As the AMA Supercross series approached its midway point at the unique Daytona, Florida, round, Jett Lawrence put in a statement ride, making solid passes before pulling ahead to a convincing victory. Given the venue’s rich history and challenging track, Daytona wins are meaningful; this one was particularly impressive, as Jett earned it in his first year as a premier-class rider, indicating that he learned an important lesson following last week’s final-lap crash out of the lead in Arlington. The 20-year-old Australian also became the year’s first three-time winner, and he expanded his lead in the title chase to 10 points.
Words and Images by HRC
Following a tense moment before the start when there was a delay in the removal of his rear-tire cover, Jett was sixth out of turn 1, just behind brother and teammate Hunter Lawrence. When lap 1 was finished, Jett was up to third, where he stayed through lap 4. At that point, Lawrence used a quad jump through a rhythm section to move by Eli Tomac, then snuck by Chase Sexton in the following turn. From there, Jett went about establishing a cushion, running lap times a couple of seconds lower than his competitors. In the end, Jett won by nearly six seconds, though he led by more than 10 seconds at times. Phoenix Racing Honda rider Dylan Ferrandis ended the night eighth, while Hunter Lawrence suffered a hard fall early on and withdrew with a sore shoulder. (At the time this was published, Hunter was awaiting results of an MRI to determine the gravity of the injury.)
Chance Hymas was just inside the top 10 off the 250SX East main-event start, then up to seventh by the end of lap 1. He moved up one position on each of the next two laps to assume fifth, but a fall and getting stuck on a Tuff Block dropped the Idaho native back in the pack, resulting in an eventual 15th-place result. Meanwhile, Fire Power Honda rider Max Anstie recovered from 10th after lap 1 to finish eighth, good enough to maintain a narrow lead in the championship battle.
Jett Lawrence 18
“It’s awesome to get a win here, especially to get it on my first attempt on a 450. Winning it how we did, with my tire cover still on as the gate was dropping, I was freaking out on the gate. I’m glad I was able to get a good start, calm myself down, and get back to racing. I’m super-pumped for the team on this one.”
Hunter Lawrence 96
“It’s a bittersweet night for the team. Jett had a great night, and it was awesome for the team to get a win. As far as my night, I was really happy with how I was riding—fifth off the start, fighting for fourth was definitely a positive to take away. I’m really happy with how the bike felt—it was handling amazing. Fingers crossed we’ll be all good after I get evaluated. I just have to continue to build on the positives.”
Chance Hymas 48
“It was a rough weekend. Once again, I was riding really good until I wasn’t. I’m frustrated with myself and just trying to take the positives away and work on what I know I need to work on. A massive thank-you to my team and supporters for being patient and sticking with me through it all.”
Lars Lindstrom – Team Manager
“Instead of focusing on the bittersweet feeling that we all had after the weekend, with Chance and Hunter both having issues with falls, I want to focus on what an awesome win it was for Jett. This track was absolutely brutal, and so technical that it took everything that these elite athletes have to just stay up and jump the obstacles. The fact that he was able to catch and pass the best racer that Daytona has ever seen not just once, but twice in one night (heat and main) shows what an exceptional talent Jett is. Everyone at American Honda and HRC is extremely proud of him, and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”
