — not a failure. His own words told the story: "Motocross is a lot harder than I remember. It wasn't the best conditions for my foot, but I thought I rode great."
The story before Round 1 was Lawrence vs Deegan. Prado rewrote it. A 2-2 scorecard at Fox Raceway — his best-ever moto and overall result in the American series — signals that the Spanish former MX2 world champion is a genuine title threat. He pushed Hunter to within half a second in Moto 2 and ran comfortably clear of the rest. The field was warned.
Deegan's 450 debut was solid but complicated by starts. He began both motos outside the top 10 — P15 in Moto 2 — and had to work through traffic both times alongside Jett Lawrence. On raw pace he looked competitive and the 5-4 scorecard is a fair reflection of a rider learning the machine at outdoor intensity. The pre-season prediction of an early Deegan win didn't materialise, but nothing about the performance suggests it won't come. He discovered arm pump in Moto 1 and still finished fifth.
The "sneaky good" day. Cooper ran third in Moto 1 and held off a chase from Sexton, dropping to sixth in Moto 2. Fourth overall is quietly excellent — he's looked improved coming into 2026 and this was his best outdoor result in two seasons.
The Dane's first American outdoor holeshot on a Triumph was a moment. He led the opening lap of the 2026 Pro Motocross season before Hunter Lawrence swept past. Haarup finished 11th overall — a respectable result for a programme still proving itself in the premier class. The fact that Triumph machinery was in front of the full factory Honda and KTM effort, even for 60 seconds, is worth noting.
Note: Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM #3) — DNF Moto 1 crash. Did not start Moto 2. 0 championship points from Round 1. Further evaluation ongoing.
The 250 class produced a different kind of drama — two distinct moto winners, a chaotic Moto 2 that reshuffled the points, and a strong statement from Pro Circuit Kawasaki to open the season.
Hammaker led the opening stages of Moto 1 before Kitchen made his move on Lap 8, surrendering first place but recovering to take second. In Moto 2 he came out clean and dominated from the front — his first-ever moto win and first 250 Pro Motocross overall victory in a single afternoon. A 13-point gap over third place gives him the early championship lead.
Kitchen was the fastest rider on track all day — fastest qualifier, first moto winner — and then Moto 2 fell apart. An early collision with Michael Mosiman after Mosiman and Kitchen came together on the opening lap sent him deep into the field. He clawed back to 13th but the points damage was done. Fourth overall from the fastest guy on track tells the story of the unpredictability of Moto 2 at Fox Raceway.
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Moto 1 | Moto 2 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seth Hammaker | Kawasaki | 2 | 1 | 47 |
| 2 | Caden Dudney | Yamaha | 6 | 4 | 37 |
| 3 | Cole Davies | Yamaha | 3 | 8 | 35 |
| 4 | Levi Kitchen | Kawasaki | 1 | 13 | 34 |
| 5 | Julien Beaumer | KTM | 11 | 2 | 28 |
| 6 | Jo Shimoda | Honda | 4 | 7 | 27 |
Hammaker holds 13-point lead over Dudney after Round 1. Beaumer confirmed back to fitness after a burst L3 fracture sustained in 2025 SMX Playoffs — his P2 in Moto 2 was a strong statement.
The pre-season narrative was always Lawrence vs Deegan. Round 1 introduced a third variable: Jorge Prado is a title threat, not just a podium finisher. And it elevated the question around Hunter Lawrence from "can he challenge?" to "is he actually the favourite now?" His 1-1 was not a product of fortune — it was the product of being the best rider on track across an entire day. Jett is back and will only improve as his foot recovers. But if Prado carries this form to Hangtown and Hunter maintains it, the 2026 championship could be a three-way fight all the way to Ironman. Meanwhile, the absence of Tomac on points after Round 1 is a real gap to close. The title defence he'd envisioned started on a stretcher.
| Rd | Date | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 May 2026 | Fox Raceway — H. Lawrence wins | Pala, CA |
| 2 | 6 Jun 2026 | ▶ Hangtown Motocross Classic | Rancho Cordova, CA |
| 3 | 13 Jun 2026 | Thunder Valley MX Park | Lakewood, CO |
| 4 | 20 Jun 2026 | High Point Raceway | Mt. Morris, PA |
| 5 | 4 Jul 2026 | RedBud MX (4th of July) | Buchanan, MI |
| 6 | 11 Jul 2026 | The Wick 338 (Southwick) | Southwick, MA |
| 7 | 18 Jul 2026 | Spring Creek MX Park | Millville, MN |
| 8 | 25 Jul 2026 | Washougal MX Park | Washougal, WA |
| 9 | 15 Aug 2026 | Unadilla MX | New Berlin, NY |
| 10 | 22 Aug 2026 | Budds Creek MX Park | Mechanicsville, MD |
| 11 | 29 Aug 2026 | Ironman Raceway ■ FINALE | Crawfordsville, IN |
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