As for the age rule, this has been hinted about for at least a year now, with Davey Coombs noting it several times over the last few months, but now it is fully in place: riders will have to be at least 17 years old to get a professional license starting in 2026, unless already grandfathered in (say turning pro at 16 in 2025). Check out the official note from the rulebook.

Note: bold and cross outs done by the AMA.

Now, let’s jump in with the biggest change to the rulebook for 2026: the adjustment of red flag restarts, especially late in a race.

Basically, this red flag adjustment will fix the old rule, which impacted the Detroit SX earlier this year. In the 250SX main event back in mid-February, the race was red flagged very late in the 250SX main event—with just seven seconds on the clock when the red flag was waved—when Cameron McAdoo went down hard at the end of the whoops section and needed medical attention. The whoops section was the second-most outside section but the high-speed sections that surrounded the whoops on each side did not allow for a safe and clear path for the medical crew to reach McAdoo. So, the red flag came out, and since there were seven seconds still left on the clock, the riders lined up for a staggered restart.

Max Anstie’s seven-second lead over P2 Levi Kitchen was gone due to the natural bunch on the restart and Kitchen was instantly able to capitalize when the green flag waved. He took over the race lead and won on what became a two-lap sprint to the finish. Kitchen later said, “I really don’t feel like I won tonight,” due to the circumstances. Anstie was also frustrated with the way the end of the race unfolded in what was clearly a second straight win for the Yamaha rider.

If this exact situation would have happened with this new, 2026 rule (red flag with under a minute left), the race would have been called then and there—Anstie would have been the winner, Kitchen second, and so on. Staggered restart will still apply when necessary (more than three laps into the race), but a red flag that late in a race will just mean the race ends there.

Max Anstie's lead at the Detroit SX earlier this year was instantly gone when the 250SX main event was red flagged and restarted. Anstie's sure win became a sprint to the finish between him and Levi Kitchen, and Kitchen took the checkered flag. Now, the rule has been adjusted for 2026.

Another big change is the case of a top championship contender failing to make the fast 40 but requesting an exception ("SECTION 1 - SPORTING REGULATIONS, 1.8.9 ALTERNATE PROCEDURES" as you will see below.)

Riders who did not make the fast 40 but are top ten in 450SX OR top five in 250SX may request an exemption to be put in the heat race. Previously, this rule only applied for the 450SX Class, but for 2026, the rule now applies to both 250SX AND 450SX. This applies to Triple Crown events as well, where said rider can request to be put into the LCQ.

Those are the big takeaways for fans to understand from these rulebook updates, as most of the other adjustments noted are more technical stuff for riders and teams. You can view the entire rulebook updates bulletin down in the post below, or view them directly via link:

View the 2026 AMA Supercross Rulebook Updates bulletin file here.
View the full 2026 AMA Supercross Rulebook here.

And note, the following comments are posted related to the 2027 AMA Supercross rulebook:

View the full 2026 AMA Supercross Rulebook Updates bulletin in the screenshots below (click to make each photo large).

There is a new "license penalty point system" in place that we will explain in depth separately. Check out that new system below.

Update: Friday, December 26, 2025

Check out this SMX Insider interview Jason Weigandt did with Ezra Lusk, who is an AMA rider representative, about changes to the 2026 AMA Supercross rulebook. Lusk notes the changes to the late-race red flag/staggered restart rule AND the all-new license penalty point system.