Ryder DiFrancesco delivered a strong fifth-place finish at the final round of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship in Salt Lake City, closing out his debut season with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing in fourth overall in the 250SX West standings. The East/West Showdown marked the conclusion of the supercross season, with 450SX rider Malcolm Stewart claiming eighth position in the main event and seventh overall in the final championship standings.
DiFrancesco’s path to the main event proved challenging after an 11th-place finish in his heat race forced him into the Last Chance Qualifier. The 21-year-old won the LCQ aboard his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, transferring through to the main event where he charged from outside the top 10 to fifth position in an impressive 15-minute-plus-one-lap race.
“Salt Lake was a bit of a struggle all day,” commented DiFrancesco. “I just didn’t have the raw speed that I really wanted – it came a little tougher for me this weekend. The Heat Race didn’t go well, and then of course, we were off to the LCQ, which wasn’t ideal. The Main Event was a bit of a turnaround, after I rode well in that one and now we’ll get ready for outdoors.”
The California native concluded his first season with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing with three podium finishes and four additional top-five results across 10 rounds of 250SX West competition, finishing fourth overall with 164 points.
Teammate Daxton Bennick faced similar adversity in the 250SX East/West Showdown, finishing 12th in his heat race before claiming eighth in the LCQ, narrowly missing transfer to the main event. Despite the difficult finale, the 20-year-old secured third overall in the 250SX East standings with 160 points, highlighted by two podium finishes including a season-best runner-up result in Philadelphia.
In the 450SX class, Malcolm Stewart qualified seventh overall with a 49.511-second lap time on the technical Salt Lake City circuit. The veteran rode to third in his heat race before posting a measured eighth-place finish in the main event aboard his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition.
“The fans are always awesome in Salt Lake!” said Stewart. “Usually, I ride pretty well at this track, but this year I kind of struggled a little bit. But at the end of the day, every time I come through for opening ceremonies and hear those fans, it brings back some awesome memories. Tonight may not have gone exactly as we’d planned, but that’s racing, and I’m happy to be leaving Supercross healthy with attention now shifting to Pro Motocross.”
Stewart’s 2026 supercross campaign included a podium finish in Detroit and two additional top-five results, securing seventh in the final standings with 203 points. The team now shifts focus to the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, which opens on 30th May in Pala, California.
Photo: Husqvarna Media
