After a one-week break, the 2026 Pro Motocross AMA National Championship Series is back. It’s returning with a bang, as the notoriously patriotic RedBud National is being held on America’s 250th birthday. Without any doubt, the always-boisterous crowd will be over the top. If you watch one race a year, this is it. However, RMFantasyMX players watch every week, and they have to pick a top five for each race, along with a Wild Card. Welcome back, and here are our 2026 RedBud National Motocross fantasy picks and tips.
Jett Lawrence.
The Lawrence Brothers Show will resume at RedBud MX, which bills itself as America’s Motocross Track. Hunter and Jett have collectively taken every overall win, moto win, and half of the P2 finishes. It may be America’s celebration, but look for these two Australians to lead the way. Given that Jett has had a week off to let his severe ankle injury from last December recover from the pounding of the four opening rounds, look for Jett to win and extend his two-point lead in the standings, and Hunter to take P2 at RedBud.
Hunter Lawrence.
Haiden Deegan has established himself as Mr. P3. Deegan has finished in P3 in half of the motos this year and has two P3 overalls. There’s no one close on this one.
Haiden Deegan.
There are three legit contenders for the non-podium top-five slots: Garrett Marchbanks, Aaron Plessinger, and Jorge Prado. The three riders are really a toss-up, so we’ll go over their records in the order I think they’ll finish.
Jorge Prado.
Jorge Prado leads the trio in top-five finishes. That’s enough for me to give him the P4 slot. Prado is 2-17-5-4 for the year, so it’s safe to say that his poor showing at the Hangtown Classic was an outlier. Look for the Spaniard to make it three foreigners in the top four on July 4.
Aaron Plessinger.
Aaron Plessinger is consistently looking better as the Nationals roll along. Plessinger has a 6-7-6-4 moto card in the last two rounds, as he picked up a P7 and P5 overall. He could have a breakout ride that would move him up to P4, especially if Prado has an off-day. The Cowboy will be motivated on Independence Day, so he might have something special, though a podium will require big problems for one of the top three.
Garrett Marchbanks hasn’t finished a moto lower than P6 since the opener at Fox Raceway. Since then, Marchbanks is on a 5-4-6 overall run. That makes him a solid contender for the top five. However, last week Plessinger narrowly beat Marchbanks for the last top-five slot. With Plessinger on an upward trajectory, I have Marchbanks in P6.
Mikkel Haarup.
The Wild Card is P8. RJ Hampshire has two P8 overalls in a row going into RedBud. His P8 last round at High Point was an unorthodox one, as he finished 10-7. Hampshire was one spot behind Mikkel Haarup, who converted a pair of P8 motos into a P7 overall. That is part of how frustrating MX can be for fantasy players: two P8s equal a P7 overall. Like Plessinger, Haarup has been improving, and his consistency last round persuades me to pick him for the P8 Wild Card.
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Not many of us have heard of Moto Morini, the old Italian brand. Now Chinese-owned, the new Moto Morinis are still designed in Italy and are making a comeback. Don Williams recently rode the Vettore 450 adventure bike and gives us his thoughts on whether this bike has earned a place in the highly competitive US ADV market.
Associate Editor Freeman Wood and his good friend Alex Cobb decided to try the Lost Coast BDR-X route on the 2026 BMW R 12 G/S and Honda Africa Twin . Teejay Adams chats with Freeman and Alex about how both bikes fared on the 500-mile, figure-eight loop that ventures deep into the untamed heart of Northern California’s last stretch of undeveloped coastline. You can also check out their travels on Instagram @woodysmototravels
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