Second Straight AMA 450SX Championship for Team Honda HRC

・ Jett Lawrence earns his seventh consecutive AMA crown
・ Ninth on the season for Hunter Lawrence in debut 450 series
・ Shimoda, Hymas finish 250SX East-West Showdown in fourth and seventh, respectively

Team Honda HRC earned its fourth premier-class championship in a row (following 2023 crowns in AMA Supercross, AMA Pro Motocross and SuperMotocross), with Jett Lawrence finalizing the accomplishment at Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium. The 20-year-old rode to a steady seventh-place main-event result, which was more than enough to secure his seventh AMA crown in a row. Hunter Lawrence rode well all day, but after being knocked down early in the 450SX main event, 15^th place was all that he could manage. The finale was also a 250SX East-West Showdown, which meant Team Honda HRC riders Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas were both in action. In the end, the duo tallied fourth- and seventh-place finishes, respectively.

Jett knew that even if title rival Cooper Webb were to take the win in the final 450SX main-event start of the year, all he needed to do to secure the crown was finish in 17^th place or better. The Australian ran seventh after turn 1, with Webb only one position better, while Hunter sat in third place. Buoyed by the momentum of his best-ever finish the previous week, Hunter was pressuring for second when he was run off the track by Jason Anderson on lap 2. He remounted near the back of the pack and eventually rode to a 15^th-place result. Meanwhile, Jett ran as high as fourth for a while but opted to avoid potentially dangerous battles and settled for seventh at the finish.

Shimoda managed a third-place start in the 250SX East-West Showdown, while Hymas was back in 19^th place. An early miscue by Shimoda cost him a couple positions, and he ran in fifth for the first few laps. He made a pass and spent laps 4 through 15 in fourth place, then overtook Jordon Smith for third. Unfortunately, the Japanese rider was passed on the last lap, and he finished just out of the podium positions. Meanwhile, despite his inauspicious getaway, Hymas rode well throughout the main event, climbing steadily through the pack to eventually notch a seventh-place result.

NOTES

・ A pre-race press conference was held on Friday, with Jett Lawrence and Jo Shimoda both participating. All four Team Honda HRC riders then had an opportunity to ride the track.
・ For the AMA Supercross finale, Team Honda HRC hosted a pair of dealerships in their pit footprint, with both Honda World (from Jordan, Utah) and Young Powersports (from Centerville, Utah) staffing pop-up activation booths.
・ Daytime qualifying saw Jett and Hunter Lawrence notch the second- and fifth-best 450SX times, respectively. Chance Hymas was third-fastest in 250SX East, and Jo Shimoda was sixth-quickest in 250SX West.
・ The Salt Lake City event hosted a 250SX Futures round, and SLR Honda’s Parker Ross rode his CRF250R to a respectable fourth-place result.
・ The 250SX East heat race saw Chance Hymas take an eighth-place start before eventually finishing in the same position, but the interim was action-packed, with Hymas running as high as sixth and as low as 13^th at different points. Fire Power Honda’s Max Anstie finished seventh. Shimoda was ninth off the 250SX West heat-race start and worked his way up to fifth place.
・ Jett Lawrence nailed the holeshot in the 450SX heat race and fended off the advances of Justin Barcia to score the win. Also qualifying from the heat were Red Riders Dean Wilson (Fire Power Honda, fourth), Vince Friese (SmarTop/MotoConcepts Honda, seventh) and Jeremy Hand (Valley Automotive, eighth). In heat 2, Hunter Lawrence was third off the start, and he stayed there to the checkered flag. Phoenix Racing Honda rider Dylan Ferrandis and MotoConcepts rider Mitchell Oldenburg finished fifth and sixth, respectively.
・ Although he didn’t manage to take his ninth win of the season in Salt Lake City, Jett Lawrence did turn the fastest lap time of the 450SX main event.
・ The traveling AMA dirt-bike circus now takes a one-weekend break before kicking off the AMA Pro Motocross Series in Pala, California, May 25.