Brea, CA - (June 1, 2026) - With the Supercross season wrapped and Suzuki’s Ken Roczen crowned the 2026 Supercross Champion on May 9th, the SMX World Championship commenced the AMA Pro Motocross season as part of the SMX series. The Fox Raceway National paid points toward both the Motocross season and toward the SMX World Championship. Pala, California delivered beautiful weather and a high-speed track that varied from wet loam in the morning to brutal, hardpack ruts by the end of the day.

Colt Nichols (45) used the three-week break between the Supercross Final and the outdoor opener to prepare for the high speeds of the motocross nationals. Nichols looked strong from the start, posting great times in the first qualifying session. In the first moto, Nichols emerged from the first corner in 23rd place. Nichols battled through the 30-minute plus two lap race to move his Twisted Tea Suzuki into the points before the checkered flag waved. In the second moto, a stronger start put Nichols inside the top 15. Nichols capitalized on the improved track position and bettered his result by three positions over the opening moto.

“It was a humbling day for me,” said Nichols. “We struggled to find some comfort, and I just didn’t ride as good as I needed to. I’ve got some work to do this week and will try again at Hangtown.”

“Round One of the Pro Motocross Nationals is done and dusted,” stated Dustin Pipes, Team Principal for Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance. “We got 19th overall for Colt. We need to work on starts and get the bike in a [set-up] window for him to achieve better results. We will go to work. On to round two!”

The Suzuki crew, which recently won the 2026 Supercross Championship with its Suzuki RM-Z450, now travels north for the second California motocross race at the Hangtown Motocross Classic on June 6th in Rancho Cordova. The team will be competing in select rounds of the motocross series and looks to participate in the SMX playoffs and defending the WSX Championship.