When Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing signed Caden Dudney out of the amateur ranks in 2024, the plan was never to throw him to the wolves immediately. Get him some SX experience, let him learn the ropes, then cut him loose for his first full outdoor campaign. That day is today. And Dudney is not easing in.
On Saturday morning at Fox Raceway in Pala, California — the opening round of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship — Dudney put down a 2:24.070 in the first 250 qualifying session to slot into third overall, splitting the field behind Levi Kitchen (2:22.717) and Julien Beaumer (2:23.782) and ahead of Lux Turner and Chance Hymas. For a teenager making his first full outdoor season opener, that's a statement lap.
"From the start, the plan for Caden was to go in open-minded and gain valuable experience for the '27 Supercross season. Now that he's done that, we're shifting full focus to his rookie outdoor campaign."
— Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing TeamThe Path Here
Dudney, from Des Moines, Iowa, came up through the amateur ranks before signing with Star Racing in late 2024. His professional debut came at Unadilla in 2025 — a two-race cameo at the end of last year's outdoor season — where he immediately showed he wasn't there just to participate. He went 7-13 for 11th overall at Unadilla, running inside the top five in the first moto before fading, then followed it with a 17-13 for 14th overall at Budds Creek. Good enough to earn the #82 plate heading into 2026.
This past supercross season, the team had Dudney race the first six rounds of 250SX to get him some stadium experience — an investment in his future, not an expectation of a title run. He logged the laps, took the bumps, learned what it means to race indoors at the pro level. Then, by April, the team pulled him off the SX circuit and pointed him at the outdoors. The outdoor season was always the real target.
What P3 Actually Means
Third in qualifying isn't a championship. But context matters. Dudney wasn't behind Kitchen and Beaumer by much — less than a second and a half separating the top three. Beaumer himself is a returning injury wildcard, back after missing time and notoriously fast. Kitchen is one of the class favorites coming into this season. Dudney slotting between them and established names like Hymas and Turner in his very first full-season opener is the kind of qualifying that gets locker rooms paying attention.
The 250 class this year is wide open. Jo Shimoda, Chance Hymas, and Levi Kitchen entered the weekend as the presumed contenders, but the real story of a wild outdoor season is usually the name nobody expected. Dudney was on the pre-season "ones to watch" lists, but sitting P3 in first qualifying is different than being a talking point on a preview article.
"Could one of the rookies come out swinging right away at Fox Raceway?"
— Racer X, pre-race preview (May 30, 2026)250 Q1 Results — Group A
| P | Rider | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Levi Kitchen | 2:22.717 | Washougal, WA | Kawasaki KX250 |
| 2 | Julien Beaumer | 2:23.782 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | KTM 250 SX-F |
| 3 | Caden Dudney ★ | 2:24.070 | Des Moines, IA | Yamaha YZ250F |
| 4 | Lux Turner | 2:25.075 | Gardnerville, NV | Yamaha YZ250F |
| 5 | Chance Hymas | 2:26.430 | Pocatello, ID | Honda CRF250R Works Edition |
The Bigger Picture
Star Racing has a long history of developing young riders into champions, and Dudney fits that mold. The team's intentional approach — six rounds of supercross experience, then a clean pivot to the outdoors — mirrors how they've handled other prospects. The goal wasn't points in January. It was a rider who arrives at Fox Raceway in May knowing what his bike does, knowing what it feels like to gate drop in a pro main event, and ready to go to work.
By that measure, it looks like the plan worked. The motos are set for 4:00 PM today at Pala. We'll find out soon enough if Dudney's qualifying pace translates to checkered-flag contention — but right now, the kid from Iowa is putting the field on notice.
📺 Watch live on Peacock or SMX Video Pass. Motos begin at 4:00 PM CT.