With Southwick 450 Win, Honda HRC Progressive Remains Undefeated
The Wick 338
・Third overall-victory of the season puts Jett Lawrence in 450 points lead.
・Hunter Lawrence wins first moto and finishes second overall.
・Shimoda sidelined with fractured clavicle from qualifying crash.
As the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross series eclipsed its midway point and Southwick celebrated 50 years of racing, Jett and Hunter Lawrence once again battled at the front of the 450 field, securing another 1-2 overall finish on one of the toughest tracks on the calendar and the only true sand circuit of the season. The Honda HRC Progressive duo confirmed that they are each other’s only true competition, trading holeshots and moto wins. Every moto thus far has been topped by one of the brothers, with Jett holding a slim one-point title-chase lead—and third place now over a full race behind. In the 250 class, Chance Hymas continued his positive momentum to record sixth overall—his best result of the season—while an untimely injury for Jo Shimoda brought his championship pursuit to a halt.
The first 450 moto saw Jett launch his CRF450RWE to the front, with Hunter close behind. Jett controlled the pace early, but Hunter began closing the gap during the second half. Jett went down while leading late in the race, allowing Hunter to take over the top spot. A red flag then ended the moto one lap early, and Hunter secured his fourth moto victory in his last five starts. Jett remounted in time to salvage second place.
Hunter grabbed the moto 2 holeshot, with Jett third, and the leading quartet quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. Jett soon passed Haiden Deegan for second and began applying pressure on his brother. Hunter went down in a turn with less than five minutes remaining, and Jett took advantage to claim the moto victory and overall win. Meanwhile, Hunter remounted in fourth and was able to secure second overall.
Hymas enjoyed good starts in the 250 class and battled near the front of the pack. Despite fading slightly late in the second race, he continued to show strong pace, recording a respectable 5-7 tally for sixth overall.
NOTES
・Between qualifying sessions, Honda HRC Progressive hosted a fan autograph session featuring all four factory riders.
・On the Wednesday night before Southwick, Jett put in a request for a special right footpeg, and the team’s Southern California race shop quickly went to work. Fabrication/Engineering Specialist Ezra Ebberts and Honda Auto Division R&D associate Don Pastell designed and fabricated two versions of a peg with an extended rear platform. The defending champ pronounced the part a success following the race.
・In 450 combined qualifying, Honda HRC Progressive riders Jett and Hunter Lawrence qualified in third and fourth, respectively. Quad Lock Honda Racing’s Christian Craig was 16th, while SLR Honda riders Matti Jorgensen and Justin Rodbell were 23rd and 26th, respectively. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Angus Riordan was 31st, Hoag Racing’s Blake Hoag was 35th, 110 Racing’s Brett Heidorn was 47th and Team 887’s Shane Kelleher was 55th.
・In 250 combined qualifying, Honda HRC Progressive riders Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas finished 11th and 15th, respectively. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Gavin Towers and Aden Keefer were 27th and 45th, Quad Lock Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly was 33rd, 909 Motors’ Ryan Wadsworth was 66th and McGinley Clinic’s Kyle Czworkowski was 77th.
・Shimoda came to Southwick with the 250 red plate, but a fall in qualifying cut his day and title run short. Although he was able to return to the truck under his own power, a medical evaluation confirmed a fractured left collarbone. The entire Honda HRC Progressive team wishes Jo a speedy recovery.
・Jett recorded the fastest lap times in both 450 motos.
・Jett’s premier-class overall win was the 27th of his career, and his fourth at Southwick, extending Honda’s record at the track to 18—an amazing 10 more than the next-closest manufacturer. The list of other Red Riders to win at the historic venue includes Pierre Karsmakers, Marty Smith, Donnie Hansen, Rick Johnson (twice), Jeff Stanton (four times), Jeremy McGrath, Ezra Lusk and Ricky Carmichael (three times).
・Quad Lock Honda’s Christian Craig suffered a hard crash in the first 450 moto and was later diagnosed with a T3 spinous-process fracture. Fortunately, Craig is expected to recover without surgery.
・The AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues this Saturday in Millville, Minnesota, with Jett carrying the 450 red plate, thanks to his one-point lead over Hunter in the 450 standings. Third place is another 52 points back.
Media contact:
Zoe Vargas // Jonnum Media // zoe@jonnummedia.com // 619-971-6440
"Hunter and I had a pretty big lead in the first moto, so when I fell, I was able to get up in second, thankfully. In the second moto, I was just pacing myself and trying to save something for the end if I needed it. Obviously, you don’t want to see someone crash and gift you a race win, but we’ll take it. It’s definitely tough battling with my brother, but it’s fun—I wouldn’t want to be battling with anyone else. I know where I’m at, I know where he’s at, and I feel like we’re at the top of our sport right now. To battle your brother for a championship is really cool, and not many people get to experience that."
"Hunter and I had a pretty big lead in the first moto, so when I fell, I was able to get up in second, thankfully. In the second moto, I was just pacing myself and trying to save something for the end if I needed it. Obviously, you don’t want to see someone crash and gift you a race win, but we’ll take it. It’s definitely tough battling with my brother, but it’s fun—I wouldn’t want to be battling with anyone else. I know where I’m at, I know where he’s at, and I feel like we’re at the top of our sport right now. To battle your brother for a championship is really cool, and not many people get to experience that."
"It was a bit of a bummer how it finished, but it shows we were pushing. I felt like I had found a good rhythm and put a good lap together, then I accidentally bumped the gear shifter into neutral which, in the sand, was enough to throw me off. I kind of half-winded myself, and at max heartrate in that heat, it felt like I was going to die; I needed a lap to gather myself and figure out the gap, and then I just brought it home. That’s what’s so unique about our sport; there are a million different possible outcomes every time you hit the track. If you were to ask me which track is going to be the toughest, it would be this one, just because we don’t have many sand tracks on the schedule; it’s kind of a one-and-done. I’m happy with the bike; we made a little change today for the second moto, to try and make the bike a little calmer. We have a good idea of what we might do for next weekend, but I know my setup has been so good this year, so I’m really happy."
"It was a bit of a bummer how it finished, but it shows we were pushing. I felt like I had found a good rhythm and put a good lap together, then I accidentally bumped the gear shifter into neutral which, in the sand, was enough to throw me off. I kind of half-winded myself, and at max heartrate in that heat, it felt like I was going to die; I needed a lap to gather myself and figure out the gap, and then I just brought it home. That’s what’s so unique about our sport; there are a million different possible outcomes every time you hit the track. If you were to ask me which track is going to be the toughest, it would be this one, just because we don’t have many sand tracks on the schedule; it’s kind of a one-and-done. I’m happy with the bike; we made a little change today for the second moto, to try and make the bike a little calmer. We have a good idea of what we might do for next weekend, but I know my setup has been so good this year, so I’m really happy."
"Southwick was a big step in the right direction for me. I had two good starts and rode up front in both motos. I lost a little bit of energy in the second moto and kind of lost my legs, but overall, it was a really good day for me. I’m looking forward to next weekend."
"Southwick was a big step in the right direction for me. I had two good starts and rode up front in both motos. I lost a little bit of energy in the second moto and kind of lost my legs, but overall, it was a really good day for me. I’m looking forward to next weekend."
"I truly feel disgusted on how Saturday went. Coming in with the points lead, it was really unfortunate to end up with a small crash and a small injury that’s enough to get me out of the series. But one thing that we can take away is that I feel really confident in myself to find my way back to the top level, no matter where the starting point is or under any circumstance."
"I truly feel disgusted on how Saturday went. Coming in with the points lead, it was really unfortunate to end up with a small crash and a small injury that’s enough to get me out of the series. But one thing that we can take away is that I feel really confident in myself to find my way back to the top level, no matter where the starting point is or under any circumstance."
"Jo’s injury is a huge punch to the stomach when you’re trying to battle for a title. We haven’t won a 250 Motocross championship since Hunter did it in 2023, and we really wanted to give Jo that opportunity. He was on his way, so it’s a setback, but we’ll keep moving forward. Over the last couple races, we’ve made some progress in the 250 class, especially with starts, and we saw Chance take another step forward today, which was awesome. Hopefully we can continue building in that direction. Even though the team was bummed for Jo, everyone still had a job to do, and it certainly helps when you see the 450 guys go out and finish 1-2. We were able to put together a solution for Jett to help with his foot, especially at this track, with the help of our team at the shop. I want to give a shoutout to Ezra Ebberts and Don Pastell, because it made a big difference today. Southwick was a track where I thought Jett would really struggle, because you have to be aggressive with the bike and the conditions are so demanding. For him to do what he did was really impressive, and I’m proud of the team for making it happen. Hunter didn’t put a wheel wrong that entire second moto, while Jett hounded him almost the entire race , so it was unfortunate to see him make that one mistake, which cost him the overall win. It’s keeping it interesting though, and we look forward to more battles from the brothers."
"Jo’s injury is a huge punch to the stomach when you’re trying to battle for a title. We haven’t won a 250 Motocross championship since Hunter did it in 2023, and we really wanted to give Jo that opportunity. He was on his way, so it’s a setback, but we’ll keep moving forward. Over the last couple races, we’ve made some progress in the 250 class, especially with starts, and we saw Chance take another step forward today, which was awesome. Hopefully we can continue building in that direction. Even though the team was bummed for Jo, everyone still had a job to do, and it certainly helps when you see the 450 guys go out and finish 1-2. We were able to put together a solution for Jett to help with his foot, especially at this track, with the help of our team at the shop. I want to give a shoutout to Ezra Ebberts and Don Pastell, because it made a big difference today. Southwick was a track where I thought Jett would really struggle, because you have to be aggressive with the bike and the conditions are so demanding. For him to do what he did was really impressive, and I’m proud of the team for making it happen. Hunter didn’t put a wheel wrong that entire second moto, while Jett hounded him almost the entire race , so it was unfortunate to see him make that one mistake, which cost him the overall win. It’s keeping it interesting though, and we look forward to more battles from the brothers."
250MX Overall Results
1. Sacha Coenen (KTM)
2. Levi Kitchen (Kaw)
3. Cole Davies (Yam)
4. Kayden Minear (Yam)
5. Julien Beaumer (KTM)
6. Chance Hymas (Hon)
7. Nate Trasher (Yam)
8. Francisco Garcia (Kaw)
9. Carson Mumford (KTM)
10. Michael Mosiman (Yam)
—
17. Gavin Towers (Hon)
35. Aden Keefer (Hon)
39. Brodie Connolly (Hon)
250MX Championship Points (after 6 of 11 rounds)
1. Cole Davies: 227
2. Levi Kitchen: 225
3. Jo Shimoda: 194
4. Julien Beaumer: 194
5. Ryder DiFrancesco: 167
6. Kayden Minear: 163
7. Chance Hymas: 152
8. Seth Hammaker: 134
9. Carson Mumford: 122
10. Nicholas Romano: 116
—
30. Gavin Towers: 14
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