Back on the Box
For just the second time this season Jorge Prado was back on the box over the weekend. The first time was the series opener at Fox Raceway, where Prado has put in a ton of laps, but he’s much less familiar with RedBud. He led three laps in the first moto, but his second moto was especially impressive. After taking the holeshot Prado led 12 laps before succumbing to a hard charging Hunter Lawrence but finished strong to take second by a comfortable margin over Haiden Deegan. If things play out in his favor at Southwick, we might just see the Spaniard get his first victory here in America. -Hansel
Rebound Time
Speaking of tough days, Julien Beaumer had an especially brutal outing at RedBud. He was running well in the first moto until he rode into a mudhole and got stuck, then he had a big crash in the second moto. The result was 15-18 for 18th overall, which inflicted some hefty damage in the points. After coming into RedBud just two points out of the lead, he left 35 points back. Getting back into it will be extremely difficult, but if he’s going to do it, he needs to have a stellar day at The 'Wick. -Hansel
They’re Baaaaccckk
Sacha and Lucas Coenen, who are both leading the MX2 and MXGP Classes, are coming back this weekend for the second time in 2026. The last time they were here was the Thunder Valley National, where Sacha won his second moto and Lucas went 2-2 for second overall. This weekend they’ll competing on a sandy track that’s much more like a lot of the tracks they’re used to in Europe. Will they find themselves battling up front yet again? -Aaron Hansel
He’s Human?
Unless someone lined Jett Lawrence’s riding gear with kryptonite last weekend, it turns out he might just be human after all. Hunter had Jett covered in the first moto until a last-lap crash handed Jett the win, then Jett crashed twice in the second moto and finished fifth. We’ve seen Jett be dominant this season, only to have his brother come roaring back, but something about RedBud felt different for Jett. Look for him to rebound this Saturday. -Hansel
Starts, Starts, and More Starts
If you’re wondering what Levi Kitchen will be practicing this week, starts would be a good guess. He’s not been starting well at all this season and it’s killing him. He’s been able to mitigate some of those bad starts with an absolute boat load of speed, but you can’t rely on that 100 percent of the time. At RedBud Kitchen went 4-5 for fifth and lost the points lead to Jo Shimoda. He now sits third, nine back of Shimoda. There’s still plenty of time to take the red plate back, but with Shimoda usually turning up the heat in the second half of the summer, Kitchen needs to regain some ground at Southwick. -Hansel
On the Rise
Caden Dudney is coming, and in a hurry. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider holeshot the first moto at RedBud and proceeded to lead 12 laps before eventually finishing second behind Cole Davies. He crashed twice in the second moto and took 12th, but his performance in the first moto, the best of his career so far, is the takeaway. Will we see more of the same brilliance at Southwick? -Hansel
Picking Up Steam
Cole Davies won the battle at RedBud, but if you’re Jo Shimoda you’ve got to feel good about how things are currently going. Not only did he track down Davies late in the second moto and beat him, he took over the points lead and now leads Davies by four points. Further in Shimoda’s favor is the fact that we’re heading into the second half of the season, a period in which Shimoda typically starts getting stronger. If that trend holds true this summer, Shimoda is in a perfect position to start strengthening his grip on the red plate. -Hansel
First Time
While Ryder DiFrancesco has been on moto podiums before, as well as podiums in supercross, RedBud was his first ever overall podium outdoors. It was a pretty special one too, since he was the only American to make the podium in either class. Speed has never been a problem for Ryder D who always seems to qualify well, but now that he is finding longevity and consistency, will we see more of him on the podium? -Sarah Whitmore
The Invasion
It's no secret MXGP riders love sand. Jorge Prado logged his best race of an ill-fated 2025 season at Southwick. So, it’s also no surprise that the Coenen brothers and Antonio Cairoli all put this round on their Pro Motocross schedule. Even though Southwick sand is nothing like tracks like Lommel or Lierop, it will be a good test to pit the riders here in the US versus in Europe. Bud Racing Kawasaki is also entering two young talents into the 250 class with Spain's Francisco Garcia, who is on a win streak in the EMX250 series, and his teammate Jake Cannon (of Australia, the brother of WMX racer Charli Cannon). Also watch for Dutchman Roan Van De Moosdijk, who finished 11th in a moto last week at RedBud with a stock motor and after a first-turn crash! Remember even the Lawrence brothers spent their fair share of time riding sand in Europe before they made their way to the US. If only Jeffrey Herlings was coming as well, we could really see who the best sand rider in the world in in 2026 -Whitmore
Momentum
Let’s face it, the way Hunter Lawrence looked the last two weekends, he might just end the all of the type this weekend. He could win again, no matter where the other riders were born or how much sand practice they have. Hunter has the red plate again this weekend, can he keep the ball rolling and click off another win? -Whitmore
