Ryder DiFrancesco secured his third podium of the season with an impressive third-place finish at Round 16 of the AMA Supercross Championship in Denver on Saturday night, whilst 450SX teammate Malcolm Stewart battled through adversity to claim fourth position inside Empower Field at Mile High.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing duo delivered strong performances at altitude in Colorado, with DiFrancesco’s result keeping him firmly in contention for second place in the 250SX West championship heading into the final round.
DiFrancesco demonstrated impressive form throughout the evening, posting the third-fastest qualifying time with a 51.562-second lap before powering his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition to second place in 250SX West Heat 2. The Californian executed a strong start in the Main Event, running fifth on the opening lap before methodically advancing to third position in the early stages.
“It was a good night in Denver,” reflected DiFrancesco. “The main goal these last couple of weeks is to get to P2 – obviously the championship is wrapped up, so second would be ideal. Tonight, once I got into third, there wasn’t much more that I could do, so I just brought it home from there. It was a good night and now we’ll go to Salt Lake, try to stack some points, and go for second in the championship.”
The podium finish marks DiFrancesco’s third of the 2026 SMX World Championship season and keeps him fourth in the 250SX West standings, just one point behind third-placed Max Anstie and within striking distance of second-placed Levi Kitchen with one round remaining.
In the 450SX class, Stewart faced a challenging evening after qualifying 11th and encountering difficulties in his heat race aboard the Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition. The 33-year-old was forced to contest the Last Chance Qualifier, where he secured victory to transfer into the Main Event.
Stewart’s resilience shone through in the main, as he mounted a determined charge through the field with a series of decisive late-race passes to claim fourth position, maintaining eighth in the 450SX championship standings.
“Every time we come to Denver, the track is tough,” Stewart reflected. “There was a lot going on in that race – you could’ve thrown a blanket over all of us! There was a lot of carnage, but at the end of the day, I guess Christmas came in May for me for a fourth! We’ve just got to continue moving forward. I struggled a little bit tonight and went to the LCQ, which I haven’t been to in a minute, but we just tried to ride our race [in the Main Event] and get it done.”
The AMA Supercross Championship concludes next weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 9 May, where both riders will aim to maximise their championship positions in the season finale.
Photo: Husqvarna Media
