The Pro motocross championship sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing kicked off its East Coast season with Round 21 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship at the renowned High Point Raceway affectionately known as the Country Club of Motocross. Under perfect weather conditions, the UFO Plast High Point National witnessed remarkable performances that tightened the championship battles in both the 450SMX and 250SMX classes.
The event saw Hunter Lawrence of Honda HRC Progressive deliver an outstanding performance to claim his second win of the season in the 450SMX Class. Meanwhile, Cole Davies from Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing made a breakthrough with his first-ever outdoor victory in the 250SMX Class.
Hunter Lawrence’s Dominant Performance in the 450SMX Class
The day began with an impressive qualifying session where Haiden Deegan of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing set the initial pace. However, Jett Lawrence the championship leader and Hunter’s brother, ultimately topped the charts with a time of 1:59.977. Hunter Lawrence and Jorge Prado of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing followed closely behind.
The First Moto: A Display of Skill and Strategy
The first moto of the day started with Hunter Lawrence securing the holeshot, only to be briefly overtaken by Cooper Webb of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing. Hunter quickly regrouped and reclaimed the lead, setting a blistering pace that opened up a three-second lead after just two laps. Behind him, Jett Lawrence made a swift charge into the top five, eventually passing Prado for second place.
Hunter Lawrence continued to extend his lead, cruising to a dominant victory by 11.6 seconds over Jett Lawrence. Prado finished strong in third, followed by Deegan and Garrett Marchbanks of Monster Energy Kawasaki.
The Second Moto: A Brotherly Duel
The final moto saw the Lawrence brothers leading the field out of the first turn, with Hunter securing the holeshot. They battled briefly for the lead before Hunter asserted his dominance. Aaron Plessinger of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing slotted into third, but Prado quickly moved past him for third place.
As the race progressed, Hunter Lawrence built a substantial lead over Jett, who was under pressure from Deegan. The rookie rider closed the gap significantly but ultimately finished just a few seconds behind Jett. Hunter Lawrence completed the sweep of the motos by 4.9 seconds over Jett, with Deegan in third.
Jett Lawrence settled for a runner-up finish, failing to win for just the fifth time in the premier class. Deegan rounded out the top three with the second podium result of his rookie campaign.
With the win and a six-point gain on Jett, Hunter Lawrence closed to within two points of his younger brother in the 450SMX Class standings. Deegan tightened his grip on third, 38 points out of the lead.
Cole Davies’ Breakthrough Victory in the 250SMX Class
The 250SMX Class saw an exceptional performance from Cole Davies, who paced both qualifying sessions and set the tone for the day. His second session time of 2:04.283 edged out Levi Kitchen of Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki by just under two tenths of a second.
The First Moto: A Thrilling Start
The first moto began with Casey Cochran of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing securing the holeshot, followed by Julien Beaumer of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Davies. Cochran and Beaumer initially put a gap over the rest of the field, but Davies made a crucial move on Cochran for second place. Beaumer crashed while leading, handing the lead to Davies, who held off a last-lap charge from Beaumer to take his second moto of the season by 3.3 seconds.
The Second Moto: Dominance Under Darkening Skies
Under darkening skies, the second moto began with Davies securing the holeshot, followed by his rookie teammate Kayden Minear. Davies put on a dominant performance, completing the sweep of the motos by 3.6 seconds over Beaumer. Minear kept Jo Shimoda of Honda HRC Progressive at bay for third place.
The best performance of Beaumer’s career resulted in his second podium of the season. Shimoda followed up his win from the previous weekend with a gritty third-place finish.
Kitchen’s strong finish in the final moto left him just off the podium in fourth but allowed him to gain sole possession of the points lead. The top four finishers in the Beaumer sits two points back in third, with Davies seven points behind in fourth.
With his DNF in Moto 2, Seth Hammaker finished 13th
