Hunter Lawrence put himself back in control of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday sweeping both 450 Class motos at Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland to reclaim the points lead from his brother, Jett Lawrence, with one round remaining. The Budds Creek National, the penultimate round of the Pro Motocross season, was contested under challenging conditions after heavy rain transformed the Maryland track into a demanding mix of mud and ruts. Hunter Lawrence handled the conditions better than anyone, winning both motos for his sixth overall victory of the season.
Hunter’s perfect 1-1 scorecard was especially important in the championship battle. Jett Lawrence entered the weekend with the advantage, but a fifth-place finish in the opening moto put him on the defensive. Jett responded with a runner-up finish in Moto 2, but Hunter’s sweep was enough to move him back into the lead. With the Budds Creek results, Hunter now holds a one-point advantage over Jett heading into next weekend’s season finale at Ironman Raceway, setting up a winner-take-all championship showdown between the Honda teammates and brothers. Jorge Prado continued his strong late-season run with a second-place overall finish. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider went 3-3 for his second consecutive overall podium and his fourth podium of the summer. Prado remains in search of his first Pro Motocross overall victory but has emerged as one of the championship’s strongest riders during the final rounds. Haiden Deegan finished third overall with a 2-4 moto score, edging out Jett Lawrence for the final podium position. Jett’s 5-2 results left him fourth overall, marking only the third time in his 450 career that he has finished outside the overall podium.
The 250 Class produced another major championship shakeup as Chance Hymas captured his first overall victory of the 2026 season with a 2-1 moto score. Hymas led every lap of the second moto and held off Levi Kitchen in a hard-fought battle for the overall victory. Cole Davies finished second overall with a 1-3 score, while rookie Landen Gordon earned his first career overall podium with a 3-7 finish. The championship picture also changed dramatically. Kitchen entered Budds Creek with the points lead but suffered a difficult opening moto, finishing 14th after a crash and subsequent penalty. He rebounded with a runner-up finish in Moto 2, but could only manage fifth overall. Davies finished second overall and now leads the 250 championship by 14 points over Kitchen.
