Controlled Chaos: Pruett Dominates Castillo National as Hollow Fights Back in Moto Two

DESERT HILLS, NV — The RedBull Castillo National delivered everything a motocross fan could ask for: a brutal track, scorching heat, and a points battle that just got a whole lot more interesting.

When the gate dropped on Sunday afternoon at Desert Hills Motorsports Park, Damon Pruett looked every bit the championship leader he is. But by the time the checkered flag flew on Moto Two, Chase Hollow had reminded the entire paddock why nobody is counting him out.

Moto One: Pruett's Show

From the moment the first gate dropped, Moto One belonged to Pruett. The Yamaha factory rider grabbed the holeshot cleanly, slotted into a smooth rhythm through the opening rhythm section, and never looked back.

Behind him, the opening laps were messy. Tyler Voss tangled with Jake Merin through the off-camber section at the bottom of the hill, sending Merin wide and dropping him outside the top ten. Hollow, meanwhile, came through the first turn in sixth and immediately set about picking his way forward.

By lap five, Hollow was up to fourth. By lap nine, he was third — but Pruett was already nearly eight seconds clear. The gap only grew from there.

Pruett took Moto One by 11.4 seconds over rookie sensation Luis Ferreira, with Hollow rounding out the podium in third. It was clinical, efficient, and a little demoralizing for the rest of the field.

"I just clicked into a zone early," Pruett said post-race. "The track was rough but I found some lines nobody else was using in that far rhythm. Once I had the gap I just managed it."

Moto Two: A Different Story

If Moto One was a coronation, Moto Two was a fight.

Hollow launched off the gate with more aggression than he'd shown all day, threading through the first turn chaos to slot into second behind Voss. Pruett, uncharacteristically, came through in fifth after getting boxed out at the start.

The crowd sensed it immediately.

Hollow dispatched Voss with a clean inside move on lap three and pulled away at a pace that drew audible reactions from the crowd. Back in the pack, Pruett was working — methodically, surgically — moving through Ferreira, then Merin, then Voss in quick succession.

By the halfway point, it was Hollow leading, Pruett in second, a gap of 4.2 seconds between them.

What followed was one of the best stretches of racing the 2026 season has produced. Pruett chipped away — a tenth here, two tenths there — while Hollow responded by opening up his lines and pushing harder than his usual conservative style allows.

Pruett closed to within 1.8 seconds with three laps to go.

He never got closer.

Hollow crossed the line 2.1 seconds ahead, arms up, letting the moment land. The Moto Two win was his first of the season.

"I needed that," Hollow said, voice still raw from the effort. "Not for the points. Just to know I could do it when it mattered."

Overall Results

With Pruett taking Moto One and Hollow taking Moto Two, the overall went to Pruett on a tiebreaker — his third overall win in four rounds. But the points gap, which stood at 19 heading into the weekend, now sits at 14.

450 Class Overall — Castillo National

Track Conditions & Notes

Desert Hills lived up to its reputation as one of the roughest tracks on the circuit. By Moto Two, the inside line through the triple section had deteriorated into a series of sharp braking bumps that caught several riders off guard. Soil temperatures exceeded 104°F at gate time, with heat shimmer visible off the starting straight.

Three riders did not finish Moto Two due to mechanical issues, including points contender Ryan Ashby, who now falls 31 points back after a DNF.

What's Next

The series heads to Millbrook, Ohio in two weeks for Round Five. Historically a track that rewards technical riding over raw aggression — which should suit Hollow just fine.

Full results and championship standings available at the official AMA Pro Motocross website.