With consistent improvements week-to-week, the annual visit to Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium for the fifth stop of the AMA Supercross Championship presented a breakout opportunity for Toyota Redlands BarX Yamaha in the early stages of the 2026 SMX World Championship. Anchored by Parker Ross and Lux Turner, the showdown in the desert proved to be just that, as the duo combined for the team’s best collective effort of the young season and even earned some time in the global spotlight during the live broadcast on Peacock and SMX Video Pass.
Three straight top-10 finishes for Ross has the sophomore rider finding his groove at an opportune time. The day kicked off with a season best sixth-fastest time in qualifying, which gave Ross prime gate pick for his Heat Race, where he was joined by Turner. A stellar start out of the gate put Ross just behind Turner as they paced the field initially, but a miscue in the track’s tricky sand section sent Ross to the ground and back to the tail end of the 20-rider field. Despite the adversity, he kept his composure and made an impressive recovery to pass 12 riders and finish eighth, punching his ticket to the Main Event. Ross grabbed another great start when it mattered most and slotted into seventh place. He engaged in a spirited battle against some of the Western Division’s elite and overcame a mid-race tip-over to secure a well-earned 10th-place finish.
“It was a really good night in Glendale. I was really happy with my speed and bike all day. A mistake cost me a good finish in the Heat Race, but I was really happy with being able to come back to eighth. Then I had another mistake in the Main Event and went down, but was still able to fight back to 10th. It was frustrating to make those mistakes, but I will learn from them and keep building.”
While it seems as though he’s been in an uphill battle since the start of the season, Turner has never wavered in his determination to race his way back into form and Glendale showed he’s almost there. He began the day with his best qualifying effort in eighth and carried that momentum into a stellar Heat Race where he grabbed the holeshot, just ahead of Ross, and led 3/4th’s of the race before settling for third. It was a reversal of fortune in the Main Event as Turner got jostled off the gate and rounded the first turn deep inside the top 20. True to form, he dug deep like he has all season and began a gritty climb through the field. In the end, Turner went from 19th to a season-best 11th and finished less than a second behind his teammate, on the cusp top-10 result.
“It definitely felt good to get a holeshot and lead some laps in the Heat Race. It’s funny, it felt very peaceful in the lead and I really liked it. I feel like that’s where I belong, so I’m going to keep working to put myself in good positions. Going into the Main Event I really wanted to get another good start, but ended up getting shuffled back to almost dead last and battled back for 11th. I was happy with my charge through the whole race. I’m getting stronger and feel like we made massive improvements this weekend that can continue each week.”
