2025–2026 Season Review: Racing the Hardest Classes in Amateur Motocross
August 26, 2026
2025–2026 Season Review: Racing the Hardest Classes in Amateur Motocross
This season we lined up in the hardest amateur divisions in the country — SMX Next, Pro Sport, 250 B, and Schoolboy 2 — against national-caliber fields from Mini Olympics through Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. That was the point. If we are going to build a program that puts Kawasakis at the front, we have to race the classes where the nation’s best show up ready to fight.
We started the year on minimally modified Kawasakis, still working out race engines and suspension. By the time we got to the ranch, we had a KX250 package we trust. That did not happen overnight. It came from SMX Next data, Powerband suspension work, a lot of hard lessons, and three riders who kept showing up when the gate was loaded.
William Canaguier (#95), Chace Lawton (#50 / #51), Trinnytie Batchelor (#48), and myself, Chris Hunter (#50), carried that through supercross, motocross, regionals, and the Amateur National. This is the story of that year — not every lap chart, but what we learned and what we earned.
The Year
Mini Olympics 2025 was our first three-rider Kawasaki debut. Trinn put 450 B supercross on the box (3rd) and took a 3rd-place Olympiad award. Will and Chace were already in Pro Sport and A. The bikes were green and honest. We were still figuring out the package. The speed was there anyway.
Then we stepped onto a new stage: SMX Next. Anaheim 2 was a learning weekend — Trinn’s first full-SX main as a last-minute add with 10 days of whoops practice, Chace riding with a fever and still taking the Metronome Award. Houston was Chace’s bounce-back (11th, 4th-fastest Sector 1) and a clear note on Trinn’s rhythm-lane suspension. Daytona was Will’s first SMX Next — 12th with whiplash after over-jumping a double in practice — and Chace’s 3rd in RCSX 250 Pro Sport after we dialed the bike overnight. Birmingham kept building comfort. Philadelphia closed the supercross season with Will 4th in dry Q2 and 3rd in the mud main before two crashes, and Chace getting taken out into the tough blocks.
In the middle of that, Spring A Ding showed what the program looks like when the racing is clean: Chace 3rd in SX Futures/Combine, Will 3rd in MX 250 Pro Sport, both guys moving forward moto to moto.
It was not a healthy year. Will raced through neck issues from Mini-O into Daytona. Trinn had shoulder surgery after Reno that cost him Daytona entirely. We did not know if he would be ready for regionals. He was.
Regionals delivered three regional championships in three regions and eight tickets to the ranch. Chace won 250 Pro Sport at Southwick after missing top 6 at South East and Mid East. Trinn went 1-1-1 in 250 B at Lincoln Trail coming off surgery, plus podiums in 450 B and Schoolboy 2. I won Senior 45+ Sportsman 1-1-1. Will punched Open Pro Sport at South East (4th) and 250 Pro Sport at Mid East.
Redbud Combine put all three of our guys in SMX Next on a Pro Motocross weekend. Weather delayed Moto 2. Will and Trinn had to leave for travel. Chace stayed, went 12th in Moto 1 with a +10 net, and finished 17th overall.
Then Loretta Lynn’s. Six top-10 overalls, a moto win, and a podium. Will 8th and 8th in both Pro Sport classes in his first year at that level at the ranch. Chace 10th in 250 Pro Sport. Trinn 8th and 8th in 250 B and Schoolboy 2. I won 45+ Moto 1 and finished 3rd overall.
That is the year in the hardest classes we could find.
Mini Olympics, Anaheim 2, Houston, Daytona, Birmingham, Spring A Ding, Philadelphia, and regionals. We do not have a Redbud gallery in the archive yet.
Will Canaguier
Will spent this season in SMX Next and Pro Sport — the two rooms where amateur racing looks the most like the next step. He did it while learning supercross from a standing start and racing through a neck that would not leave him alone.
The defining ride was Loretta’s 250 Pro Sport Moto 3. After a lap-down Moto 2 with two incidents, he went 6th, never got passed, and put in the cleanest moto of his week. That, plus 8th overall in Open Pro Sport (12-9-9) against Osborne, Gibson, and that title-fight field, is a ranch debut we will build on. Philadelphia dry qualifying — 4th in Q2 — told us the same thing: when the track is real, his speed belongs at the front.
Top fives:
- 3rd MX 250 Pro Sport at Spring A Ding (2-3)
- 4th SX Open A at Spring A Ding (6-4), charging from 8th to 4th in Moto 2
- 4th Open Pro Sport at the South East regional, beating a deep national-level field
- 4th in Philadelphia SMX Next Q2 on a rough dry track
Chace Lawton
Chace’s year is a bounce-back story with a championship in the middle. He missed top 6 at South East and Mid East, regrouped, and won the North East 250 Pro Sport regional at Southwick 1-1-2. Then he backed it up with 2nd in Open Pro Sport on the same gnarly track.
At the ranch, 10th in 250 Pro Sport in his first Pro Sport national is a real result. The 9th in Moto 2 — +6 net, zero incidents — was the Southwick version of Chace. SMX Next had the same pattern: A2 on a fever, Houston 11th, a Daytona RCSX podium after we fixed the bike Saturday night, then Philly luck that never arrived. He keeps answering the next gate.
Top fives:
- 1st 250 Pro Sport regional championship at Southwick (1-1-2)
- 2nd Open Pro Sport at Southwick
- 3rd RCSX 250 Pro Sport at Daytona (all-Kawasaki podium)
- 3rd SX Futures/Combine at Spring A Ding (3-3), including a charge from 8th to 3rd in Moto 2
- 5th SX 250 Pro Sport (5-5) and 5th MX 250 Pro Sport (6-6) at Spring A Ding
Trinnytie Batchelor
Trinn raced 250 B and Schoolboy 2, which is as deep as amateur motocross gets when you are not in Pro Sport. He also did it coming off a shoulder that put him in surgery instead of at Daytona.
Lincoln Trail was the answer: 1-1-1 for a regional championship, then two more podiums in the same weekend. At the ranch he went 8th and 8th, with a 5th in 250 B Moto 3 that made the MX Sports recap and a Schoolboy 2 Moto 3 where he ran 2nd off the start behind Tristan Prueitt. Mini-O’s 450 B podium feels like a long time ago. The comeback is the season.
Top fives:
- 1st 250 B regional championship at Lincoln Trail (1-1-1)
- 3rd SX 450 B at Mini Olympics, plus a 3rd-place Olympiad award
- 3rd 450 B and 3rd Schoolboy 2 at the North Central regional
- 5th MX 450 B at Mini Olympics (3-6)
- 5th in 250 B Moto 3 at Loretta’s
Chris Hunter
I raced the vet classes while running this program, and I went back to the ranch for the first time since 2023. Mid East gave me a 45+ Sportsman regional championship (1-1-1) and a dog fight in 40+. At Loretta’s I won 45+ Moto 1 and finished 3rd overall (1-3-4).
Closer to home I raced the District 2 MX Series. I won 40+ Senior A with 240 points — eight round wins, every gate I dropped in that class. I also won 30+ Vet A with 205 points, five round wins, and a couple of nights where the Open guys made it a real fight. In Open A I only lined up three times and still finished 2nd in the series (1-2-1).
That podium at the ranch matters to me. Watching Will, Chace, and Trinn do it in the premier amateur classes matters more. I loved being a part of this run this year, the boys taught me a ton and I think I was able to lead by example.
Top fives:
- 1st District 2 40+ Senior A (8 round wins, 240 points)
- 1st District 2 30+ Vet A (205 points)
- 1st Senior 45+ Sportsman regional championship (1-1-1)
- 1st in Senior 45+ Moto 1 at the ranch
- 2nd District 2 Open A (1-2-1 in three rounds)
- 3rd overall Senior 45+ at Loretta’s (1-3-4)
- 5th Senior 40+ at Mid East, tied in points for 3rd
Season Results
| Event | Rider | Class | Motos | Overall | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Will Canaguier | SX Open Pro Sport | 8 | 8th | Started 9th and moved forward on a minimally modified KX450. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Will Canaguier | SX 250 Pro Sport | 9 | 9th | Running 6th when a lapped rider hit him in the air; came in with a neck injury from a practice crash. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Will Canaguier | MX Open Pro Sport | 8 (M1 only) | — | Started 5th; only Moto 1 is in the race report. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Will Canaguier | MX 250 Pro Sport | 21-8 | — | Landed on in Moto 1 and rode from 30 seconds behind 2nd-to-last to 21st, then 8th in Moto 2 while banged up. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Chace Lawton | SX 250 A | 10 | 10th | First amateur national overall; came from 18th in the main. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Chace Lawton | SX 250 Pro Sport | 14 | 14th | Crashed from 12th to 20th on lap 4, then passed forward every lap to 14th. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Chace Lawton | SX Open Pro Sport | 9 | 9th | Started 13th and worked forward with a 1:08.750 best lap. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Trinnytie Batchelor | SX 450 B | 3 | 3rd | Held 3rd all 10 laps for his best Mini-O finish and a podium. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Trinnytie Batchelor | SX 250 B | 14 | 14th | Started 13th in the main after a 10th in Division 1. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Trinnytie Batchelor | SX Schoolboy 2 | 18 | 18th | Transferred through the consolation (2nd) after a 19th in Division 3. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Trinnytie Batchelor | MX 450 B | 3-6 | 5th | Combined with SX 3rd for a 3rd-place Olympiad award. |
| Mini Olympics 2025 | Trinnytie Batchelor | MX 250 B | 6 (M2 only) | — | Started 22nd in Division 2 and finished 6th in Moto 2; no overall published. |
| SMX Next Anaheim 2 | Trinnytie Batchelor | SMX Next Main | 15 | 15th | First full-SX SMX Next main; last-minute add with only 10 days of whoops practice, started 19th. |
| SMX Next Anaheim 2 | Chace Lawton | SMX Next Main | 17 | 17th | Rode with a fever; MotoPivot Metronome Award (0.43s variance). |
| SMX Next Houston | Trinnytie Batchelor | SMX Next Main | 17 | 17th | Hit Cole Forbes's downed bike on lap 7; struggled in the big rhythm lanes. |
| SMX Next Houston | Chace Lawton | SMX Next Main | 11 | 11th | Bounce-back from A2; 4th-fastest Sector 1 and dropped lap time almost every lap. |
| Daytona SMX Next | Will Canaguier | SMX Next Main | 12 | 12th | First SMX Next race; over-jumped a double in practice and raced with whiplash. |
| Daytona SMX Next | Chace Lawton | SMX Next Main | 18 | 18th | Outside gate and a bad start; speed showed in sectors but early-race intensity lagged. |
| Daytona RCSX | Chace Lawton | 250 Pro Sport | Heat 5 / Main 3 | 3rd | Premier amateur race of the weekend; all-Kawasaki podium after Saturday setup changes. |
| Daytona RCSX | Will Canaguier | 250 Pro Sport | Heat 3 / Main 10 | 10th | Holeshot the main, went down lap 1; neck tightness from the practice crash hurt his balance. |
| Daytona RCSX | Chace Lawton | Open A | 9 | 9th | Bad start and could not get back into the top five. |
| Daytona RCSX | Will Canaguier | Open A | DNS / pulled | — | Pulled from the final moto so he could rest the neck. |
| SMX Next Birmingham | Chace Lawton | SMX Next Main | 15 | 15th | Tough qualifying (P17/P22); started 11th and rode a steady main. |
| SMX Next Birmingham | Will Canaguier | SMX Next Main | 18 | 18th | Qualified up to P12 in Q2, then went down on lap 2 of the main. |
| Spring A Ding 2026 | Chace Lawton | SX 250 Pro Sport | 5-5 | 5th | Consistent front-half speed both motos (52.979 best in Moto 2). |
| Spring A Ding 2026 | Will Canaguier | SX 250 Pro Sport | 8-7 | 7th | Improved moto-to-moto; best lap dropped from 54.865 to 53.108. |
| Spring A Ding 2026 | Chace Lawton | SX Futures/Combine | 3-3 | 3rd | Charged from 8th on lap 1 to 3rd in Moto 2. |
| Spring A Ding 2026 | Will Canaguier | SX Open A | 6-4 | 4th | Worked from 8th to 4th in Moto 2. |
| Spring A Ding 2026 | Chace Lawton | SX Open A | — / DNF | DNF | Motorcycle issue in Moto 2 while running near the front. |
| Spring A Ding 2026 | Will Canaguier | MX 250 Pro Sport | 2-3 | 3rd | Podium in a stacked field. |
| Spring A Ding 2026 | Chace Lawton | MX 250 Pro Sport | 6-6 | 5th | Steady both motos with a 1:55.728 best in Moto 1. |
| Spring A Ding 2026 | Will Canaguier | MX Open A | 11-4 | 6th | Rebounded from a rough Moto 1 to 4th in Moto 2. |
| Spring A Ding 2026 | Chace Lawton | MX Open A | 12-7 | 9th | Moved up in Moto 2 and finished stronger than Moto 1. |
| SMX Next Philadelphia | Will Canaguier | SMX Next Main | 11 | 11th | Q2 4th in the dry; ran 3rd in the mud main before two crashes. |
| SMX Next Philadelphia | Chace Lawton | SMX Next Main | 16 | 16th | Taken out into the tough blocks on the first straight; bike buried in the mud. |
| Loretta's Regionals 2026 | Will Canaguier | Open Pro Sport (SE) | — | 4th | Beat a deep field of national-level riders at the South East regional. |
| Loretta's Regionals 2026 | Will Canaguier | 250 Pro Sport (ME) | 6-6-7 | 7th | Bike issue while inside qualifying at SE; start struggles at Mid East — rode better than the numbers. |
| Loretta's Regionals 2026 | Chace Lawton | 250 Pro Sport (NE) | 1-1-2 | 1st | Regional championship at Southwick after missing top 6 at SE and ME. |
| Loretta's Regionals 2026 | Chace Lawton | Open Pro Sport (NE) | — | 2nd | Held off Cole Forbes and fast locals at Southwick. |
| Loretta's Regionals 2026 | Chace Lawton | SE / ME regionals | — | Just outside top 6 | Missed qualifying at South East and Mid East before the Southwick rebound. |
| Loretta's Regionals 2026 | Trinnytie Batchelor | 250 B (NC) | 1-1-1 | 1st | Regional championship at Lincoln Trail coming off shoulder surgery. |
| Loretta's Regionals 2026 | Trinnytie Batchelor | 450 B (NC) | — | 3rd | Podium on a limited prep window after the Daytona injury. |
| Loretta's Regionals 2026 | Trinnytie Batchelor | Schoolboy 2 (NC) | — | 3rd | Podium; earned the green light for Redbud Combine. |
| Loretta's Regionals 2026 | Chris Hunter | Senior 40+ (ME) | — | 5th (tied 3rd pts) | Dog fight with Ezra Lusk, Jim Povolny, Willie Browning and more. |
| Loretta's Regionals 2026 | Chris Hunter | Senior 45+ Sportsman (ME) | 1-1-1 | 1st | Regional championship; first ranch trip since 2023. |
| SMX Next Redbud Combine | Chace Lawton | SMX Next | 12-18 | 17th | +10 net in Moto 1 (never passed); stayed for the weather-delayed Moto 2. |
| SMX Next Redbud Combine | Will Canaguier | SMX Next | 13-22 (M2 DNS) | 20th | 13th in Moto 1 with 3 incidents; left before the delayed Moto 2 for travel. |
| SMX Next Redbud Combine | Trinnytie Batchelor | SMX Next | 14-23 (M2 DNS) | 21st | 14th in Moto 1; left before the delayed Moto 2 for travel. |
| Loretta Lynn's Amateur National 2026 | Will Canaguier | Open Pro Sport | 12-9-9 | 8th | First Pro Sport week at the ranch; best lap dropped to 1:47.699 in Moto 3. |
| Loretta Lynn's Amateur National 2026 | Will Canaguier | 250 Pro Sport | 9-20-6 | 8th | Lap-down Moto 2 with 2 incidents, then a clean 6th in Moto 3 (never passed). |
| Loretta Lynn's Amateur National 2026 | Chace Lawton | Open Pro Sport | 18-19-22 | 17th | Moto 1 charge of +20 net passes after a rough start. |
| Loretta Lynn's Amateur National 2026 | Chace Lawton | 250 Pro Sport | 18-9-16 | 10th | First Pro Sport national; 9th in Moto 2 with +6 net and zero incidents. |
| Loretta Lynn's Amateur National 2026 | Trinnytie Batchelor | 250 B | 9-17-5 | 8th | 5th in Moto 3, named in the MX Sports / Racer X recap. |
| Loretta Lynn's Amateur National 2026 | Trinnytie Batchelor | Schoolboy 2 (12-17) B/C | 14-7-7 | 8th | 2nd off the gate in Moto 3 behind eventual champion Tristan Prueitt. |
| Loretta Lynn's Amateur National 2026 | Chris Hunter | Senior (40+) | 9-7-18 | 10th | Solid first two motos in a deep vet field; Moto 3 18th cost a better overall. |
| Loretta Lynn's Amateur National 2026 | Chris Hunter | Senior (45+) | 1-3-4 | 3rd | Moto 1 win and a podium at the ranch. |
| District 2 MX Series 2026 | Chris Hunter | 40+ Senior A | 8 wins | 1st | Swept every round entered; 240 points. |
| District 2 MX Series 2026 | Chris Hunter | 30+ Vet A | — | 1st | 205 points; five round wins, plus a 2nd and a 4th. |
| District 2 MX Series 2026 | Chris Hunter | Open A | 1-2-1 | 2nd | Three rounds, 93 points. |
Closing
We raced the hardest amateur classes in the country, and we finished the year with district titles, regional championships, SMX Next mains, Pro Sport top-10s at the ranch, and a KX250 we believe in. I could not be more proud of this group.
Next gate is the SMX Next Scouting Moto Combine at Ironman on August 29.
Thanks to Ryan Holliday and Kawasaki Team Green, Tyler at Powerband Racing Florida, Todd at Factory Connection, Joel at FMF, Evan at Thor, Jeff Cernic, Christian at Alpinestars, and every family that traveled all year. Huge thanks to our sponsors. None of this happens without you.
Race Reports
- Mini Olympics 2025
- SMX Next Anaheim 2
- SMX Next Houston
- Daytona SMX and RCSX
- SMX Next Birmingham
- Spring A Ding 2026
- SMX Next Philadelphia
- Loretta Lynn’s Regionals
- Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National
Redbud Combine: Moto 1, Moto 2, overall
Stay tuned for more race reports and team updates as Hunter Racing continues the 2026 season.
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