The first round of the SMX series went off in Columbus, Ohio and yeah, we all saw it. If you’re reading this and didn’t see it, go watch and come back. I’m betting if you are reading this though, you saw it.

And due to the weather, it wasn’t awesome. The mains were cut back, there was no practice on Saturday, and this is after Friday sessions were perfect, track was even dry and dusty! There’s not much to talk or type about when it comes to the race, it kind of is what it is right?

I've put my feelings on the SMX series out there already. There’s a lot of grumbling in the pits from the teams about this, as it hasn’t gone swimmingly, not the venues, not the schedule-whatever it is. It’s a long ass season. I know MX Sports gave up one race and I know Feld likes to say the Monster Cup used to be there but MEC was a month and a half after the last race so no one minded heading to Vegas for a casual weekend. This is really a long grind of 28 races, one weekend off and then three in a row. The crews are burnt out, this whole thing is expensive for them and the “WOW" factor has not been there. Being in St Louis' half empty dome last year, hot-ass Dallas Speedway the year before that or this year, a rain drenched 1970’s stadium in Columbus ain’t what we were told this series was going to be.

I know Feld can’t control the weather but when it rolls in and everyone already doesn’t really want to be there-well, things could get a bit heated as we saw with some of the team owners’/team managers getting suspended from the managers tower for the rest of the series due to negativity in the group text they’re all in.

The factory teams are getting paid to be there. Feld stepped up and paid the teams what they would normally pay the riders in bonuses to win, etc. and the teams can keep that money, but most of the teams are passing most of that money on to the riders, so they’re still out expenses to drive across the country. And that money is earned through results, so a smaller team that doesn't do well isn't getting a massive payday. So, yes, it’s great the riders and maybe some teams are getting paid but generally, this whole SMX thing is a suck of time/money and work. And it’s showing in the pits in some attitudes of some VIP’s as well.

Anyways, enough on that. Carson, CA this weekend isn’t going to be anyone’s idea of anything other than a 19^th SX without whoops but let’s hope the third round in Branson shows some potential.

With that, let’s go through the winners and losers of the opening round of SMX:

I know I just poured cold water on the entire SMX “thing” but despite the downpour and the delays on Saturday, the crowd seemed to mostly stick around and they were into it. I met a lot of cool people walking around the pits and they seemed into it, despite the obstacles and the not-great mud racing they saw. So, yay for them. Ohio people didn't seem bothered about the rain one bit.

I put this on my social media, the before and after of the starting line. We got a lot of rain Saturday in the morning. Like, a LOT. Like, the press box was leaking in a half a dozen spots. The track was a disaster but after the lightning hold went away, the dozer guys got busy and they turned it into something that was raceable. Good job to the Dirt Jerks!

I mean duh, 1-1 and his first 450 win in dominating fashion. Got the lead out of the first turn and took off. Did he have some sketchy moments? Yes, he did but who didn’t? The 2026 Motocross series did not go to plan, but this was a first strike to the field and he looked great.

Yeah, Kenny raced a truck last weekend and yeah, he said he didn’t do a lot of prep coming in but it’s Ken Roczen! He went 2-2 and at times was closing on Deegan but he really got “unlucky” with the lappers at times. He also fell late in moto two when he was catching the 38. Great riding by Kenny who told us on Monday night that he was not sure still on coming back next year. The smart money says he does though!

Prado continued his good riding from Ironman with a 3-4 on the day and he also took the SMX Points lead as well! Sometimes we’ve seen Prado not ride that well in muddy SX conditions but on this day, he was good.

Joey told me he’s ridden SX three times coming in off a wrist injury. Well, he ended up fifth overall! Yes, it was mud but still, at one point he briefly passed Prado for third. He wasn't really ready? Savatgy’s a liar everyone.

Shane McElrath was an LCQ guy on a still-new Beta machine and ended the night winning that race and then getting an eighth overall. But also, as we’ve seen, he can ride the mud so this shouldn’t have been that surprising.

Levi didn’t ride after his Ironman crash due to a thumb injury, and he couldn’t have been stoked with that, with MXDN coming up and also losing a title and second in the points. But he rode really well to pass Dax Bennick for second late in main 2 for the overall. He didn’t win a main, but they don’t ask that, they just ask who won and it was Levi Kitchen!

I know Davies went 22-1 for tenth but he’s still a winner? Did you see that start from the outside in main 2? Did you see him crush it in main 2? And he WAS crushing it in main 1 until he got mud in his brake, abused his clutch and broke his bike. I mean, yeah man, Davies was absolutely on fire in Columbus. Weird to me that he landed off the finish, jammed his brake on, looked down like he knew what had happened and then kept trying to ride it? Like, why not stop and reach down to fix the issue? Maybe his rear brake pistons in the caliper were out and stuck (seen that) which he couldn’t fix but the more likely issue was his pedal? I don’t know man, seemed weird why he kept trying to ride the bike. Also, it’s not just Davies but I hear from a lot of managers that the younger generation is absolutely clueless on what a bike is doing out there. Which makes sense when you see how they ride them right?

Dax Bennick was a couple of laps from going 1-2 and winning the whole thing for his biggest win as a pro. I thought he looked a little winded as Kitch caught him so that’s got to be a bit of a bummer, but he still rode really well. And I think we can, upon thinking about the races that Dax has done well at, classify him as a “mudder.”

Yup, another podium for Ryder D who was pretty quiet at this race, he was a ways back but he kept it on two wheels and showed again how close he is to breaking through here. We still are looking for “that” ride from Ryder, I think it’s coming but…when?

Cameron McAdoo has to race the LCQ at these things due to injuries suffered this season. We haven’t seen much of him lately outside of a good ride in WSX at Calgary for the Quad Lock Honda guys while riding a Kawasaki (?!?). Anyways, going through the LCQ and then ending up fifth overall for Cam is solid! I didn’t have that on my bingo card, if he keeps this up he’ll be making some good cash.

Hunter Lawrence is fighting a wrist injury sure but holy smokes did Columbus go bad! The number-one seeded rider crashed, I don’t know, 96 times maybe? He didn’t get starts and it was a mess from there. The 8^th in moto two was STILL with some crashes. He’s now sixth in the points which with the gimmick of double and triple points, means he’s not out of this by any means but his margin of error just went very thin.

The defending 250SMX champion Jo Shimoda came back to racing after an injury and I guess Jo’s been stateside for too long because usually Japanese riders are good in the mud but Jo…was not. Tough day for HRC really although Chance Hymas had a good second moto. You know what Honda? This is how other teams feel most of the time!

Starts are so important in races like this and ET3 didn’t get them but still, after that there didn’t look to be a lot of speed or fight out there for the legend. Just two to go for ET and I’m sure he won’t look back on this one with any sort of fondness.

Holy smokes man, the Bar-X guys are all based in California and from California and it showed. Turner, Schwartz and Ross crashed SO MANY TIMES. Every time I looked out there, one of them was picking up a Yamaha. Tough start for them and the team! Turner did get 11^th so that’s okay but yikes!

Max Anstie won Anaheim 1 and then WSX earlier this summer in Calgary. Devin Simonson got a podium and was a real breakout star of SX this year. Both guys were in the LCQ and both guys got bad starts, Anstie might have had a goggle issue but either way, for neither of them to get into the main when six of the nine guys got in was shocking. Not a great start for the guys there. The one bright spot was Max Vohland putting together fourth overall! I remember his dad winning a mud race at Budds Creek a long time ago. His mother was a mudder and his father was a mudder?

Thanks for reading, we’re onto Carson, California this weekend where I predict it will NOT be a mudder. One day format also (*cough, again not what they told us these things will be) but let’s go racing I suppose. Email me at matthes@racerxonline.com to chat about this or anything else.