The seventh round of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship went down over the weekend and the racing, just like it’s been all year, was incredible! There’s lots to talk about too, from Hunter Lawrence earning his first 450SX win to confusion over the red cross flag. To make sense of it all, we sent questions to former pro and on-track analyst, Jason Thomas.
The track shaped up differently than it normally does in Arlington. The ruts were deep and the track looked pretty chewed up. What can account for the differences in the racing surface this year, and how’d it affect the racing if it was indeed different?
Arlington can be a few different versions of itself. I think the February date does matter, and we get a softer version when we're more in the thick of winter. This race sometimes comes in April and the warmer weather can mean a harder, drier version. Even though we are inside a dome, the calendar matters. The track was tricky and deteriorated heavily. Mistakes were pronounced and absolutely played a role.
It’s not often we see dedicated whoop blitzers like Eli Tomac jumping through the whoops, but that line was on display from just about everyone late in the 450SX main event. What was it about these whoops that made them so difficult?
The dirt, as mentioned above, was a factor. They were built big but the softer dirt broke down and created an “edginess” that is brutal for riders to manage. Big whoops aren’t a big problem if they are consistent. Big and ever-changing is a bad combo. Riders had to stay vigilant to changing lines and approaches.
There was a big first-turn pileup in the 250SX Class. Who or what triggered it?
In the end, this was mostly Cole Davies pressing a bit too hard into the first corner. He and Seth Hammaker were locked in a game of chicken and they ended up locking bars. There’s a lot of build up for the first round and sometimes that results in riders getting a little impatient. Davies was trying to establish his position into that first right and just pushed a little deep. It doesn’t take much and that was a prime example.
Despite being way back, Davies still charged up to fifth. He set some pretty fast times along the way, too. Was there a particular section in which he was making up time, or did he just have the whole track dialed?
Davies was incredibly good and should have been in the podium fight. The first turn crash removed that chance, but if there was a section he stood out, it was easily the whoops. He is a special talent in whoops, full stop.
Until very recently, we didn’t think Jo Shimoda would even line up in Arlington, especially since he’d only had two weeks on the bike after sustaining two fractured and displaced vertebrae in his upper back and lower neck. But he did line up and he crushed it, battling for the win and taking second. How is this possible?!
I have no idea. It was a Herculean effort by Shimoda. I was actively telling people to be patient and not expect too much. He made that theme look silly with his performance. I have so much respect for how he was able to immediately be competitive.
Similar question for Pierce Brown. He had plenty of time on the bike coming into Arlington, but he hadn’t raced in a year (unless you count eight laps in the first moto at Ironman). How tough is it to perform at a race winning level after being away from the races for so long?
This one makes a little more sense because he went through the full process to prepare. He is so fast when healthy and he showed it. I am sure there was a bit of rust and nervousness to shake off but he did that with flying colors. He was very impressive in the whoops and that made a big difference on Saturday.
There was some controversy in Arlington with the red cross flag and light, with Pierce Brown, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, and Cooper Webb perhaps committing violations. How hard can it be to see that flag when you’re locked in, and what is your stance on these specific situations?
It’s brutally tough to make a split second decision when something is visible in your peripheral vision. The different light rules and meanings are a step too far for me. Riders are being asked to process too much, too fast, with these variations. I would be in favor of hard and fast rules. If the lights are on, you can’t jump. It needs to be very clear and no room for maybe. Things are happening too fast for riders to be expected to weigh the situation.
Christian Craig fractured his pinky and ring finger last week in Seattle, yet still raced to ninth place in Arlington, his best finish of the year. How can this be explained?
Great question! I was surprised he raced at all, let alone put in his best finish. He did say that the pain was manageable but I just assumed it would be a week or three before he would be back. Kudos to CC28 for fighting through adversity when he has had seemingly nothing but in this series.
How the heck did Tomac recover so quickly in the 450SX main after getting such a horrible start? One minute he was buried, the next he’s part of the lead group!
You, me, he, and a lot of other people would love to know this answer. He said he caught a few breaks and found a few openings on that first lap. It really was the biggest key to his race after blowing the first 100 yards or so. If he doesn’t get to fourth that quickly, there’s no way he gets onto the podium.
Roczen was, as usual, insanely good in the first half of the 450SX main in Arlington, but he gave up three spots in the second half. Was this due to fatigue, or were there other factors in play?
I think his sickness played a big role here. He looked and sounded very ill after the heat race and just didn’t have his usual “spark”. That was only exacerbated as the late laps set in. With the travel, training, exposure to strangers, and Roczen’s underlying vulnerabilities, getting sick at some point in this series is almost inevitable.
Talk about Hunter Lawrence’s poise in Arlington. He had to prevent Roczen from getting away, and he had pressure behind him in the form of Webb, and later, Tomac. How much mental strength does it require to manage a race like that, especially when you’re on the verge of getting your first ever 450SX win?
It was a master class and the perfect way to get his first win. So often, things fall into place and a holeshot meets trouble for the other contenders and it seems easy. This was far from easy. He had to fight through the best guys in the sport to do it. This was fitting and deserved. He will never forget that win. Not ever. Mad respect to Hunter.
