Prado Steals the SMX Crown by Seven Points as Kitchen Ends Pro Circuit's Drought

Saturday night in Missouri, the SMX World Championship Final did what a triple-points finale is supposed to do: it made the whole season come down to the last checkered flag. At Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, KTM's Jorge Prado won the 450 title by seven points over Haiden Deegan, and Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Levi Kitchen locked up the 250 crown (Racer X, Motocross.com).

450: Deegan wins the night, Prado wins the title

Deegan did everything a rider chasing a championship can do. He won Moto 1 wire-to-wire, holding off Ken Roczen by 3.1 seconds, and took the overall with 1-2 moto scores. Prado, meanwhile, was fifth in that first moto, which left the door cracked open for someone else.

Nobody walked through it. Prado led every lap of Moto 2 for the win, a 5-1 day that put him second overall on the night and enough points in hand to finish seven clear of Deegan. Hunter Lawrence, who needed Prado to fall off the podium to have any shot at the title, was third in both motos, and finished third in the championship after what was a breakthrough season for him (NBC Sports, Swapmoto Live).

Two things make this one stick. First, Prado is the first Spanish-born champion in SMX history. Second, Deegan came up just short of becoming the first rider to win the SMX world title in both classes. Winning the final and still losing the championship by seven points is the kind of math that ruins a winter.

It also matters who wasn't there. With Jett Lawrence sidelined by his ankle, we knew going into the playoffs that there would be a new 450 champion for the first time in the format's history. Prado, who has been a steady threat all year, took it.

250: Kitchen finally gets his

In the 250 class, Cole Davies swept both motos for the overall win at the Ridgedale finale. But Levi Kitchen rode a smart, consistent 2-2 behind him, and that was all he needed. He's the 250SMX World Champion, the first professional title of his career.

It's a bigger deal for the team than the rider, too: it's Pro Circuit's first title since the 2019 Pro Motocross campaign. That's a long dry stretch for the most decorated 250 program in the sport (Motocross.com, SPEEDWEEK). After a summer where Kitchen was crashing early in motos and grinding back through the field, including at his home round in Washougal, this one lands as a redemption.

Tomac's last gate drop

The night was also Eli Tomac's final race. He'd announced at the end of August that he would retire after the SMX Final, closing out a career that ran back to 2010. It wasn't the storybook ending. Tomac went 13-11 in the motos and finished 12th overall (Ultimate Motorcycling, MCNews). The résumé we walked through when he announced it still stands: multiple supercross and motocross championships, and a spot near the top of the all-time win lists. A rough final night doesn't change that.

What it means for next season

The season is done, the podium is set, and the silly season is about to begin. A few things to watch: whether Deegan's near-miss changes how he approaches the offseason, what Pro Circuit does with the momentum, and who fills the seat Tomac leaves at KTM.

Gear worth having

The offseason is when a lot of riders finally do the maintenance they put off all summer. If you're going to spend it in the garage, Dusty's Dirt Bike Maintenance Log is a good way to keep track of what you've done and when, and a Maxima air filter cleaner and oil combo kit is cheap insurance before the next season of dust.

Where BraapTrax fits

Season's over for the pros, but yours doesn't have to be. Fall is prime riding weather in a lot of places. Log your rides in BraapTrax, track your own season stats, and flag hazards on the trail for the next rider. Who knows, maybe next year's champion is riding your local loop right now.

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