One of the closest and most captivating seasons of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship resulted in a historic breakthrough for one of the sport’s most popular and high-profile athletes as German native Ken Roczen captured his first title in the discipline in his 13th attempt, cementing a decorated career that also includes a pair of Pro Motocross crowns.

The long-awaited championship for the 32-year-old also made the Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki pilot the oldest champion in Supercross history, as he overcame a 31-point deficit to Australian rival Hunter Lawrence over the final seven weeks of the season. Given Roczen’s revered legacy overcoming adversity, it became one of the most popular championship efforts of the sport’s five decades of existence.

The captivating 17-race campaign provided a truly memorable first half of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship and has set the tone for one of the most highly anticipated seasons of the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, where the second half of the regular season will feature 11 races and a combined 44 motos for a grueling summer-long test of man and machine from the most storied venues in off-road motorcycle racing.

“The excitement, compelling drama, and unpredictability of Monster Energy Supercross was at its peak this season, with a historic title fight between two international superstars – one officially cementing himself as a perennial contender for years to come, the other finally breaking through in the twilight of his career with the one accolade that had always eluded him. You couldn’t script a better storyline than the one provided by Ken Roczen and Hunter Lawrence, but their battle was certainly cinematic,” said Davey Coombs, President, MX Sports Pro Racing.

“As always, we commend and celebrate our SMX League partners at Feld Motor Sports for one of the most memorable title fights of all time, one that will forever be enshrined in the sport’s legacy. From sellout crowds at multiple stadiums to continued broadcast growth on Peacock, NBC, and the SMX Video Pass, Monster Energy Supercross continues to captivate audiences across the globe. Now it’s our turn to take it outside and open things up with 40-rider gates, legendary racetracks, and the most passionate fans in motorsports. We’re eager to keep the momentum rolling with what is poised to be a summer to remember in the Pro Motocross Championship.”

After a memorable first half produced a historic season of Monster Energy Supercross and a breakthrough first championship for Ken Roczen, the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship now heads outdoors for the summer with a highly anticipated 11 races for the Pro Motocross Championship.

Headlining the impending start of the summer campaign is the formation of a new rivalry that will carry the sport into its next era – Jett Lawrence versus Haiden Deegan. Having already amassed every major championship in SMX by the time he was 20 years old, Lawrence is the reigning Pro Motocross champion and the proverbial face of the sport, possessing generational talent on the motorcycle and crossover appeal away from the track.

Deegan, meanwhile, is a second-generation homegrown talent who possesses the same brash charisma, unwavering confidence, and killer instinct that made his father a freestyle motocross icon. He’s the sport’s first true social media star and has just completed one of the most prolific 250SMX Class careers of all time. For the first time, Lawrence will pilot his Honda HRC Progressive machine against Deegan’s Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing ride for the official start of what many believe will be a contentious clash between two young titans that will carry the sport for years to come.

Adding to the intrigue of their impending showdown is Lawrence’s 2026 racing debut, as the reigning champion will line up for the first time since he underwent surgery to repair a broken ankle and foot suffered in the offseason. No one knows what to expect from Lawrence, but he’s proven over and over again to never count him out or underestimate what he’s capable of.

Given the massive attention generated by the anticipated first meeting between Lawrence and Deegan, it has allowed for an exceptionally talented and decorated field of fellow contenders to fly under the radar entering the summer. Perhaps none more so than four-time Pro Motocross Champion Eli Tomac, the winningest active rider in the sport.

An offseason move to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing has rejuvenated the 33-year-old and while the end of his Supercross season was littered with adversity, he’s hungrier than ever to once again stake his claim in the discipline where “Beast Mode” was born. He’ll be flanked by two additional past champions in Chase Sexton and Dylan Ferrandis.

Like Tomac, both Sexton and Ferrandis joined new teams for the 2026 season, with Sexton heading to Monster Energy Kawasaki and Ferrandis becoming one half of the maiden lineup for Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing. Both riders finished the Supercross season on an upswing, with Sexton claiming victory at the finale.

Still in search of his first premier class title, Hunter Lawrence will no doubt carry the momentum from an incredible Supercross season to be a contender for the Pro Motocross title as well. With back-to-back runner-up finishes his first two seasons in the 450SMX Class, the elder Lawrence is arguably the most proven racer without a championship to his name and could ultimately be the one who sets the tone to begin the summer.

There will also be a watchful eye on Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado. The Spaniard is a two-time FIM World Champion who enters his second year on U.S. soil determined to redeem his hardships from a year ago by rejoining the manufacturer that carried him to all his overseas success. It’s paid off so far with a pair of Supercross podiums, while his true forte of motocross awaits.

Also sure to be a factor is the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing duo of Justin Cooper, perhaps the most consistent racer in the sport, and Cooper Webb, who has compiled an immensely successful career off the motivation of being overlooked. While their rookie teammate grabs all the attention, Cooper and Webb will be there contending for podiums, week in and week out.

Complementing the elite talent of the 450SMX Class is one of the most wide open 250SMX Class fields in history. Deegan’s graduation has created a vacancy atop the division that a large contingent of challengers hope to fill. Early favorites to step up are the Honda HRC Progressive tandem of Chance Hymas and Jo Shimoda, alongside Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen.

These three racers are the most proven in the smaller displacement, with each possessing multiple race wins. However, given the dominance he showcased in what became a championship-winning breakout season in Supercross, young New Zealander Cole Davies will look to prove he can win both indoors and outdoors and will do so with the support of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, who have won the past two Pro Motocross titles with Deegan.

Not to be outdone, another Star Racing rider will enter the summer with one key advantage his counterparts do not have, a wealth of experience. At 33 years of age, Englishman Max Anstieis giving up nearly a decade to his fellow racers, but with that are years of competing at the highest level in both Europe and the United States. He joined Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing for the opportunity to win his first career title and is no doubt the wild card in an already unpredictable division.

The 2026 Pro Motocross Championship will continue the Monster Energy SMX World Championship regular season with 11 rounds of captivating summer competition from the most famous racetracks in America, with many boasting legacies that span upwards of five decades.

The season will get underway on Saturday, May 30, from Southern California’s Fox Raceway, and will traverse the country, across every time zone, before concluding in the motorsports mecca of the greater Indianapolis area from Indiana’s Ironman Raceway on August 29.