What Really Happened in San Diego?

At Anaheim 1, starts proved decisive. In San Diego, the start still mattered, but undeniable raw speed mattered more. Speed is also a core metric in our Fast Power Index (FPI), and this race put it on full display.

Strip away the storylines and the chaos, and only four riders consistently appeared at the top of the lap chart. Eli Tomac, Hunter Lawrence, Ken Roczen, and Chase Sexton were the only ones capable of running true front pace. But once the race settled, only two separated themselves on the stopwatch. Tomac controlled the race from the front, while Sexton, despite hitting the gate and starting dead last, ripped off elite laps in traffic before settling into fourth.

The finishing order in San Diego was not coincidence.

450s: Lap Time Ranks, Fastest Lap, and Average Lap Time

The margin was razor thin. The top three were separated by just 0.17 seconds in average lap time. Roczen only logged two fastest laps, yet he was the only rider besides Tomac to dip below the 53 second mark. But outright speed was only part of the equation. Maintaining it was just as critical. Falling even one second off pace for a single lap proved costly with times this close.

450s: Lap Time Ranks

Lap 8 told the story for Hunter Lawrence. He was just 1.2 seconds off his average pace, but that was enough to drop him from 1st to 3rd. He did not return to Tomac’s pace until he cleared Roczen. And when Tomac passed Roczen on lap sixteen, Roczen was unable to regroup for several laps, which opened the door for Lawrence to slip by.

Sexton was the outlier. Once he found open track, he was nearly untouchable for almost a third of the race. He clearly settled once a podium was out of reach, but there is no questioning it. Sexton still has elite speed on his new KX450. Just to recap how insane Sexton’s race was from his perspective:

• Hits the gate (mirroring Detroit 2025)
• Crosses the white line (holeshot): 22nd
• Finishes the opening lap: 12th
• Moves into 5th by Lap 9, then dominates lap times with 6 fastest laps over next 7 laps
• Backs off the pace on Lap 16 after recognizing the podium is out of reach

The 250s had plenty of speed as well. Interestingly, once Haiden Deegan got around Max Anstie, his pace dropped off noticeably. Meanwhile, Levi Kitchen, once again finding himself on the ground off the start, quietly logged the most fast laps of anyone on his charge back to 4th. We’re still anxiously waiting for the Deegan/Kitchen duo to actually start near the front.

250s: Lap Time Ranks, Fastest Lap, and Average Lap Time

But the most intriguing storyline? Cameron McAdoo. A rock-solid 2nd place finish in just his second race back from injury. He didn’t record a single fastest lap, yet his speed was undeniable, ranking third in both fastest lap of the race and average lap time. As a result, McAdoo now sits 2nd in our in-season FPI rankings, ahead of championship leader Deegan.