Julien Beaumer Becomes Fourth Different First-Time Winner in 250SMX Class
The Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, traveled to the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” to begin the second half of the summer campaign, with Round 24 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship from the dynamic landscape of Spring Creek MX Park. The FXR Spring Creek National Presented by Frescados Tortillas produced one of the most unpredictable races of the season, as Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence [#96] prevailed in the 450SMX Class with his fourth win of the season following a 1-1 sweep of the motos that put him in the points lead for the third time in seven races. In the 250SMX Class, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer [#13] broke through for his first career victory amidst an afternoon that saw a dramatic shakeup in the championship standings.
450SMX Class
Qualifying
- Hunter Lawrence began the day atop the charts in morning qualifying with a time of 1:54.746 in the final session. It was just over a half-second faster than Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan [#38], who led the way initially in the first session and bettered his time in the final session to place second overall at 1:55.364. Championship leader and Honda HRC Progressive rider Jett Lawrence [#1] rounded out the top three at 1:56.591.
Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]
- The first moto for the premier class got underway with Jett Lawrence, Deegan, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado [#26] alongside one another entering the first turn. As the trio pushed wide with Lawrence on the inside, Deegan lost traction with his front tire and went down, which pushed Prado off track. That allowed Hunter Lawrence to slip past everyone on the inside to grab the holeshot and early lead over Jett, with Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia [#51] in third. Deegan reentered at the tail end of the field.
- Hunter Lawrence opened up a four-second lead over Jett through the first 10 minutes of the moto as the pair pulled away from Barcia and the rest of the field by nearly 20 seconds. Barcia, meanwhile, was engaged in a spirited battle for third with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire [#24]. After a brief fight, Hampshire took control of the position.
- The top three remained unchanged through the remainder of the moto, as Hunter Lawrence eventually moved out more than 10 seconds clear of Jett, with Hampshire settling in more than 30 seconds back in third. Deegan, meanwhile, was on a torrid charge through the field following his opening lap crash. The rookie impressed as he carved through the star-studded field. As the moto reached its final laps, he was able to break into the top five.
- Hunter Lawrence rode to a dominant wire-to-wire win, his seventh moto triumph of the season, by a margin of 16.8 seconds over Jett. Hampshire finished well back in third, with Deegan fourth and Barcia fifth.
Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]
- The final moto of the day began with another tremendous start for Hunter Lawrence, who slotted ahead of Jett to sweep the holeshots. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb [#2] started third.
- Jett applied heavy pressure on the opening lap to try and take the lead from Hunter, which allowed the siblings to pull away from the field. Behind them, Prado made the move around Webb for third, as Hampshire followed through into fourth. Deegan then made the move on his teammate for fifth. It wasn’t long before Deegan stormed past Hampshire for fourth.
- Back out front, Hunter Lawrence weathered the pressure of Jett to assert his hold of the lead and establish a two-second gap within the first five minutes. However, Jett regrouped and proceeded to mount another attack just a couple minutes later.
- A sibling battle for the lead unfolded as the moto neared the end of its opening 10 minutes. Jett looked for alternate lines and attempted to create passing opportunities at several areas of the track, only for Hunter to fend him off. Jett’s patience and persistence eventually paid off as he made the pass stick. At this point, they sat more than 10 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
- With the Lawrences well out front, a battle for third took shape between Prado and Deegan. The Yamaha rider waited for his opportunity and made quick work of a pass to take control of third. He faced a deficit of nearly 16 seconds to the Lawrences.
- Jett Lawrence appeared to have the race well in hand with a lead of more than seven seconds inside the final 10 minutes, but lost traction on the face of a jump and went down. As he fell, the handlebar of his Honda appeared to get stuck in his boot, which hindered his ability to get up. As Hunter reclaimed hold of the lead, Jett eventually got back on his bike, but dropped to fifth place, more than 40 seconds behind the lead. That moved Deegan into second while a battle for third unfolded between Prado and Hampshire.
- With the lead in hand, Hunter Lawrence cruised to his eighth moto win of the season by 15.4 seconds over Deegan to complete the sweep. The battle for third between Prado and Hampshire continued down to the final turn, with the Spaniard securing the final podium spot. Jett Lawrence followed in fifth.
Overall
- While it wasn’t without pressure, Hunter Lawrence completed his third 1-1 performance of the season for his class-leading fourth win of the summer and the fifth win of his career. He’s in the midst of a 10-race podium streak dating back to last season.
- Deegan secured a career-best runner-up finish following an impressive 4-2 effort, for his fourth podium of the season and his third in the past four races.
- Despite his misfortune in the final moto, Jett Lawrence rounded out the overall podium in third with 2-5 finishes. While it equals his worst result of the season, it’s the ninth consecutive podium for the defending champion dating back to last season.
- Hunter’s win, combined with Jett’s adversity in the second moto, has moved the elder Lawrence back atop the championship standings for the third time this season. He holds a 10-point lead over Jett, for Hunter’s largest advantage of the season thus far. Deegan sits third, 62 points out of the lead.
- The victory also allowed Hunter to clinch the top seed for the SMX Playoffs with four rounds remaining in the regular season.
Results & Standings
450SMX Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)
- Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (1-1 // 50)
- Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (4-2 // 40)
- Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (2-5 // 39)
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna (3-4 // 38)
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Ducati (5-8 // 31)
- Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM (13-3 // 29)
- Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati (7-9 // 28)
- Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., Beta (10-10 // 24)
- Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki (15-6 // 23)
- Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Triumph (14-7 // 23)
450SMX Class Championship Standings (Race 7 of 11)
- Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 320
- Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 310
- Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 258
- Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM – 231
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna – 221
- Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki – 206
- Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati – 180
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 153
- Mikkel Haarup, Silkeborg, Denmark, Triumph – 149
- Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Triumph – 126
SMX World Championship Regular Season Standings (Round 24 of 28)
- Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 666
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 468
- Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM – 423
- Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati – 356
- Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki – 353
- Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Germany, Suzuki – 349
- Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 323
- Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 310
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., KTM – 298
- Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Kawasaki – 298
450SMX Class Overall Results
450SMX Class Box Score
450SMX Class Championship Standings
Combined 450SMX Class Regular Season Standings
Quotes
1st Place – Hunter Lawrence | #96 Team Honda HRC Progressive (1-1)
“I got my doors blown off in the second moto. I honestly had no idea Jett crashed. He was flying. I’m happy it worked out, but it’s time to go chill now.”
2nd Place – Haiden Deegan | #38 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (4-2)
“The track was gnarly. I screwed myself in the first moto, but it’s all good. Another completed round, P2 overall. It’s good to keep putting strong finishes on the board. I’m not going to quit trying to get better. Bring it on.”
3rd Place – Jett Lawrence | #1 Team Honda HRC Progressive (2-5)
“I was feeling so good. I had my lines picked out and felt comfortable. A lapper took my focus off for a moment and my bike grabbed going up the jump and that was it. It’s such a bummer. We lost some points to Hunter, but we’ll come back to try and be just a little bit better.”
