“Sh** night”: Lawrence laments costly Cleveland crashes

Ken Roczen closes to with a single point of Hunter’s Supercross title lead with round 14 victory

Monster Energy Supercross returned to Cleveland for the first time since 1995, and it did so in some of the most unpredictable conditions of the season. An enthusiastic crowd at Huntington Bank Field on the shores of Lake Erie endured rain showers, cold temperatures and swirling winds for Round 14 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship, where the 450SMX title fight took another dramatic turn – one that centred heavily on Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence.

Lawrence opened the Triple Crown in commanding fashion, launching to the holeshot in Race 1 and immediately making the most of clear track. He established a multi-second advantage and was never seriously threatened, taking a wire-to-wire win by 5.4 seconds over Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen, with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper third.

As conditions worsened for Race 2, Lawrence didn’t get the start he needed and had to work forward from deep inside the top 10 on a wet, wind-affected track. While Cooper controlled the race up front and Roczen battled through to second late, Lawrence limited the damage as best he could, charging to fifth – though he was well back from the leaders by the finish.

Race 3 proved decisive, and cruel. Roczen grabbed the holeshot and sprinted away at the front, while Lawrence started eighth and looked to push forward. A crash in the whoops dropped him outside the top 10, rejoining in 14th. Attempting to recover again, Lawrence went down a second time and was left to soldier home in 14th, turning what began as a winning day into a major points loss.

Roczen’s 2-2-1 scorecard secured the overall on five points, while Lawrence’s 1-5-14 left him sixth overall on 20 points. The result erased most of Lawrence’s buffer in the standings, with his lead shrinking from 10 points to just a single point over Roczen with three rounds remaining.

The championship picture also tightened after Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac missed the Triple Crown due to a hip injury sustained in a qualifying crash. His absence allowed Cooper Webb to move into third in the standings, 22 points from the lead, with Tomac now fourth at 31 points back– leaving Lawrence and Roczen as the key protagonists heading into the run home.

Ken Roczen – 1st 
“Wow. I had no idea I was one point back [in the championship]. I am so blown away with the gamble we took with the weather. It was supposed to be clear for the last two races, but it kept raining. That affected my decision with goggles, and I kept sticking with roll-offs just to be safe. After I got the holeshot in the last race I had a clear track and just felt really comfortable. Once I had a gap, I just made sure I didn’t do anything silly. I’m just so grateful I’m able to ride like this.”

Cooper Webb – 2nd
“What a crazy day. Qualifying was great, then the rain came and we had the Triple Crown. I rode bad in the first race but got better for the last two. I didn’t think I had a chance for the podium after the first two [races], so I rode free in the last one. Kenny [Roczen] rode those first laps like it was dry and got away. I was a distant second. Overall, I’m happy with it. We had a good day.”

Justin Cooper – 3rd
“This track was very tricky, and things could go wrong very quickly. I’m happy to get up from the crash unscathed, the concrete hurt. Just glad to be up on the podium still [despite the crash]. I spun off the gate but somehow came out top five and then had that crash. It was a bummer to go down and give away a spot [overall] but just thankful I’m okay. It was still a great night.”

Hunter Lawrence – 6th
“I had a bad start and just made it tough on myself. Another rider checked up and I went down. It was a bit of a [expletive] night at the office. We’ll come back next weekend in Philly.”

AMA 450SX STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 14

1 Hunter Lawrence (HON) – 286 points
2 Ken Roczen (SUZ) – 285 points
3 Cooper Webb (YAM) – 264 points
4 Eli Tomac (KTM) – 255 points
5 Justin Cooper (YAM) – 233 points
6 Chase Sexton (KAW) – 180 points
7 Joey Savatgy (HON) – 176 points
8 Malcolm Stewart (HUS) – 160 points
9 Justin Hill (KTM) – 148 points
10 Jorge Prado (GAS) – 147 points