Round 2 Preview: Hangtown — Rip It Ron's Picks
Hangtown is about to get rough, rutty, and absolutely fantasy-chaotic — here’s who Ron’s backing to rip your league to the front.
TroyDesigns · 4 June 2026
🏍️ Intro
Hey legends, it’s your boy Ron back in the booth and Hangtown is calling our name.
Fox Raceway gave us a little warm-up roost, but Round 2 at the Hangtown Motocross Classic is where fantasy teams either climb the podium or cartwheel into the LCQ of your league. We’ve got history, huge +HCP plays, proven mudders and moto ironmen — and Ron is ready to cook up a monster lineup.
📍 Round Overview — Historic, Hilly, and Hacked Out
Hangtown isn’t just another National — it’s one of the oldest and gnarliest on the calendar. The Dirt Diggers have been sending it here since before Pro Motocross was even a thing, and every year the place turns into a rough, choppy test of who can dig deepest.
What to expect:
- Elevation & downhills: Big drops into braking bumps, long uphills where power and fitness matter. Late in the motos, guys start hanging off the back just trying to survive.
- Ruts & square edges: The track gets choppy and technical — you need riders who stay mistake-free and don’t tip-over every other lap.
- History of charges: Dylan Ferrandis went 23rd to 3rd here in 2021, and Chase Sexton came from 40th to 1st in Moto 2 last year. Hangtown rewards fitness and heart.
- 250 twist: There will be a first-time 250 overall winner here this year. No previous overall winners on this gate — someone’s writing a new chapter.
For fantasy, Hangtown is a volume and value round. High +HCP grinders who go 6–8 in both motos can outscore a title guy who goes 2–2 with +0 HCP. That’s where we eat.
💥 450 Class Breakdown — Value in the Rough
Freddie Noren (#63) — The Hangtown Hammer
Look, when the first 450 fantasy leaderboard of the year reads: 1. Noren (75pts), you pay attention.
- HCP: +26 HCP is massive for a guy who just averaged 37.5pts at Fox Raceway.
- Form: 75pts in Round 1 — highest in the 450 class for fantasy.
- Profile: Noren’s an outdoor workhorse. 12 Hangtown 450 starts, most all-time, and the dude knows every rut on this hill.
If Freddie runs somewhere around 12th–15th on track and you tack on +26 HCP, his adjusted finish rockets forward. That’s exactly the kind of ceiling you want when chasing a top spot in FastMoto.
Ron’s take: Lock him. One of the first names on the 450 sheet and a prime 2x candidate.
Dante Oliveira (#563) — Off-Road Guy, On-Podium Fantasy Weapon
Oliveira came into Pala as the off-road guy and just quietly dropped 71pts for 2nd in 450 fantasy.
- HCP: +14 HCP with a 35.5pts average.
- Round 1: 71pts total, just behind Noren.
- Skillset: Off-road background means he lives in rough, chewed-out terrain. Hangtown is basically home turf energy.
With +14 HCP, if he runs around 10th–12th, his adjusted position is flirting with top-five territory. That’s huge for a guy not priced like a title contender.
Ron’s take: High floor, big upside. A perfect main or even FastMoto Rider if you want to be a little spicy.
Benny Bloss (#54) — Big Man, Big Value
Bloss was another under-the-radar weapon at Fox.
- HCP: +17 HCP
- Avg: 35pts (70pts on the season so far)
He’s exactly the type who can slog through a rough Hangtown — long legs, smooth style, less likely to get buried in the chaos of the opening laps. With +17 HCP, a 13th–15th on track turns into mid-top-10 adjusted.
Ron’s take: Solid anchor pick. Not quite the insane value of Noren, but very much in that upper tier.
Chase Sexton (#4) — Raw Speed, Risk vs Reward
We can’t talk Hangtown without mentioning Sexton’s 40th-to-1st clinic in Moto 2 last year. That was one of the gnarliest charges we’ve ever seen.
- HCP: +4 HCP
- Avg: 23pts from Fox Raceway — not huge, but the ceiling is absurd.
Chase doesn’t give you the +20-plus HCP cheat code, but when he stays off the ground, he’s got race-winning speed at this venue. If you think he cleans up the mistakes from Round 1, he’s a game-breaking pick.
Ron’s take: More of a tournament-style play for leagues where you need raw ceiling over safe floor.
Hunter & Jett Lawrence (#96 & #18) — Safe Studs, Lower Value
Both Lawrences are sitting at +0 HCP with mid-to-high 20s averages from Fox.
- Jett is a previous Hangtown overall winner in 450MX (and multiple times in 250s).
- Hunter is ultra-consistent and rarely melts down.
The problem? +0 HCP means they have to outright win or go 1–2 in motos to hang with the adjusted scores of guys like Noren and Bloss.
Ron’s take: Great if you want safe name-brand studs, but in FastMoto fantasy scoring at this round, the value is heavily skewed toward the high +HCP crew.
🔥 250 Class Breakdown — New Kings of Hangtown
Remember: there will be a first-time overall 250 winner at Hangtown this year. No past overall winners on this gate. That means we’re hunting both upside and stability.
Haiden Deegan (#38) — The Hangtown Shark
Deegan has won Hangtown overall in 2024 and 2025, and he just came into 2026 like nothing’s changed.
- HCP: +3 HCP
- Avg: 36pts (72pts after Round 1)
He’s not the highest HCP play, but he is the guy who:
- Has back-to-back Hangtown overalls.
- Is one of only two riders to score points in every moto of both 2024 and 2025.
That reliability is gold. With +3 HCP, a 1–2 or 2–2 day still scores elite fantasy numbers.
Ron’s take: Elite ceiling, strong floor. Great FastMoto Rider choice if you want the "sure thing".
Kayden Minear (#99) — Pala Prince, Hangtown Breakout?
Minear dropped the top 250 fantasy score at Fox Raceway (67pts).
- HCP: +10 HCP
- Avg: 33.5pts
He’s clearly got speed — you don’t lead fantasy scoring at the opener by accident. With +10 HCP, even a 7th–10th overall on track becomes a sneaky top-five adjusted.
Ron’s take: One of the best value plays in the class right now. Still underpriced for his speed.
Max Vohland (#19) — Mr. +HCP Overperformer
Vohland was the +HCP overperformer at Fox Raceway in the 250s.
- HCP: +11 HCP
- Avg: 33pts (66pts total at Round 1)
He consistently rides smooth and avoids big mistakes, which is exactly what you want when Hangtown turns into a minefield of braking bumps and lappers. +11 HCP gives him enormous adjusted potential.
Ron’s take: High-priority pick. Great mix of stability and upside.
Seth Hammaker (#10) — New Winner, New Confidence
Hammaker just logged his first ever 250 overall win at Fox, becoming the 95th winner in class history — and he did it with authority:
- Holeshot and led the first 8 laps of Moto 1.
- Rounded lap 1 in 1st and 2nd in each moto.
- 2nd in qualifying, 3rd fastest lap in each moto.
He’s a three-time Fastest Qualifier guy outdoors and clearly has the starts and sprint speed.
- HCP: +0 HCP
- Avg: 30.5pts
Ron’s take: Elite form, but the +0 HCP puts him below the Deegan/Vohland/Minear value tier. Great pick if you believe he stays hot and runs with the red-plate contenders.
Chance Hymas (#29) — Hangtown Redemption Arc
Hymas has some history here:
- 2025: Qualified 2nd fastest.
- Led Moto 1 before fading to 13th.
- Missed Moto 2 with food poisoning.
He clearly has speed around this track, and now he comes in with solid Round 1 form.
- HCP: +3 HCP
- Avg: 30.5pts
If he puts the full day together, that combination of track history and small but helpful HCP can turn into a tidy fantasy haul.
Ron’s take: Strong mid-tier option with legit top-three moto potential.
💡 Sleeper Picks of the Week
450 Sleeper — Mason Semmens (#418)
Semmens is sitting on a +27 HCP with a 33.5pts average from Fox Raceway.
That’s basically Noren-level HCP for slightly fewer raw points, which is exactly where sleepers live. If he floats around 15th–18th on track and stays off the deck, that +27 HCP can slingshot him into top-10 adjusted finishes.
Why Ron likes it: Super-flexible value, not going to be on every team, but the math absolutely works in his favor.
250 Sleeper — Marshal Weltin (#65)
Weltin isn’t flashy, but Hangtown rewards guys who can just grind out two full motos.
- HCP: +18 HCP
- Avg: 30pts from Round 1.
If he simply repeats his Fox Raceway level, that +18 HCP will make him a nightmare for your league-mates who only picked big names with low +HCP.
Why Ron likes it: Quiet consistency plus big HCP is how you sneak into the top 1% of fantasy squads.
🤙 Signing Off
Hangtown is where the pretenders get exposed and the grinders get rewarded. Load up on the high +HCP workhorses, sprinkle in a couple of proven track killers like Deegan and maybe Sexton if you’re feeling spicy, and let the rough stuff work in your favor.
Set your gate picks, trust the data, and don’t be afraid to send it on a couple of sleepers.
Stay pinned,
— Ron 🤙
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