Can we get a RED BUUUDDD?! After a weekend off, round five of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross is back on track here at Redbud in Buchanan, Michigan. Even better that this year’s race falls on July 4th as this track is known as America’s race track. Overnight rains have made this course ultra difficult but clear skies today would provide some exciting racing. Let’s get into the action!
REDBUD NOTES
- Seth Hammaker is out for the season after suffering a shoulder injury at High Point.
- Justin Barcia is back today with the Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Team.
- Justin Cooper is still missing in action after a concussion at round two.
- Antonio Cairoli is racing with the Factory Ducati team for the next three rounds.
- Carson Wood won the first moto of the SMX Next Motocross Combine on Friday.
450 MOTO 1
Jorge Prado narrowly grabbed the holeshot over both Lawrence’s as the Red Bull KTM rider led the way to start the first 450 moto. Prado held the top spot for the first three laps before being overtaken by Jett Lawrence and later finishing a distant third.
It looked like Jett Lawrence would control the race as he passed Prado and began to cruise away with the lead. However, Hunter Lawrence later got around Prado as well and stayed within two seconds of Jett. Things came to a head when Hunter forced the issue with three laps to go and made his pass for the lead. Hunter proceeded to put in a few fast laps and quickly dropped Jett by more than six seconds.
Trouble struck for Hunter on the final lap when he tipped over and lost the lead. This allowed Jett to reclaim the top spot and the race win with only a few turns left.
“That was Hunter’s race,” Jett said after winning the first moto. “Just a bit of bad luck in that one turn but I didn’t deserve that one at all.”
“She [the bike] wanted a break and just turned off,” Lawrence said about his fall. “A bit of a bummer, I felt like I did everything right that moto. What a ride, but yeah that one sucks.”
450 MOTO 2
Jorge Prado put his Red Bull KTM back at the front of the pack with another holeshot to start race two. A huge pileup took place off the start but Prado, Deegan and the Lawrences got away clean.
Prado took off with the race lead and held the top spot for the first 12 of 16 laps. He looked to be in control of the race as he dropped Haiden Deegan from second. Prado eventually got passed by Hunter Lawrence with four laps to go but still held on for second in the race. 3-2 results put him second on the day, matching his best score of the year.
Clearly unhappy from the result in race one, Hunter Lawrence fired back with a win to end the day. He started sixth on lap one but chipped away at the leaders as he carried a faster pace through throughout the race. Lawrence passed Haiden Deegan for second just after the halfway point and set his sights on Prado up front. With four laps left, Lawrence pounced on Prado for the lead and knocked off three fast laps to create a gap. After a heartbreaking first moto, a win in race two earned him the overall win. This is his third win in five rounds and his first-ever consecutive win in the 450 class. He’ll carry the red plate going into round six.
“[This win] is so good,” Lawrence said. “It’s America’s 250th birthday and we’re so grateful for the opportunity we have here. We’re living the American dream and couldn’t have this life anywhere else in the world. What a day.”
Jorge Prado matched his season-best result with a second place finish and split the two Lawrences. The Red Bull KTM rider scored a pair of holeshots as he led laps on both motos. It’s the best Prado’s looked all season as he controlled most of the second moto and seemed to be en route to his first moto win in the US. After leading 12 of the 16 laps, he eventually surrendered the spot but still held on for 3-2 results on the day and beat the tiebreaker with Jett Lawrence thanks to a second in moto two. Second overall marked his second career podium, and equaled his career-best from the opening round at Fox Raceway.
“We used the week off to make some improvements on the bike and in the second moto I felt way more like myself,” Prado said. “We led laps, we got the holeshot, and I’m really happy with the steps we’ve made. We’re coming.”
Jett looked to be in the fight again in the second moto but two uncharacteristic falls forced him to charge from outside the top 10. He managed to score a hard-fought fifth at the line and salvaged third overall, tying on the day with Prado, but handing the points lead over to Hunter in the process. Jett has still yet to finish off the podium in 2026 but his biggest rival is undoubtedly his own brother and teammate. He’s also never lost three rounds in a row [this makes two] and looks for redemption next weekend at Southwick.
“I made a decision with the team to go a certain way on the bike, and it didn’t work,” Jett said. “Hunter is riding really well so we’ll go back to work and try to come out better at Southwick.”
RJ Hampshire logged his best result of the season with a pair of fourths for fourth overall.
“We did some testing this week back home and found some more comfort,” said Hampshire. “The bike felt much better today – I felt like I could ride and push, and my speed in the second moto was much better than the first.”
Garrett Marchbanks grabbed his third top five of the season in fifth overall.
“I thought my race craft was a little better today on the opening laps,” Marchbanks said “I got into fifth again pretty quick and just rode my own race. I tried to push for RJ [Hamshire], but he was riding really well today. With about four laps to go, sadly Jett [Lawrence] got around me. I stayed with him for a little bit, but didn’t quite have the speed towards the end.”
Haiden Deegan grabbed a podium in moto two but finished sixth overall ahead of Mikkel Haarup, Cooper Webb, Dylan Ferrandis, and Justin Barcia.
450MX OVERALL RESULTS (Top 10)
| 1. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 2-1 |
| 2. | Jorge Prado | (KTM) | 3-2 |
| 3. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 1-5 |
| 4. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 4-4 |
| 5. | Garret Marchbanks | (Kaw) | 5-6 |
| 6. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 10-3 |
| 7. | Mikkel Haarup | (Tri) | 7-7 |
| 8. | Cooper Webb | (Yam) | 8-8 |
| 9. | Dylan Ferrandis | (Duc) | 6-10 |
| 10. | Justin Barcia | (Duc) | 9-9 |
250 MOTO 1
Cole Davies made it three race wins in a row with the victory in moto one. The New Zealand native stalked his Star Racing Yamaha teammate, Caden Dudney for the entire race but ever seemed able to make a pass stick. Finally, with three laps to go, Davies struck and passed for the lead. He put in a hot lap to get a gap on Dudney and convincingly took the win in the closing stages. Dudney led nearly all of the race but eventually finished second.
Jo Shimoda crossed the line third after starting well outside the top five. The Honda HRC rider continued to make passes through the field and finally made a decisive two-for-one move in the sand rollers as he went around both Levi Kitchen and Casey Cochran. This put Shimoda into third but the gap to the leaders was too much by this point. A strong third place result puts Shimoda into the points lead prior to the second moto.
Kitchen held on for fourth with Cochran rounding out the top five.
250 MOTO 2
Cole Davies grabbed another great start in the second 250 moto and it looked like he could repeat the win with a 1-1 day. He led the way for the first 11 laps while Jo Shimoda pressed on from a better starting position. Shimoda closed the gap and with seven minutes left on the clock he had the gap down to two seconds. He finally made the pass with 3:30 and marched away with the race win. Davies still earned the overall win with 1-2 scores, beating out Shimoda’s 3-1 on the day.
While unpredictability has been the theme as of late in the 250MX class, Cole Davies made it back-to-back wins with another overall victory. Davies again ran up front in moto two with the holeshot and a strong lead for the first 12 laps. Eventually he gave up the spot but it wasn’t necessary for the day’s overall win. 2-1 scores gave the nod to Davies as he became the first repeat winner of the year and moves him to just four points from the championship lead.
“Jo [Shimoda] was riding good,” Davies said. “It’s a long championship and we have a long way to go. It was a good day, and we got a win at RedBud. That’s all I can ask for. We’re in a really good spot with the bike right now so I’m really happy.”
Jo Shimoda was arguably the fastest rider of the day but finished second overall despite winning the second moto. He ran down Davies in race two and passed for the lead with only four laps left. Shimoda normally does well at the RedBud venue and 3-1 finishes put him just shy of the overall win. Still, this statement ride was good enough for his third straight podium result and puts the red plate on his bike for round six. He’s now the third different rider to hold the points lead in the first five races.
“The bike was better today,” Shimoda said. “I felt good and didn’t get tired until the end [of Moto 2]. Every bit of it today was better. We’re making progress and that’s exactly what we need right now.”
Ryder DiFrancesco logged a career-best day with his first overall podium in third. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider started the day in sixth but a strong third place finish in moto two bumped his tally to one point better than the tie for fourth and fifth. It was a quiet and consistent ride for DiFrancesco who finally earned a spot on the box in his 43rd start. He’s also the sixth different rider to earn his first overall podium so far this season.
“Moto one was going really well until I tipped it over, and then rebounded to sixth,” DiFrancesco said. “In the second moto, I put myself in a good position – I just know the class is stacked at the moment, and if you have a good second score, you can still end up on the box. I maximized that one and rode it in for third overall, which I am stoked with.”
DiFrancesco’s Husqvarna teammate Casey Cochran had a season-best day, going 5-4 for fourth overall.
“It was a solid weekend, I felt good all day, and definitely making steps to where I want to be,” Cochran said. “RedBud is always a round that we enjoy, and to run up there in the motos and be at the front made it even better for me this weekend.”
Levi Kitchen crashed and finished off the podium again, this time a season-worst fifth, and handed the red plate over to Jo Shimoda.
“The first moto wasn’t great,” Kitchen said. “We went back on some bike settings after the first moto. The second moto I felt more comfortable, and I felt a lot more like myself. The race was going better until I ended up going over the bars, and that one kind of hurt a bit. It wasn’t a horrible day, but it wasn’t my best, so we’ll get ready for Southwick.”
Caden Dudney led most of moto one but finished sixth overall over Chance Hymas, Carson Mumford, Kayden Minear, and Nate Thrasher.
250MX OVERALL RESULTS (Top 10)
| 1. | Cole Davies | (Yam) | 1-2 |
| 2. | Jo Shimoda | (Hon) | 3-1 |
| 3. | Ryder DiFrancesco | (Hus) | 6-3 |
| 4. | Casey Cochran | (Hus) | 5-4 |
| 5. | Levi Kitchen | (Kaw) | 4-5 |
| 6. | Caden Dudney | (Yam) | 2-12 |
| 7. | Chance Hymas | (Hon) | 8-6 |
| 8. | Carson Mumford | (KTM) | 11-7 |
| 9. | Kayden Minear | (Yam) | 9-9 |
| 10. | Nate Thrasher | (Yam) | 10-10 |
Post-Race Press Conference
450MX QUALIFYING
Jett Lawrence heads to the line first today with the fastest qualifying lap. The Honda HRC Progressive rider set the time to beat in the first session when the track was at its worst but it still held up against the rest of the field. Jett fell in the second session but thankfully didn’t need to improve his time. Haiden Deegan was fastest in the second session and second overall. His fast lap in Q1 was taken away due to jumping on a Red Cross flag. Deegan and Lawrence were the only riders on a 2:16 lap. Hunter Lawrence grabbed third overall, one full second behind Jett. Jorge Prado and RJ Hampshire rounded out the top five.
450MX OVERALL QUALIFYING RESULTS (Top 10)
| 1. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 2:16.573 |
| 2. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 2:16.818 |
| 3. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 2:17.579 |
| 4. | Jorge Prado | (KTM) | 2:18.172 |
| 5. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 2:18.971 |
| 6. | Garret Marchbanks | (Kaw) | 2:20.042 |
| 7. | Dylan Ferrandis | (Duc) | 2:21.278 |
| 8. | Roan Van De Moosdjik | (KTM) | 2:21.535 |
| 9. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 2:21.716 |
| 10. | Cornelius Tondel | (Kaw) | 2:22.354 |
250MX QUALIFYING
Cole Davies is picking up right where he left off as the winner of round four put himself on Pole Position in both of the 250MX qualifying sessions here at round five. His first and second best times were both in the 2:19’s, nearly three full seconds quicker than anyone else. His Star Racing Yamaha teammate Caden Dudney earned his best qualifying position in second with points leader Levi Kitchen in third overall.
250MX OVERALL QUALIFYING RESULTS (Top 10)
| 1. | Cole Davies | (Yam) | 2:19.661 |
| 2. | Caden Dudney | (Yam) | 2:21.048 |
| 3. | Levi Kitchen | (Kaw) | 2:22.081 |
| 4. | Ryder DiFrancesco | (Hus) | 2:22.082 |
| 5. | Michael Mosiman | (Yam) | 2:23.517 |
| 6. | Drew Adams | (Kaw) | 2:23.594 |
| 7. | Julien Beaumer | (KTM) | 2:23.607 |
| 8. | Casey Cochran | (Hus) | 2:23.631 |
| 9. | Daxton Bennick | (Hus) | 2:23.974 |
| 10. | Kayden Minear | (Yam) | 2:24.012 |
IN THE PITS
