A 3-3 scorecard earned Liam Everts his fourth consecutive Grand Prix podium for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing at the penultimate round of the season.
A double podium in 250SMX marked a strong start to the 2026 SMX World Championship post-season for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Daxton Bennick and Ryder DiFrancesco, with the pair delivering impressive results – including a breakout victory for Bennick in Moto 1 – in rain-soaked conditions at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Both 250SMX and 450SMX qualifying sessions were canceled at SMX Playoff 1 today, with inclement weather surrounding the region as the track crew worked to salvage the circuit for the racing schedule. Equipped with the Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, Bennick launched to a solid start in 250SMX Moto 1, holding second place for the majority of the race before taking the lead on Lap 12. He maintained the position until the checkered flag to claim a popular victory. Another fast start to Moto 2 saw Bennick run as high as second place, scoring third in the race and claiming second overall for the weekend. As a result, he was able to rise to P4 in the standings with two rounds remaining. “Man, I’ve got to be happy with today,” commented Bennick. “We had two solid motos, and yeah, I had it [the overall] with two laps to go, but Levi [Kitchen] was riding good. But wow, what a start to this thing, and a big thank you to the whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team for supporting me and believing in me. It was a good day!” 250SMX teammate DiFrancesco took the green flag for race one in 13th on board his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, charging hard across all 15 laps to advance to an impressive third – making the move for a podium finish on the final lap. Fourth position in race two was enough to secure third overall for the weekend, and elevates him to P2 in the championship. “Consistency is crucial on a day like today,” said DiFrancesco. “We got off to a decent start [in Moto 2], and I just rode my laps. I want to win one of these things, but last year these guys were super-consistent, and that’s my goal for this year so we can show up at Missouri and have a shot at [the title].” Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing 450SMX pairing Malcolm Stewart and RJ Hampshire were also in action in Columbus on board their Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Editions, with Stewart finishing sixth and Hampshire 19th in Moto 1. A crash during the early stages of race two while again running P6 saw Stewart tumble down the order, with his 6-21 scorecard earning him 11th overall for the round and he is currently 14th in the 450SMX standings. "Mother Nature definitely threw a wrench in some things today!" reflected Stewart. "The first moto was great, ending up in P6, which was good, and then in Moto 2 I ended up going down with another rider, but that happens in mud races. You can kind of misjudge things, we came together, and that was all she wrote. We're leaving here healthy, and I think we will have a complete opposite experience next weekend in California, as I'm pretty sure it should be dry out there. The next round is also double points, so whatever was lost today we can definitely make back next weekend." Hampshire worked his way to 10th in 450SMX Moto 2 after battling for the final positions inside the top-10, with the result earning him 16th overall at Playoff 1 and he's aiming to rebound in Los Angeles next weekend. "It was a brutal round," began Hampshire. "The track was really tough, and if you didn't stay clean – or at least have your grips and gloves clean – it was hard to hang on. The first moto I crashed pretty much 20 times, so we got through that, and then the second moto was a little better with a 10th. But yeah, lucky this one is only single points, and we'll look forward to LA next weekend." Rockstar Energy Husqvarna amateur prospect Landon Gibson contested the SMX Next World All-Stars division in Columbus, taking a well-earned fourth-place finish on board his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition in the single Main Event. Next Race: September 19 – Los Angeles, California Results 450SMX Class – SMX Playoff 1 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) 3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 7. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 11. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 14. Eli Tomac (KTM) 16. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 450SMX Class 2026 after Playoff 1 1. Jorge Prado, 42 points 2. Haiden Deegan, 40 3. Cooper Webb, 38 8. Aaron Plessinger, 22 9. Eli Tomac, 22 12. RJ Hampshire, 19 14. Malcolm Stewart, 16 Results 250SMX Class – SMX Playoff 1 1. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 2. Daxton Bennick (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 3. Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 18. Julien Beaumer (KTM) Standings 250SMX Class 2026 after Playoff 1 1. Levi Kitchen, 47 points 2. Ryder DiFrancesco, 42 3. Cole Davies, 37 4. Daxton Bennick, 34 10. Julien Beaumer, 21
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