Kitchen and Davies Podium at Southwick; Monster Energy Riders Hold Top Two in 250 Standings

Monster Energy-backed 250 class racers Cole Davies (Star Racing/Yamaha) and Levi Kitchen (Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) are having a heck of a 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship as the 11-round season just passed its midway point with the Round 6 running of the Crestview Construction Southwick (Mass.) MX National. Kitchen would get the better of Davies with a 2-4 two moto finish (to Davies’ 7-2 run), but Davies left the ‘Wick with a two point lead for the championship, 227-225, ahead of Kitchen.

And in 450 class racing, Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Haiden Deegan returned to the podium, mastering the sands of Southwick to the tune of a double moto podium (3-2) run for 3^rd place. Deegan is solidly on the overall season podium (3^rd) as a rookie 450 class racer with 218 points.

In the opening 250 moto it’d be Kitchen who’d flinch first – with an opening lap crash – but the Washington native popped right back up and, from nearly outside the top ten, blazed past all but one of the world’s top 250 class racers to 2^nd place. Davies, who had control of 2^nd place, would crash as slow speed in the deep Southwick sand and had to settle for 7^th.

In Moto 2 Davies would pull the holeshot and led Kitchen through the first several turns before opening up a lead. The New Zealander would take 2^nd in the moto, with Kitchen battling for 4^th – and 2^nd place overall. And through it all Monster Energy’s Kayden Minear (Star Racing/Yamaha) would race brilliantly in both motos, especially Moto 2 where he captured his first-ever pro motocross moto podium (3^rd) – en route to 4^th place overall (6-3).

Said Kitchen: “I needed a day like today, but it kicked my ass. I need to go back to work and keep trying to get better. I’m looking forward to next weekend and will try to keep it going.”

Added Davies: “Up and down day, but I’m looking at the positives. My starts are unreal right now and I’m riding good. We’ve got the point lead, so I’m stoked. Like I said, up and down day, but I’m happy where I’m at.”

Rounding out the 250 classes top ten for Monster Energy were the Star Racing/Yamaha tandem of Nate Thrasher and Michael Mosiman in 7^th and 10^th positions, respectively.

In 450 class action Deegan was in an absolute battle with former MXGP world champ Jorge Prado (KTM). And the rookie put it to the veteran by a 3-2 to 4-3 two moto finish to grab the third and last spot in the premier class podium at Southwick.

“That was a dogfight,” said Deegan of his battle with Prado. “I never gave up. I’m trying so hard to be up front – and I’m getting closer. I’ll never give up and will keep fighting to be up there every weekend.”

Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Garrett Marchbanks continues to race well at the Nationals, stepping up at Southwick to a top five 450 class finish (5^th), featuring two top five moto finishes (5-5). And “5” seemed to be the number of the day for Marchbanks as he also moved up into 5^th in the overall 450 class standings. Joining Marchbanks in the top ten overall, and just a click behind in 6^th position, was his teammate, Cooper Webb, who went 10-6 on the day.

Overall Standings (6 of 11 rounds)

Notes & Quotes

• Deegan’s third overall 450 class podium of the season, a 3-2 run at Southwick, was his highest single event point total of the 2026 Pro Motocross Championship.
• “And this is just father and son talk… but I said to Haiden, ‘Do you understand you have a chance to be the best in the world at something?’ It’s pretty amazing. And to me I think that’s pretty badass.” – Brian Deegan on Racer X’s “Weege Show” with Jason Weigandt.
• “That was a big battle on that last lap. Prado put on a charge – and Deegan held him off. And that was the difference in the podium.” – NBC announcer Weigandt on the 450 Moto 2 battle between rookie Deegan and veteran Prado.
• In the 250 class, Davies’ move into the overall season standings lead make him the fourth different racer to run the leaders’ red plate this year. And Kitchen’s right on his rear fender for that title, just two points back (227-225) with a lot of racing left.
• One of the reasons Kitchen, who placed 2^nd to Davies’ 3^rd at Southwick, didn’t leave the race with the overall points lead was due to the blistering laps Monster Energy’s Minear was putting up in Moto 2. Minear passed Kitchen late in the contest for 3^rd in the moto (to Kitchen’s 4^th).
• That said on Kitchen, Davies could have left with an even larger lead had a Moto 1 crash on Lap 6, and stalled bike, cost him an estimated 30 seconds (an eternity in motocross).
• Just missing the top ten (11^th) in the 450 class was Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s new acquisition, Cornelius Tøndel. The Norwegian had raced the MX Nationals rounds leading up to Southwick, but ‘officially’ joined the team this past Saturday. Tøndel’s 9-13 two moto finish were his best moto results of the season.
• Couple 250 class racers were injured at Southwick, including former Monster Energy racer Jo Shimoda (Honda). Shimoda was leading the overall 250 class series points chase (ahead of Davies) when he was injured in qualifying. And KTM’s Sasha Coenen, who won the 250 class (and is leading the MXGP MX2 class series in Europe), suffered a reported broken collarbone in a Moto 2 wreck. Monster Energy wishes both racers a speedy recovery.

Up next: The 2026 Pro Motocross Championship heads north for Round 7 of the series – the FXR Spring Creek MX National in Millville, Minn.