With the AMA Supercross series winding down, Team Honda HRC rider Jett Lawrence continues to perform under pressure. At the Philadelphia stop, which was round 15 of 17, the 20-year-old led the 450SX main event from start to finish, notching his second-consecutive victory and stretching his title-fight advantage to 12. Hunter Lawrence finished seventh in the same class, while Chance Hymas turned in the best result of his career, overcoming a poor start to finish fifth in the 250SX East main event.
Starting the 450SX main event just outside the starter’s box, Jett pulled a high-pressure holeshot and simply never looked back, ultimately winning by over five seconds. Title-rival Cooper Webb sat second for most of the race but was passed late by Chase Sexton and Jason Anderson. Meanwhile, Hunter rode almost the entire race in seventh place. He put a pass on Justin Barcia for sixth with just over a lap remaining, but Barcia got back by shortly after.
The tricky first turn was unkind to Hymas on the 250SX East main-event start, with the Idaho native sitting back in 17th at the end of lap 1. From there, however, Hymas turned in a strong performance, advancing to the top 10 before the midway point and hitting seventh with two laps remaining. He passed two more riders on the final lap to notch his first-ever top-five result. Meanwhile, Fire Power Honda rider Max Anstie put in an impressive ride to tally the second 250SX win of his career.
Jett Lawrence 18
“My start in the heat wasn’t ideal. I had to charge from behind, but I was able to find some pretty good passing spots. We didn’t want to start the same in the main, so we made sure we executed off the start. My Honda hooked up and made my life a lot easier at the end.”
Hunter Lawrence 96
“It was a pretty good day—my riding was really good all day. It’s our third seventh-place finish in a row—I’m definitely sick of that number! I was a lot closer in the conversation up front all day, which was good. We’re just logging the data, taking steps forward. Like Rocky said, ‘Keep moving forward.’”
Chance Hymas 48
“Tonight was a really good night for me—a personal best, with a fifth-place finish. I had a terrible start in the main, but a really good ride to finish it off. I’m stoked going into the final race.”
Lars Lindstrom – Team Manager
“What a great weekend, all around. Hunter’s qualifying was so cool to see; the progress has been awesome, and he’s doing exactly what I hoped and thought he would do, which is build consistently through the season. Chance also progressed in the main, finishing strong and getting his best result of the series so far. All I can say about Jett is that he is a legend. That main-event performance just drove another nail into the fact that he is the best rider in world, which I feel confident in saying—especially when someone like Jeffrey Herlings admits it! For these next two races, it’s business as usual, and we all know it’s not over until it’s over.”
Words and Images by Team HRC
