Hunter Lawrence Dominates Birmingham Supercross for second-consecutive win
Protective Stadium
・Australian extends championship lead to nine points
・Shimoda narrowly misses podium in 250SX East/West Showdown
The Birmingham AMA Supercross saw Honda HRC Progressive rider Hunter Lawrence continue the upward trend he has shown all year. One month after taking the first premier-class Supercross win of his career, he grabbed his third victory and his second in a row, extending his title-fight lead to nine points. Teammate Jo Shimoda also rode well in the year’s first East/West Showdown, narrowly missing the podium.
In the 450SX main event, Lawrence executed his strategy to perfection, launching inside the top three, quickly moving into the lead in the opening corners, and controlling the race from the front. Demonstrating improved early-race intensity, the CRF450RWE rider established a comfortable gap and maintained composure, eventually securing the win by 2.4 seconds over Ken Roczen. Quad Lock Honda’s Shane McElrath and Christian Craig finished in 12th and 17th, respectively.
Shimoda sat eighth after turn 1 in the 250SX East-West Showdown but quickly advanced into podium contention. He took over third at the halfway point, passed Levi Kitchen for second soon after, and began closing in on the leading Cole Davies. Shimoda briefly took the lead, but a small mistake opened the door for both Davies and Haiden Deegan to get by. A last-lap, three-way battle saw Shimoda make an attempt to take over second, only to lose traction on the slippery track and allow Seth Hammaker by. The Japanese rider was fourth at the finish line, but he remains in contention for the East Region crown, just nine points off the lead.
NOTES
・The Birmingham round followed the series’ first weekend off after nine races in a row, and Honda HRC Progressive rider Hunter Lawrence welcomed the opportunity to rest: “I was kind of feeling that wear and tear, and I was like, ‘I’m going to take Saturday and Sunday off.’ I haven’t taken two days completely off since last year, after Motocross of Nations. I thought I’d feel fresh on Monday, but I actually felt like crap Monday and Tuesday. My riding wasn’t that good, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m not taking two days off again!’”
・Ahead of the East/West Showdown, Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda and Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cullin Park were the East Region Honda representatives during media-day interviews and riding sessions on Friday. Honda HRC Progressive’s Lars Lindstrom joined the Feld-led team-manager media scrum.
・West Region rider Chance Hymas (currently out with a shoulder injury) was in attendance in Birmingham and participated in the autograph session with teammates Lawrence and Shimoda, giving fans a chance to meet the (almost) full roster of Honda HRC Progressive riders. The Idaho native is set to start riding again this week.
・Also making good progress is Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence, who has been out since an ankle injury incurred during the pre-season. Jett recently underwent a follow-up procedure to remove hardware, and a return to riding is expected in the next couple of weeks.
・The race was attended by groups of Honda associates and representatives from Honda’s Alpharetta Powersports headquarters, from the North Carolina ATV manufacturing plant, and from the South Carolina side-by-side manufacturing plant. All were excited to witness Lawrence’s third premier-class victory.
・Honda’s satellite teams featured reduced lineups in Birmingham, with Phoenix Racing Honda rider Gavin Towers and Quad Lock Honda rider Joey Savatgy both sitting out to recover from injuries sustained in Indianapolis.
・Shimoda placed 12th in 250SX combined qualifying—including both the East and West regions. Phoenix Racing Honda riders Cullin Park and Evan Ferry qualified 10th and 22nd, respectively. Ryder Floyd (Ti Lube Honda) qualified in 25th, and Storm Lake Honda riders Luke Neese and Izaih Clark were 27th and 30th, respectively. SLR Honda’s Justin Rodbell qualified in 34th, while Next Level’s Hunter Schlosser was 41st.
・In 450SX qualifying, Lawrence posted the second-fastest time. Quad Lock Honda riders Christian Craig and Shane McElrath qualified in 12th and 13th, respectively. Other Red Riders included John Short IV (Short Racing), Jeremy Hand (Valley Motorsports), Zack Williams (McGinley Clinic) and Ronnie Orres (Lasting Impressions), who qualified 24th, 25th, 29th and 41st, respectively.
・Shimoda started the East Region heat race in eighth and steadily worked his way into the top five by the midway point, ultimately securing fourth place on the final lap. Park also advanced directly to the East/West Showdown with an eighth-place finish in his heat race.
・Lawrence was second off the start in his 450SX heat race, while Craig was strong in fourth. The positions remained the same until the checkered flag. McElrath also advanced to the main event, with a fifth-place finish in his heat race.
・Birmingham marked Hunter Lawrence’s third premier-class win (season and career), and he now holds a nine-point advantage over Eli Tomac.
・Next up, Honda HRC Progressive heads to round 11 of AMA Supercross this Saturday in Detroit.
The track layout was rather simple, but the conditions made it tricky, and we did a lot of laps. Kenny [Roczen] had a really good pace; when he got around Eli [Tomac], he put in some good laps, and I’mlike, ‘Alright, this is his really good sprint speed, so I need to kind of push at the beginning.’ I was trying to push as much as I could. That’s one of the things I find the coolest: a high-pressure moment or high-stakes scenario, and you’re able to deliver. You’ve got to be consistent, precise and just push the whole main. I don’t really want to think about the title, because it’s still seven races away and so much racing left to be had. I’m just trying not to be an idiot, and focusing on the week-in and week-out.
The track layout was rather simple, but the conditions made it tricky, and we did a lot of laps. Kenny [Roczen] had a really good pace; when he got around Eli [Tomac], he put in some good laps, and I’mlike, ‘Alright, this is his really good sprint speed, so I need to kind of push at the beginning.’ I was trying to push as much as I could. That’s one of the things I find the coolest: a high-pressure moment or high-stakes scenario, and you’re able to deliver. You’ve got to be consistent, precise and just push the whole main. I don’t really want to think about the title, because it’s still seven races away and so much racing left to be had. I’m just trying not to be an idiot, and focusing on the week-in and week-out.
I almost had a good race, but the last-lap situation didn’t work out. I tried to make a pass, but I wasn’t close enough, and I also didn’t want to tangle with the lappers. After the whoops, I kind of wanted to go outside, get that speed, maybe have an opportunity to pass, but I knew Seth [Hammaker] was right behind me; if I went outside, maybe he could just come in pretty hard and take me out, which would be a lot worse. I think I didn’t race to be second tonight; I wanted to make a lot more attempts instead of just giving up on the last lap.
I almost had a good race, but the last-lap situation didn’t work out. I tried to make a pass, but I wasn’t close enough, and I also didn’t want to tangle with the lappers. After the whoops, I kind of wanted to go outside, get that speed, maybe have an opportunity to pass, but I knew Seth [Hammaker] was right behind me; if I went outside, maybe he could just come in pretty hard and take me out, which would be a lot worse. I think I didn’t race to be second tonight; I wanted to make a lot more attempts instead of just giving up on the last lap.
Another solid weekend for the team. I was really excited to see how Jo was riding in the main event; he showed me that he’s back to having the kind of speed he had last year, especially in those SMX races before becoming the champion. Even though his result doesn’t show it, I think he was really close to winning that race. Hunter rode his race like a veteran, making great moves in the first lap to get a solid lead, and then knocking off ridiculously consistent, fast laps, to never be challenged for the win. Many times, I’ve been nervous when our guys get the lead that early—maybe stressed is a better word—but when Hunter had the lead on the first lap, I felt super confident that he would be rock-solid the entire main event, which he was. I’m really excited for the rest of the season with our two guys; we’ll do whatever it takes to stay up front.
Another solid weekend for the team. I was really excited to see how Jo was riding in the main event; he showed me that he’s back to having the kind of speed he had last year, especially in those SMX races before becoming the champion. Even though his result doesn’t show it, I think he was really close to winning that race. Hunter rode his race like a veteran, making great moves in the first lap to get a solid lead, and then knocking off ridiculously consistent, fast laps, to never be challenged for the win. Many times, I’ve been nervous when our guys get the lead that early—maybe stressed is a better word—but when Hunter had the lead on the first lap, I felt super confident that he would be rock-solid the entire main event, which he was. I’m really excited for the rest of the season with our two guys; we’ll do whatever it takes to stay up front.
250SX East Standings
Pos. | Rider | Num. | Team | Constr. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cole DAVIES | 37 | Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha | Yamaha | 89 |
2 | Seth HAMMAKER | 10 | Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki | Kawasaki | 83 |
3 | Jo SHIMODA | 30 | Honda HRC Progressive | Honda | 80 |
4 | Daxton BENNICK | 58 | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna | Husqvarna | 71 |
5 | Pierce BROWN | 163 | MMonster Energy Star Racing Yamaha | Yamaha | 63 |
6 | Coty SCHOCK | 22 | ClubMX Yamaha | Yamaha | 59 |
9 | Cullin PARK | 49 | Phoenix Honda Racing | Honda | 40 |
15 | Izaih CLARK | 91 | Storm Lake Honda Buddy Brooks Racing | Honda | 19 |
17 | Luke NEESE | 95 | Storm Lake Honda Buddy Brooks Racing | Honda | 13 |
18 | Jeremy HAND | 87 | Valley Motorsports | Honda | 12 |
23 | John SHORT | 90 | Short Racing | Honda | 7 |
25 | Gavin TOWERS | 73 | Phoenix Racing Honda | Honda | 5 |
30 | Evan FERRY | 751 | Phoenix Racing Honda | Honda | -2 |
250SX West Standings
Pos. | Rider | Num. | Team | Constr. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Haiden DEEGAN | 1W | Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing | Yamaha | 165 |
2 | Max ANSTIE | 61 | Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing | Yamaha | 123 |
3 | Levi KITCHEN | 47 | Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki | Kawasaki | 118 |
4 | Ryder DIFRANCESCO | 34 | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing | Husqvarna | 110 |
5 | Michael MOSIMAN | 23 | Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing | Yamaha | 107 |
6 | Max VOHLAND | 19 | ClubMX Yamaha | Yamaha | 106 |
15 | Chance HYMAS | 29 | Honda HRC Progressive | Honda | 38 |
18 | Matti JORGENSEN | 245 | SLR Honda | Honda | 26 |
20 | Justin RODBELL | 83 | SLR Honda | Honda | 23 |
21 | Hunter SCHLOSSER | 173 | Next Level(Honda) | Honda | 22 |
30 | Ty FREEHILL | 316 | MPS, Steelhorse, Cizi Clean, Pioneer electric, Western Honda Racing | Honda | 2 |
33 | Colby COPP | 645 | Next Level Redline Oil Hammer Nutrition | Honda | 0 |
