Jorge Prado (KTM) wins the second SMX Playoff ahead of Lawrence and Roczen

Second SMX Playoff at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson (Los Angeles): Australian motocross champion Hunter Lawrence (Honda) was the fastest in the combined qualifying session. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) struggled somewhat with the set-up for the track and, in fifth place, was 0.6 seconds slower than Lawrence.

Combined qualifying

1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 49.756

2. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, +0.152

3. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, +0.252

4. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, +0.533

5. Ken Roczen (GER), Suzuki, +0.649

Race 1: Prado gets off to a flying start, Roczen takes the win

Jorge Prado, who lined up with the championship leader’s red plate, took the perfect holeshot in the first race, whilst Hunter Lawrence was pushed wide and dropped well back. Dylan Ferrandis (Ducati) went down in the first corner. Ken Roczen started in the top three behind Prado and Deegan. Right from the start, the German went all out and overtook Haiden Deegan in a left-hand hairpin. He closed the gap on Prado and overtook him in the very same hairpin where he had previously overtaken Deegan.

Race 2: Holeshot and race win for Lawrence

Hunter Lawrence (Honda) took the holeshot in the second race ahead of Jorge Prado and Haiden Deegan. Ken Roczen started within the top five. Before the first lap was even complete, Prado retook the lead, but he jumped a combination too short and only just managed to avoid a crash. This, however, opened the door for Lawrence, who retook the lead. Ken Roczen overtook Haiden Deegan on the outside (!) to move into 4th place behind Lawrence, Prado and Webb. He then set his sights on Webb, overtaking him on the inside. Prado went down at the end of the sand section, and Haiden Deegan also crashed at the same spot as Prado. Deegan fought his way back up to third place. Lawrence won the second race, but the overall winner was Jorge Prado with a 2-2 result. This secured the Spaniard the 50 points for the overall victory ahead of Hunter Lawrence (4-1) and Ken Roczen (1-4).

The situation at the top of the standings

Double points are awarded in the second playoff, and as a result Jorge Prado has extended his lead and now heads into the decisive third playoff with a 16-point advantage. However, nothing has been decided yet, as the points will be tripled in the third playoff next week. Ken Roczen, currently in fourth place, is still 18 points behind.

The third and final Playoff will take place this coming weekend at the Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri.

SMX Play-off Los Angeles 450

1. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, 2-2

2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 4-1

3. Ken Roczen (GER), Suzuki, 1-4

4. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 3-3

5. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, 5-5

6. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, 9-6

7. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, 10-8

8. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna, 7-11

9. Eli Tomac (USA), KTM, 6-12

10. Jordon Smith (USA), Triumph, 14-7

11. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, 8-13

12. Dylan Ferrandis (F), Ducati, 13-9

13. Justin Hill (USA), KTM, 12-10

14. Christian Craig (USA), Honda, 11–14

15. Benny Bloss (USA), Beta, 15-16

Standings after Playoff 2 of 3

1. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, 92 points

2. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 76, (-16)

3. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 76, (-16)

4. Ken Roczen (GER), Suzuki, 74, (-18)

5. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, 72, (-20)

6. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, 58, (-34)

7. Dylan Ferrandis (F), Ducati, 53, (-39)

8. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, 51, (-41)

9. Eli Tomac (USA), KTM, 48, (-44)

10. Jordon Smith (USA), Triumph, 45, (-47)