P2 podium celebrations for Malcolm Stewart at Salt Lake City Supercross finale

A double podium in 250SMX marked a strong start to the 2026 SMX World Championship post-season for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Daxton Bennick and Ryder DiFrancesco, with the pair delivering impressive results – including a breakout victory for Bennick in Moto 1 – in rain-soaked conditions at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Both 250SMX and 450SMX qualifying sessions were canceled at SMX Playoff 1 today, with inclement weather surrounding the region as the track crew worked to salvage the circuit for the racing schedule. Equipped with the Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, Bennick launched to a solid start in 250SMX Moto 1, holding second place for the majority of the race before taking the lead on Lap 12. He maintained the position until the checkered flag to claim a popular victory. Another fast start to Moto 2 saw Bennick run as high as second place, scoring third in the race and claiming second overall for the weekend. As a result, he was able to rise to P4 in the standings with two rounds remaining. “Man, I’ve got to be happy with today,” commented Bennick. “We had two solid motos, and yeah, I had it [the overall] with two laps to go, but Levi [Kitchen] was riding good. But wow, what a start to this thing, and a big thank you to the whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team for supporting me and believing in me. It was a good day!” 250SMX teammate DiFrancesco took the green flag for race one in 13th on board his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, charging hard across all 15 laps to advance to an impressive third – making the move for a podium finish on the final lap. Fourth position in race two was enough to secure third overall for the weekend, and elevates him to P2 in the championship. “Consistency is crucial on a day like today,” said DiFrancesco. “We got off to a decent start [in Moto 2], and I just rode my laps. I want to win one of these things, but last year these guys were super-consistent, and that’s my goal for this year so we can show up at Missouri and have a shot at [the title].” Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing 450SMX pairing Malcolm Stewart and RJ Hampshire were also in action in Columbus on board their Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Editions, with Stewart finishing sixth and Hampshire 19th in Moto 1. A crash during the early stages of race two while again running P6 saw Stewart tumble down the order, with his 6-21 scorecard earning him 11th overall for the round and he is currently 14th in the 450SMX standings. "Mother Nature definitely threw a wrench in some things today!" reflected Stewart. "The first moto was great, ending up in P6, which was good, and then in Moto 2 I ended up going down with another rider, but that happens in mud races. You can kind of misjudge things, we came together, and that was all she wrote. We're leaving here healthy, and I think we will have a complete opposite experience next weekend in California, as I'm pretty sure it should be dry out there. The next round is also double points, so whatever was lost today we can definitely make back next weekend." Hampshire worked his way to 10th in 450SMX Moto 2 after battling for the final positions inside the top-10, with the result earning him 16th overall at Playoff 1 and he's aiming to rebound in Los Angeles next weekend. "It was a brutal round," began Hampshire. "The track was really tough, and if you didn't stay clean – or at least have your grips and gloves clean – it was hard to hang on. The first moto I crashed pretty much 20 times, so we got through that, and then the second moto was a little better with a 10th. But yeah, lucky this one is only single points, and we'll look forward to LA next weekend." Rockstar Energy Husqvarna amateur prospect Landon Gibson contested the SMX Next World All-Stars division in Columbus, taking a well-earned fourth-place finish on board his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition in the single Main Event. Next Race: September 19 – Los Angeles, California Results 450SMX Class – SMX Playoff 1 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) 3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 7. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 11. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 14. Eli Tomac (KTM) 16. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 450SMX Class 2026 after Playoff 1 1. Jorge Prado, 42 points 2. Haiden Deegan, 40 3. Cooper Webb, 38 8. Aaron Plessinger, 22 9. Eli Tomac, 22 12. RJ Hampshire, 19 14. Malcolm Stewart, 16 Results 250SMX Class – SMX Playoff 1 1. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 2. Daxton Bennick (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 3. Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 18. Julien Beaumer (KTM) Standings 250SMX Class 2026 after Playoff 1 1. Levi Kitchen, 47 points 2. Ryder DiFrancesco, 42 3. Cole Davies, 37 4. Daxton Bennick, 34 10. Julien Beaumer, 21

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco recorded a fifth-place finish at the final round of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship in Salt Lake City, where 450SX teammate Malcolm Stewart claimed a top 10 result and seventh in the final standings. Both 250SX riders DiFrancesco and Daxton Bennick were in action for the third East/West Showdown of the year, with Bennick qualifying sixth overall on combined times, as DiFrancesco set the ninth-fastest time. Equipped with the Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, DiFrancesco endured a difficult Heat Race to finish 11th, forcing him into the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), which he would go on to win and transfer to the Main Event. Starting outside the top 10, the 21-year-old pieced together a strong ride throughout the 15-minute plus one-lap Main Event, charging to fifth position in an impressive performance at the 2026 season finale. Following 10 rounds of competition, Ryder D completed the 250SX West Championship in fourth overall, recording three podium finishes alongside four additional top-five results in his first season with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing. "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." Bennick also had a tough Heat Race in 250SX East, finishing 12th and transferring to the LCQ. He would go on to claim eighth position, unfortunately missing out on the night’s 250SX East/West Showdown Main Event. Still, the 20-year-old completed the Supercross season with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing third overall in the 250SX East standings, achieving two podium finishes – including a season-best P2 result in Philadelphia – alongside four additional top-five scores. Stewart qualified seventh on the combined 450SX timesheets aboard his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition at Salt Lake City, achieving a 49.511s lap-time on the dry, technical track layout. The 33-year-old carried that momentum into his Heat Race, riding to a convincing P3 finish and strong gate selection for the Main Event. Stewart then posted a measured P8 result in the Main Event, concluding the series seventh in the standings. He took a podium finish in Detroit, as well as two additional top-fives during the season. "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." Next Race: May 30 – Pala, California Results 450SX Class – Salt Lake City 1. Chase Sexton (Kawasaki) 2. Justin Cooper (Yamaha) 3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 6. Justin Hill (KTM) 8. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 17. Grant Harlan (KTM) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 17 of 17 rounds 1. Ken Roczen, 349 points 2. Hunter Lawrence, 346 3. Cooper Webb, 315 4. Eli Tomac, 275 7. Malcolm Stewart, 203 9. Jorge Prado, 189 16. Aaron Plessinger, 99 23. RJ Hampshire, 38 Results 250SX East/West Showdown – Salt Lake City 1. Cole Davies (Yamaha) 2. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 3. Max Anstie (Yamaha) 5. Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 250SX East Class 2026 after 10 of 10 rounds 1. Cole Davies, 231 points 2. Seth Hammaker, 180 3. Daxton Bennick, 160 Standings 250SX West Class 2026 after 10 of 10 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan, 233 points 2. Levi Kitchen, 177 3. Max Anstie, 168 4. Ryder DiFrancesco, 164

Ryder DiFrancesco and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing raced to an impressive third-place result at Round 16 of the AMA Supercross Championship in Denver tonight, where 450SX teammate Malcolm Stewart claimed P4 inside Empower Field at Mile High. DiFrancesco was in form from the outset at altitude in Colorado, posting the third-fastest qualifying time via a 51.562s lap time, before powering his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition to second place in 250SX West Heat 2. A strong start to the Main Event saw the Californian run fifth on the opening lap, before climbing to third during the race's early stages. From there, Ryder D maintained a measured pace to secure third place on the podium – his third of the 2026 SMX World Championship season. DiFrancesco currently holds fourth in the 250SX West championship standings – only one point out of P3 overall and within reach of second – with a single Supercross round remaining next weekend in Salt Lake City. “It was a good night in Denver,” reflected DiFrancesco. “The main goal these last couple of weeks is to get to P2 – obviously the championship is wrapped up, so second would be ideal. Tonight, once I got into third, there wasn't much more that I could do, so I just brought it home from there. It was a good night and now we'll go to Salt Lake, try to stack some points, and go for second in the championship." Meanwhile, Stewart qualified 11th in 450SX, before a challenging Heat Race onboard his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition sent him to the Last Chance Qualifier, where the 33-year-old took the win to transfer into the Main Event. An ongoing battle throughout the Main Event saw Stewart charging forward inside the top 10 as the race progressed, with a sequence of decisive late-race passes seeing him climb to fourth position, and he maintains eighth in the 450SX standings. “Every time we come to Denver, the track is tough,” Stewart reflected. “There was a lot going on in that race – you could've thrown a blanket over all of us! There was a lot of carnage, but at the end of the day, I guess Christmas came in May for me for a fourth! We've just got to continue moving forward. I struggled a little bit tonight and went to the LCQ, which I haven't been to in a minute, but we just tried to ride our race [in the Main Event] and get it done." Next Race: May 9 – Salt Lake City, Utah Results 450SX Class – Denver 1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 2. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) 3. Eli Tomac (KTM) 4. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 6. Jorge Prado (KTM) 15. Justin Hill (KTM) 19. Kevin Moranz (KTM) 20. Grant Harlan (KTM) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 16 of 17 rounds 1. Ken Roczen, 332 points 2. Hunter Lawrence, 331 3. Cooper Webb, 297 4. Eli Tomac, 275 8. Malcolm Stewart, 189 10. Jorge Prado, 169 16. Aaron Plessinger, 99 23. RJ Hampshire, 38 Results 250SX West – Denver 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 3. Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 250SX West Class 2026 after 9 of 10 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan, 215 2. Levi Kitchen, 155 3. Max Anstie, 148 4. Ryder DiFrancesco, 147