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/1546847
ROUND 3 / SEPTEMBER 26, 2026 THUNDER RIDGE NATURE ARENA / RIDGEDALE, MISSOURI SUPERMOTOCROSS I MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP P78 come back stronger next year." Landen Gordon put himself on the box in third, making it two Monster Energy Star Racing Yama- has on the overall podium. Gordon was in the mix all night long and put up a fight against some of the 250 class heavyweights. His third and used 2-2 finishes to take second overall and clinch the 250SMX crown by 24 points. He earned $500,000 in the process, the largest payout of his career, and ended Pro Circuit's seven- year title drought. "It's been tough," Kitchen said. "I've been close [to a cham- pionship] a few times. I got a great start and just trusted my instincts. The rain was coming down, and I just needed to ride smart. It's been a tough journey, for sure, and I couldn't be more stoked. I was on course this summer to wrap up my first Pro Motocross title but had some issues at the final round that didn't allow me to complete that goal, so being able to end the year with the SMX Champion- ship is exactly what I needed." Cole Davies stole the show as the Supercross and Motocross champ ended the Playoffs with a 1-1 sweep. The Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha rider was virtually out of the points race af- ter a big crash and another DNF a week ago, but he bounced back in Missouri and showed why he's got the most race wins this season. Two wins on the night put him first overall and moved him up to third in the SMX stand- ings thanks to the triple points payout. Davies collected an extra $150,000 to finish off the year. "I get to go into the off-season with a lot of momentum," Davies said. "I had an unreal year. All the hard work paid off. Two championships in Supercross and Pro Motocross, so I'm proud of myself. The Playoffs didn't go as I wanted, but we'll reset and at it, and we put it all out there." Deegan's teammate Cooper Webb, who said last week he would do whatever he could to prevent Deegan from winning the SMX Championship after Deegan took him out during the Los An- geles round, was a non-factor in both motos. He still had a math- ematical shot at the title coming into the final but fell short with a pair of "bad" starts, resulting in a pair of fourths for fifth overall and fifth in the championship. Prado finished out the SMX Championship with 158, just seven ahead of Deegan. Law- rence was third with 136, fol- lowed by Roczen with 128 and Webb with 123. Garrett March- banks (103), RJ Hampshire (99), Jordon Smith (87), Malcolm Stewart (83) and Aaron Pless- inger (80) completed the top 10. 250SMX The 250 crown came down to the wire as well, with an even slimmer points gap between the top three of Levi Kitchen, Ryder DiFrancesco and Julien Beaumer. Kitchen turned up the heat when it mattered most and executed a near-flawless night to clinch his first-ever professional championship. The Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider grabbed one of his only hole- shots of the entire year in the first moto and led all but three laps en route to a smart second place. He finished runner-up again in race two while his cham- pionship rivals struggled to move forward. Light rain in the second moto added another layer of dif- ficulty, but Kitchen kept it upright riders Hampshire and Stewart are already linked to new teams, while the 250 riders are expected to transfer to Red Bull KTM. BARCIA SITS THIS ONE OUT Justin Barcia didn't get to enjoy his final ride with the TLD Red Bull Ducati Team in Missouri because of an ankle injury sustained at the previous race in Los Angeles. Neither Barcia nor his Ducati team- mate, Dylan Ferrandis, will be back with the team next year. "Sadly, have to say this, but last week- end at LA was my last race with the TLD Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing Team," said Barcia before the Missouri race. "I unfortunately twisted my ankle in the first moto and tried to ride this week, but it's not in the cards for me. Bummed to end it like this, but overall, it's been a hell of a journey. I want to say thank you to the whole team for being behind me through this year on this brand-new bike. Ev- eryone worked hard this year, and I think we did a pretty good job at the end of the day." Before the fi- nal, Ferrandis announced he would retire after the SMX final. Barcia plans to continue racing, though, and his name has been linked to the HEP Motorsports Twisted Tea Suzuki Team. Briefly...