Who wins the 250 MX championship in 2026?

The one with the most points at the end 😆

But no I don’t even have a guess. It seems open now to so many!

My heart wants Forkner, but my brain tells me it’s a toss up between Shimoda, Davies, Kitchen or Hymas

Davies

Kitchen

Throw another one in for Kitchen

I mean it's time for Shimoda to get it done imo. Multiple years he was basically the 2nd guy, either behind Jett, Hunter or Deegan, but felt like he always just gets going too late. It's time to put some good rounds in early and show them what JoSho can do.

Edit: Well, not the best start 😂, but it's just qualifying so we chillin

Shimoder

I’m going Hammaker

Ditto

Davies and Kitchen are the only ones who seem to be able to handle the pressure. We’ve seen what Davies can do already , winning in year 2. He’s clearly talented and it’s only a matter of time before that transfers into MX (we’re already seeing flashes from qualifying and Budds Creek).

Kitchen always looks like a new rider without Deegan there (remember 24 SX), and is bringing a new level of speed.

Hymas will be fast but has yet to be able to string together a full season across any series.

Shimoda just doesn’t seem to be able to ride to the same level when the spot light is on him. He seems to be able to ride faster when someone like Jett or Deegan is there to raise the ceiling and push the limit (almost the opposite effect of Kitchen)

A good start to our prediction 

After today I'm even more clueless as before. Literally no idea 

6 different winners this year. Great ride from Seth and Levi dug deep. Shimoda and Hymas will get better for sure as the season goes on. 

My favourites after today would go something like this:

Shimoda>Davies>Kitchen>Hammaker>Hymas>Dudney>Beaumer

I do accept that this could be way off and it is too early to have a solid idea

At this point I think a top 10 would be a win for Forkner   

Moto results are all over the place for these guys at Pala except Hammaker. Going to be a wild summer. 

Ryder D looked pretty good yesterday. running 4th early in moto one before somehow hitting  the  ground . A solid 3rd in moto 2 .. Could  have easily been a top 3 overall  instead of  a 10th...We might finally get to see him do something with all the talent he has..

I feel no better informed after the weekend about who will win the title.  

I’m used to being disappointed by Shimoda at this point. He really, really surprised me at the end of last year but this SX season was more of the same and I saw it again this weekend. Just absolutely unable to get a decent [start] and struggles so hard when it comes to lining up and timing his passes. Hymas is another one of my favorites but as others have said, has yet to put together a full season. Just finishing this year would be a win for him.

All that to say, I really hope the Kawi guys can break their curse. Hammaker has a good shot if he and Levi can keep a respectful distance. The last couple years it seems their undoing as a team is when they’re close together.

If I had of seen this thread prior to the races I would have said Hymas.

Now I have no idea.

Idk but Forkner shit the bed. Saw him limping before the race. Must be injured......still

Shimoda will likely come on strong but as usual - too late. 

My bet would be Davies. 

I think the 250 class will have multiple winners this season from: Hammaker, Kitchen, Davies, Thrasher, Shimoda, Hymas, Beaumer, DiFrancesco… on any given day any one of these guys can take the win. However, when it comes to the championship, I think it’ll be highly contested between both Team Green riders. Hammaker and Kitchen will be battling each other till the very end with Kitchen taking the title.

Shimoda will win with consistency.

Seth, and Cole, are likely to be the most consistent.

Shimoto….will win it….always starts off slow… Kitchens has the speed but always finds a way to lose…IE 2nd moto and the no urgency to get moving again is baffling…..Hammaker could win it….seems like a good dude…Romano proving his worth…..Turner is solid, somebody should scoop him up moving forward…maybe get sister as well…like the dudes from Australia….first round jitters, it will take a few rounds to separate the contenders…bummed for Forkner, was hoping for better results after all his injuries….

From the first race, I'd say Davies. Shimoda, Kitchen, and Hammaker all have a pattern of just not making it hapoen; whether it's injuries, choking, or not starting strong enough. 

With Davies showing he has the outdoor ability and having the confidence of a champion, I think he's got the best shot.

I’m going to go with Shimoda. Hammaker crashes too much. Davies was fading. Kitchen doesn’t come through the pack as well as Shimoda. 

Shimoda will always go forward. Just needs to fix his starts. 

My sleeper is Dudney. I think if he can not have many of those rookie mistakes, he has the starts and speed to pull it off 

My pre rd 1 pick was Anstie but we all saw how that went 

Seth or Cole.  But.... the meat grinder can strike at any time.

If Kitchen can put together two good motos in most of the races, he has the best shot. That's a big "if," however. Hammaker really stepped it up, and if he finishes on the podium again he'll start getting dangerous.