It wasn’t meant to start like this.
For the third season in a row, Jett Lawrence is having to deal with an injury after never breaking a bone until he was 16 racing at Anaheim against Dylan Ferrandis for the win.
For the second season in a row, Jett’s 450 Supercross title hopes are over and Feld, the Supercross series promoters, are dealing with losing it’s biggest star before the season has even started. It’s a shame for the fans but brutal for Jett, despite still winning championships coming back from injury, this has to be tough for the mercurial Aussie, not just physically with the rehab, but the mental frustration of having to come back from injury yet again while watching his rivals building momentum and confidence.
And that goal of getting to McGrath’s 72 wins is looking further and further away.
Lawrence was the favourite heading into the 2026 AMA Supercross season. The question was could anyone beat him, but now, just like last year when he tore his ACL, the question is who will step up to be the man.
Cooper Webb became the man last year and now the defending champ will get the chance to prove he can do it again. Webb has an amazing ability to do what he has to do when he has to do it. He might just do it again.
Eli Tomac didn’t get a chance to step up last year after his injury but with the buzz of a new team and the hope of another title even more tangible now, Tomac has another shot at it, he still feels robbed of a title thanks to that achilles injury. This is his chance to avenge that painful memory.
Like Tomac, Hunter Lawrence also got hurt just after Jett last season but now it is his time to shine. Hunter didn’t get the chance to really show his potential last year indoors, but he is in the form of his life, he has all the riding skills you need to get the job done and a whole team focused on him. Team Lawrence still have a shot at this title and Hunter has the chance to get the credit he deserves for his own outstanding talent on a bike without being in Jett’s shadow.
All eyes will be on Chase Sexton. He has the speed and the skill but still came up short last year. Kawasaki will also be under the spotlight after the drama of 2025. Kawasaki and Sexton have a huge opportunity to shut a lot of people up and as things stand, Sexton might be many people’s favourite now that he is back on his favoured aluminium frame. They might just be the team/rider combination with the most motivation, can they execute?
Then there is Ken Roczen, he couldn’t, could he? Last year, Roczen was right in the mix until he crashed with a wayward backmarker in Phoenix, costing him a ton of points that meant he had his back against the wall early. But Roczen showed he still had what it took to be a contender and if he starts strong, and backmarkers don’t jump across him again, Roczen, who has more Suzuki factory backing in 2026, shouldn’t be counted out. If he pulls it off, it will be the feel good story of the year!
