WASHOUGAL, WA — Two of the most unpredictable and captivating title fights in the history of the Pro Motocross Championship will continue as the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship returns to the West Coast for Round 25 of the regular season. The picturesque, tree-lined surroundings of Washougal MX Park, which sits just across the Washington/Oregon border, will once again host the summer “Military Appreciation Race” for what will serve as the milestone 45th running of the FLY Racing Washougal National Presented by Peterson CAT on Saturday.
“In just a few short years the already rich legacy of Washougal MX Park has added a new layer as the host of our annual Military Appreciation Race,” said Davey Coombs, President, MX Sports Pro Racing. “Visually, this is arguably our most captivating round of the championship, but it is also one of the toughest for our athletes. High speeds, a challenging racing surface, and an abundance of shadows combine to force riders to toe a fine line over the course of two motos.”
Washougal MX Park has been a cornerstone of the Pro Motocross Championship since 1980, providing a scenic summer spectacle for one of the most densely populated regions of motocross fans in the country.
On the racetrack, with the second half of the Pro Motocross campaign underway and the late stages of the SMX World Championship regular season approaching, the tension surrounding the action continues to increase with each gate drop. For the fourth time this summer in the 450SMX Class, the Lawrence brothers have swapped possession of the red plate, this time with Hunter Lawrence regaining hold of the points lead for a third occasion, on the heels of a 1-1 performance at Spring Creek. While the win not only put Hunter back atop the championship standings, it also gave him his largest points lead of the season, with 10 markers separating him from Jett Lawrence.
Over in the 250SMX Class, the bedlam that has defined the season continued with another wild afternoon. Julien Beaumer became the fourth different first-time winner in seven races. More significantly was the most dramatic shift in the championship we’ve seen yet as Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies came into the weekend atop the standings, only to suffer through his worst outing of the summer. That opened the door for Levi Kitchen to seize the moment and retake possession of the red plate, while Beaumer’s victory vaulted him up to second in the championship. Now, Kitchen, a Washougal native, heads to his hometown race with a season-high 24-point lead over Beaumer and a 25-point cushion over Davies.
