Jett Lawrence Stretches Advantage With Philadelphia SX Win

・ Seventh-place finish in 450SX for Hunter Lawrence
・ Best-ever result for Chance Hymas, with fifth in 250SX East
・ Fire Power Honda’s Max Anstie takes 250SX East win

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 17^th 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.

NOTES

・ Team Honda HRC participated in media-day activities on Friday, giving the riders an opportunity to try out the track and be interviewed by the press.
・ Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis made a return to racing in Philadelphia, following a five-race absence due to a lung infection. The Frenchman finished ninth in the 450SX class.
・ Also racing in Philadelphia was Ferrandis’s Phoenix teammate, newly recrowned AMA Arenacross Champion Kyle Peters. Peters finished 12^th in the 250SX East main event.
・ For the first time in his premier-class career, Hunter Lawrence was the top rider in combined qualifying times. Jett Lawrence was fourth after falling on a hot lap. In the 250SX East class, Fire Power Honda’s Max Anstie was best, while Chance Hymas was eighth.
・ Jett went down in turn 1 during the first 450SX heat race, rejoining the race at the very back of the pack. Knowing that a good main-event start would be vital, the Australian marched through the pack, making his way up to fourth by the finish. In the second heat race, Hunter Lawrence exited turn 1 just behind Jason Anderson and followed him throughout the race to notch a second-place result—one ahead of Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis. Fire Power Honda’s Dean Wilson was eighth.
・ Chance Hymas suffered a poor start in 250SX East heat-race 1, completing lap 1 in 13^th, but he was able to climb to sixth by the finish—one ahead of Phoenix Racing Honda’s Kyle Peters, with TiLube Honda’s Henry Miller also making it through. Fire Power Honda’s Max Anstie and privateer Red Rider Ryder Floyd advanced through heat 2 (third and sixth, respectively), and Luhovey Racing-backed CRF250R rider Vinny Luhovey made it through from the last-chance qualifier.
・ Jett’s Philadelphia victory was his seventh of the year, and his second in a row. Only one other rider has more than a single victory this season—Cooper Webb, with four.
・ Only two rounds remain in AMA Supercross, with Denver this coming weekend and then Salt Lake City next week. Jett carries a 12-point 450SX title-chase lead into the penultimate round, while Hunter sits in 10^th place, four points behind Justin Barcia. Hymas is ninth in the 250SX East ranks.