The Monster Energy AMA Supercross opener in Anaheim is really unlike anything else. We haven't always started the season at the Big A; a couple of years the opener took place in Orlando (that was weird) and for a couple of years it went to the Coliseum when Angel Stadium was getting worked on. You also had Houston hositing the '21 opener during COVID. But generally, Anaheim means SX, and SX means it's a visit to Angel Stadium.
Let's get right into it with some "Observations," yeah?
Eli Tomac
Dominated the race almost from start to finish to bring home his first win on a KTM. Do we count the FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX)? I say no because it's not with a full field of riders, but whatever you want. Anyway, he looked great all day long and was one of three riders (Ken Roczen and Chase Sexton are the other two) in the 450SX class, to me anyway, who were going to win the race. Cable clutching his way to a win, Eli's got the speed to win as we all know—does he have the consistency week in and week out?
Is this for real?
Yes, it is. Tomac's fast and will win races—breaking news.
Ken Roczen
Second place was his usual great stuff. He moved up six spots from the holeshot line to get to second and closed in on ET at times. Roczen, to me anyway (despite him poo-pooing it on the PulpMX show Monday), had an advantage where he didn't have to worry about a thing coming into A1. He's on the same bike he was on last year; he didn't touch a thing on it. He raced a bunch a month ago, and all the variables that other people were dealing with, he didn't have to. Plus, he's Ken Roczen and a badass. I found it interesting on the show when he spoke about not that he had written off ever winning a 450SX title, but that it doesn't bug him, and he doesn't think about it. He's going race to race and seeing what happens. We know he hasn't been able to seal the deal because of illnesses, injuries, and whatnot, but he sort of admitted that with that Jett Lawrence guy out, this might be his last chance. How amazing would it be for him to win this thing?
Jorge Prado
Man, I'm being serious when I said in the review pod that I don't know if I've ever seen someone rebound like Prado. He's never even been close to this good in SX on the Kawasaki or the GasGas. Limited races, sure, but man, he was great all day long. Looked aggressive and fast—I'm blown away. WOW. Great start for the KTM guys and Jorge. I don't know what else to say other than I'm doing the slow clap over and over.
Is this for real?
Well, I don't want to say he's going to be on the box again. He might not be (but his starts certainly help!), but he's for real in the sense that he's a guy. He's a real SX guy. Holy shit, I can't believe I typed that.
Hunter Lawrence
I think Hunter was good; his raw speed was a bit off based on qualifiers and the amount of time the two old guys put on him by the end of the race. But considering he had to deal with a porcupine called Jason Anderson (you have to deal with them gently and be very wary AT ALL TIMES), he did well to get fourth.
Is this for real?
Yes, yes, it is.
Jason Anderson
Good USA Suzuki debut for WSX champion Anderson. Why is he a Monster athlete while running Twisted Tea graphics on his bike while Kenny, a Red Bull athlete, has to run the Progressive stickers? IDK, man. No one knows the ins and outs of the energy drink bros. Anyway, Jason was very aggressive in the heat and main, like, you MAY NOT PASS nicely at any time. Nothing dirty to me, just the typical JA21 stuff. Good ride!
Is this for real?
Well, I don't think so. He's always good at the openers, so a fifth is good, not great. I don't think he'll be a top five guy consistently in a field this deep.
Cooper Webb
Many people thought Cooper Webb would get on the box as he worked his way through the pack. Don't forget, because of his crash with Aaron Plessinger in the heat race, he didn't have a great gate pick. Yet he was still in the lead when the red flag flew for the Justin Barcia and Malcolm Stewart crash. The restart was not as kind to Coop, and then he crashed into Hunter Lawrence, which did him in for the night. I think he would've had enough trouble with Jason Anderson that Prado would've been third, but hey, whatever. A "good" day for Webb in terms of speed and all that, a "bad" night for Webb in terms of circumstances.
Is this for real?
Well, no. The defending SX champion will not continue to be a complete assassin out there to his friends in heat races. He will also be on the podium A LOT. This Anaheim result is not for real.
Chase Sexton
Not the ideal night for Sexton in his Kawasaki debut. In fact, between this finish, his teammate Garrett Marchbanks not qualifying, and Jorge Prado finishing third, I just went ahead and sent a jumbo-sized bottle of TUMS to the Kawasaki race shop. Sexton's whole night, to me, was determined by that heat race crash. Only Chase could wash his front end going up a ramp. He looked good in qualifying, and everything was fine until it wasn't. In the main, he crashed, had two close calls that I saw, and went off the track. It was the entire Chase Sexton BINGO card and in his Kawasaki debut at that!
Is this for real?
No, it was not. He's gonna win a lot of races, probably this weekend. Everything is fine here.
Other racers that were "fine" include Justin Cooper, Aaron Plessinger, Colt Nichols, and Joey Savatgy. Please move along; nothing to see here.
Look, I'm slammed from Anaheim and at this Fly Racing thing in Arizona, so I don't have more time to get into the 250SX class. But I'm very surprised that Haiden Deegan wasn't the fastest qualifier and that he took so long to get going in the main event after a bad start. JT mentioned his whoops need to improve, but I thought he was good in them at A1. Not great, but good enough to win had he been up front. The 250SX openers for Deegs, either West or East, just haven't been good, and there's enough evidence there that it's a "thing," right? So, let's get to San Diego, and I'm sure he'll be back to being Deegs again.
Check out Haiden Deegan's results in all 4 of his opening round 250SX #Supercross starts.
— Mitch Kendra (@mitch_kendra) January 13, 2026
No podium finishes
Average finish: 7.25#SXQuickStats #SXHistory #SX2026 #SuperMotocross #SMX2026 pic.twitter.com/yGfDREfwra
I will say that based on qualifying and the main event, I think his teammate Max Anstie and then Levi Kitchen will have more for him than I thought. Kitch has to get off the gate better (they worked on that this week), and Anstie is really the total package. He's smart, he's fast, his bike and team are good, and he's got experience—all a tough guy to beat, and he's got a tiny points lead now on Deegs.
We talked to Ryder DiFrancesco on the PulpMX Show, and although I didn't like his mustache, I liked just about everything else about him. He led laps for the first time in his SX career and took third. Ryder D said on the show that, yes, he's a bit frustrated he hasn't won yet as a pro; as he mentioned, when he was an amateur, he would've bet on himself winning in the pros. But on the other hand, he's had injuries and different things to deal with. So here we are, he likes the way the Husqvarna is, he likes his team manager Nathan Ramsey, and so far, so good for Ryder D. Is it time to race Haiden, maybe?
Thanks for reading OBS for another year. This was my 30th year in the sport, 29th year going to the SX opener, and it's still exciting for me right before that main event gate drops! Email me atmatthes@racerxonline.com if you want to chat.
