Slaw
Two of the top prospects in amateur motocross have spent much of the summer racing one another, and lately, it seems like wherever one finishes, the other isn’t far behind. At the 2026 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s, Landon Gibson got the better of Carson Wood in both Pro Sport overalls and ultimately left the Ranch with the Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award. But outside of Loretta’s, Wood has had the upper hand.
The two have now finished 1-2 at both SMX Next – Motocross Scouting Moto Combines this summer. Wood swept both motos at RedBud, with Gibson finishing second each time. And they weren’t separated by much. Gibson crossed the line just 1.5 seconds behind Wood in Moto 1 and a little more than a second back in Moto 2. Their battle picked right back up at Ironman last weekend.
Wood won the opening moto and eventually secured his second straight Scouting Moto Combine overall with 1-2 finishes. Gibson rebounded from a fifth in Moto 1 and took the Moto 2 win by 12.9 seconds to secure second overall. So, who actually has the edge? That’s where it gets interesting.
With the Prospect Rider Comparison Tool, you can put any two riders in the Prospect database head-to-head and go way beyond what happened the last time they lined up. Career points, wins, podiums, average finishes, laps led, prestigious wins and head-to-head results are all part of the equation. You can even see how each rider has historically performed against common competitors, which gives us another way to compare two riders who haven’t always raced the same schedule. And with Wood and Gibson, the deeper you dig into the numbers, the more interesting the comparison gets.
The Big Picture
If you’re looking strictly at the rankings, Wood has the advantage. Based on available results within Prospect, Wood currently sits eighth in the Prospect All-Time Rankings, compared to Gibson in 19th. Wood has also accumulated 499,282 career points, while Gibson sits at 450,700.
They are separated by one career win—Gibson 273, Wood 272—but Gibson has raced 346 more times. As a result, Wood’s career win percentage sits at 28.25% compared to Gibson’s 20.86%. Wood has also led more laps despite racing substantially fewer of them. He’s led 509 of his 1,693 career laps, good for a 30.06% laps-led rate. Gibson has led 467 of 2,674, or 17.46%.
In other words: when Wood races, historically, he’s been more likely to win and more likely to spend time out front.
But Gibson Has the Volume
There is another side to it. Gibson has amassed 590 career podiums compared to Wood’s 417, and his average finishes are actually slightly better. Gibson holds a 4.31 average overall finish and 3.74 average moto finish compared to Wood’s 4.55 and 3.84.
Gibson has 273 wins, 212 runner-up finishes and 105 thirds. Wood has nearly the exact same number of wins at 272, but just 109 seconds and 36 thirds. That’s a pretty wild split.
Wood’s résumé has been much more top-heavy: when he’s on the podium, he’s won a huge percentage of the time. Gibson’s résumé shows considerably more overall podium volume.
What Happens When They Actually Race Each Other?
And this is where the comparison gets even better. The two raced against each other in both Pro Sport classes at Loretta Lynn’s this year. In 250 Pro Sport, Gibson finished second overall with 3-3 moto finishes, while Wood went 4-1 for third. Wood got the moto win, but Gibson got him in the overall. Then in Open Pro Sport, Gibson again finished second overall, going 8-1, while Wood went 14-4 for sixth.
So while Wood owns the higher all-time Prospect ranking and has gotten the better of Gibson in both SMX Next – Motocross overalls this summer, Gibson beat Wood in both of their Loretta’s matchups.
And Ironman added another wrinkle. Wood was the fastest qualifier, posting a 2:08.226; Gibson qualified third with a 2:11.018. Wood then won Moto 1 before Gibson responded in Moto 2. Even more interesting: Wood actually recorded the faster individual lap in that second moto—2:13.417 versus Gibson’s 2:14.278—yet Gibson won by nearly 13 seconds.
“This [win] means a lot. This is my second year [in SMX Next] and we got it done,” said Wood after the race. “We won RedBud and we won here [at Ironman] and almost a clean sweep [of the motos]. In this last moto I just wanted to bring it home and that’s what we did. I’m stoked, this is what we work for.”
How Do They Stack Up Against the Same Riders?
Prospect also identifies Common Competitors, giving another way to measure two riders who may not race against each other every weekend. The tool finds riders both competitors have faced and shows how successful each has been against them. From there, you can jump directly into another comparison. Basically: when Wood and Gibson have raced the same guy throughout their careers, who has had more success against him?
Build Your Own Matchup
Wood and Gibson are just one example. Want to compare two Loretta’s champions from different years? Do it. Two riders battling for the same Prospect ranking? Easy. Training partners? Rivals? Riders moving into the same class next season? A highly ranked prospect against the kid who just beat him? Pick two riders and see how they actually stack up.
The Rider Comparison tool is a Prospect Pro feature within the app. Try the app FOR FREE on the App Store and Google Play and sign up for a free seven-day trial and try it out. And make sure to claim your profile so you can see all your results and unlock the true power of the app.
