Suzuki’s Jason Anderson Earns Top-Five Result at Round 1 of the Supercross Championship
The opening round of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship delivered thrilling race action that matched the excitement leading into the season. The Anaheim 1 Supercross pays points toward both the 17-round Supercross season and the 31-round SMX World Championship. Clear skies but high winds challenged the riders and track crew; the dirt inside Angel Stadium was hard packed and slick for the 20-minute plus one lap 450SX Class Main Event.
Race Highlights:
- Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki
- 450 Class
- Ken Roczen charged past six riders in the opening laps to deliver a second-place result at the Anaheim 1 Supercross.
- 450 Class
- Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance
- 450 Class
- Jason Anderson debuted his Twisted Tea Suzuki RM-Z450 with podium heat race and top-five main event results
- Colt Nichols battled to earn twelfth-place points.
- 450 Class
Ken Roczen (94) kicked off his 2026 Supercross championship campaign with a strong second-place showing inside Angel Stadium.
Ken Roczen (94) was on point throughout the day at the Anaheim 1 Supercross. In qualifying, Roczen garnered a top-three result in each session as well as in the overall qualifying standings. In his heat race, Roczen was part of a four-wide battle down the first rhythm lane. Roczen emerged from the second corner with the lead. After an opening-lap battle, Roczen pulled a gap on the field and took the win.
The main event was red flagged on the opening lap due to multi rider-crash. On the re-start, Roczen crossed the holeshot stripe in eighth place and immediately worked his way toward the front. Roczen moved his Suzuki into fourth place before the third corner and was into the top three within one lap. Roczen pushed into second place just one lap later, then set the fastest lap time of the race. Roczen kept the leader in his sights as he put down a blistering pace from that point until the checkered flag.
“Anaheim is done and dusted. We had a really good day the entire day in qualifying, the heat race, and the main,” said Roczen. “We got first in the heat race and then went to the main where we had a really good battle with [the race leader]. We pretty much kept the same gap for the entire race and [both of us] put a big gap on third. We just rode our own race. The track was really tricky, very slippery and it broke down, so it was very easy to make mistakes. I’m really happy to get away with a second place here; it’s a great start to the season and now the focus is on the next round.”
Fresh off of his 2025 FIM World Supercross Championship aboard his Suzuki RM-Z450, Jason Anderson (21) put his Suzuki into the top five at his AMA debut with the Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance team.
Jason Anderson (21) progressed through both qualifying sessions to post a top-five session 2 and overall qualifying result. In his heat race, Anderson bumped with another rider in the first turn; he recovered brilliantly from the mid-pack start and earned a top-five result. In the main, Anderson launched off to a fifth-place start. In the opening minutes of the race, Anderson sliced under another rider to take over fourth position; he defended the spot until the final laps and ultimately crossed the finish line in fifth place.
“We ended up fifth on the night. It was a pretty eventful night for everyone, and for me it was solid,” stated Anderson. “I’ve been a little bit under the weather but was able to manage the race with a decent start and ended up fifth. We’ll see if we can get better from there.”
Colt Nichols (45) charged past seven riders in the Anaheim 1 Supercross Main Event to card a top-fifteen result.
After sliding out in the first turn of his heat race, Colt Nichols (45) cut through the pack but ran out of time before reaching a direct transfer position. Nichols rode a smart LCQ to earn a spot on the starting gate for the main. Nichols’ night ended like it began, with a charge through the pack after a tough start in the main. Nichols passed seven riders to move from nineteenth up to a strong twelfth-place result at the checkers.
“2026 A1 was better than 2025, so we will take it,” said Nichols. “In my heat race I had a crash off the start. My bike got a little tweaked up, but I came back to 12th. I had to go the LCQ, so I made it kind of hard on myself today. We started last in the main; we had to fight all the way up to a P-12. I’m happy. We’ve got a lot of room to improve so that’s the exciting thing. It was a good first race and I still feel like we’ve got a lot of room to go, so we’ll keep plugging away and try and get better every week.”
“It was a good night for the PMG Team Suzuki race team,” reported Larry Books, Team Manger of the Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance teams. “The first round is always extremely stressful. Ken Roczen, like he always does, pulled through with a podium and finished second. Jason Anderson, still getting used to the bike, finished fifth tonight. And Colt Nichols, after his crash in his heat race, came back and finished 12th in the main event. So, we had three Suzukis in the top 12. I’m pretty stoked. The night went good, I think all of our sponsors are pretty happy with us, and we’re just going to roll on into round two and keep this momentum going.”
The 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will next line the riders up inside Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California on January 17th. The Suzuki riders and team members are ready to continue the battle for the championship and start the 2026 season with more strong performances and results.
For the latest team updates, news, and race insights, visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross or HEPMotorsports.com.
