The 2026 SMX World Championship Playoffs start on Saturday afternoon at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Although SMX (SuperMotocross) is intended to be a mix of supercross and motocross, the track is shaded toward SX, as the course is fully inside a stadium. The field is a bit depleted due to injury, with two fast guys out. Let’s take a look at Playoff 1 and get some fantasy picks going for RMFantasySMX players.
Jett Lawrence.
Jett Lawrence, the only rider to win a 450SMX World Championship, will not ride. Jett has taken the title in all three SMX Playoffs. However, ankle surgery for a nagging training injury from nine months ago is keeping Jett out of the 2026 running. Also absent is 2023 AMA Supercross Champion and 2024 Pro Motocross Champion Chase Sexton, who was injured after two rounds of the MX Nationals. With those two riders out, opportunities open up in the top 5.
Hunter Lawrence.
Hunter Lawrence comes in with all the momentum. With his brother out, Hunter’s path to the title is a clear one. All he has to do is keep doing what he’s been doing: win races. As the top seed, he begins the SMX Playoffs with 25 points, putting him in the lead before the first playoff round gate drops.
Ken Roczen.
Having taken the Pro Motocross series off, 2026 Supercross Champion Ken Roczen will come into Historic Crew Stadium rested. With this being an SX-style track, Roczen should blow off the cobwebs with a P2 finish behind the surging Hunter.
Cooper Webb.
It’s easy to forget that Cooper Webb finished the 2026 SX series in P3. Webb came on strong late in the Pro Motocross series, sharpening him for SMX. He’s also the third seed in SMX, so he is looking longingly at the prize money. He’s a longshot for the title, but a top 3 finish is not out of the question in Columbus and when the Playoffs are over. I have him for P3 on Saturday.
Jorge Prado.
Jorge Prado finished the 2026 Pro Motocross Championship Series with a flourish. He went 1-1 in the final round, as the championship-protagonist brothers floundered. Prado’s challenge will be translating that strong MX season ending into two competitive rides in a stadium setting. His attitude is looking good, but Prado has yet to establish himself as a favorite on an SX track. Put him down for P4.
Haiden Deegan.
Haiden Deegan’s rookie 450MX season was a strong one. Deegan hung on to beat Prado in the standings by a scant three points, 404-401, despite being bested by Prado in the final three motos. Deegan has no 450SX track record, so he will be getting on-the-job training. Keep in mind that Deegan was the 250SX West Champion earlier this year. Expect him to be learning the 450 ropes and take P5 at Columbus.
Justin Hill.
Picking the P9 Wild Card is like pulling a name out of a hat; you reach in and hope for the best. With the track SX-slanted, I’m going to look at who was P9 in the 2026 Supercross final standings when you take out Chase Sexton. That leaves me with Justin Hill, and I’m good with that. Hill had to ride the final Pro Motocross round to get the final automatic transfer spot ahead of Mitchell Harrison, so he’s serious about SMX. Other reasonable choices include Dylan Ferrandis, Christian Craig, and Garrett Marchbanks. Oh, and watch for Shane McElrath on his Liqui Moly Beta Race Team debut.
In our first segment this episode Don Williams takes us for a ride on arguably the most comfortable British take on the American cruiser: the Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster. It’s a superbly relaxed motorcycle in an equally relaxed state of tune, so while you shouldn’t be swayed by the “Speed” in its name, there’s a lot more to the Speedmaster than you might imagine.
* * * * *
Now here’s a really cool event 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.
* * * * *
In our second segment this episode Teejay Adams catches up with World Cup Bagger racer, Archie McDonald who first came on this podcast last December. Whether you’ve watched any of the World Bagger Cup racing or not, you’ve likely heard of it. Despite a lot of initial skepticism, the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup really seems to have captured the racing public’s imagination. The Championship is now being led by Archie, and despite never having seen most of the tracks before, that he’s beating several very experienced and highly talented competitors, shows what an amazing talent he is. Archie is also extremely mature for his just 19-years of age, and sadly, in the last few months he’s had to grow up even faster after his older brother Toby took his own life in April. Archie brings us up to date with his racing for the Joe Rascal team, and he speaks candidly with Teejay about his brother and how Toby’s passing has affected him.
Fair warning: if you’re sensitive to this topic please be careful listening to this segment, and if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, know that support is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In Australia, you can contact Lifeline at 13 11 14.
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!
We use cookies and browser activity on this website
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
