Eyes on 2025 SuperMotocross

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Malcolm Stewart delivered a strong performance to secure eighth overall in the 450SX Class at Round 4 of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship in Houston on Saturday night, as 250SX West teammate Ryder DiFrancesco recorded a consistent 6-5-5 scorecard to claim fifth overall in the Triple Crown. On the high-speed and technically challenging layout within NRG Stadium, Stewart continued his return to form while recovering from a fractured scapula, qualifying 10th fastest aboard his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition during the afternoon sessions. The 33-year-old followed with a consistent eighth-place finish in the opening final, improved to sixth in Race 2 on a deteriorating circuit, and crossed the line 10th in the final outing to secure P8 on the night. The result shows encouraging signs of progress for Stewart, who is racing back into form during the early stages of the 2026 SMX World Championship series. “Houston was trending in the right direction for me!” said Stewart. “I felt pretty good through all three races tonight. We've just been making sure to do all of the right things regarding recovery, and I have been working with Dr. G all week. I'm starting to feel a lot better and getting closer to feeling normal, so this is a very positive night. I know on paper it doesn't look that good, but under the circumstances from Anaheim 1, this is a big win for us. So, all we need to do is keep moving forward, keep putting in the work, and I know I can get back up to where I need to be. Glendale is always a fun one and one of my favorites, so I am looking forward to that race next week." Also onboard the Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition, full-time 450SX newcomer RJ Hampshire raced to 10th in Race 1, before a late fall in Race 2 saw him credited P14. In the third and final race, the 30-year-old posted a ninth-place result in the ultra-competitive premier class field, earning 11th position overall for the round. “Houston was a long day for me,” reflected Hampshire. “I didn't qualify well – even though I felt good on the bike – and then my first race was decent after riding strong the whole time. Second one, I had a decent start inside the top 10 and then ended up going down pretty late in it, which dropped me back a few spots. Last race, I had a pretty good start again, but it was just decent, nothing overly special tonight. I still feel like there was progress made from our time on the bike, so we'll head back home this week and come out swinging in Arizona." DiFrancesco began the day in positive fashion at the first Triple Crown of the year, qualifying third on 250SX combined times and finding competitive pace early with his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition ahead of the night’s rapid, three-race program. The 20-year-old showed speed in the opening Western Divisional race after starting outside the top 10, climbing to sixth before advancing to P5 in Race 2, and setting himself up well for the third and final race in Texas this weekend. An additional fifth-place result capped off a consistent night for the impressive young Californian, who earned P5 overall and now sits fourth in the 250SX West standings, just two points outside of second position. “Houston Triple Crown was good for me,” commented DiFrancesco. “I started off the day with good speed in qualifying, and then the first race didn't begin very well with a bad start. The track was tough tonight – it was super-technical and fast, and you needed to concentrate a lot on hitting your marks every lap. There weren't a lot of passing opportunities, so where you started made it tough to move forward. We need to clean a couple of things up, be a little more consistent with my laps, but I'm super-stoked to get to Glendale and Seattle because those have been two of my better rounds!" Next Race: February 7 – Glendale, Arizona Results 450SX Class – Houston 1. Cooper Webb (Yamaha) 2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 3. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) 4. Eli Tomac (KTM) 7. Jorge Prado (KTM) 8. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 11. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 13. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 17. Justin Hill (KTM) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 4 of 17 rounds 1. Eli Tomac, 88 points 2. Hunter Lawrence, 84 3. Ken Roczen, 76 8. Jorge Prado, 56 11. RJ Hampshire, 38 13. Aaron Plessinger, 36 14. Malcolm Stewart, 36 16. Justin Hill, 28 Results 250SX Class – Houston 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 3. Cameron McAdoo (Kawasaki) 5. Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 250SX Class 2026 after 4 of 10 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan 93 points 2. Max Anstie, 74 3. Michael Mosiman, 73 4. Ryder DiFrancesco, 72

Husqvarna Factory Racing rider remains unbeaten with dominant ride in Hungary

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Ryder DiFrancesco scored a well-earned podium finish in the 250SX West Main Event at Anaheim 2 tonight, marking Round 3 of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship inside Angel Stadium. DiFrancesco began the day in positive fashion on the technical and rutted track layout in a continuation of his early SMX World Championship form, qualifying fourth on combined times and quickly dialing in his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition ahead of the night program. The 20-year-old remained competitive in his Heat Race, racing to a second-place result in front of his home fans in Southern California to secure a strong gate selection and a direct transfer into the Main Event. Starting just outside the top-five, DiFrancesco delivered an inspired performance throughout the Main Event, unwavering in his pursuit of the 250SX podium. A late-race pass for third place earned him a P3 finish and a valuable points haul toward the championship, in which he now sits fourth overall following a second podium of the year. “I’m really happy with my A2 result and how I charged through the Main Event,” reflected DiFrancesco. “I started around eighth and worked my way up to third place, which is a confidence-booster in being able to climb from the mid-field. I found some good lines tonight while I was coming through the pack and I knew that if I could be there toward the end of the race – and nail the three, three, after the whoops – that I could get close and make a pass for the podium. I'm glad that I proved to myself that I can start mid-pack and still land on the box, and now I'm ready for the Triple Crown next weekend!" Full-time 450SX newcomer RJ Hampshire showed pace from the outset at A2, powering his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition to third position in 450SX qualifying with a 1:00.496 lap-time, before backing it up with a consistent sixth-place result in his Heat Race after charging to the holeshot. The Floridian described Anaheim 2 as a significant step forward from the opening two rounds, battling inside the top-10 throughout the Main Event and ultimately claiming a hard-fought ninth-place finish, along with important experience in his maiden premier class campaign. “A2 was a massive step forward,” commented Hampshire. “I had my best qualifying in P3. The team has been working really hard to get me comfortable, and I think we have found something now, which we just need to keep getting familiar with. My starts were great today – both of them – my Heat Race wasn't an ideal finish after holeshotting, but I wasn't too down about that, because running up front is a big learning curve for me right now. I know I can get there, it's just about stacking these performances up, and a top-10 at Anaheim 2 is a good place to build from." Still recovering from his Anaheim 1 incident, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Stewart continued to push through the pain of a fractured scapula at A2, guiding his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition to a fifth-place finish in his Heat Race. In a gritty Main Event performance, the 33-year-old ran sixth through the opening stages of the race, before eventually crossing the finish-line in 12th position, banking a solid amount of championship points as the season progresses. “I was feeling so-so at A2,” said Stewart. “We finished just outside the top-10, but we were well in the fight during the race – that group I was in was battling hard! It's a lot to ask for in the position that I am in, but all I can do is continue to keep building. I got off to a great start and put myself in the best position to hang in there, but the reality is that we're dealing with an injury, and we hung in there as long as we could. Mentally, I'm walking away with my head high, because it was good to race those guys and we'll continue to build from here." Next Race: January 31 – Houston, Texas Results 450SX Class – Anaheim 2 1. Chase Sexton (Kawasaki) 2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 3. Eli Tomac (KTM) 7. Jorge Prado (KTM) 9. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 12. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 15. Justin Hill (KTM) 22. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 3 of 17 rounds 1. Eli Tomac, 70 points 2. Hunter Lawrence, 62 3. Chase Sexton, 57 9. Jorge Prado, 41 11. Aaron Plessinger, 27 12. RJ Hampshire, 27 15. Malcolm Stewart, 22 Results 250SX Class – Anaheim 2 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Michael Mosiman (Yamaha) 3. Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 250SX Class 2026 after 3 of 10 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan 68 points 2. Michael Mosiman, 59 3. Max Anstie, 58 4. Ryder DiFrancesco, 55