Brea, CA - (September 21, 2026) - Playoff 2 of the SMX World Championship delivered exciting racing under clear skies inside Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The high-speed hybrid SX/MX track put an emphasis on starts, aggressive passes, and avoiding mistakes. Post-season competition combines the scores of two 20-minute-plus-one-lap races to determine the overall results, and this second Playoff event paid double points.

Ken Roczen (94) emerged in fourth place off the start of Race 1. Roczen was immediately aggressive and quickly moved his Suzuki RM-Z450 into second place. Roczen remained within striking distance of the top spot, and with 10 minutes left on the race clock, he took over the lead. Roczen impressively maintained 99% lap-time consistency over 25 laps en route to the win. In Race 2, Roczen crossed the holeshot stripe in seventh position. He picked off two spots before the green flag and then engaged in one of the most exciting battles of the year. Four riders contended for the overall win, and at the midpoint Roczen held second place and the overall victory. In the closing laps, the action was so tight that Roczen scrapped back and forth over a position, made contact with another frontrunner which lost him a spot, then benefited from a frontrunner’s crash - all within the span of four corners. When the checkered flag flew, Roczen's 1-4 Race scores earned him third overall. Ken Roczen retained his fourth-place standing in the SMX World Championship points and sits just 18 points down with only the triple-points-paying Final ahead.

“I'm honestly really happy with our racing day,” said Roczen. “We were actually able to [deliver] a really awesome race. In the first one we got the Race win there after some good battles. And then in the second one, I was fighting pretty hard, but I just ran out of [energy] a little bit. This was really our first, if you want to call it ‘blow-out,’ as in a really intense race. Last weekend in the mud didn't quite count in that way [of overall effort output]; it was difficult in its own way. [Today] I'm happy; it's just tough coming back after a few months [without racing], and I feel like my intensity is pretty good in the first Race and it's just not quite enough to bring it home for two Races. But I think I will get there pretty quickly. You just can't buy this intensity, you have to be out there racing and get better in that environment, and that's what we're doing. So, I can't fast forward time, but I sure will work on myself and just show up better every weekend.”

Jason Anderson (21) was in position for a top-five result the previous weekend until another rider landed on his right wrist in the muddy event. Anderson did all he could to recover and showed impressive speed in Friday's Free Practice sessions and the opening qualifying session on race day. Unfortunately, the injury was not ready for the stresses of racing, and Anderson and the team made the tough decision not to compete.

“Last weekend I had a crash in the second Race,” Anderson stated. “I tried to do therapy all week to get ready and I could kind of ride [today], but… I feel like I'm going to put myself in a couple [dangerous] situations [and] I don't want to get hurt. With my hand, especially since it’s my throttle hand, I can't really use my front brake right now. So [we’re] going to just sit out and wait till next weekend and hopefully see you guys [at the Final].”

Colt Nichols (45) earned a second-place overall spot in the first un-seeded session and followed that up with a fifth-place spot in the final qualifying session. In the Wild Card race, Nichols moved into a qualifying spot but a small mistake in the sand resulted in a crash. Nichols missed a qualifying result and looked to be done for the night. Unexpectedly, two riders were not able to line up for Race 2, and Nichols jumped at the opportunity to gear up and put his Suzuki on the track. Nichols was squeezed off at the start but used his speed to gain positions and secure top-15 Race finish.

“[It was a] very, very last-minute decision down at the gate [when] they pulled me in. But I was ready and wanted to go race, so I lined up and took off,” said Nichols. “It felt like I was just coming off the couch, but overall, I think I made the most of it… I definitely still wasn't where I wanted to be, but for… jumping in I was happy with the progress and I'm happy with how I raced.”

“It was a good weekend in Los Angeles with another podium finish and Race win for Ken Roczen,” stated Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Principal Dustin Pipes. “We have an outside shot at the SuperMotocross Championship, and we are going to come into next weekend as prepared as possible to come away with a win. Jason unfortunately tried to come back a little early, so we collectively decided to sit him out after the first qualifier. Hopefully he can give it a go next weekend. Colt was able to race his way to 15th place in Race 2 and I felt he rode really well.”

The 2026 SMX World Championship will be decided on Saturday, September 26th inside Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri, and the Suzuki team members are ready. Ken Roczen has a clear path to earning a second major title this year after already winning the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. Jason Anderson will continue to recover from his wrist injury, and Colt Nichols has the speed to cap off a strong year.