2026 Pro Motocross 450MX National Champion Hunter Lawrence. Photograph by Align Media.
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The expected battle for the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross 450MX crown fizzled out at the Ironman National finale. Jorge Prado went 1-1 for the overall, and neither of the Lawrence brothers battling for the title finished on the overall podium. Hunter Lawrence won the championship with an 8-4 result, to finish two points ahead of his brother Jett, who had an 11-3 day.
Haiden Deegan grabbed the Moto 1 holeshot and fell in front of Hunter, taking Hunter down and appearing to end Hunter’s championship hopes as Jett rode by. Hunter was in P39 when he started his charge through the pack. He easily passed Jett for P14 on lap 7 (of 16) along the way to a P8 finish. Jett never troubled the top 10 and finished in P11, with the team citing an ankle injury.
Up front, Prado led from lap 2 to the finish, with RJ Hampshire in P2 the entire way. Mikkel Haarup, Aaron Plessinger, and Cooper Webb battled over the final podium spot. A crash by Haarup with the checkers in sight allowed Webb to take P3 for moto 1. Haarup remounted to salvage P4 ahead of Plessinger.
Prado scored a holeshot in the second moto, trailed by the Lawrence brothers and Deegan. Hunter made an error on lap 3 to surrender P2 to Deegan. On lap 6, Hunter fell, letting Jett by. From there, there were no more position changes in the top six to the end of the 16-lap final moto of the season. Although Jett’s first moto ankle injury limited him to P11, he recovered well enough to make the Moto 2 podium.
RJ Hampshire finished in P2 overall, with a 2-6 ride. Cooper Webb’s 3-8 day was good enough to put him on the overall podium in P3. Eli Tomac’s 7-5 rides left him sandwiched between Hunter and Jett in P5 overall.
The modern superbike class is an arms race fought on several fronts. There’s still the battle for horsepower supremacy, that fuels endless spec-sheet skirmishes on internet forums. But what has caused more than a few designers to burn the midnight oil is the bold new frontier of MotoGP-inspired aerodynamics, and the challenge of integrating those into the already exceedingly complex superbike. Nic de Sena rode the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R at a recent Laguna Seca track day with Volant Vivere and he tells us all about what he discovered and what it takes to go fast.
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Now here’s a rally you absolutely cannot miss—yes, we’re rapidly approaching the 34th Annual Biketoberfest Rally in Daytona Beach, sunny Florida.Biketoberfest this year runs October 15th through the 18th. Biketoberfest is all about the beautiful Florida weather, live music, the industry’s top vendors, bike shows, and motorcycle racing at Daytona International Speedway. And don’t forget, there are miles of spectacular rides along the famous A1A, the historic Main Street and the Ormond Beach Scenic Loop. There really is something for everyone here, and almost every event and attraction is free to attend. So, if you want a fun few days out in the Florida sunshine, Biketoberfest really is the place to be. Make sure you download the Biketoberfest mobile App from Apple or Google Play or visit www.biketoberfest.orgfor more details.
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Austin and Ellie got married in 2022 and recently returned from a four-year trip around the world riding their Ural sidecar. The epic trip is documented on their Instagram page @sidebysidecar. In this second segment, Teejay Adams chats with them about the challenges and effort it took to make it all happen, and some of the adventures they had along the way.
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Here’s quick reminder to check out our monthly digital magazine. It’s filled with everything you want to read on motorcycling, including some things you’ve probably not seen elsewhere. It’s absolutely free and you will find it on the Apple App Store and of course on Google Play as well.
Don’t forget to leave us your comments on our social media—we’re on all the usual platforms at Ultimate Motorcycling. We love hearing your feedback… so good or bad, please let us know what you think. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, we’d love to hear those ideas too!
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