Jett Lawrence And The Year That Made Him

Here’s our recap on the year that gave us Jett’s continued rise to stardom…

Jett can never be mentioned for too long without his brother, Lawrence - who both hail from Queensland, Australia. Despite both taking different paths in competitive motocross, the siblings reunited in the United States when they joined forces with Team Honda HRC in the AMA Supercross/Pro Motocross series in 2021. Ever since, the Lawrence brothers have enjoyed an incredible rise to the top - both collecting multiple championship trophies in 2023. 

Jett and Hunter’s success in motocross isn’t just limited to the United States - both have boosted their careers in multiple continents. Hunter Lawrence achieved success in Australia, Europe with MXGP, and the U.S. - with Honda’s Factory Connection team and factory squad. Then came Hunter’s list of many accomplishments, including winning both the AMA Supercross 250SX East Region and AMA Pro Motocross 250 Championships in 2023.

Jett Lawrence began as an amateur in Europe, where he won the 2014 65cc World Championship in Belgium, aged 11. After relocating to the U.S. to race for the Honda factory squad, Jett turned pro in 2020, earning AMA Rookie of the Year honors. 

In his first year with Team Honda HRC, Jett became AMA Pro Motocross 250 Champion in 2021 and once again in 2022, he also took the 2022 AMA Supercross 250SX East Region crown.

But Jett’s incredible performance so far was just the rehearsal. For 2023, Jett decided to swap coasts, competing in the AMA Supercross 250SX West Region Championship, where he won the opening race at Anaheim in January, despite his initial reservations of the unpredictable track. 

Speaking of the challenge and victory at Anaheim, Jett said: “It’s always nervous coming into the first one because you don’t know where everyone’s at. The big thing was how the track was going to form up for the main. I had a bit of a rough one in the heat race, so I just focused on the main and making sure I did what I needed to do. I’m thankful I came out of here in one piece.”

Jett’s success aboard his Honda CRF250R continued as he subsequently went on to feature in 100% of podium appearances, winning 67% of the races by finishing 1st place in six of all nine rounds. These results won Jett the 250SX West Region Championship in May and in doing so, he became one of very few champions to win titles on both coasts.

A busy May also saw Jett competing in the outdoor 450cc AMA Motocross Championship as a rookie 19 year old, aboard the Team Honda HRC CRF450RWE. The 450 class isn’t without its challenges, however. At the midway event, held at The Wick 338, riders experienced grueling heat and challenging sand but as with his previous 450 races, Jett took any challenge in his stride and led every lap in both 450 motos and won. 

Speaking about the midway event, Jett said: “It was a pretty brutal day—it was all about survival. I was just looking to get out of the roost and toward the front as soon as possible; I wanted to put in some fast laps early and gain some distance.”

Astonishingly, Jett won 100% of the races, finishing 1st place in all 11 rounds. By August, history was made when Jett had taken the AMA Pro Motocross 450 Championship title two rounds early at Upstate New York’s Unadilla MX. 

August gave Team Honda HRC celebrations of its own with three AMA Supercross titles: Jett’s 250SX West Region crown, Hunter’s 250SX East Region trophy and teammate Chase Sexton’s premier 450SX laurels. 

“It’s an unreal opportunity,” Jett Lawrence said after the Unadilla MX race. “Like Hunter said when he won his championship, I haven’t even dreamed of this, because we never thought it was possible to be where we are today. To do it like this, being undefeated so far, it’s very emotional for me, with all the hard times we’ve gone through, and the hard work. That whole [second moto], I was keeping it together and just pushing, pushing, pushing. Then as soon as I went over the finish line, the emotions came out.”

Team Honda HRC had already swept every professional AMA Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross title that had traditionally been available, with riders Chase Sexton, and Jett and Hunter Lawrence collecting the crowns in 450SX, 250SX East, 250SX West, 450MX and 250MX. But the opportunity for the Honda factory squad to accumulate even more laurels that year was not over yet.

In September 2023, the inaugural three-round SuperMotocross 450 Championship Playoffs took place, consisting of two playoff races and a final to determine the SuperMotocross world champion. Team Honda HRC was in a strong position for even further success.

The first two rounds saw Sexton and Jett first and second in the 450 points standings, and Hunter leading the 250 title chase. Jett took the first moto win, while Sexton finished third. Sexton led the first part of moto 2, but a hard fall at about the midway point allowed Jett to move into the lead. Jett led to the finish which ended the evening with a 1-1 score, earning the series’ first-ever 450 Championship and the $1 million prize. It also meant that the inaugural SuperMotocross Title went to Team Honda HRC. 

“On the track it’s a one-man show, but behind the scenes it’s so many people,” Jett said after becoming SuperMotocross world champion. “The team is awesome, and that’s what allows Chase, me and the other riders to have the best equipment we can. That also goes for my trainer O’Show [Johnny O’Mara], my dad was a big key, and also my brother—every day we were grinding to try and be better. To go out and get that [championship] is not only a massive achievement for me; it’s a big thank-you to the people who support me and helped me get to where I am now.”

October saw Jett and Hunter Lawrence compete at Europe’s Ernee circuit in France for the Motocross of Nations, along with Team Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser and Ruben Fernadez. The Lawrence brothers helped Australia achieve second overall - their country’s best ever Nations finish, with Jett winning the third moto.

If multiple successes for Jett and Team Honda HRC was not enough after a long season, Jett was able to carry the momentum of the year which he will never forget as he returned to France for November’s Paris Supercross - the premier race of the off-season.

Three riders contributed to Team Honda HRC’s success as returning Honda factory squad rider, Jo Shimoda, took the 250 overall win. Hunter Lawrence joined his brother in Paris, where the pair enjoyed some close racing and took an impressive second overall. Jett won the first night’s three motos, and never finished worse than second on day two with the result earning Jett the “King of Paris” crown in his 450 debut.

Speaking about his final victory of 2023, Jett said: “It was awesome! Obviously, I’m still learning on the big bike in supercross, and it’s nice to have my brother with me learning now too. The first night was great—the vibes were awesome. The second day I was dealing with being tired and a bit of jetlag, so that was pretty difficult; I wasn’t on my game as much as Saturday, but still so fun. The fans here are so energetic—at least they had energy, because for sure I didn’t! It was my first time in Paris, so it was nice to get in some shopping and be a tourist a bit. I’m definitely excited to come back next year.”

After a whirlwind year for the Lawrence brothers, can we expect more of the same for 2024? 2023 was Hunter Lawrence’s best year in motocross, and his success means that the reigning 250SX East and Pro Motocross 250 Champion will move up to the 450 Premier Class in 2024. Hunter will also be competing in the AMA Supercross, AMA Pro Motocross and SuperMotocross series, campaigning the factory Honda CRF450RWE alongside his brother, Jett.

While we can’t predict how 2024 will go for Jett Lawrence, we can say that it’ll be another year full of surprises. Jett has told us that the 450 supercross class will take some learning and a lot of hard work - even for a rider with his abilities. What we can predict with full confidence, is that you won’t have long to wait to see what happens. The Supercross season returns to Anaheim, California on January 6, 2024.