Jorge Prado Prevails with Memorable Playoff 2 Victory After Captivating Battle in Los Angeles

Julien Beaumer Captures 250SMX Class Win for KTM Sweep

LOS ANGELES (September 19, 2026) – The penultimate race of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship saw the series return to Southern California for Playoff 2 inside Dignity Health Sports Park, where abundant sunshine provided drastically different track conditions from last weekend’s rain-drenched postseason opener. Double points were on the line, providing an opportunity for a shakeup in the Playoff standings. What followed was a truly memorable afternoon and evening of racing, from which Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado prevailed with his first postseason victory following a captivating battle in the 450SMX Class, adding to his points lead. In the 250SMX Class, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer made it a sweep for the Austrian brand with a decisive win.

450SMX Class Playoff Results – Los Angeles

450SMX Class Box Score – Los Angeles

250SMX Class Playoff Results – Los Angeles

250SMX Class Box Score – Los Angeles

The premier class started its first 20 Minutes + 1 Lap moto with Prado out front for the holeshot ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing pair of Cooper Webb and Haiden Deegan, while Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen slotted into fourth. Prado inched away to assert his hold of the position while the trio behind him swapped spots, with Roczen able to get by both Yamaha riders to take control of second as Deegan slotted into third. Behind them, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac moved into fourth.
 
Prado and Roczen proceeded to trade fast laps through the first half of the moto, with the lead hovering as just over a second. Then, just before halfway, Roczen made his move with an aggressive and decisive pass on the Spaniard to seize control of the lead. Once out front, the Supercross Champion quickly opened an advantage of more than two seconds. The lead stabilized until inside the final five minutes when Prado was able to close back in on the German native as they navigated lapped riders. Deegan put in a charge as well to close in from third.
 
The lead duo was separated by less than a second to begin the final lap. The international champions duked it out, to the thrill of the crowd, but Roczen held off Prado to take the moto win by 1.3 seconds. Deegan finished in a close third, with Pro Motocross Champion and Honda HRC Progressive rider Hunter Lawrence fourth. Webb rounded out the top five.
 
The final moto saw Lawrence emerge with the holeshot but he was soon passed by Prado. Moments later, a bobble by the Spaniard allowed the Australian to reclaim the lead. Behind them, Webb slotted into third, while Roczen charged up to fourth ahead of Deegan. Lawrence was able to move out to a lead of more than a second over Prado, as Roczen made the move on Webb for third. As the opening five minutes drew to a close, Lawrence’s lead grew to more than three seconds. Prado fended off heavy pressure from Roczen to maintain his hold of second, while both Webb and Deegan remained within striking distance of the top three.
 
At the halfway point of the moto Prado went down in the sand. As they made their way around the downed KTM, Deegan made the pass on Roczen for second. Prado remounted in fourth and went back on the attack, catching Roczen and making the pass for third. Each pass during this thrilling sequence carried major implications in the championship standings, as a four-way tie for first in the overall classification was in play.
 
With three minutes left on the race clock an intense battle for second between Deegan and Prado took shape until Deegan went down in the sand. As Prado carried on in second, Deegan and Roczen got tangled up as Deegan reentered the race. That allowed Webb to slip past both riders, only for Deegan to make contact during a pass by his teammate that put Webb on the ground. Deegan continued in third, with Roczen fourth, while Webb lost touch in fifth.
 
Lawrence enjoyed a dominant, trouble-free moto and stormed to the moto win by 14.9 seconds. Prado secured a resilient second-place finish, with Deegan third and Roczen fourth.
 
Prado’s consistent 2-2 effort put him atop the overall classification by a single point over Lawrence (4-1) and Roczen (1-4), who finished tied for second. Lawrence’s second moto win gave him the tiebreaker for the runner-up spot, leaving Roczen third. Deegan finished just off the overall podium in fourth despite two moto podiums (3-3).
 
Prado added to his lead in the SMX World Championship standings, as double points moved him 16 points ahead of both Deegan and Lawrence, who sit tied for second. Roczen sits 18 points out of the lead in fourth, while Webb, who finished fifth (5-5), is 20 points back. Triple points will be up for grabs at the Final, setting the stage for an exciting conclusion to the postseason.

Jorge Prado (2-2) – 1st Place – 450SMX Class
“We just keep improving. We got out of the gate good and made a pass [for the lead], but then I almost went down. I knew this race was going to be hard. I tried to risk it in the sand and ended up on the ground. Sometimes you have to take those risks. I put in a charge and tried to wait for my chance, then Haiden [Deegan] went down and then I rode safe to get to the finish.”

Hunter Lawrence (4-1) – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class
“The start was everything. The track was pretty simple and didn’t offer much for separation. I’m happy to finish that one off with a good race win. We’ll see everyone in Missouri.”

Ken Roczen (1-4) – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class
“I’m very happy with my effort in the first moto, but I don’t remember the last time I raced two motos [like this]. You can’t buy that kind of intensity. I’ll absorb it and it’ll benefit me for next weekend. Happy to get this one out of the way and looking forward to improving.”

450SMX Class Playoff Standings

The opening 20 Minute + 1 Lap 250SMX Class moto began with Beaumer out front ahead of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco. A collision between several riders bunched the field and allowed the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki duo of Drew Adams and Levi Kitchen to move into third and fourth, respectively. Beaumer quickly established his hold of the lead while DiFrancesco settled into second. Further back, Kitchen, the points leader, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies closed in on Adams for third. Davies then made the move around both Kawasaki riders to take control of the position.
 
The top three settled in through the middle of the moto, with Adams staying within striking distance from fourth. Kitchen, meanwhile, went down while running fifth and dropped to 11th. Back up front, Davies began to pressure DiFrancesco for second, which pushed them closer to Beaumer. The top three were separated by less than 1.5 seconds with just over five minutes to go. As he looked to make the pass on DiFrancesco, Davies went down in the sand, which dropped him to fourth behind Adams.
 
Beaumer never put a wheel wrong and completed the wire-to-wire performance for his first moto win in postseason competition. DiFrancesco followed 5.6 seconds behind in second, with Adams in third. Davies finished fourth, followed by his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Kayden Minear in fifth. Kitchen recovered to finish seventh.
 
The second and deciding moto saw Beaumer lead the field with the holeshot once again, with DiFrancesco and Davies in tow. As Beaumer sprinted out to a lead of more than a second, Davies made the pass on DiFrancesco, while Kitchen moved his way into fourth. As he looked to give chase to Beaumer, Davies crashed hard out of second, which caused DiFrancesco to hit his motorcycle and go down. DiFrancesco dropped outside the top 10 before continuing, while Davies eventually remounted and retired from the race.
 
Amidst the chaos, Beaumer maintained his hold of the lead ahead of a hard-charging Kitchen, who moved up to second, while Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Landen Gordon slotted into third. Kitchen continued to chip away at Beaumer’s lead and with just under 13 minutes to go on the race clock he made the pass. Once out front, Kitchen quickly opened an advantage of more than three seconds. Several laps later, Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda, the reigning SMX World Champion, made the pass on Gordon for third. The Japanese rider didn’t stop there. He methodically closed in on Beaumer and made the move for second with just over a minute to go. Further back, DiFrancesco’s recovery from his early misfortune saw him make a valiant charge into the top five, which loomed large in the overall classification.
 
Kitchen was never challenged the rest of the way and took his first postseason moto win by 5.7 seconds over Shimoda, with Beaumer in third.
 
By virtue of his consistent 1-3 performance Beaumer easily secured his first ever Playoff triumph, continuing an incredible comeback story from a broken back suffered one year ago. DiFrancesco’s late-race pass for fifth moved him from fourth to second overall (2-5), for a pass worth eight points in the championship standings. Kitchen bounced back from a challenging first moto to round out the overall podium (7-1).
 
Kitchen maintained his possession of the points lead and will carry a three-point lead over DiFrancesco into the SMX World Championship Final. Beaumer gained seven positions in the standings with the win to move into third, 16 points out of the lead. The three riders all remain within the thick of the title fight with triple points on the line next weekend.

Julien Beaumer (1-3) – 1st Place – 250SMX Class
“I saw Davies was down and kind of knew where I was at. I wasn’t really myself [in Moto 2], but I also know Levi [Kitchen] and Jo [Shimoda] weren’t a factor for the win, so I didn’t risk it. It’s good to get a win and get things going back in the right direction.”

Ryder DiFrancesco (2-5) – 2nd Place – 250SMX Class
“My riding was really good today. I was unlucky when Davies went down. I tried to avoid hitting him but hit the bike and went down. I knew I had to fight to get back into this championship. I executed the way I wanted to, but it went south, but we’ve got a shot in Missouri and that’s what matters.”

Levi Kitchen (7-1) – 3rd Place – 250SMX Class
“I don’t know who was riding in the first moto, but it wasn’t me [laughs]. I ended up with a flat tire after the sight lap [for Moto 2] and luckily my mechanic caught it. He saved me. Still in the points lead, which is great, so we’ll carry that momentum into the final race.”

250SMX Class Playoff Standings

The championship-deciding 8 Minute + 1 Lap SMX Next World All-Stars Main Event got underway with KTM Orange Brigade’s Wyatt Thurman out front for the holeshot ahead of ClubMX Yamaha’s Ryder Malinoski and Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Kade Johnson, the points leader. Thurman and Malinoski battled early for the lead until Thurman went down, which put the Yamaha rider out front ahead of Johnson and KTM Orange Brigade’s Luke Fauser. It didn’t take long for Malinoski and Johnson to sprint away from the field to make it a two-rider battle for the win. Behind them, Fauser lost his hold of third to Altus Motorsports bLUcRU Yamaha’s Kane Bollasina.
 
Malinoski strengthened his hold of the lead in the closing stages of the race and carried on to take the win by 3.9 seconds over Johnson, with Bollasina in third.
 
With his runner-up effort, Johnson was crowned the 2026 SMX Next World All-Stars Champion.

Kade Johnson – SMX Next World All-Stars Champion
“I qualified fastest in practice and timed qualifying, so I really wanted to make a statement today. This is my fifth straight SMX Next podium. I really wanted the win, but Ryder [Malinoski] was riding awesome. I didn’t want to risk throwing away the championship, so I’m satisfied with that. I’m just so happy and so proud of myself to accomplish this. I’m ready for someone to give me an opportunity [at the professional level].”

SMX Next World All-Stars Results – Los Angeles

SMX Next World All-Stars Final Standings

The Monster Energy SMX World Championship postseason will come to a dramatic and exciting conclusion next Saturday, September 26, with the Final from Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri. Live comprehensive broadcast coverage will be available exclusively on Peacock, beginning at 1 p.m. ET with Race Day Live, followed by a Pre-Race Show at 6:30 p.m. ET and Gate Drop at 7 p.m. ET.

Playoff 2 Post-Race Press Briefing – Los Angeles

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About the Monster Energy SMX World Championship:
The Monster Energy SMX World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series in the world that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the Monster Energy SMX World Championship Series combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship into a 28-round regular season that culminates with the season-ending SMX World Championship Playoffs. Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.

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Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting specialized arena and stadium-based motorsports entertainment. Properties include Monster Jam^®, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and the Monster Energy SMX World Championship. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment, Inc. Visit monsterjam.com, SupercrossLIVE.com, and feldentertainment.com for more information.

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MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., manages and produces the world’s premier motocross racing series – the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. MX Sports Pro Racing is an industry leader in off-road powersport event production and management, its mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., organizes events for thousands of action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators. Visit MXSportsProRacing.com for more information.