AMA Supercross/Motocross

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

Two weeks after Team Honda HRC did a clean sweep of the AMA SuperMotocross Championship (AMA-SX), the AMA Pro Motocross Championship (AMA-MX) began.

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 at AMA-MX Round 4, Highpoint
Jett Lawrence at AMA-MX Round 4, Highpoint

 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.


Jett Lawrence at AMA-MX Round 9, Unadilla
Jett Lawrence at AMA-MX Round 9, Unadilla

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.


Jett Lawrence at AMA-MX Round 11, Ironman
Jett Lawrence at AMA-MX Round 11, Ironman

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).


Team Honda HRC at AMA-MX Round 11, Ironman
Team Honda HRC at AMA-MX Round 11, Ironman

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.


Chase Sexton at AMA-SMX Round 1, Charlotte
Chase Sexton at AMA-SMX Round 1, Charlotte

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.


Jett Lawrence at AMA-SMX Round 3, Los Angeles
Jett Lawrence at AMA-SMX Round 3, Los Angeles


450MX - Standings

Pos. Rider Num. Team Constr. Pts
1 Jett LAWRENCE 18 Team Honda HRC Honda 550
2 Dylan FERRANDIS 14 Star Racing Yamaha 450 Team Yamaha 399
3 Aaron PLESSINGER 7 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 386
4 Chase SEXTON 23 Team Honda HRC Honda 338
5 Adam CIANCIARULO 9 Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki 328
6 Garrett MARCHBANKS 36 Muc-Off / FXR / ClubMX Yamaha 255
21 Jeremy HAND 91 Hand Racing Honda 65
25 Jace KESSLER 511 Onlyfans, Kessler Concrete, ATeam Honda Honda 34
26 Ryan SURRATT 77 JCR Honda 33
33 Dylan WRIGHT 539 None Listed Honda 25
34 Brandon RAY 388 Raylentless Racing Honda 23
36 Lars VAN BERKEL 787 None Listed Honda 21
39 Gert KRESTINOV 387 JT Construction Motoextreme Honda Honda 18
43 Tyler STEPEK 177 TEAM LMR Honda 11
45 Henry MILLER 66 ShopHenryMiller.com Honda 9
46 Jed BEATON 104 None Listed Honda 8
52 Vincent LUHOVEY 437 Luhovey Racing(Honda) Honda 4
58 Bryce HAMMOND 928 None Listed Honda 3
60 Izaih CLARK 682 Storm Lake Honda Game Moto FPD Racing Honda 3
66 Ryder FLOYD 296 Ronnie Prado Company(Honda) Honda 2

250MX - Standings

Pos. Rider Num. Team Constr. Pts
1 Hunter LAWRENCE 96 Team Honda HRC Honda 419
2 Justin COOPER 32 Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha 250 Team Yamaha 399
3 Jo SHIMODA 30 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki Kawasaki 393
4 Haiden DEEGAN 238 Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha 250 Team Yamaha 371
5 Levi KITCHEN 43 Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha 250 Team Yamaha 322
6 Tom VIALLE 128 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 302
18 Chance HYMAS 832 Team Honda HRC Honda 92
43 Maxwell SANFORD 162 Concrete Plants Inc Honda 5

450SMX - Standings

Pos. Rider Num. Team Constr. Pts
1 Jett LAWRENCE 18 Team Honda HRC Honda 163
2 Ken ROCZEN 94 HEP Progressive Ecstar Suzuki Suzuki 146
3 Chase SEXTON 23 Team Honda HRC Honda 126
4 Cooper WEBB 2 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Yamaha 120
5 Aaron PLESSINGER 7 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 104
6 Adam CIANCIARULO 9 Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki 96
19 Dean WILSON 15 Fire Power Honda Honda 31
22 Jeremy HAND 91 Hand Racing/Valley Motorsports Honda 18
23 Kevin MORANZ 80 KMR Racing Honda 4

250SMX - Standings

Pos. Rider Num. Team Constr. Pts
1 Haiden DEEGAN 238 Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha 157
2 Jo SHIMODA 30 Pro Circuit Kawasaki Kawasaki 152
3 R.J. HAMPSHIRE 24 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Husqvarna 122
4 Levi KITCHEN 43 Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha 114
5 Jordon SMITH 58 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Yamaha 110
6 Justin COOPER 32 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Yamaha 101
16 Cullin PARK 67 Phoenix Racing Honda Honda 41
18 Mitchell OLDENBURG 49 MotoConcepts Racing Honda Honda 27
19 Coty SCHOCK 285 Phoenix Racing Honda Honda 25
21 Max ANSTIE 63 Firepower Honda Honda 14
22 Jett LAWRENCE 18 Team Honda HRC Honda 12
27 Chris BLOSE 57 Phoenix Racing Honda Honda 6