Hunter Lawrence blasts back to the top at Budds Creek

Hunter capitalises on tough conditions to dominate the penultimate Pro Motocross round, setting up a blockbuster winner takes all showdown with brother Jett Lawrence

Mother Nature finally had a real say in the Pro Motocross Championship at Budds Creek, with the penultimate round of the season delivering a dramatic mix of rain, mud and then improving conditions as the day wore on. Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence [#96] turned in a commanding performance to secure his sixth overall win of the year and move back into the championship lead. With one round remaining, he now heads into the finale holding a one point advantage over teammate and brother Jett Lawrence [#1], setting the stage for a winner take all finish to the season.

The first qualifying session proved decisive after a heavy downpour before session two meant riders effectively abandoned any attempt to improve. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan [#38] ended the morning fastest with a 1:54.734, half a second clear of Jett Lawrence, who posted a 1:55.266. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire [#24] was third on a 1:55.501, while Hunter Lawrence slotted into fourth with a 1:55.541 after his quickest lap was scrubbed for jumping on a red cross flag. Before that penalty, he had held the second-fastest time.

When the opening moto got underway, Deegan launched to the holeshot ahead of Hunter Lawrence and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac [#3]. Jett Lawrence, however, was buried off the start after a poor launch and contact with another rider through the opening turn left him deep in the top 20, before he briefly dropped outside the points.

Hunter Lawrence did not rush his attack in the early stages, but once he made his move it caught Deegan by surprise and put the Honda rider into the lead. Deegan answered to keep the pressure on at first, although Lawrence soon stretched the gap beyond two seconds.

As the front three settled, attention quickly shifted to Jett Lawrence’s charge. He climbed into the top 15 in the first 10 minutes and was matching the pace of the riders at the front. By halfway he had cracked the top 10, while up ahead Hunter Lawrence’s advantage over Deegan shrank to a little more than a second as both worked through heavy lapped traffic. Behind them, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado [#26] moved past teammate Tomac for third.

Hunter Lawrence absorbed that renewed pressure from Deegan and then pulled away again, opening the margin back out to more than three seconds in the final five minutes. Jett Lawrence kept advancing in the closing laps and, right as the clock expired, made the move for fifth. At the front, Hunter Lawrence finished with authority and claimed his 11th moto win of the summer by 5.6 seconds over Deegan. Prado was third, more than 50 seconds behind, with Tomac taking his best moto finish of the season in fourth and Jett Lawrence rescuing fifth. Hunter Lawrence’s speed was underlined by the fact he lapped all the way up to 11th in the 40 rider field.

Track conditions were at their best for moto two, and this time Hunter Lawrence put himself in charge immediately by grabbing the holeshot ahead of Prado and fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Aaron Plessinger [#7]. Deegan and Jett Lawrence both came out buried in the top 10.

With open track in front of him, Hunter Lawrence wasted no time and ripped through the first lap to establish a 3.4 second lead over Prado, while 5.11 Triumph Factory Racing’s Mikkel Haarup [#31] moved into third. Jett Lawrence then methodically worked forward and, within the first five minutes, had already climbed to fourth after dispatching several riders. Deegan was a few spots further back in seventh.

Prado began to chip away at Hunter Lawrence’s lead as the race approached the 10 minute mark, while Jett Lawrence set about Haarup and pulled off a sharp outside move to take third. Even so, Hunter Lawrence handled Prado’s challenge and soon extended the gap again, getting it out to nearly six seconds with less than 10 minutes remaining.

Further behind, Jett Lawrence started to close in on Prado and the pair entered a fight for second in the final stages. That battle lasted two laps, and on the final lap Jett made it happen by using a lapped rider to help open the door on the Spaniard. None of it changed the outcome up front, though, as Hunter Lawrence completed a wire-to-wire ride for his 12th moto win of the season, crossing the line 5.9 seconds ahead of his younger brother. Prado finished third, with Deegan in fourth.

The overall belonged emphatically to Hunter Lawrence, whose sixth 1-1 result of the year delivered his sixth win of the summer and the seventh of his career. More importantly, it lifted him back to the top of the standings with one round to go. Prado put together back-to-back runner-up finishes with a 3-3 scorecard, while Deegan’s 2-4 gave him third overall and a fifth straight podium. He now has eight podium finishes from the first 10 races of his rookie season.

Jett Lawrence ended the day fourth overall with 5-2 results. It was only the third non-podium result of his 37 premier class starts, and the first time that has happened without a crash or a penalty playing a role.

The championship picture also shifted significantly. An 11 point swing at Budds Creek put Hunter Lawrence back in front, with just one point now separating the brothers entering the final round. It also marked the sixth time the points lead has changed between them this summer.

1st Place – Hunter Lawrence 
“Anything can happen, so I just focused on myself. I tried to get around the first turn the best I can and then just ride my own race. I haven’t felt great all week [physically], so it feels great to get this done.”

2nd Place – Jorge Prado 
“My start was good [and] my riding was good most of the time. In those last 10 minutes I struggle and have a hard time with the lappers. I need to be better at that. Hopefully we can get a moto win before the season ends.”

3rd Place – Haiden Deegan 
“I was chasing BamBam [Barcia] for so long and overheated my bike. I’m still happy with the day. We’re making improvements each week and I just want to keep putting in the work. On to the next one.”

4th Place – Jett Lawrence
“It’s going to be exciting [next weekend]. [Hunter and I] have been going back and forth with the red plate. Now it’s one point and winner-take-all at the next one. I need to get better on the starts; those have been terrible. If I can fix that I think we’ll be in good shape.”

2026 AMA PRO MOTOCROSS BUDDS CREEK

2026 AMA PRO MOTOCROSS STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 10 OF 11