Solid Weekend for 5.11 Triumph Factory Racing at Thunder Valley

This weekend 5.11 Triumph Factory Racing completed round three of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross series, some 5518ft above sea level in Colorado. Mikkel Haarup and Deacon Denno had standout performances at Thunder Valley, continuing their impressive outdoor seasons.

Colorado's elevation posed a unique obstacle in the TF 450-X's maiden AMA Pro Motocross term. Nonetheless, the TF 450-X pairing of Haarup and Jordon Smith were immediately competitive in qualification, where Haarup logged the eighth fastest time to start the day. Such pace did not translate to a good start in the first moto as he rounded lap one on the cusp of the top 15, however immediate progress took him to 12th, a position that he held to the chequered flag.

The second moto was even more eventful for Haarup, as he had to overcome a small fall and charge back to the cusp of the top 10. The Dane recovered to 11th place, to better his score from moto one. A 12-11 scorecard put him 11th in the overall classification and helped him maintain 10th in the championship standings.

Smith enjoyed his best day of the AMA Pro Motocross season so far, with a 13th place in moto one. Starting from 12th he battled around that position for the duration, and much like Haarup, he went even better in the second stint. Running as high as 11th at one point, he eventually succumbed to pressure from his TF 450-X stablemate and crossed the finish in 12th for a new season best. Smith’s 13-12 from the event saw him elevated to 16th place in the overall championship.

Thunder Valley's unique landscape helped Deacon Denno gain valuable information in what was his third professional race. Denno raced to 16th in the 250MX's first moto, but knew that more was on offer in the last stint. The power in his TF 250-X took him to a top 10 start and he capitalised on it, racing just outside of the top five for the full 30-minute moto. The end result, ninth, marked a season-best and catapulted him to 12th in the 250MX's overall classification.

Gage Linville continued to learn and move closer to the points, yet he ultimately came up just short at the 250MX's third round. Austin Forkner, also competing in 250MX, was ruled out after a crash in timed qualification. An update on Forkner's status will be published in due course.

5.11 Triumph Factory Racing will now turn its attention to the first East Coast motocross round, at High Point, which will run on 20 June.

Mikkel Haarup:

"It’s been a solid weekend here in Colorado. I showed good speed in practice and, to be honest, I had solid starts. I just got pulled a little up the straight. Overall, I cannot be too mad. We want more and we will take it when we get to the next round."

Jordon Smith:

"It was a much better day today at Thunder Valley. We have made steps in the right direction each week and the team is working hard to keep pushing me forward. We'll go back and keep working to improve again at High Point!"

Deacon Denno:

"Overall, it was good. I keep improving every weekend, I just need to be better in the first moto. It was a solid day, especially with that ninth in the second moto. I just want to learn each week and I feel like we are doing that."

Gage Linville:

"It’s been a frustrating day for me. I feel like we have made big improvements during the week and have not been able to show it at the races, which is pretty disappointing. While there are some positives to take away, I'm just not where I want to be. We'll keep working hard to turn it around."

Jeremy Coker – General Manager, Triumph Racing America:

"The team took strides towards our potential again today. Both Jordon and Mikkel had their best qualifying performances yet, and Jordon had two solid motos to secure his best overall. Mikkel, unfortunately, was once again a small tip over from a solid top 10 overall. Unfortunately, Austin had a crash in practice and sat the race out. Deacon showed everyone today what he is capable of – without one small fall he would have had a top five day. I'm very proud of my entire team and we'll continue to work hard to get Triumph at the front."

450MX Results: 2026 Pro Motocross, Round 3 – Thunder Valley

1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 1-1

2. Lucas Coenen (KTM) 2-2

3. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 4-4

4. Garrett Marchbanks (Kawasaki) 3-6

5. Jorge Prado (KTM) 7-5

11. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 12-11

12. Jordon Smith (Triumph) 13-12

450MX Standings: 2026 Pro Motocross, Round 3 – Thunder Valley

1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 138pts

2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 130pts

3. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 106pts

4. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 94pts

5. Dylan Ferrandis (Ducati) 86pts

10. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 66pts

16. Jordon Smith (Triumph) 35pts

250MX Results: 2026 Pro Motocross, Round 3 – Thunder Valley

1. Jo Shimoda (Honda) 3-2

2. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 1-8

3. Nick Romano (Kawasaki) 4-5

4. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 14-1

5. Ryder DiFrancesco (Husqvarna) 9-3

12. Deacon Denno (Triumph) 16-9

28. Gage Linville (Triumph) 29-26

250MX Standings: 2026 Pro Motocross, Round 3 – Thunder Valley

1. Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki) 117pts

2. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 117pts

3. Jo Shimoda (Honda) 111pts

4. Julien Beaumer (KTM) 104pts

5. Nick Romano (Kawasaki) 96pts

13. Deacon Denno (Triumph) 43pts

29. Austin Forkner (Triumph) 4pts