SMX Next at Anaheim 2: Star Yamaha providing the next headache for the pros

If you’re a current factory rider in Supercross, there are certain weekends you probably try not to think about too much.

Anaheim 2 was one of them.

Because while the spotlight was on the main event, the SMX Next class quietly delivered a very loud message, and it was painted entirely in blue.

A Clean Sweep 

The SMX Next race at Anaheim 2 ended with a result that made Star Racing Yamaha look like a production line:

1. Kayden Minear
2. Caden Dudney
3. Landen Gordon

That’s a full Yamaha podium sweep. Just three blue bikes, one after the other, crossing the line like it was planned in advance.

If you listened closely, you could almost hear established 250 and 450 riders collectively sigh.

Minear: Calm, Collected, and Already a Problem

Kayden Minear looked like he belonged. Smooth, confident, and completely unfazed by the stadium lights, the pressure, or the fact he was racing in front of a Supercross crowd that expects fireworks.

That’s the worrying part.

When a rider looks at home this early, it’s a sign they’re not running on just talented alone, they’re ready. And Minear is shaping up to be another Star Yamaha rider who’ll arrive in the pro ranks fully formed, not wide-eyed.

Dudney and Gordon

Finishing second and third behind Minear, Caden Dudney and Landen Gordon turned the podium into a Star Yamaha team photo shoot.

And that’s what really stings for everyone else.

It’s one thing having one standout prospect.

It’s another having three who can run at the front on the same night, on the same stage, under the same pressure.

Somewhere, Pro Riders Are Rolling Their Eyes

Let’s be honest: the current crop of top riders already have enough to worry about. Gate drops, contracts, injuries, pressure, expectations…

And now this.

Another wave of Star Yamaha talent is clearly loading in the background, waiting their turn. Riders who aren’t just fast, but polished, media-ready, and trained inside one of the most ruthless development systems in the sport.

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see what’s coming, history tells the story for them.

The Star Yamaha Machine Keeps Rolling

What Anaheim 2 really proved is that Star Yamaha’s pipeline isn’t slowing down. If anything, it’s ramping up. SMX Next is meant to showcase the future, and this one looked very blue.

For fans, it’s exciting.

For rivals, it’s inconvenient.

For the sport, it’s a reminder that the next generation is already here. 

And somewhere in the paddock, a few riders probably muttered the same thing:

“Not another one…”