SuperMotocross DataLab | 2026 Houston 2

The most compelling narratives are often found in the numbers, milestones and fine margins. The fourth stop of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season in Houston delivered plenty, and they are unpacked below.

• Cooper Webb's Houston win was Yamaha's 192nd in the premier division, cementing the brand's position as second among manufacturers behind Honda's 236 triumphs. 2026 marks Yamaha's fifth consecutive season with at least one 450SX victory – its longest streak spanned 16 seasons from 1997 through 2012.
• Yamaha has the second highest number of 450SX victories in the 2020s too – Houston was the brand's 27th in this decade. KTM is the winningest manufacturer in that time span, with just two more triumphs than the BLUCRU. Honda has 25 – four away from leading the 2020s – and Kawasaki 18.
• For Webb, Houston was his 31st win in 450SX (eighth on the all-time list) and his 50th across all disciplines (13th all-time). It was his tenth in 450SX on a YZ450F, making him the ninth Yamaha-mounted rider to hit double digits. Webb won 21 main events with KTM, for context.
• Chad Reed (35 victories in the premier class with Yamaha), Jeremy McGrath (27), Bob Hannah (26), Damon Bradshaw (19), James Stewart (19), Eli Tomac (16), Mike Bell (11) and Broc Glover (10) are the other stars with ten or more 'blue' wins at the pinnacle of supercross.
• Houston marked Webb's 155th top ten in Monster Energy AMA Supercross (132nd in 450SX) and his 120th top five (102 in 450SX). It was his 94th podium (77th in 450SX) and that carried his podium percentage in the premier division to 54%.
• For the first time in 2026's season, Webb crossed the holeshot line inside of the top five. '1' is yet to make it to the line in the top three, however, as his best start came in the second race (fourth). Webb's average starting spot has sat between fourth and sixth in each of his last seven years. Seventh is his current average.

• For just the fourth time, the winner of the Triple Crown has achieved gold without seeing the checkered flag first once. Tomac (Arlington in 2022), Webb (Anaheim 2 in 2024) and Chase Sexton (Glendale in 2025) had previously won in this fashion.
• However, this was the first time that the Triple Crown victor has failed to lead a single lap. Tomac led eleven laps in 2022's example, then Webb and Sexton led one apiece in those instances where they didn't win a race on the night.
• Webb won the Triple Crown with nine points on his scorecard – that ties the highest total for a Triple Crown winner. The previous example of a winner with nine points was Webb at Anaheim 2 in 2024 (he went 5-2-2 at that event). There are six instances of the winner having eight points.
• Before 2026, Hunter Lawrence's average finish in the 450SX division was eighth. Already, thanks to a superb start to this season, he's pulled his career average to sixth (his average finish in 2026 is third). Lawrence and Tomac are the only ones to finish in the top four at every race this year.
• Lawrence has collected the silver medal on three consecutive weekends; one active rider in the 450SX class can relate to that. Roczen was second from rounds twelve to fourteen in 2016 and followed that with a win. Could '96' follow a similar trend?
• For the fifth time in thirteen 450SX seasons, Roczen has had three podiums in the first four rounds. '94' had two podiums in the first four stops in five of those seasons. Houston's podium marked his 79th in 450SX – his podium percentage in the class is 48%.
• This is the lowest podium total that Sexton has had in four rounds of 450SX since his rookie season in 2021, which was injury riddled (he bowed out after a crash in round two). This is also the first time that he has not led the series across the first four rounds since 2023.
• Jason Anderson finished in the top ten at a Monster Energy AMA Supercross event for the 170th time (144 times in 450SX). Anderson led laps at an event for the 40th time in his career too (33rd 450SX event). Three events stand between him and his 200th start.

The Section 

A Triple Crown adds valuable perspective on starting prowess, since three main events test just how consistently each rider launches from the gate. The table below records each athlete's position at the holeshot line and converts those numbers into a cumulative score using the event's standard format.

There are limited patterns in the data, yet Lawrence's consistency off the gate is evident and has played a critical role in his results. Reliable starts have been especially beneficial as many of his fellow title contenders star lower on this scorecard. Webb, for instance, has been mediocre in the first ten seconds of a main, yet being consistently ordinary proved beneficial in Houston.

Perhaps the greatest takeaway from this chart is that Sexton does not appear in the top ten – his starts would have put him sixteenth overall. A dire position for a championship threat. One poor start can be chalked up to a misstep, but to be so consistently bad around Houston's first turn is perhaps telling. For context, he has rounded turn one in the top ten just twice in 2026's six main events.

The Quote

Speaking of Sexton, no details came from him over Houston's weekend. There were no post-race interviews and he was not included in the media 'scrum' immediately after the event, so fans have been scratching their heads. The quote below, taken from Monster Energy Kawasaki's press release, sheds some light.

"Tonight was tough. The first race was solid, and I felt like I was right where I needed to be, but the second race made things harder with the start, and I had to work my way forward and be smart about it. Going into the third race, it was about salvaging the best overall result possible and staying consistent. The speed is there, and I know we’re close. The team never stopped pushing, and we’ll learn more about the bike and apply it moving forward." – Chase Sexton

What we do know is Sexton, who was meant to return to Florida this week, has returned to California to continue testing with the team.

The Fact

Cooper was invisible for the most part, but he posted Houston's quickest lap time on the last lap of the last main. Not only that, but the time was 0.792 faster than any other lap time in that specific race. This is a source of hope for the Cooper contingent and sits next to some promising numbers from the first two rounds.

Less encouraging are the positions that he has occupied across the holeshot line: he has been better than eleventh just once (that was Houston's second main event where he started fourth). It seems that a solution's far away too, as he has already tested a cable clutch and different internals.