From ISRT Kawasaki
SRT Kawasaki launched into Round 1 of the 2026 SuperMotocross (SMX) World Championship Playoffs, debuting Southeast Sales Powersports as their primary partner. Making its historic first stop in Columbus, the postseason brought high energy and a massive technical hurdle: Mother Nature. Friday’s dry open practice saw both athletes utilizing the session to dial in chassis setups, consistently lowering
their lap times. However, torrential race-day rain threw a curveball, delaying the program and wiping out traditional timed qualifying. Riders were forced straight into the high-stakes Wild Card races to battle for the final 5 transfer spots on the 22-rider gate. Cornelius Tøndel nailed his gating, executing a 3rd-place start before making a pass for the lead on lap two. After a minor handling error in the rutted terrain dropped him behind former ISRT athlete Shane McElrath, Tøndel managed his lines to finish a solid 4th, securing his Main Event transfer. Vince Friese put on a gritty performance, anchoring the final transfer spot until the last long straightaway. The heavy mud forced a costly mistake that left him just one position short of the main event grid.
In Main Event 1, Tøndelfought inside a stacked field, leveraging his Kawasaki’s power to climb as high as 12th. However, the rapidly deteriorating, slick track conditions caused several minor crashes, relegating him to 17th. Undeterred, Tøndel bounced back in Main Event 2, executing another excellent launch off the start grate to showcase the raw power of his Southeast Sales Powersports machine. After crossing the holeshot stripe in P-3, Tøndel would tangle with another athlete on the opnening lap causing him to go down and rejoin the race at the
tail end of the field. With the opening round in the books, the clock is officially ticking. The series immediately heads west for Round 2
at in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 19. This cross-country turnaround puts immense pressure on the team. While the athletes log their travel miles, the ISRT Kawasaki crew is working tirelessly around the clock. In a matter of days, the mechanics are completely
tearing down, cleaning, and rebuilding these race bikes to erase the wear and tear of the Columbus mud. The crew is leaving no stone unturned—swapping components, analyzing data, and dialing in dry-track suspension and engine mapping to ensure both riders have peak performance the second they hit the
