AMA-MX/SMX 2023 Review: Jett Lawrence AMA Pro Motocross Clean Sweep

Team Honda HRC had made some changes to its rider lineup for the start of the outdoor motocross season. 250SX West champion Jett Lawrence steped up to the 450 class as Chase Sexton’s teammate, while 250SX East champion Hunter Lawrence and Chance Hymas, making his full-time professional debut in the pro motocross season, represented the team in the 250 class.

Jett Lawrence Wins Debut Race, Continues Winning

In the season-opener, Jett Lawrence scored his 450 debut win in Moto1 and carried the momentum into Moto2. Sexton finished second in both races, giving Team Honda HRC back-to-back 1-2 finishes. Sexton, however, crashed in post-race testing and developed a viral infection in addition to a concussion, forcing him to miss the next three rounds. Jett Lawrence crashed in Moto1 in Round 4, dropping to third position at one point, but he was able to push hard and win the race. He also won Moto2, recording his eighth consecutive win since the start of the season.

 Jett Lawrence continued his winning streak, and while he was in a close battle with Sexton, who returned in Round 5, he extended his perfect record through to Round 8. With the title already in the bag, he kept up the momentum in Round 9 in Unadilla, taking the holeshot in both Moto1 and Moto2, and leading every lap to claim his 18th consecutive win and the title without a blemish.

While Jett Lawrence continued to lead, Supercross champion Sexton kept up the pressure  from behind. The time difference between the riders in Round 10 Moto2 was a mere 0.771 seconds.

Hopes were high for Jett Lawrence to become the third rookie in history and the first rookie to win the entire season, but Sexton had the home advantage in the last race of the season, the Ironman National. Under pressure, Jett Lawrence kept Sexton at bay by a narrow margin in both races, to finally win all 22 races of the season.

250MX: Hunter Lawrence Wins First Title

Hunter Lawrence dominated the first four rounds, placing him at the top of the rankings. In his Pro Motocross debut season, Hymas steadily improved his results from the start of the season, and in Round 3 finished third in Moto2. Unfortunately, a ligament injury shortly after Round 4  forced him to sit out the rest of the season.

Hunter Lawrence's winning streak came to an end when he retired in Moto2 in Round 5, and retired / finished 8th in Round 6, but he regained his form in Round 7 and took the overall win. He continued to finish at the top of the standings, increasing his lead in the championship to 22 points going into the final round. In Moto1, he started from the back of the field due to multiple crashes, but was able to catch up and finish in fifth place, securing his first 250MX title.

As a result, Honda became the first manufacturer to win five titles, in all classes of AMA-SX (450SX, 250SX East/West) and AMA-MX (450MX/250MX).

Jett Lawrence Becomes Inaugural Champion, Team Honda HRC Claims Six Titles

AMA Supermotocross (AMA-SMX), a playoff for the top ranked AMA-SX/MX riders, began in 2023. Team Honda HRC had three 2023 AMA champions - Sexton (450SX), Jett Lawrence (250SX West/450MX) and Hunter Lawrence (250SX East/250MX) - in a three-round playoff.

Riders had points based on their AMA-SX and AMA-MX rankings (Sexton 25 points, J. Lawrence 20 points, H. Lawrence 25 points), which were combined with the points awarded for overall ranking in this post-season competition to determine their final ranking.

Round 1 was held at zMAX DRAGWAY in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sexton, who was behind Jett Lawrence in AMA-MX, made waves at this event. Jett Lawrence finished seventh in Moto1, but improved his set-up in Moto2 to finish second, on the podium with Sexton.

Round 2 followed at Chicagoland Speedway. After a good start in Moto1, Jett Lawrence and Sexton cleared the first turn in first and third, and they led the race to a 1-2 finish with Lawrence victorious. They also got off to good starts in Moto2 and fought for the lead, but with three laps to go, Ken Roczen (Suzuki) passed them to win. Jett Lawrence was second, and Sexton third.

The final round was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Sexton (450SMX) and Hunter Lawrence (250SMX) entered the event as points leaders, but Hunter crashed during timed practice and suffered a back injury that ruled him out of the final. Sexton finished third in Moto 1 and was leading in Moto 2 when he crashed hard and retired.

Jett Lawrence won both races, overcoming fierce competition from Roczen, scoring the perfect victory to become the first AMA-SMX Champion. Jett Lawrence brought Honda the team's sixth crown.

Race Report

▽AMA-MX

Rd.01 Fox Raceway：Pro Motocross Season Starts With Dominant Performance By Honda

Rd.02 Hangtown：Another Team Honda HRC Class-Win Sweep at Hangtown National

Rd.03 Thunder Valley：Historic Dominance for Team Honda HRC at Thunder Valley National

Rd.04 High Point：Team Honda HRC Extends Win Streaks at High Point National

Rd.05 Redbud：Jett Lawrence Continues Perfect Season at RedBud National

Rd.06 Southwick：Continued Dominance for Jett Lawrence at The Wick 338 MX

Rd.07 Spring Chreek：Commanding Performance by Team Honda HRC at Spring Creek

Rd.08 Washougal：Jett Lawrence Stretches Overall Win Streak to Eight at Washougal MX

Rd.09 Unidilla：450 Title Caps Successful Weekend for Team Honda HRC at Unadilla MX

Rd.10 バッズクリーク：Dual Overall Wins Once Again for Team Honda HRC at Budds Creek

Rd.11 アイアンマン：Emotional Finish to Incredible AMA Pro Motocross Season for Team Honda HRC

▽AMA-SMX

Rd.01 シャーロット：Sexton Dominates Inaugural SuperMotocross Race

Rd.02 シカゴランド：Team Honda HRC Sweeps Overall Wins at Dramatic Joliet SMX

Rd.03 ロサンゼルス：2023 Season Ends With SuperMotocross Title for Team Honda HRC

450MX - Standings

250MX - Standings

450SMX - Standings

250SMX - Standings