The Weekend Breakdown | 2026 Indianapolis 1

Indianapolis' vast Lucas Oil Stadium remains a historic event on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross schedule, so it's perhaps predictable that its 2026 edition will become a reference point. A variety of narratives have shaped Lewis Phillips' recapitulation.

ELI 'MAPS' PATH TO TURN ONE

Supercross' ninth round tested Eli Tomac in more ways than one, so a silver medal must be considered a success. Not that he will accept that, however, as he lost three points to Hunter Lawrence at a point where he could have climbed atop the hierarchy for the first time since Arizona. It's a testament to Lawrence that Tomac's yet to return to the top of 450SX's fold – so many presumed that he would rebound swifter.

Subpar starts have hindered his bid for the red plate, as he is yet to nail those in the manner that he did at the start of the term. Indianapolis marked the first time that he's had consecutive top three starts since the first two rounds – a time where he raved about the power delivery and output of his KTM 450 SX-F. For reasons unknown, it seems that he and team moved away from that sweet spot.

"It was not so much of a problem but, like normal, you look for something and make changes, then he tried some stuff at home and gave us an idea," Ian Harrison said in the wake of his rider's podium appearance. "Tonight, we basically went back there and it worked really well. Eli had great starts, except for the first one." Pushed further, Harrison admitted that the alterations revolved around mapping and power delivery.

Bizarrely, Tomac's average start position is currently his worst since 2020. An odd development after his starting prowess in January.

Verdict: Lawrence's starts forced focus from Tomac's camp.

HONDA HRC'S SETTINGS HUNT

Hunter Lawrence has often hinted that he is somewhat displeased with his CRF450R's set-up but chosen not to expand when pressed. It's a trend that stretched into Indianapolis' press day festivities: "The bike's good," he said in deep thought. "You are always trying to improve the motorcycle, right? I think that is safe to say. No, I'm not chasing a perfect bike. I'm chasing a bike that works with me and helps me help it."

From the same author: Lars Lindstrom on Lawrence's suspension bid

Lawrence's remarks caused me to recollect about a conversation with Jett Lawrence at November's AUS-X Open. Jett, still limited on supercross experience with Honda's latest CRF450R, was much more open about where his bike was at in preparation for 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross. "It's more so Showa themselves," he said. The motor is good – we have figured out the chassis really well too and it's mint. It's just finding what's good with the suspension that helps the frame, because it's a really good frame."

It's perhaps not much of a stretch to draw parallels between the two situations, although naturally the time that's passed would have helped.

Five consecutive days of track time, kickstarted with three test days in Florida, culminated in Lawrence's second career win in 450SX. It was just as powerful as his first: no assistance, presents or luck involved. '96' was without doubt the best rider, proven by a dominant path to the win in the last main event. It appears more and more likely that he could be destined to become the Lawrences' second 450SX champion.

Verdict: It's possible that Hunter has more to offer 450SX…

WEBB OFF BASE WITH 'BASE'

Cooper Webb inspired confidence with his pre-race comments about returning to his base set-up from earlier in the season (rounds three and four to be exact). A return to that familiarity, and an admission that he and the team had strayed too far in the wrong direction, was quite valuable. The result meant that flame disappeared quite quickly, much to his dismay.

"We have tried to improve, mainly the shock for him in the whoops and other stuff like traction," Rich Simmons, team manager, said on Friday. "We thought we had improved. We saw positive results in Houston and Glendale. Things just stand out, and you think, 'go back to ol' trustworthy.' We tried some stuff in Daytona that pointed us in that direction, so we just put it back on. It feels like home to him, so we'll see what he can do with it."

Webb was reflective after his fifth podium in six rounds, adamant that he had to improve. '1' even admitted that he will work on whoops with Justin Brayton in the week off.

"It's more with me," he added afterwards. "The bike is plenty capable and I am comfortable with it, like it didn't do anything tonight that was not great. Whoops were, for me, clearly not great at the start. You can work on the bike and that is what we tried. Maybe you lose some other stuff? It's just little stuff, like tire selection could have changed the whoops. You can look at different things but, overall, I have just got to be better."

Verdict: Those first few rounds now loom large for Webb…

COOPER'S COMMENTS CUT

Justin Cooper, a victim of his subtle personality, can be overlooked despite superb pace at points. Finally, his on-track potential was clear to all when he stormed past Tomac to win the second race in Indianapolis. Cooper was the best on track by more than a second at one point, which is not entirely uncommon – his Daytona heat race is proof of that.

Cooper was understandably full of joy afterwards but went out of his way to address some controversial moments with Jorge Prado. "I'm not pumped on that – he cross jumped me a few times in the first and third races," Cooper recalled. "He just… It's pretty dangerous. I'm all for squeezing someone off, but the cross jump is not cool. The risk level goes way up and we don't need more risk out there. If he hears you then he is coming over. I don't like to ride like that."

Harrison, Prado's team manager at KTM, had more sympathy for Prado's predicament. "I'm not making excuses for anyone but think that he has only had twelve races and the track is really narrow," he said. "What about other riders that been doing this for ten years? It's difficult, and they don't have mirrors behind them. I want him to be safe, but those are things that we need to work on."

Verdict: Cooper deserves applause and a lot less criticism.

KENNY 'ROCS' WITH SUZUKI

So much of this feature has been about bike set-up, an anomaly at this point of the year. These conversations are more common at Anaheim 1 than Indianapolis. There's one man, however, who remains steadfast in his opinion that there is no need to test: Ken Roczen. Even one podium in four weeks hasn't dimmed his resolve.

The optimism that surrounds his set-up paled in comparison to the smirk when quizzed on an increased presence from Suzuki Japan engineers. The tale's well known at this point: Suzuki has flirted with more support, increasing their presence and involvement in the Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear ECSTAR Suzuki team. This was clear in both Daytona and Indianapolis, as multiple Japanese employees donned team garb.

"I'm definitely excited," Roczen beamed. "We had our test rider here this week too. We are all talking about the right things. I'm in the middle of the racing right now, but I do want to dig a little bit deeper. I want to know what we're doing. We are talking about the right things, but now we have got to go! I think there's a lot of stuff in the works. They have been very attentive and to pretty much the entire season, I feel like."

Rumors of a return to MXGP, with a prototype bike that's been tested in California, have swirled around Belgium for months. Sylvain Geboers – the man who led Suzuki's factory team for decades – visited the Japanese base to discuss potential avenues into a competitive return in November, so the wheels are somewhat in motion. It seems that, from Roczen's perspective at least, a clear direction is yet to be defined.

I heard that a return to the FIM Motocross World Championship is likely to happen first, because of the chance to race a bike that's not available to the public, but then a source at the weekend stated that Suzuki has said the opposite and the SMX team will take priority. Mixed messages, sure, but critically both indicate that there is an intention to dive back in.

Verdict: It's uncommon, but positivity surrounds Suzuki…