450 Storylines: RedBud Recap

HUNTER LAWRENCE: (1st; 2-1): Earned first ever back-to-back premier class victories and fourth win of his 450SMX career in Pro MX. Reclaimed the red plate with a 3-point margin over Jett. Hunter’s 32nd SMX League victory ties him for 22nd all-time with Haiden Deegan, Mike LaRocco, & Mike Kiedrowski. It was Honda’s 180th premier class victory in Pro MX, a comfortable distance from the second-closest brand, Kawasaki (133).

JORGE PRADO: (2nd; 3-2):Nearly broke through for his first ever SMX League victory but fell just shy and instead equaled his career best season opening runner-up result. It was his second 450SMX podium in Pro MX and fourth in 36 SMX League starts since coming over from Europe.

JETT LAWRENCE: (3rd; 1-5):Lost the red plate and settled for his 30th premier class podium in 32 starts (18th all-time) & 92nd SMX League podium in 129 starts (23rd all-time). He has never lost 3 consecutive races and will look to keep that intact at Southwick. Jett is only 2 SMX League wins away from becoming the seventh athlete with 70 career wins (Carmichael, Stewart, Tomac, McGrath, Dungey, & Villopoto are the others).

NOTES: RJ Hampshire (4th; 4-4): Captured his first top 5 of his season and seventh of his 450SMX career in Pro MX. His 92 SMX League top 5’s are good for 47th all-time.
Garrett Marchbanks (5th; 5-6): After just one top 5 in his first 28 Pro MX starts in the premier class, he has earned 3 in the last 4 rounds. He has 34 in 143 SMX League starts.

Antonio Cairoli (11th; 12-12): Contesting select Pro MX rounds for the third time since his retirement from full-time competition. The decorated legend now has 8 starts stateside, with the last 2 seasons riding for Ducati.

Mark Fineis (12th; 13-15): Indianapolis area native impressed in his first career 450SMX start.Roan van de Moosdijk (15th; 35-10), Ronnie Orres (31st; 30-25), & Kyle Petrie (39th; 41-33): All made their first SMX League starts.

450 Class: Southwick Facts

• THE INAUGURAL SAND: The first 450SMX race at The Wick 338 was on June 6, 1976, as the premier class season finale. Pierre Karsmakers, during an off week contesting the 500cc class for Honda, piloted his new RC250 through the sand to sweep the field. Suzuki’s Tony DiStefano had clinched the title going into Southwick and scored a runner-up finish with 4-2 scores.
• 5 DECADES OF MX HISTORY: The Wick was not a part of the 450SMX schedule in 1983-1985, 2014-2015, & 2020 since its inaugural 1976 round, making 2026 National the 45th premier class race on the hallowed grounds. Only twice in 44 years has the overall winner failed to score at least one moto win: Jeff Ward (2-3; 1988) & Brett Metcalfe (3-2; 2011). This will be the 50th anniversary of the inaugural Southwick Motocross in 1976.
• CHAMPIONSHIP AND OPENER %: The winner of the 450SMX overall at Southwick has won the title in 28 times in 44 seasons (64%), including 4 of the last 5 years with Eli Tomac, Dylan Ferrandis, and Jett Lawrence. The winner at The Wick 338 scored the title in every visit from 1980-2004, sans 1991. Southwick hosted the 500cc season opener three times in 1979 & 1981-1982. Including all three classifications, Southwick winners have claimed their class championship 52 times in 86 rounds (60%).
• SOUTHWICK MOMENTS: After a brief hiatus from competition, The Wick delivered in 1986 with a star-studded, action-packed round that saw Rick Johnson defeat Johnny O’mara, David Bailey, Jeff Ward, and more… 1998 Southwick was New England’s greatest day in motocross. John Dowd (Ludlow, MA) swept aboard a 125cc Yamaha while Doug Henry (Torrington, CT) also swept in the premier class aboard his famous 400cc 4-stroke Yamaha… Local legend Dowd collected 2 overall wins (one in each class), 9 podiums, 11 top 5’s, and 20 top 10’s. In 2009, at age 44, Dowd became the oldest athlete to finish on the 450cc podium. He made his final start at 46 years old, finishing 23rd… In 2006, young star James Stewart was outdueled by veteran Carmichael in an incredible battle. Stewart was claimed by the sand late in the race, which handed Carmichael the victory… During the second moto of a tight 2011 championship between Dungey and Villopoto, Dungey’s #1 Suzuki was still in the pit while the rest of the field launched out the gate. His crew was able to deliver the bike to Dungey almost an entire lap down in 40th place. With 5 minutes to go, Dungey had battled up to 17th. Incredibly, Dungey made 10 passes in the final minutes to finish seventh in the moto and third overall, losing just 1 point to Villopoto.

250 Storylines: RedBud Recap

COLE DAVIES: (1st; 1-2):Became the 74th athlete in SMX League* history to earn double-digit victories (8 in SX; 2 in Pro MX). Has back-to-back Pro MX victories for the first time and moved into second in points, trailing the red plate by 5 points. The win was the 125th in Yamaha’s 250SMX history in Pro MX, which is good for third all-time.

JO SHIMODA: (2nd; 3-1):Took control of the red plate for the first time with his Moto 2 victory, his first of the season. His 51st SMX League podium moves him into the top 50 all-time, tying Guy Cooper and Ryan Hughes. His 30th Pro MX podium moves him into the top 10 all-time, tying Mike Brown and Erik Kehoe.

RYDER DIFRANCESCO: (3rd; 6-3): Broke through with his first Pro MX podium in his 43rd career start. It was his fourth career SMX League podium. He will line up for his 75th SMX League start at Southwick and currently sits fifth in the point standings.

NOTES: Casey Cochran (4th; 5-4): Claimed his second career SMX League top 5 in his 20th career Pro MX start. He has improved his overall finish for 3 straight rounds.

Levi Kitchen (5th; 4-5): Lost the red plate but earned his 24th Pro MX top 5 finish in 51 attempts. Only 9 points off points lead going into Southwick. Became the 89th athlete in SMX League history to earn 50 career top 5 finishes.

Chance Hymas (7th; 8-6): Earned his best finish of the season and made his 25th career Pro MX start.

Carson Mumford (8th; 11-7): Completed his milestone 40th Pro MX start and will make his 90th SMX League start at Southwick. Kristian Janik (31st; 25-31), Reece Wheaton (36th; 35-34), Christopher Schroeder (37th; 36-36), Trevor Hazlett (39th; 39-38), & Trevor Maley (40th; 41-37): Large group of athletes who made their SMX League debuts.

250 Class: Southwick Facts

• HISTORY LESSON: The first 250SMX race at The Wick 338 was on May 7, 1978, when Yamaha’s Broc Glover took the points lead from Suzuki’s Mark Barnett with a sweep of the motos. Barnett, who held a 4-point lead entering the round, destroyed his engine in both motos due to the infamous sand. Glover’s 46-point swing gave him an insurmountable lead in the standings as he cruised to the championship.
• 40 ROUNDS: After the maiden 1978 round at The Wick, the 250SMX class skipped 1979 & 1981-1985. From 1986 onward the class has run linear with 450SMX rounds. The 2026 event will be the 40th time 250SMX will compete at The Wick. Just like 450SMX, only twice has an athlete failed to win a moto en route to victory – Steve Lamson (2-2; 1995) & Tyla Rattray (2-2; 2010).
• SAND GOATS: Ricky Carmichael achieved 10 victories at The Wick 338, surpassing all other athletes in track history by a significant margin. From 1997 to 2002, the Southwick faithful witnessed notable performances: Ricky Carmichael securing a win during his 1997 rookie season, followed by local legend John Dowd winning in 1998. Carmichael triumphed again in 1999, while Travis Pastrana earned his first and last Pro MX wins consecutively in 2000 & 2001. In 2002, James Stewart placed sixth overall in his fourth Pro MX start with 30-1 finishes while Danny Smith delivered an unexpected victory with unconventional 1-5 scores.
• CHAMPIONSHIP %: The winner of 250SMX at Southwick has won the title 22 times in 39 seasons (56%), including 8 of the last 11 years. This only happened twice in the 2000’s (2004 James Stewart & 2008 Ryan Villopoto). Combining all classifications there have been 86 rounds and 172 motos of Pro MX held at The Wick 338.