Prado & Beaumer Win Los Angeles as SMX Championship Heads to the Final
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The 2026 SuperMotocross World Championship is down to one race.
SMX Playoff 2 brought the postseason to Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles on September 19, with double points on the line and both championships still wide open. By the end of the night, Jorge Prado had strengthened his grip on the 450SMX red plate, Julien Beaumer had thrown himself back into the 250SMX title conversation, and the stage was set for a triple-points showdown at Thunder Ridge.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing swept both overall victories, but neither class was short on drama.
450SMX: Prado Wins the Night, Lawrence and Roczen Split the Motos
Jorge Prado didn’t win either moto in Los Angeles.
He didn’t need to.
A pair of second-place finishes gave Prado the best overall score of the night and, more importantly, pushed his championship advantage to 16 points with one round remaining.
Moto 1 belonged to Ken Roczen.
Prado grabbed the early lead, but Roczen worked his way forward and eventually made the move for the top spot. Prado stayed close through the final laps, but Roczen held him off to take the win. Haiden Deegan finished third, Hunter Lawrence fourth and Cooper Webb fifth.
The second moto flipped the script.
Lawrence grabbed the early advantage and ultimately rode away from the field for the moto victory. Behind him, the championship contenders were fighting for every position.
Prado went down in the sand while running near the front but recovered quickly. Deegan later crashed while battling Prado, creating another shakeup among the leaders. Prado fought his way back to second, Deegan recovered for third, Roczen finished fourth and Webb completed the top five.
That left Prado with 2-2 moto scores and the overall victory.
Lawrence’s 4-1 scores gave him second overall, while Roczen’s 1-4 put him third. Deegan went 3-3 for fourth and Webb finished 5-5 for fifth.
450SMX — Los Angeles Overall
| Pos. | Rider | Moto Scores |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jorge Prado | 2-2 |
| 2 | Hunter Lawrence | 4-1 |
| 3 | Ken Roczen | 1-4 |
| 4 | Haiden Deegan | 3-3 |
| 5 | Cooper Webb | 5-5 |
450SMX Championship Standings
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jorge Prado | 92 |
| 2 | Haiden Deegan | 76 |
| 3 | Hunter Lawrence | 76 |
| 4 | Ken Roczen | 74 |
| 5 | Cooper Webb | 72 |
Deegan and Lawrence are tied for second, 16 points behind Prado. Roczen is only two points behind them, with Webb another two points back.
With triple points available at the World Championship Final, the title fight is still very much alive.
View the full 2026 SMX championship standings →
250SMX: Beaumer Breaks Through
The 250SMX class produced an equally important championship shakeup.
Julien Beaumer came out firing in Moto 1, grabbing the lead and controlling the race from the front. Ryder DiFrancesco stayed close enough to keep the pressure on, while points leader Levi Kitchen had a much tougher opening race.
Kitchen went down while running fifth and was forced to work his way back through the field. He eventually recovered to seventh.
Beaumer, meanwhile, never gave up control.
He took the Moto 1 victory ahead of DiFrancesco, Drew Adams, Cole Davies and Kayden Minear.
Moto 2 was a completely different story.
Beaumer again started at the front, but Kitchen was determined to erase the damage from Moto 1. After working his way into second, Kitchen caught Beaumer, made the pass and opened a comfortable advantage.
Behind them, chaos changed the overall picture.
Cole Davies crashed hard while running near the front, and DiFrancesco was caught up in the incident while trying to avoid him. DiFrancesco dropped deep into the pack but mounted an important comeback, eventually fighting his way back to fifth.
Kitchen went on to win Moto 2. Jo Shimoda finished second, with Beaumer third.
Beaumer’s 1-3 scores gave him the overall victory and moved him straight back into championship contention.
DiFrancesco’s 2-5 performance was enough for second overall, while Kitchen salvaged third with 7-1 scores.
250SMX — Los Angeles Overall
| Pos. | Rider | Moto Scores |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julien Beaumer | 1-3 |
| 2 | Ryder DiFrancesco | 2-5 |
| 3 | Levi Kitchen | 7-1 |
| 4 | Jo Shimoda | 6-2 |
| 5 | Kayden Minear | 5-8 |
250SMX Championship Standings
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Levi Kitchen | 87 |
| 2 | Ryder DiFrancesco | 84 |
| 3 | Julien Beaumer | 71 |
| 4 | Kayden Minear | 57 |
| 5 | Daxton Bennick | 56 |
Kitchen leaves Los Angeles still holding the championship lead — but barely.
Only three points separate Kitchen and DiFrancesco.
Beaumer’s Los Angeles victory moved him from 10th to third in the championship, 16 points behind Kitchen.
With triple points coming next, the 250SMX title fight remains wide open.
One Race Left
Everything now moves to Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri, for the 2026 SMX World Championship Final on Saturday, September 26.
This one is different.
The finale pays triple points, meaning the championship picture can change dramatically over the course of two motos.
Prado enters Missouri with control of the 450SMX championship, but Deegan, Lawrence, Roczen and Webb remain within striking distance.
In 250SMX, there is almost no margin for error. Kitchen and DiFrancesco are separated by only three points, while Beaumer’s Los Angeles breakthrough has put another rider squarely into the championship conversation.
After an entire season of Supercross, Pro Motocross and two SMX Playoff rounds, there is nowhere left to look ahead.
One race. Triple points. Two championships.
The 2026 SMX World Champions will be crowned at Thunder Ridge.
View the 2026 SMX schedule and World Championship Final details →
