SMX Playoff 1 Recap: Deegan Sweeps, Doobie Brothers Scores 498
Doobie Brothers wins SMX Playoff 1 with 498 points as Deegan sweeps Columbus, DiFrancesco tops the fantasy scores and Marchbanks delivers vital reserve points.
TroyDesigns · 18 September 2026
The SMX Playoffs opened with mud, mixed fortunes and some massive fantasy swings. Columbus tested riders and FastMoto teams alike, with strong handicap picks, Hard Charger points and a valuable reserve selection all featuring in the winning lineup.
Doobie Brothers took the FastMoto round win with 498 points, finishing 15 clear of Crabb480 and 31 ahead of Eli Dungey. And they did it with a zero from Hunter Lawrence and just 15 points from Cole Davies. Here’s how the opening playoff unfolded.
Columbus delivers the chaos
Rain and lightning disrupted the programme at Historic Crew Stadium, with the morning qualifying sessions cancelled. The muddy conditions left little room for error. Cole Davies’ opening moto ended with an apparent bike issue while leading, handing Daxton Bennick the opportunity to take the win. Racer X race-day coverage
Haiden Deegan swept the 450 motos for his first premier-class overall victory, ahead of Ken Roczen’s 2–2 and Jorge Prado’s 3–4. Prado also took over the championship lead.
In 250, Levi Kitchen’s 2–2 secured the overall ahead of Bennick’s 1–3 on the second-moto tiebreaker. Ryder DiFrancesco completed the podium with 3–4. Davies rebounded to win Moto 2, but his opening-race DNF had already done the damage. Official SMX recap
For FastMoto players, the biggest scores told another part of the story.
Fantasy standouts: Ryder D leads the way
Ryder DiFrancesco was the highest-scoring rider across both classes with 66 points. His +3 handicap brought both finishes to an adjusted first, while +9 and +7 Hard Charger points added another 16 to his total. Two strong motos, two strong fantasy returns.
The leading 250 scorers were:
| Rider | Moto finishes | HCP | FastMoto points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryder DiFrancesco | 3–4 | +3 | 66 |
| Caden Dudney | 5–8 | +6 | 60 |
| Henry Miller | 18–15 | +18 | 60 |
| Daxton Bennick | 1–3 | +5 | 59 |
| Lux Turner | 11–12 | +10 | 57 |
Rider points are round totals before the FastMoto Rider 2× multiplier.
Henry Miller was a standout handicap pick. His +18 brought both results to an adjusted first, delivering 50 base points before another 10 in Hard Charger points. His 60-point return matched Dudney and beat every 450 rider except Deegan.
Dudney’s second moto was particularly valuable: +14 Hard Charger points helped turn eighth on track into 36 fantasy points for that moto alone.
Bennick combined his +5 handicap with a second-moto holeshot bonus for 59 points, while Lux Turner added 10 Hard Charger points across the day to finish on 57.
Deegan tops the 450 fantasy scores
Deegan backed up his clean sweep with 61 FastMoto points, including the Moto 2 holeshot bonus. But several riders further down the race results kept him close on fantasy points.
| Rider | Moto finishes | HCP | FastMoto points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haiden Deegan | 1–1 | +1 | 61 |
| Dylan Ferrandis | 4–9 | +6 | 58 |
| Shane McElrath | 13–7 | +11 | 57 |
| Ken Roczen | 2–2 | 0 | 54 |
| Joey Savatgy | 8–5 | +14 | 54 |
Ferrandis scored more in Moto 2 than Moto 1, despite finishing ninth after taking fourth in the opener. His +13 Hard Charger haul in the second race pushed that moto to 33 points and his round total to 58.
McElrath’s 57 and Savatgy’s 54 were further reminders to look beyond the podium when building a fantasy team. The right combination of handicap and forward movement can make a big difference.
The tough picks and costly swings
Cole Davies: 15 points. His first-moto score of −11 was followed by 26 in Moto 2. Even a race win couldn’t completely erase the opening-moto damage.
Hunter Lawrence: 0 points. His 21–8 finishes produced moto scores of −14 and 12, with his round contribution shown as zero after the total was floored at zero.
Jason Anderson: 31 points. A huge 37-point opening moto was followed by −6 in the second. Malcolm Stewart experienced a similar swing, going from 27 to −7 for a 20-point round.
Columbus showed how quickly one moto could change the value of a pick—and why a capable reserve matters.
Inside Doobie Brothers’ winning team
The winning lineup was almost perfectly balanced between classes: 251 points in 250 and 247 in 450.
| Class | Rider | Role | Points counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | Max Vohland | Main | 52 |
| 250 | Cole Davies | Main | 15 |
| 250 | Ryder DiFrancesco | Main | 66 |
| 250 | Daxton Bennick | FastMoto Rider — 2× | 118 |
| 250 | Julien Beaumer | Reserve — unused | 0 |
| 450 | Hunter Lawrence | Main — zero score | 0 |
| 450 | Haiden Deegan | Main | 61 |
| 450 | Aaron Plessinger | Main | 47 |
| 450 | Jorge Prado | FastMoto Rider — 2× | 88 |
| 450 | Garrett Marchbanks | Reserve — activated | 51 |
| Total | 498 |
Bennick and Prado contributed 206 points combined in the doubled positions. DiFrancesco, Vohland and Deegan provided another 179 between them.
But Marchbanks was the selection that covered Lawrence’s zero, adding 51 points from reserve. That contribution was more than three times the final winning margin.
Doobie Brothers didn’t need every pick to fire. Their strongest selections and reserve cover were enough to bring home the round.
FastMoto Round 1 top 10
| Position | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 Doobie Brothers | 498 |
| 2 | 🇺🇸 Crabb480 | 483 |
| 3 | 🇺🇸 Eli Dungey | 467 |
| 4 | 🇺🇸 CMLVI | 459 |
| 5 | 🇺🇸 Fmf | 453 |
| 6 | 🇺🇸 Yourmomsbf69 | 445 |
| 7 | 🇦🇺 Rip It Ron | 442 |
| 8 | 🇺🇸 Walker219 | 439 |
| 9 | 🇺🇸 Age | 433 |
| 10 | 🇦🇺 Nakka | 427 |
Crabb480 led the Club Members in second overall, while Rip It Ron was the highest-placed Australian in seventh. Nakka took the final top-10 position, level on points with 11th-placed Hodgesbmx, following the displayed leaderboard order.
The rest of the top 30 included players from Germany, Canada and South Africa, with Kay securing 30th on 380 points.
Next stop: Los Angeles
The SMX series heads to Los Angeles on September 19 for Playoff 2. Official SMX schedule
For FastMoto players, Columbus leaves plenty to consider: the value of Hard Charger points, the impact of the doubled rider selections and the importance of giving your reserve spot some proper thought.
Congratulations to Doobie Brothers and everyone who made the top 30. Check the latest rider updates and handicaps, review your lineup and get ready for the next gate drop at FastMoto.