With three races left in the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, the narrative has finally been formed about this year’s 450 class: Once a racer gains momentum in the championship race, they lose it the next weekend.
Hunter Lawrence came into Cleveland with a 10-point lead over Ken Roczen, but leaves with that lead down to one point now.
This was the first time in over 30 years that Cleveland saw a Supercross race in their city, with 1995 being the most recent race before this weekend.
This race was a triple crown, in which there are three races that are scored in Olympic style to determine the winner. But the “lake effect,” which often causes unpredictable weather in the area, became a real issue on Saturday, with the rain and wind leading to inconsistent conditions at Huntington Bank Field.
The first races for both the 250 and 450 classes had favorable conditions. The rain came down for race two for the 250 class, leading to slower laps and the track breaking down as the laps continued. Race two for the 450 class did not have any rain, but they had to ride on a track that was beaten down by the 250 riders.
By the third race for both classes, the track was in bad shape, making it extremely hard to race. In the 450 class, Roczen was able to combat the weather and win the day with 2-2-1 scores.
Lawrence was having a good day, starting with 1-5 scores, but in the third race things fell apart for him, leading to a 14th place finish. That put him in sixth place overall on the day. Defending champion Cooper Webb finished with scores of 5-4-2 for second place and Justin Cooper went 3-1-7 for third place.
The third race killed the momentum Lawrence had come into the weekend with. This has turned into the story of the season. No rider has been able to grow a manageable points lead to cruise toward the title. Lawrence and Eli Tomac have swapped the points lead multiple times, and Roczen has been lurking all year and now has the opportunity to get into the point lead this weekend.
As for Tomac, he wrecked in the whoops in the first laps of qualifying, leaving him with an injured hip. There has not been a statement released yet on the extent of his injuries. Sitting out this weekend has removed him from the points battle.
In the 250 class, Nate Thrasher got his first win this season with scores of 2-1-4. Thrasher has now won one race each season since he turned pro.
In his second professional Supercross race, Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha racer Landen Gordon placed second with 4-2-2 scores. He was called up last weekend, after the team felt he was ready to start testing the waters of professional supercross racing.
Cole Davies went 5-4-1 for third place. As much as Davies wanted to win, he still finished above his biggest title threat, Seth Hammaker, who went 1-3-6 for fourth place.
Hammaker had the chance to win his second race of the season and make points up on Davies, but a wreck on the start of the third race led him having to charge from last to sixth in 10 minutes. If Hammaker had the start he wanted in the third race, he could have won. He looked like the best rider on the track all day.
Going into this weekend, racing shifts into the Keystone State, in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field. Racing includes the 250 East and 450 class, along with the SMX Next AMA National Championship, where high-school age racers battle to make a name for themselves.
Qualifying starts at 1 p.m. Eastern and the racing action kicks off at 7 p.m. With the championship boiling down to the final races, the action is sure to be in full this weekend.
