The 2026 SMX World Championship's postseason did not deliver the on-track action that most expected, but it provided a plethora of lead narratives. Some of which are dissected in Lewis Phillips' recapitulation from Columbus' Historic Crew Stadium.

COLUMBUS CONUNDRUM

Columbus' debut in the SMX World Championship postseason failed to deliver on the format's potential. Plainly a placeholder venue while the better options are vetted, it lacked both the flair and prestige promised for a playoff stop. Inclement weather snuffed out what little excitement remained, but poor conditions cannot justify Historic Crew Stadium's position as a postseason fixture. Dubbed "the 18th Supercross round" by critics, it only matched the lowest tier stops of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series.

Standard points mean this race will be forgotten quickly – a small mercy for SMX's organizers. Moving forward to a sunny playoff in Southern California should help break the paddock's rampant cynicism, giving the industry one final shot at the West Coast market in 2026. Will it be enough? With stakeholders already frustrated, another modified supercross track will briefly silence their critics before the ultimate test of the SMX concept. Branson's amphitheater – a unique landscape that exemplifies what SuperMotocross should be – now carries the burden of proving this postseason format actually works.

Verdict: Carson's critical for the success of SMX…

YAMAHA ENDS DROUGHT

Yamaha struck early with Cooper Webb at the fourth round of 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross but failed to add to their 450SMX win total in the 223 days that followed. That premier-class drought ended in Columbus, where Haiden Deegan swept both motos to deliver Yamaha their second win of the year.

2026 still exists as the brand's least successful season since 2020, where they captured just one win.

Yamaha's win took a backseat to Deegan's milestone. Given the hype around him, a premier-class victory in just his 13th attempt felt strangely anticipated. Bad weather kept the occasion from looking flashy, but Deegan's utter control dispelled any notion that he was fortunate in the mud. First over the holeshot line each time, he negotiated the backmarkers better than most and ran lap times some five seconds quicker than every athlete not named Ken Roczen.

"I feel like the trend in my career is kind of slow but steady and it really paid off, right?" Deegan said in reflection. "Even though it was a mud race today, we are still going against the best guys to ever do it and especially a lot of guys heading towards the end of their careers too. We are getting a lot of 450SX champions that I'm able to battle and learn from. It's definitely some weight off the shoulders. It was really nice to get it done."

Verdict: History in Columbus' Historic Crew venue.

THE HAPPIEST CAMPERS

Amidst controversy, there were many who left Ohio's Historic Crew Stadium with a reason to be pleased. Deegan took a landmark win and Roczen proved his mettle by turning little preparation into a podium. Jorge Prado was just as happy to slay some personal demons in the mud (he was far outside of the top ten in the rain in Philadelphia and Cleveland in April). Not only that, but the result catapulted him to his first red plate on American soil.

Joey Savatgy was a revelation in his return – he was fifth despite just three days of preparation. Dylan Ferrandis' climb from dead last to ninth in moto two raised eyebrows, as did Jason Anderson's rise from 17th to fifth. Shane McElrath matched Beta's best-ever result (seventh) in his debut and Mikkel Haarup ran top ten in a stadium! In 250SMX, Daxton Bennick became a moto winner for the first time.

It's a shame that widespread pessimism will overshadow those achievements, though the playoff structure itself invites the criticism. By offering fewer points in the opening postseason round, the format sends an unmistakable message that the early on-track action carries less weight. That structure may be essential to the structure of the SuperMotocross series, but it ultimately undermines the riders who deliver immediate results.

Verdict: Columbus wasn't all bad. Ask those riders!

KITCHEN'S HUGE SWING

Ever since his dismal turn at Pro Motocross' finale, mystery has surrounded Levi Kitchen's position. Rumors of an injury ramped up in anticipation of SMX's kick off and were eventually clarified by Columbus' victor, ending a speculative streak.

It transpires that a thumb injury was sustained in Millville's hellacious crash – and further injured at Budds Creek – that made it tricky to train and ride as normal. Swollen after most rides, it was only after Ironman that he could confirm that there were no torn ligaments. The condition of the ailment was still a question mark in Friday's free practice, hence his lackluster times, but he finally felt like there was a reason to be positive.

Kitchen's not been in that favorable position for some time, thanks to a series of untimely crashes and odd hiccups that have stopped him from winning. It's still tricky to comprehend that this championship favorite had won just once in the traditional run of races. The pace that he has shown certainly deserved more than that.

"I would say that I'm doing well now," Kitchen confirmed. "I just need to keep resting and actively using it. I had a bunch of MRIs done and nothing was torn – it was just sprained. No one really gave me good advice, but everybody I talked to was like 'sprains in your thumb can take forever if you don't do it correctly.' It was kind of a bugger in the outdoors, but I feel better now. I'm looking forward to the remaining races and the 'Nations. I was a little bit skeptical. I want to head there and do my best, but I'm pretty good now."

Verdict: A turn of both luck and form, at long last…

HUNTER'S WRIST WOES

Columbus was clouded with uncertainty around the SMX World Championship postseason's position, but clarity was found with some rider narratives. Kitchen's thumb injury became public and, further, the 450SMX's top seed – Hunter Lawrence – revealed the extent of the wrist injury that he sustained at Ironman Raceway.

There was miscommunication after he revealed that he has a partially torn ligament in his wrist. Understandably, most presumed that exists inside of the wrist that he first hurt in Detroit's Ford Field – it was an ambiguous issue that was never formally checked and that remains the state of play. The left wrist, once healthy, is now the worse one with the torn ligament, although the right wrist is still troublesome.

"My right wrist is the one that bothered me after Supercross and into Pro Motocross," Lawrence said. "Now the left wrist – the one I hurt at Ironman – is my bad one. My right wrist is my good wrist, because it's less bad than the other one. We dub that the 'good wrist' as it's the better of the two at the moment. My hand was the size of a baseball and my wrist was the same size as my forearm."

Whilst the wrists are a predominant narrative, Lawrence is adamant that the ailment (or ailments?) were not the catalyst for his less-than-stellar performance at the first playoff. Mud has been his kryptonite (see Philadelphia) and so there is little reason to doubt his ability to rebound in California, especially when you consider that he is undefeated in the second playoff.

Verdict: A bad race does not erase a brilliant year…

MANAGER MELTDOWN

Emotions were naturally high at the first round of the SMX World Championship postseason. Those spilled over in a group chat with the sport's stakeholders and later a meeting with management. Reports of Triumph's Jeremy Coker and Yamaha's Jensen Hendler being banned from the second playoff in Carson, California, have not stood the test of time.

Instead, it was revealed via the AMA's penalty report that the pair will be unable to access the track or manager's tower at the next two races. Suzuki's Larry Brooks and Dustin Pipes, as well as Ducati's Josh Wisenor, have been dealt a similar punishment for just one race. Cooler heads prevailed, but this establishes an interesting precedent for the future.

Verdict: This is all just a bit nonsensical, isn't it?