WEBB: Cooper Webb has cemented himself as one of the most proficient title-earners in SMX League* history after scoring his 3^rd 450SX Class Championship in ’25. It was his 6^th SMX League title, tying him for 10^th all-time. The only 4 athletes with more 450SX Class titles are in the AMA Hall of Fame; Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Dungey, & Ryan Villopoto. He stands to move up in 450SX Class all-time statistical categories, currently sitting in 8^th in wins, 7^th in podiums, 8^th in top-5’s, and 12^th in top-10’s. A title in 2026 would make him only the 4^th athlete with multiple 450SX Class titles aboard a Yamaha; Bob Hannah/McGrath-3, Chad Reed-2. He could also join Carmichael and McGrath as the only athletes with multiple 450SX Class titles on multiple brands.

SEXTON: Chase Sexton won 4 of the final 5 rounds of 2025 but fell 2-points short of his 2^nd 450SX Class title. He hopes a change of landscape, from KTM to Kawasaki, can give him the extra juice he needs to beat another stacked field. A field he has finished top-3 in each of the last 3 seasons, including his unconventional 2023 title. Sexton has won 20% of his 450SX Class starts (16/78). Sexton has also put together a strong string of titles in his SMX League career, sitting 15^th all-time with 4. He has also worked his way into the top-20 in all-time SMX League wins with 37, tied with legends Jeff Stanton and Marvin Musquin for 18^th.

TOMAC: Eli Tomac’s credentials need no explanation: 2-time 450SX Class Champion, 8 times over SMX League Champion, 2^nd in all-time 450SX Class wins, & the most podiums in SMX League history. As he enters his ironman era (33 years old/7^th in all-time 450SX Class starts), Tomac still has a lot to prove to himself. He is chasing the title that slipped away in 2023 and will do so aboard a KTM in ’26. If 2025 San Diego is any indication, Tomac can still battle for wins and titles. A win in ’26 would make him the 2^nd oldest 450SX Class winner of all-time, only behind Justin Brayton who edged Tomac in Daytona ’18 at 33 yrs. 11 mos.

CONTENDERS: With Jett Lawrence ruled out due to a pre-season training crash, Hunter Lawrence will carry the torch for Honda during Supercross. Another runner-up finish in the 2025 SMX World Championship sets the bar high for Hunter heading into a new year.  Much like Tomac, Suzuki’s Ken Roczen needs no introduction. The only problem is he has failed to score a 450SX Class title, one of the last boxes he needs to check in an otherwise Hall of Fame worthy career. His new teammate, Jason Anderson, checked the SX title box in 2018 and cannot be counted out on any given weekend. One of the biggest wild cards of the 2026 season is the highly talented Justin Cooper, who seeks his 1^st career 450SX Class victory after finishing the 2025 450SX Class season with 3-straight podiums. Fan favorite, Malcolm Stewart secured his first premier SX win in 2025 and will be on the hunt for more this year coming off injury from September. Rookie RJ Hampshire joins him in the 450SX Class tent at Husqvarna. While GASGAS exits factory competition, Ducati has stepped in to fill the void and offered 2 Championship caliber athletes in their maiden season, Justin Barcia & Dylan Ferrandis

DEEGAN: Polarizing speedster Haiden Deegan has captured 5 SMX League titles on his 250 Yamaha and will look for a 6^th and final one in the 2026 Western Divisional. He will have an almost entirely new slate of competition as point standing finishers 2-6 in last season’s title romp are either injured, racing the Eastern Divisional, or in the 450SX Class for 2026. He carries 7 career 250SX Class wins and 25 career SMX League wins, which are good for 28^th all-time on each list. Deegan could hypothetically finish with the most victories in 250SX Class history if he swept the season.

KITCHEN & MCADOO: After a controversial victory in Detroit early in the 2025 Eastern Divisional Championship, Kitchen had a scary get-off at Daytona that prematurely ended his season. He also struggled in the Motocross portion of the SMX League season with 6 finishes outside of the top-5. He will be happy to get the Supercross season going, a discipline he is much more comfortable in. Cameron McAdoo, a late edition to the Western Divisional, has consistently battled for Championships only to catch the injury bug more than once. Kitchen, McAdoo, and all under the famous Pro-Circuit tent have mentioned their desire to score a title for the popular 20-time Champion team manager Mitch Payton, who hasn’t scored one in the past 8 seasons.

HYMAS: Chance Hymas won debatably the muddiest event in SMX League history at Foxborough last season in an otherwise quiet season for the young Honda athlete (2 top-5’s). He made waves in the 250 Pro Motocross Championship by sweeping Deegan in Round 3 at Thunder Valley, but like a lot of aforementioned athletes he was sidelined with a knee injury shortly afterward. It feels like a make-or-break 4^th 250SX Class season for Hymas who has proven he can compete with the best of the best.

CONTENDERS: Deegan has two talented teammates lining up alongside him in the West, including Max Anstie who is no stranger to the red-plate and another former 250SX Class round winner Michael Mosiman. Ryder DiFrancesco jumps from GASGAS to Husqvarna as part of a restructuring under the Pierer Mobility company who owns both brands along with KTM. He earned 4^th and 5^th place finishes in the opening rounds of the 2025 Western Divisional season before missing the rest of the season with injury. ClubMX Journeyman Max Vohland seems like the Western Divisional wildcard this season. 2025 felt like a massive victory for Vohland, who has struggled with injuries in his young career, as he made every start in the 250 SMX World Championship series. Though he only hit the podium once at in Pittsburgh.