Speaking of the press conference, yesterday’s was a doozy. We learned Cooper Webb is riding the 2025 Yamaha, and Haiden Deegan raised eyebrows when he expressed disdain that anyone would compare Levi Kitchen, someone with no titles, to Deegan, who has five. Check out our summary from yesterday’s press conference for more.

Unfortunately today’s racing will happen without Benny Bloss. During yesterday’s press riding Bloss made a mistake in a rhythm lane and went over the bars. He sustained a wrist injury and will be out for an undetermined amount of time. Go here for more details on that.

The track here in Angel Stadium is pretty busy. There’s on over/under bridge, a sand section that sweeps right with inside and outside options, and quite a few rhythm lanes. The whoops are pretty standard, but instead of funneling into a turn they lead into a small, three-jump section. Passing could be difficult, but that’s not an uncommon issue. We’ll see how it plays out once racing starts later today.

Practice is set to begin shortly, so check back soon for a report on who’s setting hot laps, and who needs to pick up the pace.

Qualifying – Session One

No surprises at the start of this one, Haiden Deegan started off fast, posting an initial time of 1:06.409. Early on the closest competitor to him was Chance Hymas with a 1:08.238, but as the session wore on Levi Kitch closed the gap a bit, setting a 1:07.153. Shortly after that, Kitchen was able to muster a 1:06.217 to slide by Deegan. Deegan fired back with a 1:06.321, but it wasn’t enough. With the session getting close to the end, Kitchen had another great lap going but it seemed like he had to check up in a rhythm lane to avoid making contact with his teammate, Cameron McAdoo.

Both Kitchen and Deegan looked very good, especially over the top of the over-under bridge. That obstacle can be tough to scrub properly, but they were both doing it very well, which definitely translated into some quicker times. Deegan especially excelled in the whoops. He was smashing through them and getting over the three jump section after them extremely fast. He had a little bobble in a rhythm lane when he clipped a Tuff Block and shot off the track, but his lap time was the only thing that was damaged.

In 450SX action Eli Tomac unleashed a 1:06.258 early, but you knew times were only going to fall from there. They did too, with Ken Roczen quickly busting out a smoldering 1:05.472. Jorge Prado then shot past his teammate for second with a 1:06.141, but Tomac would come roaring back with a 1:05.049. That was fast enough to hold for the remainder of the session, but the second half of this one was kind of weird for Tomac. He stopped in the mechanic’s area, presumably to make some sort of adjustment, then just cruised the next lap. Once he crossed the finish line jump again it looked like he was going for a hot lap, but halfway through he was cruising again. That’s how the rest of the session would go for Tomac, charging through a few sections, then cruising. It didn’t matter, he ended up fastest, but it did seem a little strange. Afterward he said he was feeling things out, so we’ll see what he does in the second session later today. Prado looked pretty good. He made a small mistake in a short rhythm lane and went off the track, but other than that he looked fast.

It's going to be interesting to see what the times are in the second sessions. The wind is blowing at a decent clip, which could dry out the dirt more than the riders would like. Kitchen commented that the wind has already created a few slick spots, so we'll keep an eye on that dynamic moving forward.

Qualifying – Session Two

Just like in the first qualifier, it was the Levi Kitchen and Haiden Deegan show in the second. Deegan was on top of the board early with a 1:06.886, but Kitchen displaced him with a 1:06.555. Deegan put his head down and put in a heater, but he was about a second off the pace. He kept on trying, and a couple laps later he posted a 1:06.824, but it still wasn’t good enough. Then, with three-and-a-half minutes left, Jack Chambers went down in one of the shorter rhythm lanes, which prompted a red flag. We don’t have details on what happened yet, but he did leave sitting up on the back of the Alpinestars Medical Mule.

When action resumed Deegan came out hot with a clear track ahead of him. The lack of traffic didn’t translate into a top time, however, as the best he could muster was a 1:07.149. Kitchen would hold the fastest time, but it actually didn’t matter anyway because the times from the second session were slightly slower than the first. Credit to Ryder DiFrancesco in this one too, who looked good and was third-fastest.

When the 450s rolled out for their final session the sun and wind had really taken a toll on the dirt. The top layer had gotten quite dry and there was a lot of dust drifting through the stands. Cooper Webb was quickest at first, but a couple minutes in Eli Tomac shot to the top of the board, only to see Ken Roczen shove him aside with a 1:05.725. But then Tomac retook the spot on his very next lap, posting a 1:05.658! Just like in the first session, Tomac then proceeded to cruise around the track for a few laps. Chase Sexton, meanwhile, was absolutely ripping and turned in a 1:04.465 to take over. At this point we expected Tomac to stop cruising and go after the top spot again, but he just kept on taking it easy, although he would charge through a few sections here and there. Finally, on his final lap, he uncorked his big KTM and got after it. He looked fantastic, aggressively attacking, changing lines on a dime in the sand section, and wheel tapping through sections. It ended up being a 1:05.822 though, which wasn’t enough to topple Sexton. Afterward Sexton said, “We have more speed in the tank, but I didn’t want to overdo it, the track is pretty dry.” Tonight’s races should be epic!

250SX – Heat One

The first holeshot of 2026 went to Haiden Deegan. Max Vohland and Cameron McAdoo were close behind, but Deegan started gapping them after about a lap. That left Vohland and McAdoo to battle it out for second. McAdoo was all over Vohland for several laps, but couldn’t find a place to get by. Finally, with about two minutes to go, McAdoo jumped alongside of Vohland over a triple and drag raced him to the next turn. McAdoo had the inside, so it was a simple move to run Vohland high and motor off with the spot. Carson Mumford, meanwhile, held fourth, but was sneaking up on Vohland. He had a faster pace, but just wasn’t able to close the gap quickly enough to make a move. Deegan took the checkers, with McAdoo, Vohland, Mumford, Ryder DiFrancesco, Robbie Wageman, Lux Turner, Anthony Bourdon, and Brandon Ray filling out the transfer spots. Credit to DiFrancesco, who didn't get a good start and had to push forward through the pack for this result.

250SX – Heat Two

If you bet Hunter Yoder would holeshot this race, you probably made a decent amount of money because that’s what happened. He had Max Anstie and Levi Kitchen all over him though, so it didn’t seem like he’d be able to lead for very long, but credit to Yoder, who was able to hang on for about a lap before Anstie took over the lead. Yoder held it together after that though, hanging onto second despite heavy pressure from Kitchen, who was eager to get by because he had Michael Mosiman and Chance Hymas right on his rear fender. Kitchen finally made the move right before the finish line, and a few turns later Michael Mosiman went down when he came up short exiting a rhythm lane. Mosiman wasn’t able to get up quick enough to rebound and will have to take a trip to the LCQ. Anstie went on to take the win, with Kitchen, Hymas, Yoder, Dylan Schwartz, Avery Long, Josh Varize, Justin Rodbell, and Parker Ross filling the remaining transfer spots.

450SX – Heat One

Jorge Prado came in very hot in this one, and it looked like he might holeshot, but he went wide and Aaron Plessinger snuck up the inside to take the lead. Cooper Webb followed, and as the two came into a right hander Webb came screaming up the inside of Plessinger and ran into him. It was an odd move and didn’t look intentional, but both riders went down, putting Prado in the lead followed by Justin Barcia and Eli Tomac. Barcia wasn’t able to make up any ground on Prado, and Tomac was having an extremely difficult time finding a way around Barcia. Tomac finally dove to the inside in the sand and made the move, but Barcia took it back in the next corner. Tomac waited about another lap then went inside coming into a corner and made it stick. With a minute to go he went after Prado, who had about four seconds on him. On the final lap Tomac was all over Prado, but Prado fought him off. Coming into the final corner Tomac was coming in hot and had the edge, but was in the unfortunate position of being on the outside. All Prado had to do was slow slightly and run Tomac high in order to prevent him from taking the lead. Prado won, with Tomac, Barcia, Dylan Ferrandis, Joey Savatgy, Malcolm Stewart, Austin Forkner, Cooper Webb, and Mitchell Oldenburg filling the rest of the transfer spots. Plessinger will take a trip to the LCQ.

450SX – Heat Two

The start to this one was wild! Ken Roczen, Chase Sexton, Justin Hill, and Hunter Lawrence somehow all came into the first turn four wide, and maintained formation all the way through and through the first rhythm lane. It was crazy! After some shuffling of positions Roczen ended up with the lead, followed by Sexton and Lawrence. Sexton was catching Roczen, but made a mistake and packed it into the face of the over-under bridge. He went down and had to back his bike down the ramp and lost a ton of spots, but managed to stay in a transfer spot. Up front Roczen continued to lead, holding a four-second gap on Lawrence, who was about six seconds ahead of Jason Anderson. Roczen cruised to the win, with Lawrence, Anderson, Christian Craig, Sexton, Hill, Vince Friese, RJ Hampshire, and Shane McElrath filling the transfer spots. Garrett Marchbanks, Justin Cooper, and Colt Nichols will go to the LCQ.

250SX – LCQ

Michael Moisman got out front right away in this one, but there was a big pileup in the first turn behind him. Mosiman quickly started getting away from the field, but behind him Crocket Myers, Lorenzo Camporese, and Jack Chambers were battling for position. Myers separated himself from the group after a couple laps, while Matti Jorgensen started creeping up behind Chambers. For some reason Camporese and Chambers kept battling each other, despite both of them being in a transfer position, which just allowed Jorgensen to close on them faster. Sure enough, Chambers soon found himself watching Jorgensen motor by and take the final transfer spot toward the end of the race. It might not have mattered though, as Jorgensen had  a better pace and was able to get around Camporese too. Mosiman took the win by a large margin, with Myers, Jorgensen, and Camporese filling the remaining transfer spots.

450SX – LCQ

This was a stacked LCQ, and when the gate dropped Aaron Plessinger shot into the lead with Colt Nichols behind him. Kevin Moranz held third, with Garret Marchbanks in fourth. Justin Cooper didn’t get a great start and found himself in sixth early. He quickly got around Mitchell Harrison for fifth though, then dispatched of Moranz. Just like that, the heavy hitters were all up front. Things looked like they’d finish quietly at this point, but then Garrett Marchbanks got out of shape in the whoops and went down. He lost a ton of time, and would not be able to race back into a transfer spot. In the battle for second Cooper was all over Nichols and was able to take the spot without too much of a fight. Cooper started catching Plessinger, but ran out of time. Plessinger won, with Cooper, Nichols, and Harrison filling the transfer spots.

250SX – Main Event

The first main event gate drop of the year was followed by a holeshot by Chance Hymas. Haiden Deegan was mid-pack, while Levi Kitchen had issues on the start and got going in dead last. Up front Ryder DiFrancesco had gotten by Hymas and was doing his best to check out. Hymas held second, but he had Max Anstie and Cameron McAdoo knocking on the door. Michael Mosiman was a few bike lengths behind them, but was doing his best to get into the fight.

With five minutes elapsed Deegan was in ninth and was struggling to get by Avery Long, but after a few laps he was able to make the move and continue his forward march. At this point the battle for the lead started heating up. Anstie had caught DiFrancesco and was applying immense pressure. Credit to DiFrancesco though, who held strong and was able to pull back away from Anstie, putting about a second on him. But Anstie was determined and regrouped, reeled in DiFrancesco, and jumped to the inside of him as they exited a rhythm lane. That put him on the inside in the next turn after a triple and just like that, Anstie took the lead and squirted away.

By this time Deegan was up to fifth. He’d gotten by McAdoo a couple laps earlier, and McAdoo went down in the rhythm right when Deegan passed him, but it didn’t look like it was anything Deegan did, at least not without the benefit of a replay. Deegan had a 14-second gap to catch Anstie with only three minutes left, so a win was unlikely, but he wasn’t too far from getting on the podium and he kept pushing. With two minutes on the clock he went by Mosiman for fourth and only needed to make up two seconds to get DiFrancesco, who ran third after surrendering second to Hymas. With the pace Deegan was running it seemed likely he’d get DiFrancesco, but as the race wore on DiFrancesco pushed hard and didn’t let Deegan reel him in quickly. Deegan was catching him, but not at a rapid pace and try as he might Deegan couldn’t close the gap quickly enough. Anstie won, with Hymas and DiFrancesco rounding out the podium. Kitchen rode well to take sixth.

450SX – Main Event

The crowd erupted on the start of the 450SX main event when Eli Tomac holeshot, but he over-jumped the exit of the first rhythm lane and gave up first place to Cooper Webb, who immediately put about a second on Tomac, who had Hunter Lawrence all over him. It was an extremely exciting start to the race, but it was cut short before a lap went by when Malcolm Stewart and Justin Barcia tangled and went down hard. Stewart was able to get up under his own power, but his arm or wrist looked like it hurt. Barcia wasn’t so lucky, and he was carefully loaded onto a stretcher and took a ride out of the stadium on the Alpinestars Medical Mule. He was moving his hands and arms on the way out, and it was hard to tell from the press box, but it looked like he might have been giving the thumbs up.

On the restart it was Jorge Prado with the holeshot, but Tomac was right behind him, followed by Lawrence and Ken Roczen. This time Tomac wouldn’t be as polite as he was in the heat race, and a few turns in Tomac barreled to the inside of Prado and block-passed him in a righthand turn. The crowd erupted, roaring their approval. Behind them Lawrence lost a couple spots to Roczen and Jason Anderson. Speaking of Roczen, he was on a roll and you could tell he didn’t want to waste any time in getting by Prado. Roczen sailed over a triple to the inside with the intent of knifing to the inside of the next turn, but he jumped a little to far inside and almost hit a Tuff Block. No matter, Roczen made the move a couple turns later and took over second. Jason Anderson was catching up to Prado next, but he made a mistake and had to check up. A few laps later, Lawrence was all over Anderson, but Anderson responded and fought him off as the two inched closer to Prado. Lawrence continued to harass Anderson, but Anderson refused to break. Finally Anderson started pulling back away from Lawrence, but Prado had stretched out his gap by that time to about five seconds.

Sexton got a horrible start on the restart and ran about 11^th with 14 minutes to go. He was moving forward, but not very fast. With about eight minutes left he’d gotten Justin Cooper, but Cooper got him back, putting Sexton back to ninth. Sexton was able to pass Dylan Ferrandis, and gained another spot when Webb went down. That moved him up to seventh. Then he made a mistake and blew off the track, which put him back to ninth. Frustrating race for the former champ, to say the least. He ended up eighth.

Up front Tomac continued to lead, holding a steady gap of about two seconds on Roczen. Prado rode all alone in third, three seconds ahead of Anderson, but Lawrence was finally able to get back up to Anderson and make the pass for fourth. Suddenly Lawrence was flying and closing the gap on Prado with two laps left. Prado knew he was there too, and was looking back. Unfortunately for Lawrence he couldn’t close the gap quickly enough and Prado earned his first 450SX podium.