MECHANICSVILLE, Md. — For the first time all summer Mother Nature played a central role in the outcome of the action at the penultimate race of the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, from Budds Creek Motocross Park.
Heavy morning rains set the tone for a challenging afternoon that remained free from rainfall at Round 27 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship, where a wet and muddy track eventually transitioned into a competitive racing surface as the sun emerged at the Yamaha Racing Budds Creek National Presented by Carter CAT.
In the premier 450SMX Class, Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence [#96] put forth a dominant performance to capture his sixth win of the season and reclaim control of the points lead, setting up a winner-take-all showdown at the season finale with his teammate and brother, Jett Lawrence [#1].
Hunter Lawrence’s sixth 1-1 performance and sixth victory of the summer is the seventh of his career, but more importantly, moved him back atop the championship standings with one race remaining.
Prado secured back-to-back runner-up finishes after a 3-3 afternoon.
Deegan captured his fifth consecutive overall podium result in third (2-4) and now has eight podiums in the first 10 races of his rookie season.
Jett Lawrence settled for fourth (5-2), which signified just his third-ever non-podium finish in 37 premier class starts and his first not impacted by a crash nor a penalty.
An 11-point swing moved Hunter Lawrence back atop the championship standings heading into the final round, with he and Jett separated by a single point. It signified the sixth time the points lead has changed hands between the siblings this summer.
In the 250SMX Class, a day that saw a dramatic shift atop the point standings also welcomed the summer’s seventh different winner as Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas [#29] prevailed to set a record of parity in the smaller displacement and give Honda a sweep of the day’s victories.
Hymas’ 2-1 effort allowed him to break through for the third overall win of his career. With it, he became the seventh different rider to capture a 250SMX Class victory this summer, which set a new record for race winners in a single season.
Davies grabbed his third straight podium result in second (1-3) and now has seven top three finishes this summer, which has ultimately moved him in control of his own destiny in the championship.
The rookie Gordon captured the first overall podium result of his career in third (3-7), making him the eighth different rider to claim a maiden podium this summer.
Kitchen’s strong effort in the second moto helped him make the most out of a challenging afternoon in fifth overall (14-2).
A 15-point swing in the championship moves Davies back atop the point standings heading into the final round, where he’ll hold a 14-point lead over Kitchen for the last two motos of the season.
