The 58th annual Mammoth Motocross kicked off this weekend for the first of 10 days of high-altitude racing in Mammoth Lakes, California. The “Vet Weekend” sees age groups 30 and up start the action with two days of racing split over Father’s Day weekend. Ryan Villopoto and RJ Wageman shared the spotlight in the highlight race of the weekend as they split wins in the highly-competitive 30+ Pro division.
Villopoto dominated Saturday’s opening day of racing with 1-1 results on the hill-side race track which is only open for this event. The former Supercross and Motocross champion is now reunited with the Kawasaki team and used Mammoth as one of his first real events with Team Green. He made things look easy with a strong pace to start the day and won the opening moto by four seconds. RV2 then backed it up with another victory in the second moto after starting third and eventually getting a flat tire towards the end of the race. The elevation didn’t seem to affect last year’s winner as he repeated the feat and earned the title as Saturday’s champion.
The battle for Saturday’s podium was one to watch as RJ Wageman and Gary Sutherlin duked it out for second and third. Both riders swapped positions back and forth and gave fans a show as they tore down the steep descents. Sutherlin managed to take second thanks to his 3-2 results and Wageman rounded out the podium with 2-4 scores. Sean Lipanovich earned a moto podium in race two after making a pass on a downed Wageman in the early laps.
Sunday saw the same three racers at the front of the pack. This time around though, Wageman earned the overall win with 2-1 finishes. The Yamaha rider rocketed off to another pair of holeshots on day two and led most of the opening moto before Villopoto eventually tracked him down. Race two saw Wageman again do battle with Sutherlin for the lead as the two managed to hold Villopoto at bay for the first time all weekend. Wageman withstood multiple attacks from the former WORCS champion and clinched the win, going 2-1 for the Sunday title. Villopoto still took second overall with 1-3 finishes while Sutherlin rounded out the podium via 3-2 scores.
Other notables from Vet Weekend included Tyson Taylor and Arik Swan who split wins in 40+ A along with Bill Sauro and Billy Mercier who were the big winners in the 50+ A division. Kurt Nicoll swept all four motos in the 60+ Open class.
Mammoth Motocross Track Preview
UPDATED JUNE 29, 2026
After a full week of mini bikes on the mountain, the event concluded with Big Bike Weekend as the full-sized racers had their chance to earn a coveted bear trophy. Justin Hoeft and Max Shane came away with the Pro Class victories.
Derek Drake of the BarX Yamaha team kicked things off in the Open Pro division with a win in race one. Hoeft finished second in the opening moto but fired back with a win in race two after a fierce battle with Drake. The two California natives are no strangers to the Mammoth track and were never more than two seconds apart during the second moto. Hoeft stole the win away in the closing laps and used 2-1 finishes to earn the overall victory.
Hoeft claimed another overall championship in the 450 Pro class over Drake and Anton Nordstrom. Hoeft’s win in the first moto, paired with a second in race two earned him the lowest scorecard over Drake’s 3-2 as Drake earned a pair of seconds on the weekend. Nordstrom dominated the second moto but a fifth in the opening moto held him to third overall.
Max Shane swept both motos in 250 Pro aboard his Husqvarna FC250. He faced pressure from fellow Husqvarna rider, Dustyn Davis, but prevailed to take the checkers in both gate drops. Davis held on for second overall with a pair of seconds ahead of Robbie Wageman in third with 5-3 results.
Other notable winners from the weekend included Dustyn Davis with a 1-1 sweep in the FMF Open Two Stroke class, RJ Wageman with another win in 25+, and Mikayla Nielsen in the Women’s division.
2026 Mammoth Motocross Results
Saturday 30+ Pro
1. Ryan Villopoto (Kaw) 1-1
2. Gary Sutherlin (Hus) 3-2
3. RJ Wageman (Yam) 2-4
4. Sean Lipanovich (KTM) 4-3
5. Benny Breck (Yam) 7-5
Sunday 30+ Pro
1. RJ Wageman (Yam) 2-1
2. Ryan Villopoto (Kaw) 1-3
3. Gary Sutherlin (Hus) 3-2
4. Sean Lipanovich (KTM) 4-4
5. Bryce Huffman (Kaw) 5-5
450 Pro
1. Justin Hoeft (Kaw) 1-2
2. Derek Drake (Yam) 2-3
3. Anton Nordstrom (KTM) 5-1
4. Tyler Lynn (Hon) 3-4
5. Magnus Smith (Yam) 7-6
250 Pro
1. Max Shane (Hus) 1-1
2. Dustyn Davis (Hus) 2-2
3. Robbie Wageman (Yam) 5-3
4. Alvin Hillan (Hon) 4-4
5. Devin Ruth (Tri) 5-3
