Levi Kitchen Prevails with First Professional Title in 250SMX Class
RIDGEDALE, Mo (September 26, 2026) – In front of a raucous capacity crowd, from one of the most dynamic venues to ever host an off-road motorcycle race, the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship drew to a historic conclusion inside Thunder Ridge Nature Arena as the sport crowned two first-time World Champions. Triple points were on the line at the SMX World Championship Final, which meant the title fight for both the 450SMX Class and 250SMX Class came down to the final checkered flag. In the premier class, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado became the first Spanish born champion in SMX history, capping off an incredible story arc for the multi-time MXGP titleholder. In the 250SMX Class, the long wait for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen came to an end as he broke through for his first professional championship.
The first of the final two 20 Minute + 1 Lap 450SMX Class motos of the season kicked off with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Yamaha’s Haiden Deegan out front with the holeshot ahead of Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen and Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence. Prado started his journey in 10th.
Deegan took full advantage of his track position to quickly assert his hold of the top spot, as both Roczen and Lawrence settled in. Behind them, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb ran fourth, while Prado made a charge up to fifth. Inside the final three minutes, a bobble by Deegan allowed Roczen to close within just over a second of the Yamaha rider, but lapped riders allowed Deegan to reestablish his advantage.
Deegan completed a wire-to-wire performance to take the moto win by 3.1 seconds over Roczen, with Lawrence in third. Webb followed in fourth, with Prado fifth.
The final moto of the 2026 season got underway with Prado out front for the holeshot ahead of Deegan and Lawrence. Webb started fourth, with Roczen several spots back in eighth. Prado looked to take advantage of the clear track and inched out to a lead of just over a second over Deegan, with the championship in the balance. Lawrence asserted his hold of third.
The top three settled in for the first 15 minutes of the moto until Deegan started to push the pace and run the fastest laps of the moto. He chipped away at Prado’s advantage and moved within striking distance with three and a half minutes to go. The lead duo separated themselves from Lawrence and sat within a second of one another as lapped riders factored in. Both riders overcame bobbles on the final lap as Prado held off Deegan by 1.7 seconds to take the checkered flag and clinch his first championship on U.S. soil.
Deegan’s 1-2 performance gave the rookie two wins in three postseason races as well as a runner-up finish in the championship standings. However, Prado’s comeback ride in the second moto placed him second overall with 5-1 finishes to clinch the Spaniard’s maiden title in just his second season of racing in America and during his postseason debut after missing the Playoffs and Final one year ago. Lawrence rounded out the overall podium with a consistent 3-3 performance.
Prado finished off his championship run by a margin of seven points over Deegan, who nearly became the first rider in the sport to win the world championship in both classes. Lawrence capped off a breakthrough season with the final spot on the championship podium, 22 points behind Prado.
Jorge Prado (5-1) – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class World Champion
“One year ago, I was watching these races and didn’t know if I’d ever be here. Red Bull KTM believed in me and gave me a chance to prove myself. We worked so hard for this goal and accomplished it. When I saw the rain, I was dreading what might come, but it stopped and everything worked out. Haiden [Deegan] was riding incredible, so I did all I could to keep him behind me. I showed with hard work that dreams can come true.
Haiden Deegan (1-2) – 1st Place – 450SMX Class
“I gave it everything I had [today]. I got the overall but not the championship, and that hurts. Credit to Jorge [Prado], he was riding great. I’ll go into the offseason and work my butt off. There’s a Supercross championship I want and I’m going to do everything I can to get it.”
Hunter Lawrence (3-3) – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class
“What a long year, but it was amazing. I’ve got a lot of good things in my life right now. A great result tonight and now we go into the offseason looking for more next year.”
The first of two 20 Minute + 1 Lap 250SMX Class motos got underway with Kitchen leading the field to the holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher. The other title contenders, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco started in sixth and seventh, respectively.
The clear track played heavily into Kitchen’s favor as he moved out to a lead of more than two seconds in the opening laps, while the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing trio of Thrasher, Landen Gordon, and Cole Davies were locked into a fight for a spot in the top three. Behind them, Beaumer and DiFrancesco looked to close in. As the moto reached its halfway point Thrasher crashed out of second, which moved Davies behind Kitchen and a hard-charging DiFrancesco up to third. Beaumer, meanwhile, moved up to fourth.
Davies started to close in on Kitchen and moved within striking distance in the late stages of the moto. He made a quick and decisive move to grab the lead with just over one minute left on the race clock and quickly pulled away. The New Zealander carried on to take the moto win by 2.1 seconds over Kitchen, well ahead of DiFrancesco in third, Beaumer in fourth, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Pierce Brown in fifth.
The championship deciding moto started as rain began to fall at Thunder Ridge with Davies at the head of the pack for the holeshot with Kitchen and Gordon in tow. DiFrancesco and Beaumer, meanwhile, both started deep in the field outside the top 10. Davies quickly opened a multi-second lead over Kitchen, who controlled his own destiny and settled into a consistent rhythm.
Davies continued to add to his lead and managed a margin of around 10 seconds over the second half of the moto to easily complete the 1-1 sweep by 6.4 seconds. Kitchen maintained his hold of second throughout to eliminate any threat to his title hopes, while Gordon ran third from start to finish.
While Davies enjoyed the spoils of victory, it was Kitchen who walked away with the night’s biggest prize. After coming up short in several championship battles, including this summer’s Pro Motocross Championship, the Washington native prevailed with his first professional title and the first for the decorated Pro Circuit race team since the 2019 Pro Motocross campaign. A solid night for Gordon landed him on the overall podium for the first time in the postseason, finishing third after 6-3 finishes.
Kitchen finished off his championship campaign with a 24-point margin over DiFrancesco, who battled his way into the top 10 in the final moto and finished seventh overall after 3-10 finishes. Davies’ triumphant effort moved him into the final spot on the championship podium, 25 points behind Kitchen.
Levi Kitchen (2-2) – 2nd Place – 250SMX Class World Champion
“It’s been tough [getting to this point]. I’ve been close [to a championship] 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 [to finally finish it off].”
Cole Davies (1-1) – 1st Place – 250SMX Class
“I get to go into the offseason with a lot of momentum. I had an unreal year. All the hard work paid off. Two championships in Supercross and Pro Motocross, so I’m really proud of myself. The playoffs didn’t go as I wanted, but we’ll reset and come back stronger next year.”
Landen Gordon (6-3) – 3rd Place – 250SMX Class
“I’ve made a big jump in my life, moving across the country to Florida [from California]. I had to warm up to it a bit. I’ve been working so hard, so I’m stoked. I don’t think people understand how much goes into this. I’ve put my whole heart into it and it’s paying off.”
In addition to the dramatic, championship-deciding conclusion for the 450SMX and 250SMX classes, the Final also hosted the first-ever WMX Invitational Powered by Synchrony, a postseason showcase featuring 13 of the top women’s racers in the world. Champions from four different global series were represented in the elite field and as the gate dropped on the 10 Minutes + 1 Lap Main Event it was SLR Honda’s Mayla Herrick who led the field to the holeshot over Quad Lock Honda’s Charli Cannon and Triumph Racing’s Hannah Hodges.
Cannon narrowly avoided a crash while she pursued the lead on the opening lap, which allowed Hodges to move into second and carry on around Herrick to take the lead as Cannon lost several positions. Lurking in third was Altus Motorsports bLUcRU Yamaha’s Lachlan Turner, the reigning three-time WMX Champion. Herrick closed back in and challenged Hodges for the lead. As she got alongside Hodges and looked to move back out front, Herrick clipped a tuff block and went down. Hodges continued on with the lead, with Turner in second and Cannon in third, bouncing back from her early misfortune.
As the race passed the halfway point Turner made her move and seized control of the lead. Cannon followed through into second while Hodges latched on from third. Cannon kept pace with Turner in the closing stages and challenged her rival on the final lap. The Honda rider got alongside her Yamaha counterpart but mistimed a rhythm, which allowed Turner to inch away and take a historic first WMX Invitational win by 1.9 seconds over Cannon. Hodges rounded out the podium in third.
Lachlan Turner – WMX Invitational Winner
“I was just being patient. If I made one wrong move I knew she’d get me, so I was just trying to be smart on the final lap. I completed everything on my vision board this season and it feels amazing. This is such a historic moment for WMX, and I hope there’s more opportunities like this in the future.”
In just four days, the 2027 Monster Energy SMX World Championship regular season schedule will be unveiled, introducing the 17 rounds that will comprise the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the 11 events that will make up the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. The announcement will be made on Thursday, October 1, with an opportunity to sign up for the upcoming ticket presale.
For information about the Monster Energy SMX World Championship, please visit www.SuperMotocross.com and be sure to follow all of the new SMX social media channels for exclusive content and additional information on the latest news:
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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.
About Feld Motor Sports, Inc.:
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.
About MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.:
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.
