While Glen Helen Raceway no longer hosts an official round of the Pro Motocross Championship, 2026 marked the second running of their Stopwatch National, the kick off race for their $100,000 Moto Fest weekend. With a $30,000 purse on the line for Friday’s race alone, many big names turned up for their chance at some cash and some pre-season prep prior to the start of the Pro Motocross Championship. Saturday offered another opportunity for racers to cash out in what Glen Helen called the “Pro Showcase” where another $10,000 was up for grabs for both the 450 and 250 class winners.
Saturday – Pro Showcase
Saturday’s Pro Showcase was split into separate divisions for the 250 and 450 riders unlike Friday’s race which saw a mixed 40-rider gate. Justin Barcia dominated both of the 30-plus two motos and cruised his way to $10,000 of prize money. The Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati rider is racing himself back into shape as he gears up for the first Pro Motocross season aboard the Desmo450 machine. Barcia could certainly be a threat at the kickoff round in two weeks time.
Colt Nichols finished second overall with 2-2 results. The Twisted Tea Suzuki rider used a pair of second place finishes on Friday to take the overall win, but that wasn’t enough on Saturday’s Pro Showcase. Nichols looked comfortable aboard the RMZ and put himself up front in both motos to take the runner up spot behind Barcia. 2-2 scores matched his Friday result and earned him $6,000, bringing his weekend total to $16,000.
Justin Hoeft earned third overall and was the top finishing off-road rider of the weekend. The Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider looked good on Friday’s race and brought the heat again on day two. A fifth in moto one set him up nicely as Hoeft later battled with Nichols for a podium spot in the second moto. A better finish in the second moto gave Hoeft the advantage over Justin Rodbell and put $4,500 in his pocket.
Rodbell grabbed a third in the first moto and finished fourth overall. Derek Drake finished on the box on Friday and a 6-4 score saw him round out the top five for Saturday.
Results – 450 Pro Showcase
1. Justin Barcia (Duc) 1-1
2. Colt Nichols (Suz) 2-2
3. Justin Hoeft (Kaw) 5-3
4. Justin Rodbell (Hon) 3-5
5. Derek Drake (Yam) 6-4
250 Pro Showcase
Carson Mumford made a statement on Saturday in the 250 Pro Showcase class. The AEO KTM rider took the win in both motos and looked comfortable on his first real outdoor race aboard the Austrian machine. Mumford moved to the lead early in race one and then led every lap of the second moto. A dominant set of 1-1 scores earned the SoCal native a cool $10,000 for his day’s work.
The BarX Yamaha duo of Lux Turner and Parker Ross traded spots in the two motos and finished second and third respectively. Both of the Yamaha youngsters ran towards the front and put themselves in podium territory, the best spot to take home some extra cash. Turner’s 3-2 gave him $6,000 with Ross’s 2-3 pocketing $4,500 for the day.
Dilan Schwartz finished fourth overall behind his BarX Yamaha teammates with 4-5 results. Derek Kelley got better as the day wore on and rounded out the top five thanks to 6-4 moto scores.
Results – 250 Pro Showcase
1. Carson Mumford (KTM) 1-1
2. Lux Turner (Yam) 3-2
3. Parker Ross (Yam) 2-3
4. Dilan Schwartz (Yam) 4-5
5. Derek Kelley (Kaw) 6-4
Friday – Stopwatch National
For the second year in a row, Colt Nichols came away with Friday’ overall win and $10,000 of prize money.
The first moto of the day saw fresh conditions on a newly redesigned Glen Helen racetrack. Overcast skies kept the dirt moist and allowed for deep ruts to form all over the hilly course. Last year’s winner, Colt Nichols, started up front once again as he led the way on his Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450. Nichols held the top spot for the first few laps with pressure mounting from Justin Barcia and Enzo Temmerman who rounded out the top three positions.
Barcia made his move for the lead around Nichols and looked to be running away with the moto win but eventually tucked the front end in a slow-speed turn before the finish line. This dropped the Ducati rider down in the running order before another fall later in the race.
Nichols found himself back in the lead after Barcia’s mistake and faced another battle in the form of Team Green Kawasaki’s Enzo Temmerman. Temmerman, who’s still fresh off a broken femur, gave Nichols a run for a few laps but suffered a flat rear tire. Once again, Nichols was back up front and controlling the top spot.
No surprise to see Dylan Ferrandis closing in on the front runners late in the moto. The former Pro Motocross champion looked strong aboard his Factory Ducati and upped the pace as the clocked ticked down. Eventually, Ferrandis passed Nichols going onto the start straight and ran away with the final two laps of the race. The number-14 controlled the remainder of the moto and easily took top honors to start the day. Nichols finished second with Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Justin Hoeft claiming third and top honors for the off-road crowd.
More than 40 riders took to the gate for the second moto as Justin Barcia rocketed off to a big holeshot on his Factory Ducati. Barcia righted his wrongs from moto one and led the entire race for 30-minutes plus one lap. He dominated the field and finished more than 10-seconds clear of second place. The entire Red Bull Ducati team used this event for outdoor testing and Barcia’s win looks promising as they embark on their debut season of Pro Motocross. Barcia’s 7-1 results put him third overall for the day with $4,500 in his pocket.
Colt Nichols made his way to second in the second moto and came away as the day’s big winner. After passing into second early in the race, the Suzuki rider played it safe to take home 2-2 moto scores. His consistency paid off as Nichols earned the overall win for the second year in a row. He also took home $10,000 for his efforts.
Derek Drake rounded out the podium in third aboard his BarX Yamaha. Drake, who has only raced a handful of times this year, finished fourth in the first moto and started second behind Barcia in race two. The Yamaha rider was eventually passed by Nichols but kept things upright to finish on the box. Thanks to misfortune from moto one winner Dylan Ferrandis and Justin Hoeft, 4-3 scores put Drake second overall. He earned $5,000 on the day.
Ferrandis crashed in the first half of the second moto and retired from the race, finishing 21st overall. Hoeft also hit the deck early in race two but remounted for seventh at the line. 3-7 put him fourth overall and $2,500 richer. SLR Honda’s Justin Rodbell rounded out the top five with 6-5 finishes and earned $2,000 in the process.
Results
1. Colt Nichols (Suz) 2-2
2. Derek Drake (Yam) 4-3
3. Justin Barcia (Duc) 7-1
4. Justin Hoeft (Kaw) 3-7
5. Justin Rodbell (Hon) 6-5
