Eli Tomac Takes Back-To-Back 450SMX Wins

Red Bull KTM continue their hot Supercross form in San Diego, Hunter Lawrence takes second place

The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship continued its sold-out start to the 2026 season with Round 2 inside San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium, where fans were treated to another thrilling night of racing. One week after opening the season with a standout debut victory for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Eli Tomac delivered once again, claiming consecutive wins in the 450SMX Class after an intense Main Event battle.

From the drop of the gate, Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence grabbed the holeshot, with Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen and Tomac in close pursuit. The trio quickly broke away from the field and set up a captivating three-way fight at the front. Lawrence showed impressive early pace as he resisted sustained pressure from Roczen, but as Tomac entered the fray the dynamic shifted. Roczen eventually slipped past Lawrence with 14 minutes and a lap remaining, while Tomac followed into second to ignite a prolonged duel for the lead.

Roczen and Tomac traded positions several times, with the German rider controlling much of the race at the front. However, with six minutes left on the clock, Tomac made a decisive move to retake the lead and began to inch away. Roczen’s pace dropped just enough to allow Lawrence through into second, setting up a tense closing stretch as the Australian hunted down the race leader.

Under heavy pressure in the final laps, Tomac held his composure to cross the line first, securing his 55th career Supercross victory and 87th combined SMX win by just 1.3 seconds. The result moves the Colorado native into a tie with Jeremy McGrath for second on the all-time SMX wins list. Lawrence’s second-place finish matched the best Supercross result of his career, while Roczen completed the podium for his second top-three result in as many rounds.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton narrowly missed the podium in fourth after a dramatic charge from the back of the pack, having hit the gate at the start. During his comeback ride, Sexton made contact with defending champion Cooper Webb, who went down but recovered to finish eighth aboard his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine.

With two rounds complete, Tomac has emerged as the early benchmark in the 450SMX title chase, holding a 50-point total and a clear advantage at the top of the standings. Roczen remains firmly in contention on 42 points, while Lawrence’s consistent start has him close behind in third with 40.

Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM) – 1st Place
“Me and Ken [Roczen] had an unbelievable battle there and once we got into the lead I felt like I was in a really good groove. Towards the end there I was not paying attention and just looking at my front fender, I didn’t know Hunter [Lawrence] was there [because] I was so focused on marking Kenny around the track. I [went] over the tunnel on the last lap and heard Hunter revving his bike and was shocked he was right there. I feel fortunate I held onto the lead there. I guess I need better self-awareness next time. That was close.”

Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) – 2nd Place
“It’s bittersweet when you’re so close. I wanted to be there with those guys last week [up front] so we worked really hard this week and made some progress, which is always rewarding. I think I shot my shot too fast on the last lap and thought I’d dive bomb into the corner, but at the last minute I thought it was going to be a really dirty move if I followed through, so I backed out of it. It was cool. A really great race.”

Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki) – 3rd Place
“Me and Eli [Tomac] went back and forth a couple times and then in the middle of the race I just had a couple laps where I was all over the place and fell off the back a bit and got passed. I tried to just settle back in and at least stay close to those guys. We have 17 rounds and it can swap around real quick, so being on the podium is really good. We want to win, but at the same time we can’t be mad at a podium. We’ll keep at it, see if I can snag a couple of wins, and see where it goes.”

AMA 450SMX SAN DIEGO RACE

1 – Eli Tomac (KTM): 25
2 – Hunter Lawrence (HON): 22
3 – Ken Roczen (SUZ): 20
4 – Chase Sexton (KAW): 18
5 – Joey Savatgy (HON): 17
6 – Justin Cooper (YAM): 16
7 – Aaron Plessinger (KTM): 15
8 – Cooper Webb (YAM): 14
9 – Dylan Ferrandis (DUC): 13
10 – Malcolm Stewart (HUS): 12
11 – Jason Anderson (SUZ): 11
12 – R.J. Hampshire (HUS): 10
13 – Jorge Prado (KTM): 9
14 – Justin Hill (KAW): 8
15 – Christian Craig (HON): 7
16 – Colt Nichols (SUZ): 6
17 – Vince Friese (KAW): 5
18 – Shane McElrath (HON): 4
19 – Kevin Moranz (KTM): 3
20 – Mitchell Harrison (KTM): 2
21 – Grant Harlan (KTM): 1
22 – Max Miller (KAW): 0

AMA 450SMX CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 – Eli Tomac (KTM): 50
2 – Ken Roczen (SUZ): 42
3 – Hunter Lawrence (HON): 40
4 – Chase Sexton (KAW): 32
5 – Justin Cooper (YAM): 32
6 – Cooper Webb (YAM): 29
7 – Jason Anderson (SUZ): 28
8 – Aaron Plessinger (KTM): 27
9 – Jorge Prado (KTM): 26
10 – Joey Savatgy (HON): 26
11 – Dylan Ferrandis (DUC): 26
12 – Christian Craig (HON): 18
13 – Colt Nichols (SUZ): 16
14 – Justin Hill (KAW): 16
15 – R.J. Hampshire (HUS): 14
16 – Malcolm Stewart (HUS): 12
17 – Shane McElrath (HON): 9
18 – Vince Friese (KAW): 8
19 – Austin Forkner (KAW): 7
20 – Mitchell Oldenburg (HON): 6
21 – Mitchell Harrison (KTM): 4
22 – Kevin Moranz (KTM): 3
23 – Grant Harlan (KTM): 1
24 – Justin Barcia (GAS): 1
25 – Max Miller (KAW): 0