Series Predictions: 2026 Pro Motocross

May 29, 2026

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The 2026 Pro Motocross season is upon us! This is perhaps the most exciting start to a season since… ever? We have a fully healthy 450 field with so many potential winners. In the 250s, we have a guaranteed first time champion and a slew of riders looking to step up. Couldn’t be more excited! 11 rounds racing across the country all summer… here are our top series predictions!

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450 Class

1. Jett Lawrence -- Title Favorite

This is perhaps Jett’s biggest test yet? He’s coming off of what appears to be his worst injury and is most likely entering the season not at 100%. Does that impact his ability to ride / win? Only time will tell, but our guess is that he enters the season strong and remains the favorite to win every round. Until proven otherwise, this guy is too good not to be the default winner.

2. Hunter Lawrence -- Title Contender

Hunter continues to get better and better with every passing season. He took a huge step up in supercross this year, and one has to think that that elevates him a bit in Pro Motocross too? He already has proven himself as a race winner and title contender outdoors, so he must be feeling even more confident now. He also knows Jett better than anyone, so if Jett is feeling some pain / not at 100%, you’d think the brother would be the one most capable of capitalizing? The only potential question mark for Hunter entering the season is his prep both physically and mentally: after a taxing supercross season, how much time does he have on the bike outdoors? Is he a bit defeated / unmotivated after narrowly losing out on that title? Our guess is that he’s fine… Hunter is stoic and treats racing like a job; he should be able to perform. He has been the 2nd best guy so many times now… is summer 2026 his time to finally come out on top?

3. Haiden Deegan -- Title Contender

It’s time. The Deegan vs. Lawrence show is about to debut. Two “generational” talents clashing for the first time… and we all have the pleasure of sitting back and watching this rivalry get afoot this summer. Haiden is no doubt mentally and physically strong and prepared for the 450 class. We think Haiden is a threat to win motos right away, and will be a threat at every round; he could win this championship. However, don’t forget that this is his rookie season and we’ve never seen him ride against the majority of these guys. The question is: how does he stack up against the world’s best?

4. Eli Tomac -- Title Contender

Remember the summer of 2022? Was that peak Eli? We haven’t seen that version of Tomac outdoors since then; can he bring that back this summer? It’s a new bike that he looked great on to start Supercross, but a weird midseason slump is still a question mark: can he perform his best for a full summer? What version of Eli do we get every weekend? Unfortunately these inconsistencies prevent us from being able to rank him higher, but if his best self shows up every weekend, there’s no doubt he can pressure the guys above him for wins and potentially the championship.

5. Jorge Prado -- Title Contender

Very torn between choosing Prado as a title contender or not… let’s consider him a fringe contender. We picked him as a title contender last year which ended up being wayyyy off (blame the bike?). However, is Prado on a KTM the Prado we expected to see last year? I think so… Prado is a MXGP champ and if he rides to the best of his abilities he should be in title contention. He looked amazing at times in Supercross, and we expect him to be amazing outdoors all summer.

6. Chase Sexton -- Moto Winning Potential

No title for Sexton this summer. He looked awful on the bike for most of Supercross, and we don’t expect it to be any better outdoors. No doubt Sexton is incredibly talented and given the right day can still win races though. It’s crazy putting Chase Sexton outside the top 5, but this is the situation we find ourselves in; the class is stacked.

7. Justin Cooper -- Moto Winning Potential

Cooper made some strides forward in Supercross this year; he seems to get slowly better with each passing season. We think given the right start and situation he can pull off a moto win. More likely though he’ll be happy with podiums and will be aiming for consistent top 5s. It’s hard in this field though…

8. Dylan Ferrandis -- Top 5 Potential

Ferrandis came on strong towards the end of the Supercross season; perhaps the best he has looked in a long time. The new Ducati is looking better with each passing race… him and the team are starting to figure that bike out. I think Ferrandis will have some good sneaky rides this summer. Don’t forget he’s a Pro Motocross champ… the guy knows how to ride!

9. RJ Hampshire -- Top 5 Potential

Hampshire looked awesome last year! He was the surprise of the summer for me. He’s coming off an injury in Supercross so there’s perhaps some question marks as to exactly how prepped he is, but if last summer was any indication, he should be consistently in the top 10 and has potential to sneak out a couple top 5s.

10. Aaron Plessinger — Top 5 Potential

We haven’t seek peak AP in a while. Remember how good he looked at Hangtown in 2024? Let’s hope he’s fully healthy and can get back to that form, but for now, top 10s will be good and the occasional top 5 in a moto will be something worth celebrating.

Other Guys

Too many fast guys in this class… Webb didn’t even make our top 10. Haarup could be good in his 450 debut, but we could see some good rides from Marchbanks and Stewart as well. What about Smith? Guillod? Barcia? Bloss?

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250 Class

1. Jo Shimoda -- Title Favorite

This is Shimoda’s time to shine. The 250 title is up for grabs with the reigning champ Deegan being out. Shimoda has been runner up a few times, so no doubt he’s the title favorite right? He’s consistent, gets good starts, and is super fit and strong at the end of the motos. He excels in rough conditions. He’s our title fave.

2. Chance Hymas -- Title Contender

The Honda duo of Shimoda and Hymas are a real threat. Hymas has incredible speed but has struggled to finish out seasons healthy. Can he turn that around? His goal should be to finish all 22 motos. If he does that and pairs it with speed he has shown in the past, he should be a real title contender.

3. Levi Kitchen -- Title Contender

Kitchen has been the “guy” at Pro Circuit for a while now, can he finally bring home a title for the team? 2026 will be his best shot yet. However, he hasn’t shown true consistency in outdoors yet. If he can bring the speed in all 11 rounds he should be a consistent podium guy and can challenge for the title at the end of it. Let’s hope his back is okay though…

4. Seth Hammaker -- Title Contender

I can see Seth being on every single podium all summer, and perhaps in this 250 field that will be all that’s needed to bring home the title? He needs to take a step up from what he has shown outdoors in the past, but he also has ridden with injuries and health problems in the past couple years. Is 2026 the year where it finally all comes together?

5. Cole Davies -- Moto Winning Potential

Davies just won a Supercross title, but he’s very inexperienced outdoors; his moto finishes last summer were 23-23-2-17 (he was awarded with 1st in that one moto but actually finished 2nd behind Deegan; Deegan was penalized). This summer should be about learning and stepping up to the next level, which is getting some moto wins. There’s a chance that he “surprises” us all and becomes the guy to beat, but we think more likely the summer is full of ups and downs: moto wins but also some finishes outside the top 10.

Other Guys

Can Anstie surprise? What about the 3 Star Racing rookies? Forkner? ClubMX guys? Ryder D or Bennick? Let’s drop the gate!

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