Hangtown - Full Report
The oldest race in American motocross was the site for Round 19 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship, as the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, traveled to the shadow of the California capital for the 57th running of the iconic Coker Pump Hangtown Motocross Classic.
A challenging racetrack, combined with near-perfect weather conditions was a recipe for another compelling afternoon of racing that saw a return to dominant form for Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence, the reigning Pro Motocross and SMX World Champion who swept the 450SMX Class motos and has seemingly fast-tracked his comeback from a major offseason ankle injury.
In the 250SMX Class, the unpredictability of the wide-open division was once again on display as Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen grabbed his first win since the 2024 season.
Premier class rookie Haiden Deegan [#38] paced the first session aboard his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine, but it was Jett Lawrence [#1] who made a statement when he laid down the fastest overall lap in the second session and became the lone rider to put in a sub 1:50 lap time. Lawrence’s 1:49.886 edged out Deegan’s 1:50.389 by a half second.
Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]
The first premier class moto of the day kicked off with Lawrence out front for his first holeshot of the year ahead of Deegan and Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence [#96], the championship leader. Behind them, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado [#26] slotted into fourth.
The top three settled in through the opening 10 minutes of the moto, with Jett Lawrence managing about a four-second advantage over Deegan and Hunter Lawrence.
Jett continued to build on his lead and pushed it to the cusp of double digits, which left the fight for second to be decided between Deegan and Hunter Lawrence. The elder Lawrence kept the rookie within reach and as the moto dipped into its final five minutes Lawrence went on the attack. He made a quick pass around Deegan and proceeded to sprint away.
Out front, Jett Lawrence completed an impressive wire-to-wire performance to take his first moto win by 7.7 seconds over his brother. Deegan earned his first career moto podium in third, followed by Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis [#14] in fourth and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire [#24] in fifth.
Prado, who ran fourth almost the entire moto, appeared to have a chance at challenging Deegan for third, but lost power on his KTM just prior to the final lap and was forced to settle for 36th place.
Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]
The final moto of the afternoon was halted early when a red flag stopped the race for a downed rider, which necessitated a restart. When racing resumed with a second gate drop it was the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine of Cooper Webb [#2] out front ahead of the Lawrences with the holeshot. Jett Lawrence was able to make quick work to seize control of the lead as Webb engaged in a brief battle with Hunter Lawrence before the Honda rider solidified his hold of second.
The Lawrences were soon able to establish a gap over the rest of the field as Webb lost third to Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton [#4].
Deeper in the top 10, Deegan battled his way forward from an 11th-place start and methodically started to pick off riders to move into the top five within the first 10 minutes of the moto.
Soon enough it appeared as though the battle for the win was going to come down to the Australian siblings, who moved out to a double-digit margin over Sexton. The Lawrences traded bursts of momentum throughout different parts of the racetrack, with the separation between them hovering around a second. Meanwhile, Deegan stormed past Sexton for third.
As the race approached the halfway point Hunter Lawrence started to apply pressure on Jett and appeared to be gearing up for an attack for the lead. However, Jett countered with a sudden sprint and soon the lead went from less than a second to nearly four seconds in the span of a few laps. Jett added to his advantage as the moto continued.
Jett Lawrence wrapped up a sweep of the motos by a margin of 6.8 seconds over Hunter, with Deegan well back in third.
Overall
Despite his ongoing recovery that has left him competing at less than 100 percent, Jett Lawrence returned to the level that’s become custom for the Australian. His dominant 1-1 effort, the 19th of his career, brought him a milestone 25th premier class win in his 29th start.
Hunter Lawrence backed up his own 1-1 performance last weekend with an impressive 2-2 effort to give Honda its first 1-2 finish of the season.
Deegan’s first premier class podium was a quiet one, as he secured 3-3 finishes mostly riding by himself. Nevertheless, the highly touted rookie landed on the box in just his second start.
Hunter Lawrence maintains his hold of the points lead, which now sits at six points over Jett. Deegan moved into third, 19 points out of the lead.
Results & Standings
450SMX Class Overall Results (Moto Finish // Points)
Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (1-1 // 50)
Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (2-2 // 4)
Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (3-3 // 40)
Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati (4-6 // 34)
Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki (6-5 // 33)
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna (5-7 // 32)
Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Kawasaki (11-4 // 29)
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (9-9 // 26)
Mikkel Haarup, Silkeborg, Denmark, Triumph (7-12 // 25)
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Ducati (10-10 // 24)
450SMX Class Championship Standings (Race 2 of 11)
Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda - 94
Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda - 88
Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha - 75
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna - 63
Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Kawasaki - 61
Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati - 59
Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM - 53
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha - 50
Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki - 47
Mikkel Haarup, Silkeborg, Denmark, Triumph - 45
SMX World Championship Regular Season Standings (Round 19 of 28)
Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda - 440
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha - 359
Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Germany, Suzuki - 349
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha - 323
Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Kawasaki - 298
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., KTM - 275
Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM - 242
Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati - 235
Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Husqvarna - 214
Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda - 197
Quotes
1st Place – Jett Lawrence | #1 Team Honda HRC Progressive (1-1)
“I knew if I picked a fast pace early that Hunter would be right there with me and would make it a lot harder. I chose [instead] to get a better flow for about 15 minutes and then decided to push for a quick sprint to try and mess up his rhythm, and it worked. It’s good to be back up here with a 1-1.”
2nd Place – Hunter Lawrence | #96 Team Honda HRC Progressive (2-2)
“It’s harder racing against Jett [Lawrence]. He’s my toughest competitor. It got to a point where I was going to take the time to reset and make a push, but he decided to do a sprint and gapped me. Still a solid result. It was a tough track today, so I’m happy.”
3rd Place – Haiden Deegan | #38 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (3-3)
“That was good today. I just want to get better and better each weekend. That’s the goal, just keep progressing with each moto and just try to be there. We’ll go back, put in the work, and try again next weekend.”
It was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco [#34] who made the first statement in the opening session, but he was surpassed by Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker [#10], the championship leader, in the second session. Hammaker’s 1:52.621 edged out DiFrancesco’s 1:52.871 by a couple tenths in the combined results.
Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]
The first moto of the afternoon got underway with Hammaker leading the field to the holeshot ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing duo of Cole Davies [#37] and Landen Gordon [#180]. As the leaders navigated the opening lap, Davies went down and remounted in 10th. That moved Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer [#13] into second and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Nick Romano [#141] into third.
Hammaker settled into the lead and built a multi-second advantage after the first five minutes. Beaumer also settled into second as the battle for third unfolded between Romano and Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda [#30], the reigning SMX World Champion. After a lengthy fight, Shimoda wrestled the position away from Romano.
As the moto surpassed the halfway point the top three strengthened their respective holds on the podium spots, but no one on the track was running faster than Kitchen [#47], who started outside the top 10 and fought all the way up to fourth place.
Inside the final 10 minutes the fight for second heated up between Beaumer and Shimoda, while Kitchen closed in from fourth. The Japanese rider showed patience and pulled the trigger on a pass for second. Mere moments later Kitchen made the pass for third and then carried on, getting by Shimoda for second. At this point, Hammaker sat 11 seconds clear of the field.
While Kitchen was able to gain ground on Hammaker, the deficit was too much to overcome as the points leader won his second consecutive moto by a margin of 7.2 seconds over his teammate. Shimoda finished in a distant third, with Beaumer fourth and Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas [#29] fifth.
Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]
Drama unfolded to begin the second moto as a massive crash unfolded in the first turn with Hammaker at the center of it after contact created a chain reaction that collected a large group of riders. Hammaker eventually remounted and began the race deep in the top 30.
The moto holeshot ultimately went to 5.11 Triumph Factory Racing rookie Deacon Denno [#199] just ahead of Davies and his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Caden Dudney [#82]. A torrid opening phase of the moto saw Davies grab hold of the lead ahead of Romano in second, with Dudney settling into third.
After starting eighth Kitchen mounted a charge to the front. He showed tremendous pace early, which allowed him to make quick passes up to fourth, well within striking distance of the top three. He soon made the move around Denno for third and then got by Romano for second. With a little more than 20 minutes left in the moto, he faced a double-digit deficit to Davies.
As the leaders settled in through the middle of the moto, the attention shifted to Hammaker and his recovery from the first-turn crash. He did well to claw his way up the running order and had made his way into the top 15 by the halfway point of the race.
Back up front, Davies’ lead over Kitchen stabilized but the battle for third heated up between Beaumer and Romano, with the KTM rider able to make the pass. Behind them, Hammaker continued his forward push and broke into the top 10, which carried major implications in the overall standings.
Davies went unchallenged throughout the entirety of the race and cruised to the second moto win of his career by a margin of 9.3 seconds over Kitchen, followed by Beaumer in third. Hammaker capped off a valiant come-from-behind effort in ninth.
Overall
Another afternoon of fluctuating results throughout the field easily landed Kitchen atop the overall podium for the fourth win of his career following a consistent 2-2 afternoon. It’s his first win since the 2024 Budds Creek National, ending a 13-race winless drought.
Beaumer broke through for his first career podium finish with a runner-up performance after a 4-3 effort. He’s already the fourth different rider to capture a maiden podium finish through the first two races.
Hammaker’s resilience placed him in a tie with Beaumer, but he ultimately settled for third (1-9) to secure back-to-back podiums to open the season.
Hammaker’s gritty performance also helped him maintain his hold of the points lead, which decreased to seven points over Kitchen. Beaumer moved into third, 14 points out of the lead.
Results & Standings
250SMX Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)
Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki (2-2 // 44)
Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM (4-3 // 38)
Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki (1-9 // 38)
Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha (11-1// 36)
Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda (3-6 // 36)
Nick Romano, Bayside, N.Y., Kawasaki (7-4 // 33)
Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., Yamaha (9-5 // 30)
Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda (5-12 // 27)
Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM (8-11 // 25)
Kayden Minear, Perth, Western Australia, Yamaha (6-13 // 25)
250SMX Class Championship Standings (Race 2 of 11)
Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki - 85
Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki - 78
Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM - 71
Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha - 70
Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda - 69
Nick Romano, Bayside, N.Y., Kawasaki - 61
Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda - 56
Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., Yamaha - 49
Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM - 48
Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna - 47
SMX World Championship Regular Season Standings (Round 19 of 28)
Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha - 301
Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki - 265
Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki - 255
Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha - 233
Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna - 211
Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., Yamaha - 195
Daxton Bennick, Morganton, N.C., Husqvarna - 184
Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda - 169
Max Anstie, Newbury, England, Yamaha - 168
Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha - 158
Quotes
1st Place – Levi Kitchen | #47 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki (2-2)
“Luck was on my side today. I stayed out of the carnage [in Moto 2] and just tried to get around it all. There was a massive gap to the lead [once I got to second] so I didn’t want to risk pushing too hard. It’s been a long time since I won so it feels good. I just want to keep the momentum going.”
2nd Place – Julien Beaumer | #13 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (4-3)
“I didn't think I’d be up here this quick [coming back from injury]. There were a lot of long nights, but this result shows it was all worth it. I can’t thank my team enough for sticking behind me and supporting me the whole way and giving me an incredible bike to ride."
3rd Place – Seth Hammaker | #10 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki (1-9)
“Those first couple laps [after the crash] were hectic coming through the pack. I tried to just be patient and knew that if I could get into the top 10 that I’d have a chance at the podium. It definitely could have been worse, but we survived. All in all, it feels good to still be up here on the box.”
