Inside Kawasaki's Assault: 2026 Gamble 6

Once a picture of dominance in the SMX World Championship, the Monster Energy Kawasaki squad has grown uncomfortably 'green' while watching success pass them by in recent times. The 2026 season appears as a make-or-break chance for them to rewrite the narrative and put the KX450 at the front once more.

Chase Sexton's an astute acquisition for the Japanese factory – yet one that backs it into a corner after a checkered year with Jorge Prado. Sexton, a proven winner and champion, boasts a résumé that the sport knows intimately, and any fresh weakness will be easy to trace back to the KX450. Keen onlookers will be especially sensitive to this after the wayward trajectory of the machine over the past twelve months.

Simply put, Kawasaki has little credit to fall back on.

The KX450 was the winningest bike in Monster Energy AMA Supercross for five consecutive years – from 2010 to 2014 – which makes its current winless streak of 51 indoor events difficult to comprehend. Even more striking is their absence of silverware – just ten podiums in the same span. Pro Motocross has done very little to enhance the picture either, with no victories and only two podiums in three years.

Each manufacturer – from Husqvarna and GASGAS to Suzuki – has won more recently than Kawasaki. The last time the office in Tokyo faced a similar dry spell was from 1980 to 1984. Now consider the consequences if even Sexton (a winner in even his darkest moments as a KTM-mounted athlete) cannot push green to prominence? It is impossible to shy away from the importance of this season.

That said, the manufacturer should correct course in supercross.

Paramount is the fact that Prado, ever critical of his KX450 outdoors, never spoke negatively of its supercross potential. In fact, he only tested it in that discipline – reportedly so too did Sexton – prior to agreeing his terms. The bike clearly earned the seal of approval, on multiple accounts, within the tight confines of supercross. Jason Anderson, too, has shown flashes on and off, his decline more indicative of age than machinery.

Kawasaki's lack of recent supercross success therefore reflects its rosters more than the bike itself – at least for now. Not only is it time for the KX450 to win again, but also for the team to field a rider capable of delivering that success. This will inevitably prompt changes within the organization: the mindset must evolve, and so too the working methods. Sexton, like Prado before him, will push their resources to the limit.

It's Pro Motocross where intrigue truly lies, though the confidence built in the winter will be critical.

Another subplot in Kawasaki's 2026 rebuild could silence wider criticism. Adam Cianciarulo was the most recent rider to graduate from Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki to the 450SMX wing. Before that, Joey Savatgy made the leap only to be discarded after one term. Evidence suggests Kawasaki has grown hesitant to promote from within – enough to make any 250F rider question his long-term prospects.

That same reluctance extends to amateur motocross, where Pro Circuit has been slower to transition Team Green talent into the professional ranks. Rewarding and trusting Garrett Marchbanks with the second 450SMX seat is therefore significant: a long-overdue gesture that signals a clearer pathway for riders to build a full career draped in green – much like Sexton once did through Honda's internal system.

Sexton chases trophies, whilst Marchbanks reestablishes Kawasaki's pyramid system. It's possible that multiple 'issues' will be solved over the next twelve months. They should be, at least. If that fails to materialize, the issues at hand will become much more troublesome.

The stakes are high. The potential is higher.