Anaheim, Calif. — The 2026 SuperMotocross World Championship kicked off in spectacular fashion Saturday night as Ken Roczen charged to a second-place overall finish in front of a sold-out Angel Stadium crowd at Anaheim 1.
Roczen led the way for Progressive Insurance/Cycle Gear Suzuki, with PMG teammate Jason Anderson earning a solid fifth-place overall finish and Colt Nichols rounding out the night in 12th on board their Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance. The opening round marked a strong start for the PMG Suzuki squad, placing three riders inside the top 12.
“It was a good night for the PMG team,” said team manager Larry Brooks. “The first round is always stressful, but Ken did what he always does and delivered with a podium finish. Jason is still getting comfortable on the bike and finished fifth, which is solid. Colt had a tough break with a crash in his heat race but battled back to finish 12th in the main. Putting three Suzuki’s in the top 12 is something to be proud of. I’m stoked with how the night went, and we’re going to keep this momentum rolling into the next round.”
Roczen showed speed all day, winning his heat race before engaging in a hard-fought main event on a challenging, deteriorating track.
“Overall, it was a really good day,” said Roczen. “I felt good from the start and had a great battle in the main event. The track was very tricky and broke down a lot, so it was easy to make mistakes. I’m really happy to come away with second place. It’s a great way to start the season, and now the focus shifts to the next round.”
Anderson continued to build momentum in his debut season with the team.’
“I ended up fifth on the night,” Anderson said. “It was a pretty eventful race for everyone, and for me it was solid. I’ve been a bit under the weather, but I managed the race well and got a decent start. We’ll keep working and see if we can improve from here.”
Nichols overcame adversity early in the night after a heat race crash forced him to fight his way through the Last Chance Qualifier.
“We’ll take it,” said Nichols. “It was definitely a better Anaheim 1 for me in 2026 than in 2025. I made things tough on myself with the heat race crash, and the bike was a little tweaked, so I had to qualify through the LCQ. Starting last in the main, I had to fight my way up to 12th. I’m happy with the effort and know we have a lot of room to improve. It was a good first race, and we’ll keep plugging away each weekend.”
Pipes Motorsports Group now turns its attention to Round 2 of the 2026 SuperMotocross World Championship, set for this Saturday, January 17, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. Coverage begins with Race Day Live at 10:00 a.m. PST on Peacock, followed by the first gate drop at 4:00 p.m. PST.
About Pipes Motorsports Group
Pipes Motorsports Group is home to the Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki and Twisted Tea Suzuki race teams, competing at the highest levels of Supercross, Motocross, and SuperMotocross. With a focus on performance, innovation, and teamwork, PMG represents the proud racing heritage of Suzuki while pushing the sport forward for the next generation of fans and riders.
