Round 17 of the SuperMotocross World Championship takes place in Salt Lake City, featuring Ken Roczen and Hunter Lawrence. Cooper Webb aims for a strong finish, while Chase Sexton seeks his fourth consecutive win at this venue.
Key points
Round 17 of the SuperMotocross World Championship is in Salt Lake City.
Ken Roczen and Hunter Lawrence are key riders this weekend.
Cooper Webb has four wins at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Chase Sexton aims for his fourth consecutive win at this venue.
Mentioned in this story
Salt Lake CityRice-Eccles Stadium
Ken RoczenHunter LawrenceCooper WebbChase Sexton
Video Player Cover
All eyes are focused on Ken Roczen and Hunter Lawrence this weekend as the Monster Energy Supercross series concludes with Round 17 of the SuperMotocross World Championship at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.
But perhaps, fans should look elsewhere for the winner.
Cooper Webb is the winningest rider at this venue with four victories. He has not had the season he expected when the series kicked off in Anaheim, California, this January, and he wants to end on a high note.
Chase Sexton has had a much more disappointing 2026 season, cut short by injury, but he has a knack for Salt Lake City, its altitude, and its dirt. He seeks his fourth consecutive win there this weekend, as well as his sixth consecutive podium. Recently, he has improved in every race with a fifth-place result in April 2021, a third in May, a second in 2022, and the first of his three victories in 2023.
These four riders have accounted for nearly 70 percent of the podiums awarded in the first 16 rounds.
Eli Tomac will also factor into the mix this week. He returned to the field in his hometown of Denver and scored his ninth podium, bringing the total to 5 riders with 88 percent of the podiums. The other podiums have gone to Justin Cooper (3), Malcolm Stewart (1), and Jorge Prado (1).
Even though they are mathematically eliminated, Webb, Sexton, and Tomac could factor heavily in the championship. If all three podium, they will push Roczen and Lawrence into points-paying positions that decrement by one. Should that happen and Lawrence finishes ahead of Roczen, the championship contenders will be tied in points—and Lawrence's five runner-up finishes will provide the tiebreaker since both riders have five victories apiece.
If Roczen wins the title, he will have the biggest come-from-behind championship since David Bailey overcame a 47-point deficit in 1983, according to WeWentFast.com.
If Lawrence wins, he will join a list of legendary riders who scored their first career win and championship in the same season, a feat most recently earned by Hunter's brother Jett Lawrence in 2024.
Justin Barcia finished eighth last week in Denver for his first top-10 in his second start of the season (he failed to make the first 14 rounds with an injury). Dylan Ferrandis has a best result of sixth this year, and both of them want to give Ducati its first top-five in their debut season.
Q&A
Who are the top riders to watch at the 2026 SuperMotocross Round 17?
Ken Roczen and Hunter Lawrence are key riders to watch, along with Cooper Webb and Chase Sexton.
What is Cooper Webb's history at the Salt Lake City SuperMotocross event?
Cooper Webb is the winningest rider at this venue, boasting four victories.
How has Chase Sexton's performance been in the 2026 SuperMotocross season?
Chase Sexton has faced a disappointing season due to injury but has a strong track record in Salt Lake City, aiming for his fourth consecutive win there.
What are Chase Sexton's recent results at Salt Lake City?
Chase Sexton has improved his results each year, with finishes of fifth in 2021, third in 2022, second in 2023, and three victories.
Related Articles
NBA
Mavs' Masai Ujiri reveals whether he would've traded Luka Doncic
Masai Ujiri discusses the Luka Doncic trade at press conference
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
NFL·Preview
Vikings Earn Surprise Spot on Super Bowl List
The Vikings have made a surprise entry in Super Bowl LXI predictions, drawing parallels to last year's Seahawks.
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Boxing·Feature
‘It’s going to be truly amazing to see what happens’: Tim Bradley breaks down Xander Zayas vs Boots Ennis
Tim Bradley shares insights on the upcoming Zayas vs Ennis title fight
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Soccer
Burrull y el posible penalti a Giuliano: "No lo veo para señalar penalti"
Burrull opina que el forcejeo con Giuliano no es penalti
Marca··1 min read
Sports
Al Hilal pone contra las cuerdas a Cristiano
Al Hilal logra una victoria clave ante Al Khaleej y se acerca a Al Nassr en la liga.
Marca··1 min read
Boxing
Mayweather-Pacquiao bout won't be held at the Sphere on Sept. 19 due to an Eagles concert, putting rematch further in doubt
Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch off for Sept. 19 as Eagles concerts take over the Sphere
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
250 Notes
Sexton is not the only rider with Salt Lake momentum on his side.
Haiden Deegan wants to finish out his 250 career with one more win, and he enters the weekend as the two-time defending champion of the race and series.
But this is an East/West Showdown race, and the competition is heavier.
Deegan is certainly aware of the record book. If he wins this week's Showdown, he will be the first rider to score four such victories. For now, he's tied with Jeff Emig, Kevin Windham, and Adam Cianciarulo.
If Deegan's teammate, Cole Davies, wins this weekend, he will join Deegan and the others with three Showdown wins.
The battle for second in the 250 West division is tight. With 155 points, Levi Kitchen holds a seven-point advantage over Max Anstie. Ryder DiFrancesco is only one point behind Anstie, so no one can afford to have a bad result. This is where the addition of the Eastern divisional competitors could play a major role, and so far, they have scored more top-fives and -10s than their Western compatriots in the two previous 2026 Showdowns.
