2026 Columbus SMX Playoff Review Show on the Kickstart Podcast

The 2026 SMX Playoffs got underway last weekend in Columbus, Ohio, and the mud races that we've miraculously seemed to dodge throughout 2026 finally caught up with us. The track was a mess, but the racing was still great, and we got to see Haiden Deegan's first 450-class win, Ken Roczen's return to action for the first time since he won the SX title at Salt Lake City, Levi Kitchen's return to form after his miserable Ironman MX finale, and more!

Presented by Maxxis The Labor Day holiday was a welcome break in our schedules, but we're back to work and looking toward this weekend's SMX Playoff #1 in Columbus, Ohio! With defending SMX Champ Jett Lawrence out and scheduled for surgery on his ankle, the door is wide open in the 450 class for a great showdown between Supercross Champion Ken Roczen and 450 MX Champion Hunter Lawrence. But are we forgetting anyone? Jorge Prado? Cooper Webb? Eli Tomac? And what of the 250s? Will it be a walk in the park for Cole Davies, or will guys like Julien Beaumer, Ryder DiFrancesco, and Chance Hymas give him fits? Listen to what we think, then comment your predictions!

Presented by Maxxis The 2026 Pro Motocross National Championship Series concluded last weekend at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana. While the results and final championship outcomes in the 250 and 450 classes were not surprising, several events that led to them were shocking! The United States Motocross of Nations team was also announced last weekend, and this morning, Eli Tomac announced that he will retire from professional racing after the upcoming SMX Playoffs. We discuss all of this on this week's Kickstart Podcast by Maxxis.

Presented by Maxxis The 2026 Pro Motocross National Championship Series concluded last weekend at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana. While the results and final championship outcomes in the 250 and 450 classes were not surprising, several events that led to them were shocking! The United States Motocross of Nations team was also announced last weekend, and this morning, Eli Tomac announced that he will retire from professional racing after the upcoming SMX Playoffs. We discuss all of this on this week's Kickstart Podcast by Maxxis.

Presented by 6D HelmetsThe second annual O'Neal Big Bear Grand Prix drew over 900 racers and 6000 spectators to the small resort town of Big Bear Lake, California, a couple of weekends ago, and everyone on hand agreed that the event was not only bigger but better than the inaugural 2025 event! Of course, putting a race of this magnitude together isn't a simple weekend affair, and the Swapmoto Race Series crew worked hard to make things run as smoothly as they did. We sat down with CMXRS Race Director Aaron Cooke, the mastermind behind the BBGP, to learn some of the interesting ins and outs of the race that is quickly becoming one of the most popular in California.

Presented by Maxxis Both Pro Motocross Championships took dramatic turns last weekend at the Budds Creek National, as the red plates in both the 250 and 450 classes changed hands on what turned out to be an amazing track after a storm that made practice and qualifying an absolute mess. On the other side of the country, meanwhile, we enjoyed promoting the O'Neal Big Bear Grand Prix. Now in it's second running, we had over 900 entries and 6000 spectators in what is quickly becoming known as the event of the year in SoCal. We recap it all on this week's show!

Presented by Maxxis Both Pro Motocross Championships took dramatic turns last weekend at the Budds Creek National, as the red plates in both the 250 and 450 classes changed hands on what turned out to be an amazing track after a storm that made practice and qualifying an absolute mess. On the other side of the country, meanwhile, we enjoyed promoting the O'Neal Big Bear Grand Prix. Now in it's second running, we had over 900 entries and 6000 spectators in what is quickly becoming known as the event of the year in SoCal. We recap it all on this week's show!

Presented by 6D Helmets Jason Gearld has a long history in the motocross industry, from his early days at a couple of parts-and-accessory stores to his first "industry job" at Fox Racing. These days, Gearld steers the ship at his own brand, Phoenix Handlebars. The brand takes a unique approach to fitting riders with the handlebar bend that suits them best, and we've grown quite fond of them over the past couple of years. We got Gearld to carve out some time for us, and we really enjoyed hearing the stories about his different positions within the sport that we all love.

After a few weekend's off, the 2026 Pro Motocross Championship was back in action with the Unadilla Motocross national. The ninth round of the outdoor season saw huge championship upsets in both classes; as Hunter Lawrence lost his 450 championship points-lead following a crash that ruled him out of moto two, and Levi Kitchen had to fight his way through the pack after being forced off-track in the first corner. We go over all the drama that unfolded in Unadilla, as well as some silly season and MXoN updates in this week's show!

Presented by Maxxis Last week, we asked, "Will ARay and his bike survive Loretta Lynn's?" Well, the answer was no; he blew his bike up in the first of three motos, but he rebounded with some solid results in the final two races. Racing last weekend also went on in Canada, as the FIM WSX World Supercross Championship got underway in Calgary. We go over both of those big events in this week's show!