Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542578
ROUND 1 / JANUARY 10, 2026 ANGEL STADIUM / ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA SUPERCROSS I MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS / SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP P60 old, and this is the best night of my career thus far." Chance Hymas finished second on the night. The only Honda HRC Progressive 250 rider recently recovered from a knee injury and led portions of the race during his first race back. He started third and was in the fight for the entire race, first battling Anstie and later Ry - der DiFrancesco. Hymas eventu- ally settled into second but lost touch with the leader, Anstie. He ran alone in second for the final half of the race but still begins the year second in the champi- onship points. "It's been a long road just to get back to this," Hymas said. "I haven't raced since High Point [during the Pro Motocross Cham - Anstie is now the oldest rider to ever win a 250 Supercross main, surpassing John Dowd, who pre- viously held the record, by one day. The British veteran started from fourth and gradually moved up, taking the lead right at the halfway point. Anstie was clearly the top rider on track, set - ting the fastest lap of the race and extending his lead to over six seconds at the finish line. He used several off-season races to fine-tune his SuperMotocross training, and it all paid off with a big win to start the year. "I'm just blown away," Anstie said. "To actually win tonight, that's something special. Ana - heim has a place in my heart. I always dreamed of being here, and now I'm here. I'm 32 years Plessinger had a good start in the main, only to have it red- flagged. The restart didn't go as well for him. "My first start was great," said Plessinger. "But it, obviously, it sucks to see the red flag. My second start was great—well, had a great jump— but I ended up running off the track and went back to 22nd. Then, I just pushed my way to what I got. I was 11th for a while, battling Christian [Craig]; I got by him, and that's kind of where I stayed. It was a tough day, but I'm glad to come out with a top 10; last year, I got 22nd." 250SMX Monster Energy Star Racing Ya- maha's Max Anstie made history by winning the 250 main event. Ryder DiFrancesco (34) looked good on his new Husqvarna. He took the holeshot and finished third in the 250SX main.