Fresh from taking the AMA Supercross premier-class championship in his rookie season, Jett Lawrence kicked off his defense of the AMA Pro Motocross 450 crown with a stellar 1-1 overall win at Pala, California’s Fox Raceway over Memorial Day Weekend.
Jett has still never been defeated in the class, as this event extends his tally to 24 moto wins and 0 losses. As if that weren’t enough for Team Honda HRC, Hunter Lawrence notched a stellar second-overall finish in his outdoors debut aboard a 450, thanks to solid 2-3 results. Also impressive was Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis, whose fourth-overall showing made it three Red Riders in the top four. As for the 250 ranks, Team Honda HRC riders Chance Hymas and Jo Shimoda finished the day fourth and sixth overall, respectively, the duo posting steady moto finishes of 3-4 and 8-6.
Hunter got an incredible jump off the 450 moto 1 start but wasn’t prepared for the extra speed of the 450 and ran a bit wide, allowing the CRF450RWE of his brother to knife underneath in turn 1 and exit with the lead. Hunter battled with Aaron Plessinger for half the race until he was able to get back into second just after midway, behind his brother. The pair stayed in that order to the finish. The moto 2 start was almost identical, except this time Hunter held off Jett across the holeshot line. Jett nonetheless got around shortly after, and the brothers battled hard for the first part of the race. Just past the midway point, Sexton got around Hunter and challenged Jett, but the younger Lawrence held strong to the finish. Hunter’s third-place result was good for second overall.
Hymas was about sixth out of turn 1 in the first 250 moto, and he was up to fifth by the end of lap 1. Two laps later he was in fourth, and that’s where he rode all the way to the finish. Afterward, Tom Vialle was docked one position for going off-track, resulting in a solid podium result for Hymas. Meanwhile, Shimoda completed lap 1 in 10th place and fluctuated a bit before settling into eighth, which is where he finished. The CRF250R-mounted duo were about eighth and ninth off the moto 2 start, and sitting seventh (Shimoda) and ninth (Hymas) a lap later. By the race’s midway point, those positions had swapped, and at the checkered flag they were up to fourth and sixth, matching their overall results.
Jett Lawrence 18
“Two good starts, led every lap, won both motos—I basically hit every goal I set for myself today. I still have to work on some stuff on myself and the bike, but overall, it’s good to keep the streak going—24-0 so far! I’m looking forward to Hangtown.”
Hunter Lawrence 96
“It was a good day—second overall in my 450 outdoor debut! I just went when the gate dropped, and that led to two starts near the front. I’m happy to be leaving here like this.”
Chance Hymas 48
“The first round of outdoors was really good. We had a great start to the day, qualifying first in the first session and fourth overall. Then I had a third and a fourth on the day, for fourth overall. I’m feeling confident on the bike; it’s been working really well, and the team is doing awesome. I’m excited for next weekend.”
Jo Shimoda 30
“I really wanted to carry momentum from Supercross into this weekend. My starts meant I had to climb through the pack, but I feel like I showed some good speed. Overall, sixth on the day isn’t where I want to be, but I’m looking forward to Hangtown.”
Lars Lindstrom – Team Manager
“The season rolls on straight into the outdoors—not a lot of time to celebrate the Supercross championship, but it’s cool to have a change of pace and get back to the roots of the sport. I’m really stoked on Chance’s race and his improvement in the end of the races lately—really strong. We have some work to do with Jo to get him comfortable, and his ankle needs some healing as well, so it was good to get out of here with a top 10. A lot of people were wondering where Hunter would be in the pecking order, but I was sure that he would be a solid third-place guy in his rookie 450 MX season. I just didn’t know exactly how he would stack up to Jett and Chase. He blew us all away, with his incredible starts and speed that showed that he’ll be a top contender in the 450 class! I really don’t have words for Jett; this kid is such a machine, he honestly gives me vibes of Ricky Carmichael, when he would just rise to whatever occasion he needed to. He wasn’t 100% comfortable today, which makes me feel bad for the competition when we get him there.”
Words and Images by Team HRC
