450 Storylines: Pala Recap

HUNTER LAWRENCE: (1st; 1-1): Officially moves into the top 25 in all-time SMX League victories (30) and SMX League podiums (80). The win ties David Bailey and Mike Kiedrowski for 24th while the podium ties Ron Lechien for 25th. It was Lawrence’s second career Pro MX victory in the premier class and his first 1-1 effort. He also made a milestone 150th SMX League start since coming to the United States.

JORGE PRADO: (2nd; 2-2): Captured his first Pro MX podium following a disappointing 2025 season in which he made all 11 starts and earned just 2 finishes in the top 5. It was his third SMX League podium after bookending the SX season inside the top 3.

JETT LAWRENCE: (3rd; 4-3): Successful 2026 debut following a major offseason injury, albeit his first defeat at Fox Raceway. Only the fourth time he failed to win in the premier class but still secured his 26th podium in 28 starts. Like his brother, Jett also reached an SMX League milestone with his 125th start that netted his 88th podium, where he sits 24th all-time, one spot ahead of Hunter.

NOTES: Justin Cooper (4th; 3-6): Was 9 for 11 last summer in top 5 finishes and is 1 for 1 so far this summer with his 18th career premier class top five. He made milestone SMX League start 185.
Haiden Deegan (5th; 5-4): Gained 25 positions across 2 motos in anticipated premier class debut to go 5-4 for fifth overall.
Denmark’s Mikkel Haarup (11th; 10-14) along with Magnus Smith (33rd; 31-32) also made their 450SMX debuts, while Jordon Smith (20th; 15-23), Hamden Hudson (26th; 23-29) & Jack Chambers (35th; 33-34) all made their first premier class start in Pro MX.

450 Class: Hangtown Facts

• HISTORY LESSON: The first 450SMX round at Hangtown was on April 8, 1974, when Honda’s Billy Grossi went 1-1 for one of his 2 career SMX League victories. It was the season opener for all 3 divisions and marked the first time in the then 50-year history of the AMA that all 3 classes ran on the same day. Eventual Champion Gary Jones (Can-Am) went 3-3 for third while Yamaha’s Mike Hartwig scored the 500cc win.
• NORCAL ICON: Hangtown predates the series, beginning in 1969, but has been a part of Pro MX every season since 1974, with the exception of 2020, making this year the 57^th running of the event. Including all 3 class displacements there’ve been 105 combined rounds and 208 combined motos raced at the historic venue. Ricky Carmichael’s 15 wins across all classes leads the way at Hangtown. James Stewart (10), Ken Roczen (9), Bob Hannah (8), Eli Tomac (8), & Rick Johnson (8) trail the GOAT.
• HANGTOWN TIME MACHINE: In 1975 heavy rains at Hangtown created a near-swimming pool off the start, with privateers reporting dye from their pant legs staining their bodies… The 1991 Hangtown Classic went down as one of the sloppiest mudders in SMX League history and was dominated by privateers… In 2007 Hangtown was host to one of the most famous altercations in League history, Ryan Villopoto vs. Jason Lawrence… The 2015 Hangtown event was possibly the greatest showing by an athlete at a single round in the history of Motocross, with Eli Tomac winning by 90 seconds in the Moto 2 with lap times that were +6 seconds better than the field… In 2024, we saw one of the greatest comebacks in a single moto, as Chase Sexton went from last to first. What does Hangtown 2026 have in store?
• CHAMPIONSHIP AND OPENER %: The winner of the 450SMX Class at Hangtown has won the title in 22 of 51 seasons (43%), including last season with Jett Lawrence, and in 9 of the last 11 seasons. Hangtown has been the season opener 23 times in 54 seasons (43%) 450SMX Class seasons but has hosted the second race since 2022.

250 Storylines: Pala Recap

SETH HAMMKER: (2-1): Becomes the 95th different 250SMX winner in Pro MX with his 2-1 result at Fox Raceway. He earned no podiums through his first 31 career outdoor starts and only had 3 top 5’s before his Pala victory. It was his fifth career SMX League victory, the other 4 coming in SX.

CADEN DUDNEY: (6-4): Star Yamaha 16-year-old, who scored 2 top 20 overalls last summer, enjoyed his first career SMX League podium in 9 tries with the lowest score for a runner-up in 250SMX Class history (34).

COLE DAVIES: (3-8): Fresh off an SX title, he delivered his first Pro MX podium in only his third try. It was his 25th career SMX League start and 14th podium. All 3 podium finishers earned their first Pro MX podium at Pala, a rare feat that most recently occurred at the Foxborough SX last year with Chance Hymas, Cullin Park, & Gage Linville.

NOTES: Levi Kitchen (4th; 1-13): Moto 1 winner, but an early fall in Moto 2 dropped him off the podium despite a 37th to 13th climb (+24). Instead, he earned his 20th career top 5 finish.

Julien Beaumer (5th; 11-2): First SMX League* start since August of last year. Made his 45th career League start with his fourth Pro MX top 5 (13 in SMX League career).

Lux Turner (7th; 8-6): Earned the best finish of his Pro MX career. Signified not only his first top 10 finish, but also his first ever top 10 moto results.Landen Gordon (15th; 14-16), Deacon Denno (19th; 18-20), Jeremy Fappani (28th; 27-26), Devin Ruth (30th; 35-24), & Jonathan Getz (37th; 29-41) all made their Pro MX debuts at Fox Raceway.

250 Class: Hangtown Facts

• FIRST EVER: The inaugural 250SMX round at Hangtown was held on April 8, 1974, and signified the first win for Honda’s Marty Smith with a 1-2-1 score. Yamaha’s Tim Hart won the second moto but bike problems in the unconventional third moto ruined his day. Chuck Bower went 4-6-2 for second overall while Bob Haag, in tip-top shape from his high school water polo season, rounded out the podium, surprising attendees with 8-7-4 finishes on his Husqvarna.
• 1st AND 400th: Hangtown hosted the first 250SMX Class round in 1974 and then the 400th round of 250SMX Class racing at the 2011 opener, where Blake Baggett scored the overall victory.
• NORCAL ICON: The 250SMX Class shares the same Pro MX history as the 450SMX Class at Hangtown, with this year set to be the 52nd race in the smaller displacement. Mark Barnett and Steve Lamson lead the way in 250SMX wins with 4 each. The 1991 Hangtown Classic was won by Doug Henry in a mudder, as he became the first privateer to ever win a 250 National.
• CHAMPIONSHIP AND OPENER %: The winner of the 250SMX Class at Hangtown has won the title in 24 of 51 seasons (46%), including Haiden Deegan last year, and in 9 of the previous 12. Just like the 450SMX Class, the 250SMX Class opened the season at Hangtown 23 times.