Series Predictions: SMX Playoffs
450 Class
1. Hunter Lawrence Title Favorite
With Jett out, no doubt his older brother Hunter is the title fave. Hunter has finished runner-up to Jett the last 2 years in what has come down to a final-race winner-take-all scenario. Hunter was excellent outdoors this year enroute to collecting his first 450 title. He definitely has an advantage over the rest of the comp right now.
2. Ken Roczen Title Contender
We haven’t seen Roczen race all summer, but nonetheless he has a lot going for him: he’s coming off a supercross title (beat Hunter), he excels at this format, and you know he vibes with the bike. 2026 has been the best version of Roczen ever, so don’t be surprised if he caps that off with an SMX title. Has he been celebrating his SX achievement all summer? Perhaps, but even then, Roczen is FAST and can win this title.
3. Jorge Prado Title Contender
Prado has a lot of momentum going right now. Since racing resumed from the last Pro Motocross break he looked like a new guy on the bike: he was able to match the pace of the Lawrence’s and finish the motocross season with a dominant 1-1. We haven’t seen Prado race SMX before so it’s a new format for him, but expect him to come out shining nonetheless.
4. Haiden Deegan Race Winning Potential
Deegan was perhaps a bit underwhelming in Pro Motocross for his 450 debut, but… the kid is no doubt fast. If things go his way, he definitely can grab a race win. He didn’t seem to have the race pace for the full duration of motos outdoors, but perhaps the shorter SMX races will be fine? He could surprise us and win the title, but first he needs to get that first 450 race win.
5. Eli Tomac Race Winning Potential
Tomac looked ROUGH in Pro Motocross, but he was steadily getting better. He announced his retirement, so these SMX races will be his 3 races as a professional rider. It’s gonna be sad to see him go… such a legend. Can he end his career on a high note? Judging from what we saw over the summer the answer is no; but it’s Eli Tomac! Anything is possible; he was super fast to start the year on the KTM so maybe the SMX format is just what he needs.
Other Guys
Can Marchbanks land a podium? What about RJ? With Jett and Sexton out the field is definitely a bit thin; who can take advantage of that? Look for these guys to step up and finish the season with a top 5.
250 Class
1. Cole Davies Title Favorite
Well Davies can do pretty much everything now right? Considering he’s the current 250SX East and 250MX champ, only fitting for him to win the SMX title too. The kid is good. He’s gonna be hard to beat.
2. Jo Shimoda Title Contender
It’s been a rough year for Shimoda with injuries; can he turn it around with a good finish in SMX? He’s entering as the reigning champ and will be sporting the number one plate for the first time in his career. Shimoda seems to bounce back quite quickly from injuries, so perhaps he can challenge Davies? Honestly though, he should be happy just with some podiums and finishing off the year healthy.
3. Chance Hymas Title Contender
Hymas came on really strong at the end of outdoors and has mentioned wanting to carry that momentum over into SMX. He last raced SMX in 2024 where he got hurt… can he come back with a vengeance? I like his newfound attitude of keeping it on 2 wheels and staying positive, but he might need a bit more to beat out Davies. Regardless, with such a short series, anything can happen, and Hymas can definitely be there to take the title at the end of it all.
4. Levi Kitchen Title Contender
Okay… Levi has the pace to straight up beat all these guys. But his starts and inconsistency is the real problem. However, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and rank him as a title contender (albeit with lower odds than the guys we already mentioned). Levi needs starts and to keep it on two wheels, but if he does that, he has a good chance at ending the year with a title.
5. Julien Beaumer Race Winning Potential
Beaumer pleasantly surprised all of us with his amazing return to racing after a devastating back injury in SMX last year. The kid is super talented and fast; he can win races no doubt. Is he gonna be battling inner demons around the 1 year mark (and returning to the same format) of his injury? I don’t think so… he seems very strong mentally. However, the guys above him on this list are just a bit better than him right now.
Other Guys
Anstie on Club? Ryder D? Any of the Star rookies? The 250 class is super deep and could have some surprise top 5 finishers. But I think the top 4 on this list are in a different league right now and will be hard to beat.