CHASE SEXTON SIDELINED FOR ROUND 2 OF PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

KTM Factory Racing delivers solid results in St. Louis as Jorge Prado finishes P4 and Eli Tomac retains the red plate in AMA Supercross Round 12. Discover the full race report.

Eli Tomac secures a top-five finish at AMA Supercross Detroit to retake the 450SX red plate for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Discover more.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac delivered an eighth podium of the year at Round 10 of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship, racing to a P3 result in Birmingham to firmly keep himself in 450SX title contention. Tomac was on pace from the outset at Protective Stadium as the series resumed following a single weekend off, with the number 3 posting a 50.962s lap to qualify fastest for the fifth time this year onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. The 33-year-old then featured up front in the early stages of Heat 2 before an incident forced him into the night’s Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), where the double 450SX Champion took victory to secure his transfer into the Main Event. From there, Tomac ran inside the top-three throughout the premier class Main Event after a strong start, ultimately taking home a third-place finish to maintain P2 in the 450SX standings. He now sits nine points outside of the red plate as the series heads to Detroit’s Ford Field next weekend. Eli Tomac: “I just wasn’t as good tonight as the front two, so that’s about it. Of course, the LCQ was very stressful and a high-pressure moment, but I got myself out there to a good start from the inside gate, and I just got beat tonight. I was a little bit off and it was one of those nights that was tough, so we’ll try to regroup for next weekend and see if we can get back up front.” Four-time world champion Jorge Prado powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the seventh-fastest qualifying time after overcoming a big crash during the afternoon sessions, before earning a convincing P2 result in 450SX Heat 2. The Spaniard then launched to the holeshot in the Main Event and ran with the leaders during the early stages in second position. Maintaining a steady pace throughout, Prado ultimately recorded a P7 result, continuing to build momentum as the season progresses. He is now ninth in the 450SX standings with seven rounds to contest. Jorge Prado: “I wrapped up Birmingham with P7. The round started with a big crash in practice, which I think affected the rest of my day. Obviously, the confidence goes down, and you start thinking about things a little more. Luckily, I walked away from that in one piece – I did hit my stomach very bad – but not bad enough to not be racing. P2 in the Heat Race was solid, and then I holeshotted the Main Event and got passed in the second corner. I stayed in P2 for a couple laps, but was missing a bit of my flow tonight, so it was a bit of a struggle. We battled for P5 most of the race, but all-in-all, it was just an okay ride. Not terrible, just medium, and I’m happy to be healthy with another week of training ahead.” Also equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Aaron Plessinger set the ninth-fastest time in 450SX qualifying, before the Ohio native displayed front-running speed in the second Heat Race of the round, claiming P3 directly behind teammate Prado. The 30-year-old then launched to a top-five start in the 450SX Main Event, holding fourth position early on behind Prado and Tomac. He then settled into eighth place for the majority of the race, only to endure a late-race mishap, which saw him credited with 21st place. Aaron Plessinger: “I was planning on Birmingham being a good day. Practice went decent and the track was wild – dry and wet at the same time, if you can imagine that! It was just a wild track altogether, but I qualified ninth and then had a really good Heat Race in battling with Jorge and felt good. I got a good start in the Main Event, rode a little tight at first, and then started to loosen up as the race went on. Then I hit a rock on the face of a jump, and I felt the rear-end start to rise, which is when I knew I wasn’t going to make the triple. I tried to ditch the bike, but it was too late, and the bars hit my knees. After that it was a bit of a blur – I think I did a flip or two and, when I landed, I heard something really crunch so that was the end of my night. I went to the Medical Unit, they checked me out, and I am in one piece, but I am just sore and bummed out. I felt like we made a lot of good progress in the break, but I just have to keep grinding to get to where we need to be.” Next Race: March 28 – Detroit, Michigan Results 450SX Class – Birmingham 1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 2. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) 3. Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 5. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) 7. Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 11. Justin Hill, KTM 14. Grant Harlan, KTM 20. Kevin Moranz, KTM 21. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 10 of 17 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 221 points 2. Eli Tomac, 212 3. Ken Roczen, 190 8. Malcolm Stewart, 107 9. Jorge Prado, 104 10. Aaron Plessinger, 99 19. RJ Hampshire, 38