- 6 hours ago
2026 Supercross Round 10 Birmingham East West Showdown 250 West Qualifier 2
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome back inside Protective Stadium, downtown Birmingham, Alabama.
00:06Qualifier 2 of the Western Division getting ready to roll.
00:09We're fueled by Amazon.
00:10It's Levi Kitchen versus Hayden Deegan.
00:13They were 1-2 in Q1.
00:15There they are, one on the left side, one on the right side of the box.
00:19This is interesting, so this is going to be just a practice start.
00:21But a lot goes into this start right here, AC.
00:24It does.
00:25It's like, I hate to make a golf reference for you, JB,
00:27but starts are a lot like a golf league.
00:31Some days they're there, some days they aren't.
00:33And then you have the outlier every once in a while,
00:36the guy that can consistently get good starts,
00:38but it's so difficult to do off these grades.
00:41You have to be picture perfect every time.
00:43And getting a good practice start puts you in a good headspace going into tonight.
00:47Well, remember Levi Kitchen, when we took a break in that Western Division,
00:51this is what he struggled with most.
00:53Hayden Deegan's start started to come around.
00:55There you see Kitchen right there, a whole shot by still locked down.
00:58But Kitchen was fastest in four of the six segments on his way to being fastest in Q1 earlier today.
01:03So, no surprise, he's got a lot of speed.
01:07No surprise.
01:08But like we saw in the beginning of the season, if you don't get through the first corner,
01:12if you're buried, especially in a showdown,
01:14he's not going to have a chance to get up front and win, barring an unbelievable generational performance.
01:22So, for him, the start's been inconsistent.
01:25He's been a little bit better, had a good start at Seattle.
01:28But if he can get a good start, get up in the mix early, he does have a shot.
01:32But he has to be nailing it out of the game.
01:34I mentioned Kitchen fastest in four of the six segments.
01:37Hayden Deegan was not fastest in any of the segments.
01:40But, look, when the lights turn on tonight, you know this guy is going to be the one to beat
01:44on the 1W.
01:45There's no doubt about it.
01:47I mean, he is the benchmark.
01:48And I made a comment to start the show talking about the difference between really good and great.
01:54And there are a lot of really good pro racers, pretty much everybody that you see on the track.
02:01But greatness, you don't see it very, very often.
02:05And Hayden Deegan has crossed that threshold in Supercross this year.
02:08He is truly great in this discipline.
02:11And he just has total command over the field right now.
02:15And I think a lot of the guys he's racing with, I think they don't even compare themselves against Hayden.
02:20He's that good.
02:22Like, a lot of guys are just fighting for second place at this point.
02:26So, we know how strong his mental game is.
02:28But just what he's been able to do, how much better he's gotten in Supercross.
02:32We talked about the whoops.
02:34It's pretty spectacular to watch.
02:36And as a fan of the sport, it's fun for me to watch true greatness.
02:40Hayden Deegan on a five-race win streak.
02:42You mentioned off the top of the show, the last person to do six was nearly 20 years ago.
02:47It was 19 years ago.
02:48Ryan Villopoto did that six races in a row.
02:50He was unbelievable.
02:52Four-time Supercross champion.
02:54Ryan Villopoto.
02:56Shout-out RV.
02:58Levi Kitchen on screen.
02:59Fastest in Q1 earlier today.
03:01Makes a little mistake right there.
03:02And when the ruts, sorry to cut you off there, JB.
03:05And those ruts, when they're really deep, there's some acceleration bumps like that.
03:09If you get on the gas a little bit too hard, that rear end sinks low.
03:14The front end gets light.
03:15And that's what you saw from Levi.
03:18The trick is to come in to what we always talk about, that roll speed.
03:22So you're not transferring so much weight from the front end to the back end when you get on the
03:27gas.
03:27Kind of like that.
03:28Hayden electing to go table, table, then off, triple.
03:32You get inside right there.
03:34Haven't really seen anybody go outside triple.
03:36But this is interesting.
03:37So to start the day, a lot of guys were going inside out.
03:40Then Eli Tomac and Ken Rockson and Cooper Webb, they started to go outside in.
03:43So track crew's done a good job of kind of making these really, really similar.
03:46They have, seems like that inside and that second left is starting to come around a little bit.
03:52This has been the line all day in this rhythm section.
03:55Two, three, three.
03:56See Hayden getting to the inside there.
03:58Gosh, corner speed is some of the best in the game.
04:02And any time you can skim the whoops in the line that everybody's jumping,
04:06where it gets a little beat out like that,
04:08you know you have a lot of confidence in your machine
04:10because that back end can get really out of control in a hurry in that line.
04:14Yeah, really curious if this qualifying session is going to be faster.
04:19The times on your screen, that's from Q1 earlier today.
04:22Levi Kitchen was fast with a 52.1.
04:24This session so far, the fastest on track is a Ryder DeFrancisco at a 52.9.
04:30So only a tenth of a second off of his fastest as you see Max Anstey on screen.
04:33And I like the line from the veteran after the finish line.
04:37First guy to go inside of that low inside rut.
04:41Sometimes that's tough to do when the dirt's a little loose.
04:43Often it's a little more wet at the bottom of the turn,
04:47so you can't trust the traction.
04:48But I like him staying out of that deep rut, carrying the speed.
04:51Looks like he just made a little mistake in this rhythm here.
04:55Getting really ruddy in these turns.
04:57Or you can see that V right there that he's riding right down.
05:00It's a little bit smaller right there.
05:02But when you skim like that, if you hit the edges of the V,
05:04it kicks it out just like it did Anstey right there.
05:06It kicked his rear end out to the left.
05:09So a lot of guys will try to jump through that line.
05:11But if you're trying to skim, you're going to work the edges a little bit more.
05:14Levi Kitchen, one of the first ones to start jumping in Q1 earlier today,
05:18he was fastest in qualifying.
05:20So you wonder if a lot of guys watched that and said,
05:22you know what, we're going to go to jumping as well.
05:23And we talk about the little things.
05:26You need to do the little things well on a track like this.
05:28That's not super technical.
05:29You saw Levi make a little mistake out of that split lane.
05:32The left-hand inside wasn't able to get that double out of the corner.
05:37So all these little things you're going to have to do right pretty much every single lap
05:42at a higher intensity than, say, a more technical supercross like a couple weeks ago in Indianapolis.
05:47So all the little things, what I'm looking for this evening.
05:51Really curious on this track condition right now, AC.
05:54The track crew did go out.
05:55They basically prepped the entire track.
05:57It looked awesome for SMX Next.
05:58But the ruts have really came back.
06:00The dirt, pretty soft here today.
06:02They have.
06:03And I think we're sleeping on Birmingham dirt.
06:06We talk about riders' favorite track surfaces.
06:09St. Louis is one that always comes to mind.
06:12Houston is really good.
06:13Yeah, you love St. Louis.
06:16But Birmingham, it's a little bit dry over here.
06:19But just pulling into this stadium yesterday, seeing the Alabama, the southeast clay,
06:26I really like this condition.
06:27And I do think this evening, once the track crew gets out there, mellows everything out, packs it down,
06:32I don't think we'll see quite as big of ruts.
06:35But I could be wrong.
06:36Been wrong before.
06:38Taking that inside line before the bloops going triple, triple, triple.
06:41There goes double, triple right there to the outside.
06:44Some guys still trying to go triple and then double to the inside.
06:47Really, really hard to get that inside rut, though.
06:49It is.
06:50And we were talking about it with Justin Bogle before we came on air.
06:53But this is one of those tracks that it doesn't, if you're looking for a flow,
06:57you're probably going to be looking for a long time.
06:59Because this track just doesn't, it just doesn't connect well in a way that lets you just flow around the
07:05track in an efficient way.
07:07It's probably, even the guy that wins the race tonight, it's probably not going to feel,
07:11it's probably not going to feel great.
07:14The track's really notchy.
07:15You see a lot of these turns have, like, multiple hooks in them that kind of upset the balance of
07:20the bike.
07:20So you don't have to be perfect tonight.
07:23It may not be pretty, but that's just what this track calls for.
07:27Rider D on screen, third overall, 52.8.
07:30Rider D and Jorge Prado ride together a lot during the week.
07:33And if you were tuned in earlier, 450 Q1 Prado was down early.
07:37Let's go down to Lurks for an update on the 26.
07:41Alongside the number 26, Red Bull KTM Jorge Prado.
07:43So we saw it on Race Day Live.
07:45We felt it as fans.
07:46But give me an update on that crash.
07:48Well, yeah.
07:50After finish line, I went over the table and I was squatting that.
07:53Got a little bit of wheel spin this lap and obviously cased it pretty bad.
07:58Went over the bars and hit my stomach into the bars and the jump.
08:04So I hit, yeah, my stomach pretty bad.
08:05But I think I'm fine to go.
08:08We'll see later in second qualifying.
08:09But, yeah, I was lucky to escape out of that one without major injuries.
08:15But, yeah, feeling a little bit of my stomach right now.
08:17Hopefully we'll be good for the next qualifying.
08:20Red flag came out.
08:21Were you willing to go back and finish that qualifying session?
08:24Well, my bike was all banged.
08:26So it wouldn't be possible.
08:28But I was okay.
08:29I just, you know, couldn't breathe when the medics came over.
08:32I just couldn't even talk to them because I hit my stomach so bad I was out of breath.
08:36So, well, I think they did a good job, you know, taking care of me.
08:41Obviously it was a big impact.
08:42So hopefully we don't have any more red flags tonight for any other riders.
08:49Yeah.
08:51Great to see you back.
08:54Thank you, Lurch.
08:54That's some good news from Jorge Prado.
08:56Looks like he's going to be out there racing tonight.
08:58Absolutely.
08:59Jorge just got back, too, in Indianapolis.
09:02So glad to have him healthy.
09:03That was a big one earlier.
09:05He rolled out of it really well.
09:07And sometimes the guys that can take the hits, it's not necessarily just not crashing at all.
09:12It's the guys that can roll out of it, that can take the hits.
09:14Those are the guys that are the most durable, that are able to show up week in and week out.
09:19But we saw on screen why Jorge was, why Lurch was talking to Jorge.
09:24We saw Levi actually got, Hayden made a mistake, had to stop his fast lap
09:28and Levi was right there behind him, didn't know he was there.
09:32So Levi got caught up, had to start again here.
09:35But both these guys trying to throw down late.
09:39Levi Kitchen on a fast one right here.
09:40The replay walk us through it, AC.
09:42He comes around the corner.
09:44Hayden Deegan just made a little mistake in that turn.
09:48Doesn't see Levi right there.
09:49Levi's got to back it down.
09:50No harm, no foul.
09:51You don't see Levi getting too bent out of shape about that one.
09:55Nah, all good there.
09:57Fastest in Q1 earlier today.
10:00Levi Kitchen with that 52.1.
10:03So far here in this session, a 53.1.
10:05So the track is slowing down just that little bit as Ryder D goes to second with a 52.4.
10:11And that was in this session.
10:12So he's getting faster and faster.
10:14How about Ryder D?
10:15And Ryder, it's a career year so far for Ryder D.
10:18He's had little flashes of speed throughout his career.
10:21A great starter, a great amateur.
10:23But if Ryder D can kind of keep up this streak, this momentum, there's some guys hurt in his division
10:30now.
10:31So he's got a better chance of getting some podiums late in the year.
10:34I like where Ryder D's at.
10:36And I like the way that he's gelled with this Husqvarna.
10:39Well, we talked about it preseason, what guys could really have a career year and then be a championship guy
10:45going into 2027.
10:47Obviously, Ryder has yet to win a race.
10:49But we look for him to potentially get one maybe to end this season, maybe even here in the East
10:53-West Showdown.
10:54A lot of times, the championship favorites or the championship leaders don't win the showdowns.
10:58It's a guy like Ryder D that could potentially get it done here tonight.
11:01And often, before you're ready to win a championship, you typically see guys win a race or two in the
11:08season before.
11:10And so for Ryder D, this is clearly not his championship year.
11:14But if he is able to get a win late in the year, maybe Hayden's riding a bit cautiously because
11:20he's got the championship in the bag.
11:21If he's able to sneak one in there, it would go a long way for his championship hopes in 2027.
11:28See Max Voland right there in the bottom right-hand side of your screen.
11:32He's in the top five right now.
11:33He's fourth with a 53.2.
11:35And that time came just a couple laps ago.
11:37So he's feeling good here in Q2 on a fast one as well.
11:40Let's see if he can better his 53.2.
11:43As Voland goes 52.5.
11:47So he does.
11:47Wow, jumps up to third.
11:48And we know this.
11:49We know this about Max Voland.
11:52He has so much speed.
11:53He's had a pretty consistent year so far.
11:55As you see, Ryder D not wanting to give up the track position for his fast lap here.
12:01See what goes down.
12:02Oh, yeah.
12:04Oh, we've got to go back.
12:05We've got to get the camera back on that.
12:07We need a replay.
12:09Those two grew up racing each other.
12:12A lot of competition through the years.
12:13You think of the amateur national Loretta Lynn's going back and forth.
12:17And you know what that shows me?
12:19That shows me that Ryder D's got some added extra confidence here today.
12:22Yeah, any time you're getting into it with Hayden Deegan, you better be ready for a fight in the main
12:27event.
12:28So Ryder D, he has shown more aggression, more confidence, more belief in himself this year.
12:33But what you see here, Ryder is trying to get a clear lap to do a fast time.
12:38And he didn't want Hayden to go by him.
12:40So kind of sped up a little bit.
12:42Hayden comes in, brake checks him a little.
12:44Ryder D does the same.
12:46That's just a little bit of friendly competition, JB.
12:51You can see Hayden shaking his head like, come on, man.
12:54That shows some confidence from the 34, though.
12:56I don't mind that.
12:57I like it.
12:57No, I don't mind it either.
12:59And I think for Hayden, that's the best thing that you can do to Hayden Deegan.
13:03He loves to play those games.
13:05Often it makes him better.
13:08So we'll see if that's a storyline to follow going into the night show.
13:11All he points at the number one play says, you don't want any.
13:14Oh, wow.
13:15This is great.
13:16Love to see it.
13:18Love to see it from the 34 and the 1W.
13:21Let's get an octagon down there, JB.
13:23Let's see if there's any words right here.
13:25Hayden pointed to the 1, like he said.
13:27And it's red.
13:27He's the championship points leader by 35 points.
13:31But Ryder D has got some speed here today.
13:3352.1 from Levi Kitchen.
13:35But Ryder D fastest in that particular qualifier, 52.4.
13:41So Ryder feeling it.
13:42But Max Voland fast as well.
13:43Hayden Deegan fourth.
13:45And Hayden Deegan's teammate Max Anstey rounds out the top five.
13:48How about a shout-out Evan Ferry in the top 10, 54.3.
13:54Maybe his best practice of his career.
13:56So Evan Ferry showing some speed.
13:57Love to see it.
13:58That's your Western Division.
13:59They're done for the day except the heat races tonight.
14:02And the main event, Levi Kitchen fastest on the West.
14:07And the main event, Levi's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's
14:08teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max
14:08Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate
14:08Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's
14:08teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max
14:08Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anstey's teammate Max Anst