Supercross is over. The stadiums are dark. The dirt has shifted from perfectly groomed triples and whoops to real earth — hard-pack clay baked by Southern California sun, rutted corners and natural terrain elevation changes that no arena in the country can replicate. Welcome to summer. Welcome to Pro Motocross. Welcome to Fox Raceway Round 1.
The 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship kicks off today, May 30th, at Fox Raceway at Pala — title sponsored this year by Pala Casino Resort. It's the same venue that's opened the outdoor season for years, and for good reason. Fox Raceway is demanding in the way only a real track can be. It punishes lazy riders and rewards smooth, technical precision. By the time Moto 2 wraps up this afternoon, the ruts will be deep, the lines unpredictable, and the separation between the fit and the not-so-fit will be obvious.
Points-paying motos are scheduled to start at 1:00 PM Pacific / 4:00 PM Eastern. Both classes air live on Peacock, with the SMX Video Pass for international viewers.
The Track
Fox Raceway sits in the hills of San Diego County on Pala Band of Mission Indians land. The layout features wide, sweeping corners, multiple rhythm sections, and natural terrain elevation changes that encourage creative line selection. The clay bakes hard under the sun, making braking bumps and ruts develop fast throughout the day.
The key at Pala isn't just raw speed in Moto 1 — it's adaptability. Riders who can read a deteriorating track, pick alternate lines before their main lines are ruined, and manage their energy across two full motos historically come out on top. It's an attrition race as much as a sprint.
"Pala is usually hot, rough, and demanding — which makes it the perfect place to start the season and see who is ready for the long summer ahead."
— MXA Pre-Race Report450 Class: Star Power, Fresh Storylines
The 450 class field for Round 1 is loaded. Every major factory outfit is represented and the storylines are stacked heading into qualifying this morning.
Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC) is the dominant force entering the outdoor season. The Honda machine has been built around Lawrence's smooth, precise style and Pala's terrain plays right into his strengths. He comes in as the clear favorite to win Round 1 and to challenge for the overall 2026 Pro Motocross title.
Chase Sexton made one of the biggest off-season moves in recent memory, leaving Honda to join the Monster Energy Kawasaki program. His first outdoor round on the green machine will be closely watched by the entire paddock. Sexton has always been a top-tier outdoor threat — the question today is how quickly he's dialed the setup for natural terrain.
Haiden Deegan steps onto the 450 for the first time in his professional career today. The back-to-back 250SX West Champion is done with the 250 class and today is his official introduction to the premier class outdoors. It's the biggest storyline of the day by a wide margin — more on that in our full feature piece.
The rest of the 450 field includes Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM), Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC), Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM), and Dylan Ferrandis (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati) — a lineup that includes five of the last five premier class champions all lining up at the same event. That's a remarkable collection of talent for any single gate.
250 Class: The Title Is Up for Grabs
With Haiden Deegan vacating his 250 class position to move up to the 450, the 250 outdoor title is completely open entering Round 1. Deegan's dominance in the 250 class — including back-to-back 250SX West championships — cast a long shadow over the class for years. Now that shadow is gone, and a new name will emerge from Pala with early points and early momentum.
Star Racing Yamaha's Cole Davies enters Round 1 carrying strong momentum from a solid Supercross season and will be one of the names to watch. The depth of talent in the 250 class is consistently the highest in the sport — expect tight, aggressive racing throughout both motos as riders establish themselves in a post-Deegan landscape.
Notable Absences
Two significant names are missing from today's entry list and both situations are serious.
⚠️ Injury / Absence Report
Both absences are significant. Swoll was building momentum through the Supercross season before the Achilles cut his year short. Anderson's situation is more complex — wishing him and his family well as they navigate what sounds like a difficult time off the track.
What to Watch For Today
Keep your eyes on a few things when the motos go hot this afternoon. First, qualifying lap times this morning will tell you a lot about who's dialed and who's still finding their footing on outdoor dirt after months of stadium racing. Second, watch the starts — Fox Raceway's first straight is wide enough to spread the field but the first corner funnels things fast, and a bad start can cost you positions that are hard to make up on a deteriorating track.
And most importantly — watch Haiden Deegan. Number 38 on a 450 for the first time, at a track he knows well, in front of a crowd that has watched him build his career. Today either reinforces the idea that the 250 class was simply too small for him, or it offers the first humbling reminder that the big bike is a different world. Either way, it's unmissable.
Motos go live on Peacock at 1:00 PM Pacific. Don't miss it.