AMA Supercross Is Over, But the Season Is Far From Finished For Quad Lock Honda!
The 2026 AMA Supercross Championship may be complete, but the work, commitment and pursuit of improvement never stop for the Quad Lock Honda Team.
For 17 consecutive rounds, the team lined up and raced against some of the biggest and best-funded organisations in world motocross and supercross. There were highs, breakthroughs, setbacks and heartbreaks. Yet for the seventh consecutive year, the Cairo, Georgia-based program, operating from the Millsaps Training Facility, continued to show up, race hard, evolve and refuse to quit.
That mindset is the foundation of the team. Turning up when the odds are against you. Continuing to believe when losing is a possibility. Because ultimately, that is how winning is achieved.
The final round in Salt Lake City delivered one of the most memorable championship finales in recent history. In front of more than 50,000 fans, the premier class title fight came down to the final night. The crowd witnessed intensity, pressure and emotion, but what many don’t see is the sacrifice it takes for riders to even make it to that point.
The team congratulates both Hunter Lawrence and Ken Roczen on an incredible championship battle. Through injuries, exhaustion, pressure and adversity, both riders continued to fight until the very end. One rider leaves with the championship, but the sport itself leaves stronger, with new fans, greater respect and renewed appreciation for what these athletes endure.
The Quad Lock Honda Team achieved its strongest overall finish in the premier class to date, despite enduring significant injuries throughout the season.
Joey Savatgy was as high as sixth in the championship standings, an outstanding achievement in a class stacked with factory-backed talent. His season included a heat race victory and a career-best fourth-place finish at Round 15. However, adversity struck hard. Savatgy broke his foot at Round 9, he continued racing despite the pain, only missing one round, before suffering a dislocated wrist at Round 16, ultimately ending his championship early.
“Everything was great until it wasn’t,” said Savatgy. “But I can’t dwell on the negatives. This was a great season. The team made big improvements, I felt comfortable and I was enjoying racing again. My focus now is getting healthy, getting back on the bike and returning stronger.”
The Quad Lock Honda Team was also the only independent program to place four riders into the premier-class Main Events.
Dean Wilson returned for the final five rounds of the championship and immediately proved he could still compete with the world’s best. Wilson finished as high as eighth and closed the season with another top-ten result in Salt Lake City.
“I just wanted to come back and be competitive,” Wilson explained. “I never want people to think I’m wasting their time. America is home to me. Three top-ten finishes in five starts is solid, and I know there’s still areas where I can improve. I still have a lot of racing ahead of me, but it felt great to be back.”
Christian Craig finished the season strongly with ninth place in the final round, but admitted the year did not meet his own expectations.
“We didn’t achieve the results we were capable of,” Craig said. “There were moments where the speed was there, just not consistently enough. Expectations and overthinking probably got the better of me at times. But I still love racing and I still love the work. I know we can be better, and I’m motivated to figure out how.”
Shane McElrath showed flashes of impressive speed throughout the season, recording five top-ten finishes and a season-best sixth place result. However, McElrath was equally honest in his assessment of the year.
“I’m not satisfied with the overall season,” McElrath said. “Looking back, there are definitely things we could have approached differently. Right now, it’s important to reflect, reset and understand where we went wrong so we can improve moving forward. There’s still a lot of racing left this year.”
Team Principal Martin Davalos reflected on the scale of the journey.
“Honestly, wow. It feels like the season started yesterday,” Davalos said. “Seven years of chasing dreams, building fans, creating memories and learning lessons. None of it happens without the commitment of our riders, staff, sponsors and MTF. Thank you to everyone who continues believing in this program, especially American Honda and Quad Lock.”
While AMA Supercross has concluded, the season is far from over.
The team now shifts its full attention to the AMA Pro Motocross Championship and will announce its motocross rider line-up next week. The program also remains committed to the AMA Women’s Championship with Australia’s Charli Cannon continuing her international campaign.
