Motocross

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Malcolm Stewart will miss the upcoming rounds of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship after injuring his knee in 450MX Moto 2 at Fox Raceway. Stewart, who is currently ranked eighth overall in the SMX World Championship, finished 12th in Moto 1 at last weekend's season-opening round. After dabbing his leg in the early stages of Moto 2, Stewart opted to exit the race as a precaution, and it was discovered this week upon further evaluation that his knee was unfortunately impacted in the incident. An intensive rehabilitation program is scheduled over the coming weeks to ensure Malcolm will be able to regain complete fitness. "Unfortunately, Malcolm dabbed his knee in the second moto at Pala this last weekend," commented Nathan Ramsey, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team Manager. "Luckily, there is no major damage, so he will rehab for a couple of weeks and be back as soon as possible." Pending his recovery, Stewart and the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team have tentatively targeted RedBud as a potential return date on the weekend of July 4, marking Round 5 of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire made a successful return to racing at Round 1 of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, charging to seventh overall in the 450MX division at Fox Raceway, where 250MX contender Ryder DiFrancesco showcased his potential with a podium finish in Moto 2. Hampshire and his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition posted the 13th-fastest qualifying time during the morning sessions, before charging to a hard-fought sixth-place finish in Moto 1 after spending much of the race in a closely-contested battle. In Moto 2, the 30-year-old ran inside the top-five from the outset and climbed as high as fourth during the race's middle stages, before ultimately crossing the finish line in seventh position. His 6-7 moto scorecard was enough to secure seventh overall at the season-opener. "Fox Raceway was positive for me," commented Hampshire. "I was in the fight around that top-five area for most of the day – I wish I could've finished the motos off a little better, but this was one of my better Pala results. I'm leaving here pretty happy knowing that we have a lot more to give next weekend and in the upcoming races. We learned a lot this weekend under race conditions, which is something you can't replicate at home, and we made positive changes with both the bike and my riding." Alongside Hampshire in the 450MX Class was teammate Malcolm Stewart, who entered Round 1 eyeing a strong result equipped with the Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition. Stewart went on to claim a hard-fought 12th in Moto 1, before withdrawing from Moto 2 after dabbing his leg early in the race. "Pala is always an interesting track," said Stewart. "Practice, I struggled a little bit, but I felt I had some good momentum going into Moto 1, and actually rode a pretty solid race. And then in Moto 2, the first lap, I dabbed my knee in a corner a little bit, which was frustrating. It's nothing to be too concerned about – I pulled off for the rest of the race just to make sure that nothing was too crazy, and now we'll re-evaluate and hopefully line up in Sacramento." DiFrancesco, meanwhile, qualified seventh in the 250MX category, with a strong start in Moto 1 unfortunately impacted by a costly first-lap crash. He recovered to 19th by race's end, before responding with a standout third-place finish aboard the Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition in Moto 2 to salvage 10th overall for the round. "It was a good weekend for me overall!" recalled DiFrancesco. "Qualifying was okay, but I improved as the day developed, which was encouraging. My first moto crash meant that I had to salvage as much as I could, so then in Moto 2, I was up there in the fight to finish third, which makes me excited heading into next weekend." 250MX teammates Daxton Bennick and Casey Cochran were also in action for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing at Fox Raceway onboard their Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Editions, qualifying 16th and 10th, respectively. Bennick delivered an encouraging seventh-place score in Moto 1 before unfortunately withdrawing from the second moto after an incident while running inside the top-five early on. Cochran was credited with a 40-17 scorecard across the day’s two motos – suffering a DNF in the opening race – to claim 21st overall. "Overall, there are positives to take away," mentioned Cochran. "It was decent to start with 10th in qualifying, and then unfortunately we weren't able to finish Moto 1, which was a bummer. Moto 2, I didn't feel super-comfortable out there, so I struggled a little bit all moto. It was good to get some gate drops, though, and we'll come back firing next weekend." Next Race: June 6 – Hangtown, California Results 450MX Class – Fox Raceway National 1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 3. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 7. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 8. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 17. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 450MX Class 2026 after 1 of 11 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 50 points 2. Jorge Prado, 44 3. Jett Lawrence, 38 7. RJ Hampshire, 31 8. Aaron Plessinger, 27 17. Malcolm Stewart, 10 Results 250MX Class – Fox Raceway National 1. Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki) 2. Caden Dudney (Yamaha) 3. Cole Davies (Yamaha) 5. Julien Beaumer (KTM) 10. Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 14. Daxton Bennick (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 21. Casey Cochran (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 250MX Class 2026 after 1 of 11 rounds 1. Seth Hammaker, 47 points 2. Levi Kitchen, 34 3. Cole Davies, 34 5. Julien Beaumer, 33 10. Ryder DiFrancesco, 23 14. Daxton Bennick, 15 21. Casey Cochran, 5

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing leaves Teutschenthal with valuable championship gains as Kay de Wolf secures another MXGP top-five and Liam Everts battles through for crucial MX2 points.