Eli Tomac made a successful return to the 450SX podium at Round 16 of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship in Denver on Saturday night, claiming third position for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Teammate Jorge Prado delivered a solid sixth-place finish after winning his heat race at Empower Field at Mile High.
The two-time premier class champion was back aboard his KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition for his home state race in Colorado after missing the Philadelphia round due to injury. Tomac qualified sixth in the dry, technical track conditions and finished fifth in his heat race before positioning himself fourth after the opening lap of the main event.
A brief stall in the sand section dropped the Cortez, Colorado, native back to seventh, but he showcased his championship pedigree by charging through the field to secure the final podium position. The result marks Tomac’s ninth podium of the 2026 season, including four victories, and keeps him fourth in the 450SX standings with one round remaining.
“I’m glad to land on this podium for the Colorado fans! I was so bummed when I stalled it in the sand,” Tomac said. “I just happened to stomp on my rear brake there and then, honestly, like double-stalled. Anyway, I was able to claw back there, had some fun on this track, and that was just a good bounce back.”
Prado qualified seventh before capturing the holeshot and his fourth heat race victory of the year. The four-time world champion continued his strong form by securing the main event holeshot and running inside the top five for the race’s duration, including a mid-race battle with teammate Tomac for third position.
“I would say Denver was a pretty positive weekend for me – especially after a couple of tough weekends, it was nice to get back towards the front with a heat race win,” Prado said. “In the main event, I got a good start and tried to race with the guys up front – their pace was a little stronger than mine, but I tried my best to hold on.”
The 25-year-old Spaniard made a small mistake before the triple that cost him positions, ultimately finishing sixth for the night. He sits 10th in the championship points tally heading into the season finale.
Hunter Lawrence won the race ahead of championship leader Ken Roczen, who holds a narrow one-point advantage over Lawrence heading into the final round in Salt Lake City on 9 May. Malcolm Stewart finished fourth, whilst Justin Hill was the third KTM rider in the top 15 with a P15 result.
Photo: KTM Media
