Jett Lawrence Clinches AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship
Gillette StadiumIn AMA Supercross’s return to Foxborough, following a four-year absence, Team Honda HRC scored a pair of second-place finishes, one of which was enough for Jett Lawrence to clinch the 250SX East Region Championship one race early, and the other coming courtesy of Chase Sexton in the premier class.
Lawrence suffered a bad start in the 250SX main event, running outside the top 10 early and completing lap one in eighth. Although he only had to finish 18th or better in order to secure the crown, he quickly advanced through the pack, hitting the top five on lap 4. While engaged in a heated battle with Austin Forkner, the 18-year-old set the race’s fastest lap, and the duo took over second and third when RJ Hampshire went down with four minutes remaining. Lawrence moved by Peirce Brown for second on the penultimate lap, then crossed the line just .58 seconds behind Forkner. Also impressive was SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda rider Mitchell Oldenburg, with a fourth-place finish, as was Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cullin Park, who led early and finished an eventual ninth.
Sexton didn’t get a great start in the 450SX main but was quickly up to fourth place, then third on lap 3 when Eli Tomac stalled. He set the race’s fastest time a lap later and moved by Cooper Webb two laps after that, then set after the leading Jason Anderson. The 22-year-old managed to close up to Anderson’s rear fender at one point, ultimately finishing just over three seconds back.
NOTES
Chase Sexton took part in Friday’s Media Day activities at Foxborough, logging some time on the circuit ahead of race day.
Foxborough was a Supercross Futures round, and once again Honda’s Chance Hymas was dominant, topping all of his qualifying sessions and leading every lap of the main event aboard his CRF250R.
Jett Lawrence notched the second-best time in 250SX East qualifying, less than three-tenths off of the top rider. Also quick were SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda’s Mitchell Oldenburg (fifth), as well as Fire Power Honda riders Jordon Smith (eighth) and Jarrett Frye (10th). TiLube Honda’s Hunter Yoder was 13th-best, one ahead of Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cullin Park, and Jones Powersports’s John Short was 18th.
In the 450SX class, Chase Sexton was the quickest rider, more than three-tenths ahead of the next-best rider. MotoConcepts riders Justin Brayton and Vince Friese were eighth and ninth, respectively. SGB Unlimited Honda riders Cade Clason and Jeremy Hand were 14th and 18th, respectively.
Foxborough enjoyed pleasant weather for race day, with the temperature at 66º Fahrenheit when the main program kicked off.
Lawrence suffered a poor start in the first 250SX heat race and had to fight through the pack from ninth at the end of lap 1 to second at the finish, one spot ahead of Smith. Also advancing from the first heat were Red Riders Park (fifth), Frye (sixth) and Short (seventh). Heat 2 saw Oldenburg (fourth) and Yoder (seventh) both make it through.
Sexton topped the second 450SX heat race by over two seconds after leading every lap. Friese also qualified from that race with a fifth-place finish, whereas Red Riders to make it through from heat 1 were Brayton (fourth) and Clason (seventh).
Lawrence’s crown is Honda’s 11th in the AMA Supercross 250SX East Region (the most recent by Sexton in 2020), to go with five in the West Region. It is his second AMA title, going along with his 2021 AMA Pro Motocross 250 Championship. Lawrence’s second-place finish marked his 14th podium in AMA Supercross, while Sexton tallied his 10th podium in the 450SX division, and his third in a row.
Sexton and Lawrence both took part in the post-race press conference Saturday afternoon.
To celebrate Lawrence’s title, Alpinestars had special T-shirts prepared, and Throttle Jockey had printed a number 1 plate. In addition, Yoshimura had a special sticker for the muffler end-tip, and Renthal had a gold handlebar pad. In addition, Lawrence’s agent Lucas Mirtl organized a special post-race celebration in the stadium visitors’ locker room.
Following the race, team manager Lars Lindstrom and 450 Crew Chief Shane Drew headed to Florida for outdoor testing with Ken Roczen and Hunter and Jett Lawrence.
The AMA Supercross charity benefit for St. Jude Children’s Hospital opens today. Fans can bid on autographed bike parts and other memorabilia from now through May 9.
Next up for Team Honda HRC is the Denver Supercross, which will see Hunter Lawrence back in action alongside Sexton.
I was a little bit slow in the beginning, and then after Eli [Tomac] stalled it, I picked up the pace a little bit. I knew Jason [Anderson] was going to be good from watching him all day, so I knew if I wanted to win, I had to go with him. There was a part in the middle of the race where I felt like I was riding really well, and lapped riders were definitely a factor; it was just a yo-yo effect, and then obviously he broke away. My goal after Seattle – after weeks of me laying on the ground – was to get back to being on the podium. Now that I’ve done that, obviously I want to continue being on the podium, but my other goal is going for wins. I’ve been close, but Jason has been riding really well and so has Eli. It’s not easy, but I’m doing the best I possibly can. I feel like my riding and confidence are getting better every weekend, and that’s definitely going to help me heading to the outdoors. I just want to finish this season strong and go for these last two wins and have some fun. When you’re having fun, it’s easy to be comfortable and go fast. Overall, I’m happy with how I’ve been riding.
To be honest, I was calmer than last weekend, going into the East-West Showdown. I was just enjoying it, and that helped me have more fun with the track. In the main event I got out of the gate okay, but I was a bit off balance. I lost all my traction there, but I was just happy to make it through the first turn. I liked battling with Austin [Forkner]; I think it helped me to not even worry about the championship, because I was more excited about the race. I tried some different lines, made some mistakes, but this track was so about being consistent. I’ve dreamed of this since I was a little kid. All the hard work that we and the team have put in, and all the hard times I’ve gone through – this one night makes all that disappear. I just have to say thanks to the team. I wouldn’t be here without my brother; I feel like he should have a number 1 plate too, because he’s a big part of this. This one is definitely a lot more than the outdoors [title]; I’ve had a lot of rough runs in supercross, so this is unreal.
Today was another great weekend for the team, with Chase being fastest in qualifying and P2 in the race, and obviously the highlight being Jett wrapping up the championship one race early. I’m really proud of Chase turning his season around, to now having three podiums in a row, almost winning all three. It was really special to be a part of Jett’s Championship; he deserves everything and has proven to be a level above the other riders in his class. Now we’ll start focusing on motocross so that we can challenge for both 250 and 450 titles this summer!
250SX East Standings
| Pos. | Rider | Num. | Team | Constr. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jett Lawrence | 18 | Team Honda HRC | Honda | 192 |
| 2 | Rj Hampshire | 24 | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing | Husqvarna | 139 |
| 3 | Pierce Brown | 44 | Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing | GASGAS | 128 |
| 4 | Mitchell Oldenburg | 54 | Smartop Bullfrog Spas MotoConcepts Honda | Honda | 122 |
| 5 | Enzo Lopes | 80 | Muc-Off FXR ClubMX, IAMACOMEBACK, Yamaha | Yamaha | 116 |
| 6 | Cameron McAdoo | 48 | Monster energy ProCircuit Kawasaki | Kawasaki | 114 |
| 7 | Jordon Smith | 90 | Smartop Bullfrog Spas MotoConcepts Honda | Honda | 104 |
| 15 | John Short | 72 | Volkswagen of Waco, Jones Powersports | Honda | 54 |
| 20 | Jarrett Frye | 39 | Fire Power Honda | Honda | 32 |
| 21 | Kyle Peters | 52 | Phoenix Racing Honda | Honda | 25 |
| 26 | Jeremy Hand | 63 | SGB Unlimited Honda | Honda | 16 |
| 29 | Lance Kobusch | 194 | STR, 100%, Dunlop, Canvas | Honda | 15 |
| 41 | Aj Catanzaro | 330 | Moto Academy | Honda | 1 |
