Monster Energy Sweeps 250 Podium as Hammaker Wins 2026 Pro Motocross Opener at Fox Raceway
Seth Hammaker celebrates his first career Pro Motocross victory after leading a Monster Energy 1-2-3 sweep in the 250 class at Fox Raceway.
Opening the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, aka the MX Nationals, with a bang on Saturday at Fox Raceway in Pala, Calif., Monster Energy’s Seth Hammaker (Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) led an all-Monster Energy sweep of the 250 class podium in victory, with Star Racing/Yamaha’s Caden Dudney and Cole Davies bringing ‘er home in 2nd and 3rd positions.
And in 450 class racing, the much anticipated debut of Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Haiden Deegan went well as the rookie 450 class racer scored a top five finish (5th), one spot back of teammate Justin Cooper in 4th.
| Pala MX 250 class results | 450 MX class results |
|---|---|
| 1st – Hammaker (Monster/PC/Kawasaki) | 4th – Cooper (Monster/Star/Yamaha) |
| 2nd – Dudney (Monster/Star/Yamaha) | 5th – Deegan (Monster/Star/Yamaha) |
| 3rd – Davies (Monster/Star/Yamaha) | 6th – Sexton (Monster/Kawasaki) |
Overall Standings (1 of 11 rounds)
| 250 class | 450 class |
|---|---|
| 1st – Hammaker, 47 | 4th – Cooper, 36 |
| 2nd – Dudney, 34 | 5th – Deegan, 35 |
| 3rd – Davies, 34 | 6th – Sexton, 32 |
| 4th – Kitchen, 34 | |
| 9th – Romano, 28 |
Opening with the 250s, Hammaker pulled the Moto 1 holeshot with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammate Nick Romano in hot pursuit, along with Dudney. Making a calculated charge to the front following an 8th place start was Hammaker’s teammate, Levi Kitchen. And just past the halfway point a Hammaker mistake that saw him leave the track would open the door for Kitchen, who took the Moto 1 win by five and a half seconds ahead of Hammaker.
Moto 2 would prove to be rough for Kitchen as an incident would relegate the Moto 1 winner towards the back of the pack. Hammaker would take full advantage as he caught the Moto 2 race leader Julien Beaumer just past the race’s halfway point, then brought the overall win (2-1) home – the first MX Nationals win of his career - by nearly five seconds over Beaumer. Dudney would follow in a tight battle for 2nd (6-4), also his best career outdoor finish. And Davies would score his second career podium with a 3-8 run.
Said Hammaker: “Those last few laps didn’t feel real. What an unreal way to start the year, to get my first pro motocross win. It feels awesome. I’m speechless, but super thankful.”
Fans packed the fence line for the opening 450 moto, positioning themselves to get a glimpse of the first 450 class run for Deegan. More calculating than spectacular, Deegan raced to a respectable 5th place finish in his first race on the big bikes – behind a 3rd place podium finish from his teammate, Cooper.
“I’d say today was good, a good base. Consistent,” said Deegan.
Cooper would be Monster Energy’s top 450 class finisher, one click above Deegan’s 5th in 4th position, while Chase Sexton (Monster Energy/Kawasaki) was in position for top five overall finish while running in 3rd place in the opening moto, a minor crash would relegate the former champion to 7th place in the moto and 6th overall on the day (7-5)
Notes & Quotes
- “Best finish in that first moto. Better finish in the second moto. Best finish of his career.” – NBC announcer James Stewart on Hammaker’s 2-1 day for the overall.
- “Hammaker makes a quick mistake. But this pass was going to happen anyway. Nobody was close to Levi Kitchen in this first moto.” – Stewart on the 250 first moto pass on Hammaker by Kitchen.
- Kitchen, one of only a few racers in the 250 class than has won races at the MX Nationals, was the fastest qualifier in the class leading into the main event motos.
- “Look at that! They actually tied three ways.” – NBC announcer Jason Weigandt pointing out the 250 class three-way tie at 3rd place between Dudney, Davies and Kitchen, all of whom left Pala with an identical 34 points (though Dudney, by virtue of his second moto, was awarded 2nd place).
- “They (the Pro Circuit mechanics) nailed the setup early. We didn’t have a lot of time after supercross. I feel good and let’s keep it going.” - Kitchen
- “After school, three o’clock, I was digging motos out there on my 85 and 65. Crazy that this anticipated ‘Haiden to 450s’ is going to be at my home track.” – Deegan, prior to the Pala National
- Deegan’s self-admitted weakness at Pala? “I started like 25th in the first moto, 15th in the second moto. So I never really gave myself a fair shot to run up front.”
- “Besides that, I had two hella good rides at my first Pro National,” added Deegan.
Up next: The 2026 Pro Motocross Championship stays in California with the annual running of the Coker Pump Hangtown MX Classic, June 6.
