Big brother takes round honours at Ironman Raceway as Jett gets hit with controversial penalty
The Pro Motocross Championship roared back into life after a two-week hiatus, returning to the renowned Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana, for its ninth round of the season. In 450 combined qualifying, Jett posted the fastest time, with Hunter Lawrence fifth.
The premier 450 Class kicked off with some early excitement as Monster Energy Yamaha Star Eli Tomac snatched his first Pro Motocross Holeshot of the season, with Hunter Lawrence in hot pursuit. However, all eyes were on Jett Lawrence, the runaway series leader, who encountered an unusual start-line mishap. Jett flinched forward before the gate dropped, which led to him hitting the gate. As a result, he had to work his way through the pack from a less-than-ideal start position, much like Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had to after hitting the gate at the Detroit round.
Post race, Jett argued a 10 second time penalty would have been more fitting, but AMA director of racing Mike Pelletier stated “Jumping or fouling the gate is a set one-lap penalty. When you see Jett hit the gate, he is in front of the field… that is considered jumping the gate.” However, many questioned whether the penalty matched the infraction, especially since Jett was visibly disadvantaged from the start and did not gain any real lead.
Jett wasn’t the only one facing challenges. Chase Sexton tipped over while attempting to navigate into the top ranks. Meanwhile, Hunter capitalised on his strong start, making a decisive move to take the lead from Tomac. Both Sexton and Jett battled fiercely through the field, reaching fifth and sixth, respectively. As the race heated up, Sexton caught up with Hunter and overtook him just as the clock ran out, securing his moto win with a narrow 4.7-second margin. Jett fought back to cross the line in third place, but the one-lap penalty dropped him all the way back to 17th.
Determined to shake off the earlier setback, Tomac once again led the charge with another Holeshot, but it didn’t take long for Hunter Lawrence to seize the lead with an assertive manoeuvre. Jett was riding with a some pent up frustration after his Moto One dramas, slicing ruthlessly through the field to eventually storm into the lead ahead of both Tomac and Hunter.
This set up a tense family battle until Hunter had a brief spill, though he quickly recovered to stay in contention. Unfortunately for Sexton, a mechanical mishap ended his race prematurely, allowing Hunter to reclaim second place after Tomac had to overcome a stall. Jett crossed the finish line comfortably out in front, securing his 13th moto win of the season with a 6.4-second advantage over Hunter.
Hunter’s consistent 2-2 results secured his first 450 Class overall win in just his 20th career start. Behind him, RJ Hampshire earned his first overall podium in the 450 Class with a 3-4 result, while Tomac rounded out the top three with a 6-3 finish. Jett once again recorded the fastest lap times in both 450 motos, showcasing his pace despite a challenging day to finish up sixth overall. The younger Lawrence brother’s 47-point championship lead remains intact despite the penalty, meaning Jett needs only to extend his lead by three points in the next race to clinch the title and hoist the Edison Dye Cup for the second time in three years.
1st Place: Hunter Lawrence, Honda HRC Progressive (2-2)
“I haven’t got the energy to be emotional or happy. It’s hot and I’m finished. I’m just happy to get one [a win]. A lot of second place finishes, but it’s good to get the monkey off my back. There was a lot of wild stuff that went on today, which worked out in my favour—what happened to Jett in the first moto with being penalised a lap, and then I’m not sure what happened with Chase in the second moto. It was a wild day in that aspect, but I’m happy to be there and able to capitalise on it. It was hot, with no breeze—a really tough, physically demanding day.”
2nd Place: RJ Hampshire, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (3-4)
“This just shows I’m a man of my word. I said I’d be on the podium by the end of this [season]. My speed is getting better, my bike is getting better, my health is getting better. I’m just so happy riding this 450 and being able to show what I’m capable of.”
3rd Place: Eli Tomac, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (6-3)
“I’m surprised I’m on the podium. I’ve been having a rough day. Physically, I’m not well at the moment and I’m just glad I was able to hold on there in the end and keep fighting. It was a bit of a rough one for us, but I’ll take the podium.”
6th Place: Jett Lawrence, Honda HRC Progressive (2-2)
“Ups and downs today. I tried some new things with my stomach because I’ve been struggling to digest food between motos, and I think the tablets I took kept digesting everything so quickly that by halfway, I had no energy—bit of a bummer there. Obviously, there was the incident in the first moto, which in my mind is kind of silly because I feel like AMA has double standards; we’ve got guys cutting the track and they don’t do anything. I guess this is what we have to deal with, but they might need to get better at realising who they need to penalise. I came back and won the second moto, so we’ll leave with that. AMA has its rules, I guess, so it is what it is. We’ll get back to work, come back, and get better starts so I don’t get penalised.”
450 Overall Results
- Hunter Lawrence (Hon)
- R.J. Hampshire (Hus)
- Eli Tomac (Yam)
- Justin Cooper (Yam)
- Jorge Prado (Kaw)
- Jett Lawrence (Hon)
- Dylan Ferrandis (Hon)
- Malcolm Stewart (Hus)
- Justin Barcia (Gas)
- Chase Sexton (KTM)
450 Championship Points (after 9 of 11 rounds)
- Jett Lawrence (412)
- Hunter Lawrence (365)
- Eli Tomac (324)
- Justin Cooper (315)
- R.J. Hampshire (293)
- Jorge Prado (224)
- Aaron Plessinger (204)
- Malcolm Stewart (182)
- Valentin Guillod (156)
- Cooper Webb (151)
