The 2026 AMA Supercross Championship concluded with a dramatic finale at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, where Hunter Lawrence entered the final round trailing Ken Roczen by just one point in one of the closest title fights in series history. Despite a strong start aboard his Honda CRF450RWE, the Australian finished seventh and ultimately fell three points short of the championship.
Lawrence grabbed the holeshot in the main event, immediately putting himself in position to claim the title. Roczen quickly moved into the lead, setting up an intense battle between the championship contenders during the opening laps. Lawrence maintained contact whilst holding off Jorge Prado in third, but a pair of costly mistakes derailed his title bid.
The first error sent Lawrence briefly off the track, whilst the second resulted in a crash that dropped him to seventh position with more than half the race remaining. Unable to recover, Lawrence finished seventh whilst Roczen crossed the line in fifth, securing the Suzuki rider his first AMA Supercross Championship with a final margin of three points.
“I was just asking a little too much of the front end coming into the corners, but congrats to Kenny—well earned, he was the better man tonight in the main,” said Lawrence. “Congrats to him and the team, it was fun battling with him. We’ll get ready for outdoors.”
Honda HRC Progressive team manager Lars Lindstrom reflected on the season with pride despite the narrow defeat. “Looking back on the season, it has been a pretty incredible rollercoaster for us. There have been so many positives that make it easier to swallow the bitter pill of not winning the championship after being so close,” said Lindstrom.
“Hunter took himself to a new level in the elite class and showed that he will be a threat for championships every year that he lines up. I also want to say congratulations to the Progressive Suzuki team and to Ken Roczen on their championship.”
Throughout the 2026 series, Lawrence demonstrated impressive speed and consistency, keeping the championship battle alive until the final chequered flag. The Quad Lock Honda satellite team also concluded their campaign, with Joey Savatgy, Christian Craig, Shane McElrath, and Dean Wilson finishing eighth, 12th, 13th, and 21st in the final standings respectively.
Honda HRC Progressive now heads into a two-week break before opening the AMA Pro Motocross season in Pala, California, on 30th May. The team is expected to field a full roster with Hunter and Jett Lawrence in the 450 class, alongside Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas in the 250 division.
Photo: Honda Racing Corporation Media
