Going into the first round of a three-round playoff system like the SMX World Championship is always a flying-blind process. Usually, after one round, the picture can become a bit clearer. Unfortunately, the mud-fest opener at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, doesn’t offer much guidance for Playoff 2 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, this Saturday. Let’s look at why it’s still complicated while coming up with the best RMFantasySMX.com 2026 SMX Playoff 2 fantasy picks and tips that we can.
Hunter Lawrence’s 21-8 debacle in Ohio was either a warning sign or an aberration. We won’t know until the end of the night on Saturday. Regardless, you have to respect that Lawrence won the Pro Motocross title this year and nearly walked away with the Monster Energy AMA Supercross crown. His P8 bounce-back in Moto 2 is about the only hint available that Lawrence will have something to offer the competition on Saturday. It has to hurt that he went from P1 in the standings to P6 in one afternoon.
Haiden Deegan notched his first 450-class win last week, though there is an asterisk. It won’t be a mud bog at Dignity Health Sports Park. That doesn’t mean Deegan can’t win in Carson, but his 1-1 in Columbus doesn’t make him a shoo-in pick for Saturday. Although his confidence will be sky-high, Deegan has seriously experienced riders going up against him.
Ken Roczen didn’t let the mud ruin his return to competition. His 2-2 at Historic Crew Stadium was impressive, given that he spent the entire Pro Motocross season on vacation. Roczen’s performance put him P4 in the standings, just eight points behind leader Jorge Prado, so the $1 million payout for winning the SMX title is well within reach. Based on his performance in Columbus, I have Roczen down for the win on Saturday.
Deegan’s strong ride last week is good enough to position him safely in P2 at Playoff 2. It’s a cautious pick, to be sure. If Deegan wins on Saturday, he’ll be the odds-on favorite to wear the SMX crown at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena on September 26 in Ridgedale, Missouri. We still need to see how Deegan does in the dry before promoting him to P1 prediction status, so P2 it is this week.
I’m putting Hunter Lawrence in P3 as an insurance pick. It is impossible to tell how he will do Saturday afternoon in the dry. Lawrence has had two consecutive subpar Saturdays, so you have to wonder if something else is up. The AMA and gambling interests should be insisting on full disclosure of rider injuries. Certainly, if Lawrence is fully healthy, he’s a threat to win on Saturday.
Like Columbus, the Carson track is supercross-style, fully within a stadium, and that’s good for Cooper Webb. Webb excels inside stadiums, so he is a strong top-five pick. Given the competition, it’s difficult to move him far beyond P4, which is where I have him. If Lawrence continues to falter, Webb could finish on the podium.
Although Jorge Prado leads the series, that’s not enough to ensure him a spot on the box in Carson. Prado went head-to-head with Deegan in Pro Motocross this year, but had nothing for Deegan in the mud, going 3-4. Given Prado’s still-suspect SX skills, P5 looks just about right on the dry California track.
The RMFantasySMX Wild Card is P14, so let the wild speculation begin. Let’s start off by acknowledging that Eli Tomac was P14 last week, going 15-13. With the mud, the finishing positions were all over the place. The best bets are probably Mitchell Harrison and Christian Craig, with longer odds on Jordon Smith, Justin Barcia, or Justin Hill. Or it could be someone with a great moto and a bad moto. Figure out which rider you want to root for to finish in P14, and make him your selection. Harrison’s 16-12 last week is enough for me to make him my Wild Card, and I say that with no confidence.
It will be a morning-to-evening affair at Dignity Health Sports Park. Race Day Live starts at 10 a.m. locally (PDT), with the Peacock/NBC Pre-Race show at 3:30 p.m. and racing exclusively on Peacock at 4 p.m.
2026 SMX Playoff 2 Fantasy Picks
Ken Roczen
Haiden Deegan
Hunter Lawrence
Cooper Webb
Jorge Prado
Wild Card P14: Mitchell Harrison
2026 SMX 450 Playoff Standings (after 1 of 3 rounds)
In our first segment this episode Don Williams tries out his first e-clutch motorcycle: the new Honda CB750 Hornet. The Honda 750 is already an excellent motorcycle in its own right; it’s fast, and it handles beautifully. So, does adding the E-Clutch system to an already fabulous motorcycle really make any difference, or is this just an engineering exercise for the sake of it? Don Williams explains how the system works, and whether the E-Clutch is actually an upgrade.
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We’ve talked recently about the upcoming Biketoberfest in a few weeks time, and for sure it’s a great party and social event for motorcycle riders everywhere. But we don’t want to leave you with the impression that’s all it is. So Brian Bentley—born and raised in Daytona Beach—takes us through a sample itinerary of how you could spend your four days plus at Biketoberfest. Truth is, there are a ton of things to do in the October sunshine, and Brian’s example itinerary will give you a lot of ideas. And don’t forget: make sure you download the Biketoberfest mobile App from Apple or Google Play or visit www.biketoberfest.org.
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In our second segment this episode Arthur Coldwells chats with Tony Bracalente, founder of Ryder-Gear. Tony is a Navy veteran and was a nuclear engineer on submarines; he’s also a frequent track rider and racer. He founded Ryder-Gear as a result of his own track riding needs, and after friends kept asking him to help them out with what they needed, he eventually started the company. Tony’s interesting background and story-telling ability gives some insight into what it takes to improve motorcycle safety both on the track, and on the street.
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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.
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