Author Archives: PressBox

April 4, 2026

Mammoth beat Desert Dogs 13-8, boost home-field bid

With five of eight NLL playoff slots still open, the late-season Week 19 meeting carried major Western Conference implications. Colorado, which had clinched a playoff spot in Week 17 and entered the weekend off in Week 18, hosted Las Vegas at Ball Arena on Friday and strengthened its bid for home‑field advantage with a 13-8 victory.

Colorado’s win featured a five-goal game from Will Malcom and strong support from Andrew Kew (two goals, four assists), Dylan McIntosh (three goals, one assist) and goaltender Dillon Ward, who made 43 saves and recorded two assists. The game was tied 5-5 at halftime before Colorado outscored Las Vegas 4-1 in the third quarter, a span that included two Mammoth power-play goals. For Las Vegas, Adam Poitras and Jonathan Donville each had two goals and two assists, Kevin Crowley scored twice, and former Mammoth Alex Buque made 40 saves.

Las Vegas entered the weekend 7-7 after climbing back to .500 with a 10-9 overtime win over Calgary the prior weekend, a game in which Mitch Jones had one goal and four assists, Chris Cloutier had three goals and three assists, Kevin Crowley added two points, and new defensive addition Tyson Bell collected 12 loose balls, three blocks and two caused turnovers. The Desert Dogs currently occupy the eighth seed and could fall out of the top eight if they lose and Rochester or San Diego win, though they can still clinch a postseason berth with favorable results in Weeks 20–21. Halifax (6-9) must win and hope for losses by Las Vegas and San Diego to keep its postseason hopes alive; Halifax was set to host Rochester on Saturday after Rochester beat Oshawa 18-11 in Week 18, a game in which Ryan Lanchbury and Connor Fields each recorded 11 points.

Both teams were scheduled next to play April 11: Las Vegas at Philadelphia at 7 p.m. ET and Colorado at Saskatchewan at 9 p.m. ET.
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April 3, 2026

Justin Grant Overtakes on Lap 17, Beats Mitchel Moles

Justin Grant won the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car 30-lap feature at Red Hill, taking the lead on lap 17 and holding off Mitchel Moles for the victory. Jake Swanson led the early portion of the feature (laps 1–4) and Robert Ballou led from lap 5 through lap 16. Bryce Andrews flipped on lap 13; no injuries were reported.

Mitchel Moles set a new Red Hill qualifying record with a 14.327-second lap. Grant also topped the Dirt Draft Hot Laps with a 14.594-second time and earned the K&N Clean Air award for leading 14 laps.

After Red Hill the series standings showed Logan Seavey with 459 points, Kyle Cummins 454, Jake Swanson 439, Justin Grant 437 and Mitchel Moles 423. Moles had been listed eighth in an earlier weekend preview but moved to fifth in the standings after Red Hill. USAC resumed its national slate with a Midwest doubleheader — Red Hill and the Chuck Amati Classic at Paragon — with the Chuck Amati Classic run under USAC sanctioning for the first time. Logan Seavey entered the weekend as the points leader and remained the leader; he is the only multi-feature winner through six Florida rounds and was the most recent winner at Red Hill in June 2025, leading all 32 laps in the No. 57. Jake Swanson sits fourth in the standings after a Volusia win and six consecutive top-10 finishes and recently won the unsanctioned No Way Out 40 at Paragon.

Trey Osborne, who earned his first USAC victory in February at Ocala and sits ninth in points, recently left his full-time job to pursue the full national USAC schedule. C.J. Leary will run a 30-race program in the Fox Brothers–Brayden Fox No. 53, a car that carries 19 USAC feature wins in its history. Jadon Rogers recently returned from a broken fibula to finish third in a Midwest Thunder event. The series is next scheduled to race April 11 at Lawrenceburg Speedway.
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April 3, 2026

Pre-race clip highlights Dome at America’s Center sightlines

TransWorld Motocross published a preview video titled “Watch: First Look St. Louis Supercross 2026,” offering an early look at the Dome at America’s Center ahead of round 12 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season and targeting fans who want impressions of the venue and track rather than race results or schedules.

6D Helmets sponsored a first-look video that presented press day interviews and on-track footage. Filmed and edited by Tom Journet, the piece showcased Chase Sexton, Eli Tomac, Haiden Deegan, Cole Davies, Jo Shimoda and Hunter Yoder and also served as brand promotion by highlighting 6D’s Omni-Directional Suspension (ODS) technology and broader brain-protection messaging.

Both videos functioned as pre-race visual previews that emphasized track features, rider visibility and equipment technology rather than race outcomes, full schedules or personnel announcements.
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April 3, 2026

Perry Picks Diaz MMA Fight, Skips BKFC Offer

Mike Perry accepted an MMA bout with Nate Diaz — announced by Most Valuable Promotions for the undercard of Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on May 16 — instead of a BKFC offer, a choice BKFC boss David Feldman said cost the promotion a major opportunity. Feldman said Perry turned down BKFC’s offer and that the organization had a “really big planned” fight for him, but that BKFC was not involved in the Diaz deal; he added their relationship “remains good” while saying he wished Perry had trusted BKFC’s plan.

Feldman argued the Perry–Diaz matchup would have been better as a bare-knuckle contest, saying it would have been “100 percent better,” that marketing it under bare-knuckle rules “would have got 10 times the hype,” and calling the potential pairing “a bloodbath.” He characterized Perry’s decision as a missed promotional opportunity for BKFC and highlighted the perceived commercial and spectacle advantages of bare-knuckle rules for that matchup.

The Diaz fight was promoted by MVP, with co-owner Jake Paul fronting the promotion and emphasizing that MMA fighters would be paid well; Perry was expected to receive a significant payday for the matchup. Observers noted a victory over Diaz would raise Perry’s market stock, while a loss likely would not destroy his appeal because he is known for delivering exciting fights. The episode underscored the promotional dynamics between BKFC and MVP and the implications of Perry’s choice for his short-term future, earning potential and public profile.
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April 3, 2026

Deegan can clinch 250SX West title in St. Louis

Haiden Deegan can clinch the 250SX West championship at the St. Louis Supercross Showdown on Saturday, April 4. He rides for Monster Energy/Yamaha Star Racing and enters the second 250SX East/West Showdown with a 42-point lead in the 250SX West standings, according to AMA Supercross standings. Only two West rounds remain after St. Louis — Denver and the season‑finale East/West Showdown in Salt Lake City — and 50 championship points will still be available; a Deegan victory with teammate Max Anstie finishing fifth or lower would mathematically secure the title. Levi Kitchen sits 47 points back, and a Deegan win in St. Louis would eliminate Kitchen and the rest of the field from contention.

The St. Louis Supercross Showdown is the 12th round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and will be held at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. The event is the second of three 250SX East/West Showdowns and counts as round six for 250SX East and round eight for 250SX West.

Qualifying airs on Race Day Live at 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT on Peacock, and full live coverage of the night program — including heat races, LCQs and main events — begins just after 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT on Peacock. International viewers can follow the same live timing via the SMX Video Pass (Spanish and French audio tracks), and SiriusXM will carry the complete night-show audio feed. Anstie has five finishes outside the top five this year, including a seventh-place result at the first East/West Showdown in Birmingham. Deegan has said he plans to move up to the 450 class for Pro Motocross; clinching the 250SX West title before that move would allow him to focus his preparation on the transition.
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April 2, 2026

Supercross Live posts St. Louis lap; teams study lines

Jason Thomas previewed the track ahead of Round 12 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, saying the layout and soil conditions at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis could be pivotal for the championship. Round 12 is scheduled for April 4, 2026, and the timing late in the season — combined with a familiar, rider-preferred St. Louis layout — was framed as having potential to influence the title race.

The series has returned to St. Louis after last visiting for the SMX Playoff round in September, and organizers and riders brought recent experience with the venue. Many riders noted they enjoy the St. Louis soil because it tends to be more predictable than the surface they encountered in Detroit, a characteristic Thomas highlighted in his track-focused preview of the impending showdown.

Supercross Live released a track-map video and images that take viewers on a lap around the St. Louis layout, giving fans visual context and offering competitors an early look at the lines, rhythm sections and overall flow. The layout preview was presented both as a promotional tool for Round 12 and as a practical resource for teams planning race-day strategy, helping attendees and remote viewers understand the stadium setup and the jump and turn sequences. Organizers and crews are positioned to use the video and images to prepare riders for the specific challenges of the St. Louis course ahead of the April 4 event.
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April 2, 2026

MRI confirms Red Bull KTM’s Aaron Plessinger labral tear

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing said MRI scans confirm Aaron Plessinger has suffered a hip labral tear and that he is likely to miss the remainder of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. The injury was sustained in a heavy crash in the Birmingham main event after an earlier big crash in Indianapolis, and the team said the tear will require intensive treatment and an extended recovery.

Plessinger, who sat out the Detroit round while aiming to return for Round 12 in St. Louis, called the diagnosis “a gut punch” and said he accepted the decision so he can recover fully and “give it my best.” KTM said Plessinger faces a potential six-week absence; if he is not cleared before Supercross concludes, his focus will shift to rehabbing and preparing for the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

Plessinger is 12th in the championship standings with a season-best sixth at Daytona. KTM framed the decision around long-term recovery and team planning; teammates Eli Tomac and Jorge Prado will continue to represent the factory squad at St. Louis while the team manages Plessinger’s treatment and the timing between Supercross recovery and outdoor preparations.
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April 2, 2026

Alpine Denies Sabotage, Rebukes Online Abuse

Alpine issued an open letter rejecting social‑media sabotage claims and condemning online abuse, calling the allegations “completely unfounded” and “illogical and counterproductive.” The team stressed it would not intentionally handicap itself and said the statement was meant to defend its drivers and quash rumor‑driven speculation. It added both cars run the same equipment apart from some small, low‑performance parts used in China after a gearbox‑component switch.

The letter followed a string of on‑track incidents and hostile fan reaction. At the Chinese GP in Shanghai, Franco Colapinto finished 10th, 49 seconds behind teammate Pierre Gasly, after a collision with Esteban Ocon; Alpine said Ocon accepted responsibility. Some Argentine fans publicly suggested specification differences, used pejorative language about Colapinto’s car and directed death threats at Ocon. Colapinto said the team needed to “understand a few things on the high‑speed corners” and to source missing parts after the incident.

Alpine also addressed the high‑speed crash at the Japanese GP at Suzuka involving Colapinto and Haas driver Ollie Bearman. Bearman reportedly experienced a 50G impact after taking avoiding action for an estimated 45 km/h speed differential while Colapinto was harvesting energy. The team said “abuse of any kind is unacceptable,” confirmed it actively moderates its channels and is coordinating with F1 and the FIA, which has said it will examine the speed differential and will not issue immediate penalties, and will participate in planned April meetings to review regulations. Alpine urged fans to engage respectfully, highlighted driver welfare and fan conduct as immediate concerns, and said internal procedures and social‑media moderation are being used to address misconduct.
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April 2, 2026

Audi says ADUO won’t fix poor starts, targets 2030

Audi has acknowledged its biggest weakness this season — poor race starts — stems from a structural flaw in the new power unit and cannot be fixed quickly by the FIA’s ADUO process. Acting team principal Mattia Binotto said fixing the deficit is a “top priority” but warned that “miracles are not possible.” The team notes ADUO provides structured concessions, ranging from a single immediate change for small deficits to larger allowances and extra dyno time for more serious shortfalls, but its quarterly checkpoints and long engine lead times make a rapid on-track cure unlikely. Reports vary on when the first ADUO review will occur; some suggest it could be considered at early-season rounds such as Monaco or Miami.

Audi engineers say the problem is hardware-related rather than down to clutch settings or driver reaction times. They point to a relatively large turbo compressor whose higher inertia delays boost arrival. That delayed boost forces the electrical part of the powertrain to cover torque shortfalls, burning harvested energy early in the lap and leaving the unit disadvantaged against rivals.

Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto was blunt: “starts have been terrible so far.” Both drivers lost places off the line in Japan — Bortoleto fell from P8 to P13 and Nico Hülkenberg from P13 to P19, turning promising grid slots into damage-limitation races. Binotto said Audi will pursue a staged recovery rather than chasing quick fixes and is targeting to be world-championship competitive by 2030; the team hopes only modest improvements may be possible during a five-week break and accepts that closing the gap to Ferrari and Mercedes will be a long-term programme.
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