With the overall win at Indianapolis, which hosted the season’s second Triple Crown of the season, Jett Lawrence notched three wins in a row and five on the year—half of the races that have been run to this point, growing his lead in the title chase to 21 points. As if that weren’t enough, this most recent success was really three wins in one, as the CRF450RWE-mounted Team Honda HRC rider topped all three of the 450SX races, making him only the second rider to accomplish the feat (the first having been Ken Roczen, when he rode a Honda to a trio of wins at the 2020 Glendale round).
For Jett, the three 450SX races were remarkably similar to one another, as each saw him running second to Ken Roczen on lap 1, and then making a pass for the lead before riding to the win. The last victory was the hardest-fought, with the winning pass coming on lap 11 of 16 (as opposed to lap 7 in the first two races). Meanwhile, after Hunter Lawrence missed just a single round with a fractured scapula, the tough 24-year-old returned to action in Indianapolis, where he tallied 10-10-12 finishes for 11th overall.
In the 250SX East class, Chance Hymas showed good speed, including a fourth place in daytime qualifying and a solid showing in the second race, but he was hurt by poor starts in the first and third races (the latter made worse by a first-turn pileup). The Idaho native notched 9-5-11 results for eighth overall.
NOTES
- Indianapolis dealership Tom Wood Powersports staffed a pop-up activation booth in the Team Honda HRC pits, where they chatted with fans and displayed Honda powersports products.
- Team Honda HRC rider Chance Hymas participated in media day on Friday, getting time on the track and being interviewed by journalists.
- To celebrate Indianapolis’s motorsports heritage, Fly Racing set Hymas up with gear mimicking the race suit of the Will Ferrell character Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights.
- A sizeable group of Honda associates made the 170-mile drive from the company’s R&D facility in Raymond, Ohio, to attend the Indianapolis Supercross.
- Raquel Drew, a Sports Management student at University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana, worked as a PR intern at the Indianapolis round, assisting Team Honda HRC with Friday’s media day, as well as Saturday’s autograph session, podium appearances and more. Raquel is the daughter of Shane Drew, the squad’s Chassis R&D specialist.
- Jett Lawrence set the fastest lap time in daytime qualifying for the 450SX class. Hunter Lawrence was ninth-best in his first race back from a fractured scapula. In the 250SX East ranks, Chance Hymas was a respectable fourth-fastest, while Fire Power Honda’s Max Anstie topped the class.
- Following daytime qualifying, Team Honda HRC riders Jett and Hunter Lawrence and Chance Hymas had a meet-and-greet with a group of IndyCar racers, including Marcus Ericsson (Andretti Global), Christian Lundgaard (Rahal Letterman Lannigan Racing), Nolan Siegel Dale Coyne Racing), Christian Rasmussen (Ed Carpenter Racing) and Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren).
- Jett set the fastest lap times in the first two 450SX races.
- With his win this weekend, Jett joins past Honda-mounted riders to have topped the premier class in Indianapolis, including Jeff Stanton, Jeremy McGrath (four times), Ezra Lusk, Ricky Carmichael, Mike LaRocco and Ken Roczen (three times). Honda is the event’s winningest manufacturer, with 12 premier-class victories.
- Jett also moves into a tie with Broc Glover for 13th on the all-time AMA win list, with 45 victories across all classes.
- The Indianapolis win grew Jett’s 450SX points lead substantially, from 13 to 21, with seven rounds remaining.
- For round 11, AMA Supercross heads back to the 250SX West region, with Jo Shimoda set to return to action at the Seattle stop on Saturday.
Jett Lawrence
“It was cool to be the second person to sweep all three main events, and the first since Ken Roczen when he was on a Honda. I loved to keep that tradition alive for the team. The track tonight was super gnarly; it could catch you at any moment. It was scary riding next to someone in the rhythm sections, but it created some good racing. It was easy to lose and gain time, for sure. I knew starts would be key tonight, and I was very happy with where I was off the gate in all three races.”
Hunter Lawrence
“I’m super stoked to be here to race, and not at home on the couch. Obviously, it was not the night I wanted, but it was nice to be back on the gate. The team and I will keep working to get back to those results we showed earlier in the season.”
Chance Hymas
“Qualifying went really well for me; P4 showed I was comfortable with the track and the bike. My second main, I really showed my speed, but the first and third mains showed I need to work on starts. Overall, it was a step in the right direction, even though it isn’t where I or the team want to be. We have a big break now before Foxborough, so lots of time to keep putting in work.”
Lars Lindstrom – Team Manager
“Just another astonishing performance from Jett tonight. Being able to have a 21-point lead in the championship at this point is awesome, and he seems to be getting better and more intelligent with his racecraft every weekend. His starts were on point, and his amount of skill to do what he’s doing in these tricky conditions deserves nothing but respect and admiration! It was really, really, great to have Hunter back at the races after an injury that could’ve been much worse, and we’ll try and work every week to get him back to where he should be. Chance has been beat up these last weeks, so some time off the bike should help him out.”
450SX Results
- Jett Lawrence (Hon)
- Ken Roczen (Suz)
- Chase Sexton (KTM)
- Jason Anderson (Kaw)
- Cooper Webb (Yam)
- Aaron Plessinger (KTM)
- Eli Tomac (Yam)
- Justin Barcia (Gas)
- Malcolm Stewart (Hus)
- Justin Cooper (Yam)
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11. Hunter Lawrence (Hon)
450SX Championship Points (after 10 of 17 rounds)
- Jett Lawrence: 210
- Cooper Webb: 189
- Chase Sexton: 185
- Ken Roczen: 175
- Eli Tomac: 174
- Jason Anderson: 165
- Aaron Plessinger: 162
- Justin Cooper: 120
- Justin Barcia: 109
- Dylan Ferrandis: 107
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12. Hunter Lawrence: 98
