SuperMotocross (SMX) Explained
The SuperMotocross World Championship, or SMX, links AMA Supercross and the Pro Motocross Championship into a single season that ends in a three-round playoff. Results from 17 supercross rounds and 11 motocross rounds seed the top riders into the playoffs, which are raced in September on hybrid tracks that mix stadium obstacles with outdoor terrain. It was introduced in 2023. Spain's Jorge Prado won the 2026 450SMX title and Levi Kitchen won the 250SMX title at the final at Thunder Ridge in Missouri.
Before SMX, American motocross had two separate championships with separate champions and no single answer to who had the best year overall. SMX added that answer, and with it a postseason built for television, prize money and one final night where the year's best riders all race for the same title.
How SMX works
The SMX season has three parts:
- AMA Supercross runs from January to May, 17 rounds in stadiums.
- Pro Motocross runs from May to August, 11 outdoor rounds.
- The SMX playoffs run in September: two playoff rounds and a World Championship Final.
Points from the first two parts are combined into one SMX standings table. That table decides who reaches the playoffs and in what order they are seeded. The top 20 riders in the combined standings are guaranteed a place, and riders just outside that group get a chance to race their way in. Higher seeds start the playoffs with more points, so a strong regular season is rewarded, but the playoffs still decide the title.
The playoff rounds are weighted toward the end. As the format was designed, the first playoff pays regular points, the second pays double, and the final pays triple. A rider who leads into September can still lose the championship on the last night, and a rider who peaks in the playoffs can win it from behind.
The tracks: part supercross, part motocross
SMX playoff tracks are hybrids. They are usually built in stadiums or at speedway facilities and combine supercross elements, such as rhythm sections and tight turns, with longer, faster outdoor-style sections. No rider is on home ground. The supercross specialists have to go fast on open terrain, and the outdoor specialists have to handle stadium obstacles. Each playoff round is scored like an outdoor national, with two motos per class added together.
The finals have moved around. The first one, in 2023, was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where supercross was born in 1972. The 2024 and 2025 finals were held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 2026 the playoffs went to Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, and Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, before the final at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri, on September 26.
Every SMX champion
| Year | 450SMX champion | 250SMX champion |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Jorge Prado (KTM) | Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) |
| 2025 | Jett Lawrence (Honda) | Jo Shimoda (Honda) |
| 2024 | Jett Lawrence (Honda) | Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) |
| 2023 | Jett Lawrence (Honda) | Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) |
Jett Lawrence's three straight titles
Australia's Jett Lawrence won the first three 450SMX championships, from 2023 through 2025. In 2025 he clinched it in Las Vegas by beating his brother Hunter on combined moto scores in the final. Haiden Deegan won the first two 250SMX titles before moving up to the 450 class. In 2025 Jo Shimoda won the 250SMX championship despite being knocked down in the final moto, and he became the first Japanese-born rider to win an SMX title.
2026: Prado and Kitchen
The 2026 playoffs broke the Lawrence run. Jorge Prado, a former world champion from the Grand Prix scene who had moved to American racing, won the 450SMX title with 158 points to Haiden Deegan's 151. He won the second moto of the final from the holeshot to seal it. It was a breakthrough season for Prado, who had also taken his first Pro Motocross overall win at the Ironman National in August. In the 250 class, Levi Kitchen rode two second-place finishes in the final to win the championship ahead of Julien Beaumer.
Why SMX matters
SMX did three things for the sport. It gave the riders who race both disciplines a reason to treat the whole year as one campaign. It created a postseason with a clear climax for broadcasters and sponsors. And it put supercross specialists and motocross specialists on the same hybrid tracks, which answers the old question of who is the most complete rider.
The supercross and motocross titles are still awarded separately. In 2026 that meant three different 450 champions: Ken Roczen in supercross, Hunter Lawrence in motocross and Prado in SMX. To understand the two seasons that feed the playoffs, read our history of AMA Supercross and our guide to how Pro Motocross works.
Frequently asked questions
What is SuperMotocross (SMX)?
SMX is a championship that combines the AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross seasons into one standings table, then decides a world champion in each class through a three-round playoff held in September. It began in 2023.
How do riders qualify for the SMX playoffs?
Riders earn points across the 17 supercross rounds and 11 motocross rounds. The top 20 in the combined standings are guaranteed playoff spots and are seeded by their regular-season finish, and riders just outside the top 20 can race their way in.
Who won the 2026 SMX championship?
Jorge Prado won the 2026 450SMX title on a KTM, finishing seven points ahead of Haiden Deegan, and Levi Kitchen won the 250SMX title on a Kawasaki. Both were crowned at the final at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri.
Who has won the most SMX championships?
Jett Lawrence, who won the first three 450SMX titles from 2023 through 2025. Haiden Deegan has two 250SMX titles, from 2023 and 2024.
