Honda HRC Progressive star claims third 450SX win of the season and extends Supercross points lead to nine heading to Detroit.
Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence has continued his strong 2025 AMA Supercross form with a commanding victory in Birmingham, notching his third premier class win and his second on the bounce to stretch his championship advantage to nine points.
Coming off the series’ first weekend off after nine consecutive rounds, Lawrence arrived in Alabama determined to keep building on the momentum that began with his breakthrough 450SX win a month earlier. He also admitted the short break was a learning experience in itself: “I was kind of feeling that wear and tear, and I was like, ‘I’m going to take Saturday and Sunday off.’ I haven’t taken two days completely off since last year, after Motocross of Nations. I thought I’d feel fresh on Monday, but I actually felt like crap Monday and Tuesday. My riding wasn’t that good, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m not taking two days off again!’”
When it came time for the Birmingham 450SX main event, the Australian executed his plan perfectly. Launching inside the top three, Lawrence moved into the lead in the opening corners and controlled the race from the front, showing sharper intensity early and steadily building a buffer that he maintained to the finish. Lawrence ultimately took the win by 2.4 seconds over Ken Roczen, while Quad Lock Honda’s Shane McElrath and Christian Craig finished 12th and 17th respectively.
Lawrence had signalled his speed earlier in the day by qualifying second fastest in 450SX. In the 450SX heat race, Lawrence was second off the start and held that position to the flag.
The win was witnessed by groups of Honda associates and representatives from Honda’s Alpharetta Powersports headquarters, as well as staff from the North Carolina ATV manufacturing plant and the South Carolina side by side manufacturing plant. The Birmingham result also means Lawrence now holds a nine point advantage over Eli Tomac as the series heads to Detroit this Saturday for round 11.
Honda HRC Progressive also provided a brief update on its injury list, with West Region rider Chance Hymas – currently sidelined with a shoulder injury – attending Birmingham and expected to start riding again this week. Jett Lawrence is also progressing after an ankle injury sustained during pre season, having recently undergone a follow up procedure to remove hardware, with a return to riding anticipated in the next couple of weeks.
Hunter Lawrence
“The track layout was rather simple, but the conditions made it tricky, and we did a lot of laps. Kenny [Roczen] had a really good pace; when he got around Eli [Tomac], he put in some good laps, and I’mlike, ‘Alright, this is his really good sprint speed, so I need to kind of push at the beginning.’ I was trying to push as much as I could. That’s one of the things I find the coolest: a high-pressure moment or high-stakes scenario, and you’re able to deliver. You’ve got to be consistent, precise and just push the whole main. I don’t really want to think about the title, because it’s still seven races away and so much racing left to be had. I’m just trying not to be an idiot, and focusing on the week-in and week-out.”
450SX Results
- Hunter Lawrence (Hon)
- Ken Roczen (Suz)
- Eli Tomac (KTM)
- Justin Cooper (Yam)
- Malcolm Stewart (Hus)
- Cooper Webb (Yam)
- Jorge Prado (KTM)
- Colt Nichols (Suz)
- Jordon Smith (Tri)
- Garrett Marchbanks (Kaw)
450SX Championship Points (after 10 of 17 rounds)
- Hunter Lawrence: 221
- Eli Tomac: 212
- Ken Roczen: 190
- Cooper Webb: 187
- Justin Cooper: 158
- Joey Savatgy: 125
- Chase Sexton: 122
- Malcom Stewart: 107
- Jorge Prado: 104
- Aaron Plessinger: 99
