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2026 Ironman Pro Motocross Research

By Brett Smith

Just one hour northwest of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this Crawfordsville, Indiana facility has hosted a Pro Motocross round since 2014 and was the site of the 2025 Motocross of Nations. Ironman Raceway comes from the late Bob “Ironman” Sloan, a two-time GNCC ATV champion and Indiana native.

  • Name of Facility: Ironman Raceway
  • 2026 will be the 13th running of the Ironman National
All-Time Ironman Facts
  • Eli Tomac has 3 wins, 7 podiums and 10 starts here. All are the most in 450MX.
  • Jo Shimoda won the 250 class in 2023, otherwise, no active 250MX rider have won here.
2025 Recap
  • 450MX: Hunter Lawrence (2-2) won his first premier class Pro Motocross overall
  • 250MX: Haiden Deegan (1-1)
  • Notable: Jett Lawrence (17-1 / 6th) was penalized 1 full lap for “fouling the gate” in M2 and credited with 17th place. He finished the first lap in 21st and caught back up to 3rd.
IRONMAN HISTORY

450 Rider Facts

  • Hunter Lawrence heads to the final round with a 1 point lead. In Supercross, he went to the final round just 1 point down.
  • Just like in Supercross, Hunter Lawrence owns the tiebreaker (12 moto wins to Jett Lawrence’s 8)
  • This is NOT a “winner-take-all” situation (see ‘clinch scenarios’ below).
  • In 2022, this championship went to the final round with a 1 point difference between Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton.
  • Jett Lawrence finished 4th O/A at Budds Creek, just the 3rd time in his career he’s been off the podium (37 starts)
  • Haiden Deegan has been fastest qualifier in back-to-back rounds (Unadilla and Budds Creek)
  • Haiden Deegan’s season average L1 position is 9.5 but it’s 4.3 over the past four motos.
  • Over the past 6 motos run, Haiden Deegan has 3 holeshots (all from M1)
  • Jorge Prado has set the single fastest moto lap in 3 of the last 4 motos.
  • Mikkel Haarup’s 5th in Moto 2 and 5th overall at Budds Creek were both career bests.
  • Eli Tomac (385) are tied Chad Reed (385) for 4th all-time all classes, SX+MX

250 Rider Facts

  • Cole Davies celebrates his 19th birthday on August 29 (raceday)
  • Davies is attempting to deliver Yamaha its 13th 125/250MX championship. It would be Yamaha’s 8th in just the last 13 seasons.
  • It’s been 7 years since Kawasaki won a 250 MX (or SX) championship. Ironman 2019 (Adam Cianciarulo) was Kawi’s last title (Aug. 24, 2019)
  • Landen Gordon scored a career best with 3rd overall at Budds Creek. It was his 9th career start.
  • Gordon is the 11th different rider to podium this season (more on that below)
  • Levi Kitchen is (still) the only rider to finish top 5 overall at all 10 rounds this season
  • 11 different riders have pulled a holeshot this season (it was 9 in all of 2025)
  • Chance Hymas set the fastest overall lap at Budds Creek, his first since Unadilla 2024.
  • Chance Hymas was the 7th different winner this season, a class record (more on that below).

Closest 250/450MX Title Battles Entering Final Round

The single point separating Hunter and Jett Lawrence ties for the closest premier class battle at a finale in the history of the sport.

The only other time it’s been this close was 2022 when Eli Tomac entered the final round at Fox Raceway with a 1 point lead over Chase Sexton.

If the past is a predictor of the future, in the previous 4 closest battles, the points leader entering the final round won the title…

  • 2022 – Eli Tomac ultimately won the championship by 7 points.
  • 1996 – Jeff Emig won by 10 points.
  • 2007 – Grant Langston won by 16 points.
  • 1990 – Jeff Stanton won by 7 points.
Closest championship battles entering finale (premier class)

Head-to-Head: Lawrence vs. Lawrence

With 2 motos remaining, Hunter and Jett Lawrence are separated by a single point. The clinch scenarios are not simple (see next section), but winning both motos is one way to guarantee the title.

  • Hunter Lawrence has gone 1-1 for 1st overall 4 times this season.
  • Jett Lawrence has gone 1-1 for 1st overall 2 times this season.
Lawrence vs. Lawrence: 450MX 2026

Clinch Scenarios: All Classes

450MX

Hunter Lawrence has a +1 point lead over Jett Lawrence.

IMPORTANT: It’s NOT a “winner-take-all”. Before the gate drop of M1, however, each rider IS fully in control of winning the title.

It’s not a winner-take-all because of moto math: If they tie on event points, Hunter wins the title.

  • Example: Jett Lawrence goes 2-1 for 1st overall but Hunter Lawrence goes 1-2 for 2nd overall. Champion: Hunter Lawrence.

To clinch in moto 1…

  • Hunter Lawrence could clinch in M1 if he wins and Jett Lawrence finishes 21st or lower (Jett has only finished outside the top 20 once in 74 motos).
  • Jett Lawrence can’t clinch in M1.

To clinch the title…

  • Hunter Lawrence must not lose more than 1 point to Jett Lawrence. Hunter has the tiebreaker advantage (12 moto wins vs. 8 moto wins)
  • Jett Lawrence has to score +2 points more than Hunter Lawrence.
Pro Motocross Tiebreak Ruling
Pro Motocross tiebreaker language from rulebook
250MX

Cole Davies has a +14 point lead on Levi Kitchen

  • Cole Davies clinches in M1 if he wins and Kitchen finishes 8th or worse (Kitchen has finished 8th or worse 4 times in 20 motos this season).
  • If Davies finishes 2nd in M1, Kitchen must finish 11th or worse.
  • If Davies finishes 3rd in M1, Kitchen must finish 13th or worse.
WMX
  • Lachlan Turner has a 21 point lead over Charli Cannon
  • Cannon, however, has finished first or second in 8 of the 10 motos run this season.
  • Turner clinches title in Friday’s M1 if she gains +4 on Cannon.
  • Ex. Scenario: Turner wins, Cannon finishes 3rd.

Red Hot Plate

For a record 6th time the 450MX red plate has been exchanged between riders.

  • Hunter Lawrence left the opening round of Pro Motocross with the points lead but gave it up after a 4-4 day at Thunder Valley (the first exchange).
  • The previous single season swap record was 2000, when Ricky Carmichael, Sebastien Tortelli and David Vuillemin had 5 exchanges.
450MX Red Plate Exchanges

Two Titles, One Day

Two Pro Motocross champions will be crowned at Ironman. It’s just the 5th time since 1994 that two number one plates have been handed out at the final round. 1994 was the year Pro Motocross moved to the modern 2 class format.

And in 2026, with the WMX finale, three #1 plates will be handed out. Six riders are mathematically alive between the three championships

Champions Crowned at Finale (1994-2026)

Twice a Runner-Up in One Year

Hunter Lawrence’s fortunes have ridden a roller coaster through the second half of August. If he pulls off the 450MX championship, nothing below matters. If he comes up short…

  • No rider has ever finished runner-up in the 250/450 class in three consecutive seasons.
  • Hunter Lawrence has been runner-up in 5 championship seasons in the 450 class.
Two-Time Runner-up, Same Season (premier class)
How close were they?
  • Hunter Lawrence was -1 point to Ken Roczen entering the final round of the 2026 SX chase
  • Marvin Musquin was -14 points to Jason Anderson entering the final round of the 2018 SX season and -20 points to Eli Tomac in 450MX
  • In 2014, Ryan Dungey entered the final 450MX round -20 points to Ryan Villopoto.

Davies vs. Kitchen – Momentum vs. Mistakes

Down the stretch, Cole Davies has built momentum and delivered nothing but wins and podiums: 1-1-2-1-1-3 moto finishes. That momentum has resulted in a +39 point advantage over Levi Kitchen who has had a series of mistakes with moto finishes of 6-6-1-6-14-2.

Levi Kitchen’s Mistakes
  • Washougal 1st moto start crash
  • Unadilla 2nd moto off track at start
  • Budds Creek 1st moto crash and 4 position penalty
Cole Davies Momentum – Last 3 Rounds

250MX Parity Party

Seven different winners and we still have 1 round remaining…

  • The 2026 winners: Seth Hammaker, Levi Kitchen, Jo Shimoda, Coles Davies (4), Sacha Coenen, Julien Beamer, and Chance Hymas
  • Notable: In 2021, 6 different winners won the first six rounds before Jeremy Martin and Jett Lawrence opened it up.
Most Unique Winners in a Single 125/250MX Season
Unique Overall Podium Riders
  • 1 more new rider on the overall podium would tie a record for most.
  • Note: in every other year on this chart below, there were 12 or 13 rounds.

Numbers Don’t Lie

It’s been a good rookie season for Haiden Deegan and he’s shown promise in the last few rounds – fastest qualifier at both Unadilla and Budds Creek and 3 holeshots in the last 3 rounds.

That said, his competition each had at least 1 moto win in their rookie season. With the hype entering round 1, the harsh reality is 20-0 vs. 0-20. No question that fact is not lost on either the Lawrence nor Deegan camps.

ROOKIES: Thru 10 rounds, 20 motos…

450SMX Projections

There are some important battles throughout the top 20.

  • Cooper Webb (current #2 seed) holds a +5 point advantage over Jorge Prado (current #3 seed). Webb’s averaged 23 points per round and Prado 35. Prado should jump ahead of Webb.
  • RJ Hampshire (current #11 seed) should move ahead of the inactive Justin Cooper and Ken Roczen – he only needs to score 4 points at Ironman to do so.
  • 5 riders ranked 13-17 are separated by just 14 points. We could see 3-5 seeding point swings at Ironman! Christian Craig (242 pts), Jordon Smith (238 pts), Malcolm Stewart (235 pts), Justin Barcia (234 pts), and Aaron Plessinger (228 pts).
  • Mitchell Harrison needs to score 10 points to tie Justin Hill and move into the 20th and final automatic seed. (Harrison wins the tiebreaker as he’s raced both SX and MX).

250SMX Projections

  • The top 3 are locked and loaded – Cole Davies, Levi Kitchen, and Ryder Difrancesco.
  • 4th through 6th (Hymas, Beaumer, and Minear) are all but locked. Only chance of a change here is if a rider has two devastating moto results.
  • Nate Thrasher (291 pts) needs 24 points to move ahead of both Seth Hammaker and Carson Mumford (assuming he’s out for Ironman). Nate’s averaging 19 pts per round but has scored 24 or more points in 3 of his 8 starts this season.
  • Caden Dudney (210 pts) is 4 points behind Lux Turner (214 pts) and 23 behind Haiden Deegan (233 pts). He’s scored 23+ points at 4 rounds this season.
  • Landen Gordon (158 pts – 21st seed) is 30 points behind the injured Nick Romano (188 pts – 20th seed). Gordon scored 35 points in his first career podium last week at Budds Creek!

Women’s Pro Motocross – RD6

Season Stats
  • Lachlan Turner has won 8 of the 10 motos run in 2026
  • The other moto winners in 2026: Mayla Herrick (High Point M1) and Charli Cannon (High Point M2).
  • Lala Career OVERALLS: Turner has won 13 of the 19 rounds held between 2024-2026 (she missed two 2024 rounds because of injury)
  • Lala Career MOTOS: Turner has won 25 of the 38 motos run (2024-2026)
  • Turner has four 1-1 sweeps in 2026 (Hangtown, Thunder Valley, Unadilla, Budds Creek)
  • Turner and Charli Cannon have both been on the overall podium at all 5 rounds.
  • Five different riders have pulled holeshots this season – Turner: 3, Tayla McCutcheon: 3, Mayla Herrick: 2, Piper Bell, Mikayla Nielsen.
  • Five different riders have led laps this season: Turner, Cannon, McCutcheon, Herrick, and Nielsen
  • Turner has led the most laps: 48
2026 WMX Results

Milestones

450MX
  • One more podium and Jett Lawrence (34) will tie Jeremy McGrath (35) for 15th all-time.
  • One more podium and Jett Lawrence (34) will tie Ricky Carmichael (35) for 4th all-time podiums on a Honda.
  • Eli Tomac (32 wins) needs one more to tie Rick Johnson (33 MX wins) for 3rd all-time.
  • The next first time winner in 450MX is the 72nd different rider to win the class (Haiden Deegan, Justin Cooper…)
  • With one more start, Justin Barcia (125) will tie Jason Thomas (126) for 5th all-time.
450SX+MX
  • Jett Lawrence (37 wins) tied Jeff Stanton for 12th all-time. He needs another 8 to catch Jeff Ward for 11th all-time.
Both Classes, SX+MX
  • Justin Barcia and Kevin Windham are tied for 6th all-time (381)
  • Eli Tomac and Chad Reed are tied at 4th all-time most starts (385)