Release from 03.05.2026
450SX teammate Malcolm Stewart claims a well-earned fourth-place finish in Colorado
DiFrancesco was in form from the outset at altitude in Colorado, posting the third-fastest qualifying time via a 51.562s lap time, before powering his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition to second place in 250SX West Heat 2.
A strong start to the Main Event saw the Californian run fifth on the opening lap, before climbing to third during the race's early stages. From there, Ryder D maintained a measured pace to secure third place on the podium – his third of the 2026 SMX World Championship season.
DiFrancesco currently holds fourth in the 250SX West championship standings – only one point out of P3 overall and within reach of second – with a single Supercross round remaining next weekend in Salt Lake City.
“It was a good night in Denver,” reflected DiFrancesco. “The main goal these last couple of weeks is to get to P2 – obviously the championship is wrapped up, so second would be ideal. Tonight, once I got into third, there wasn't much more that I could do, so I just brought it home from there. It was a good night and now we'll go to Salt Lake, try to stack some points, and go for second in the championship."
Meanwhile, Stewart qualified 11th in 450SX, before a challenging Heat Race onboard his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition sent him to the Last Chance Qualifier, where the 33-year-old took the win to transfer into the Main Event.
An ongoing battle throughout the Main Event saw Stewart charging forward inside the top 10 as the race progressed, with a sequence of decisive late-race passes seeing him climb to fourth position, and he maintains eighth in the 450SX standings.
“Every time we come to Denver, the track is tough,” Stewart reflected. “There was a lot going on in that race – you could've thrown a blanket over all of us! There was a lot of carnage, but at the end of the day, I guess Christmas came in May for me for a fourth! We've just got to continue moving forward. I struggled a little bit tonight and went to the LCQ, which I haven't been to in a minute, but we just tried to ride our race [in the Main Event] and get it done."
Next Race: May 9 – Salt Lake City, Utah
Results 450SX Class – Denver
1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda)
2. Ken Roczen (Suzuki)
3. Eli Tomac (KTM)
4. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing)
6. Jorge Prado (KTM)
15. Justin Hill (KTM)
19. Kevin Moranz (KTM)
20. Grant Harlan (KTM)
Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 16 of 17 rounds
1. Ken Roczen, 332 points
2. Hunter Lawrence, 331
3. Cooper Webb, 297
4. Eli Tomac, 275
8. Malcolm Stewart, 189
10. Jorge Prado, 169
16. Aaron Plessinger, 99
23. RJ Hampshire, 38
Results 250SX West – Denver
1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha)
2. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki)
3. Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing)
Standings 250SX West Class 2026 after 9 of 10 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 215
2. Levi Kitchen, 155
3. Max Anstie, 148
4. Ryder DiFrancesco, 147