GEICO Honda Adds Jett Lawrence to Amateur Arsenal in 2019
There was much ado about Hunter Lawrence over the last few months, as the Australian ended his rookie MX2 campaign in MXGP with a flurry of podium finishes that set him up as a title contender for 2018. Then news came that Suzuki was pulling factory support from Europe, which put Lawrence on the market. GEICO Honda swooped in with a long-term deal, but Hunter explained that he wanted to stay in Europe one more year. Honda found a place for him on the new 114 Motorsports Honda MX2 team in '18, followed by a move to the U.S. with GEICO Honda in '19.
That's a lot of moves and a lot of news, but in the background, there was buzz that Hunter's younger brother Jett, 14, might actually be even better. Jett also had a Suzuki deal that continues through 2018 and will race in the EMX250 series, which is a feeder series for MX2. GEICO Honda has now signed him for 2019 and beyond, so now both Lawrence brothers will move to the U.S. together.
A press release from GEICO/Factory Connection Honda explains that Jett will race amateur in the U.S. in 2019, but his graduation date to the pros will be determined later (could be as early as 2020, but possibly later).
“We’ve done our research and talked to a lot of people in both Australia and Europe, and they all believe Jett is the real deal,” GEICO Honda team manager Dan Betley said. “We’re looking forward to having both Hunter and Jett learn the ropes of U.S. racing with us starting in 2019.”
The Factory Connection Honda amateur team—a division of GEICO Honda—has provided plenty of success for plenty of riders, starting with the Trey Canard, Justin Barcia, Eli Tomac, and Blake Wharton days and continuing through now, as RJ Hampshire and Chase Sexton both grabbed the coveted AMA Nicky Hayden Amateur Horizon Award for the team before moving up to the current pro squad.
