The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship hosted its third consecutive sold out crowd to open the 2026 campaign as the world’s best returned to the hallowed grounds of Angel Stadium for Round 3 of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship. After a high-profile move to Monster Energy Kawasaki during the offseason, Chase Sexton captured his first win for the decorated manufacturer following another captivating Main Event.

The battle for the 450SMX Class victory began with the Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance of Jason Anderson leading the field for the holeshot, with Sexton alongside. Anderson soon asserted his hold of the lead as Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence, Sexton, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac, the winner of the opening two races and championship points leader, settled in behind the Suzuki rider. Sexton then found a groove and reclaimed second from Lawrence before tracking down Anderson.

A brief battle for the lead saw Sexton and Anderson trade passes before the Kawasaki rider got the upper hand and opened a multi-second lead over the field a little before the halfway point of the race. Behind them, Tomac passed Lawrence for third and set his sights on Anderson. The Suzuki rider fended off Tomac, which allowed Lawrence to retake third. Not long after, both Lawrence and Tomac made their way around Anderson, as the latter pushed Anderson off track. The top three remained unchanged the rest of the way as Sexton took his 17th career victory and first podium of the season by a margin of 3.3 seconds. It was the first win for Kawasaki since the 2022 season.

Tomac is now the lone rider to finish on the podium in each race thus far, with two wins and a third. He has an eight-point lead over Lawrence in the 450SMX Class standings, as Lawrence moved up to second on the heels of back-to-back runner-up finishes. Sexton moved into third, 13 points behind Tomac, while Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen dropped to fourth (-14) after he missed the podium for the first time in a valiant eighth-place finish that saw him fight back from 21st on the opening lap.

Chase Sexton – 1st 450SMX Class

“It’s been a long few months, going back to the [crash at the] Vegas SMX finale. That was not good for me. It’s hard to get back here [atop the podium], honestly. It’s been a journey. Even after the Heat Race tonight I was wondering what I was doing wrong and knew I needed to just go out there and do my laps. I strapped up for the Main Event and just rode solid and more within myself. I can’t say enough about the team and everything they’ve done to get us to this point. It’s good to put Kawi back on top.”

Hunter Lawrence – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class

“I just need a little more consistency throughout the day. Every time I went on the track I made a change to the bike, so every time I was learning the track again and trying to adapt to the bike. However, we are learning a lot and hopefully we can carry that through the rest of the series. I need to be better from the start through the beginning of the race. You could see I was a bit slow to get going, but I picked it up towards the end.”

Eli Tomac – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class

“The big picture [championship] is great. That race was a whole lot of everything. A lot of offense, a lot of defense. I tried some moves and got passed, and vice versa. I’m happy to defend that podium spot, it was important for me, but that was a very intense race. Overall, I’m happy with the finish and looking forward to next weekend.”

The Western Divisional 250SMX Class once again saw the battle for the win come down to a pair of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammates in Michael Mosiman and Haiden Deegan. Mosiman led the field through the first turn for the holeshot, ahead of Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo, ClubMX Yamaha’s Max Vohland, and Deegan. As Mosiman secured control of the race early on, Deegan charged up to second. From there, the duo pulled away from the field and paced one another for most of the 15 Minute + 1 Lap race. With three-and-a-half minutes to go Deegan closed in on Mosiman and made quick work of a pass for the lead. With the clear track, Deegan quickly moved more than five seconds clear of the field and easily claimed back-to-back wins to officially take hold of the early title fight.

Deegan took his ninth career win 8.5 seconds ahead of Mosiman, who now has third and second place finishes the past two races. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco came out on top of a tight battle with McAdoo for DiFrancesco’s second career podium result, his first coming at the Anaheim opener just two weeks ago.

Deegan has a nine-point lead over Mosiman in the Western Divisional standings. Their Star Yamaha teammate Max Anstie dropped from second to third, 10 points out of the lead, after his worst result of the season thus far in sixth.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Haiden Deegan showed patience in the Western Divisional 250SMX Main Event, with a late pass on teammate Michael Mosiman to earn Deegan's second straight win and add to his points lead.

Haiden Deegan – 1st Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class

“That was amazing. Good ride. Solid ride. I need to give it up to [Mosiman], when people put in that extra work a lot of the time it goes unnoticed. He’s the only guy I see out there putting in the extra effort. I gotta give him credit and that’s what makes him such a tough competitor.”

Michael Mosiman – 2nd Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class

“It feels great [to be on the podium]. Every time I go to the gate I look up at the stands, see all the fans, and make sure I appreciate the moment. We put in so much work just to be able to perform and when that happens it’s just an amazing feeling. I’m stoked on the race and stoked on my start. Whenever you can get a holeshot that makes a world of difference.”

Ryder DiFrancesco – 3rd Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class

“I knew if I could keep [McAdoo] close that I could get him. It didn't happen [initially] but I figured I could wear him down and get it done at the end. I guess Anaheim is my place. It’s close to home.”