“I guess all I have to say is, ‘Wow!’ What an incredible, amazing weekend,” said Honda HRC Team Manager Lars Lindstrom after round one of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. “I still feel like someone’s going to wake me up out of this dream. We could not have done any better – absolutely dominated, with Kenny and Chase beating everybody by 30 seconds, for example. This kind of stuff doesn’t happen ever.”
The celebration couldn’t have gone better. Honda held a 50th anniversary party the night before the first 2022 Fox Raceway National, celebrating its heritage in U.S. motocross racing while also introducing the new 2023 bikes, including a special look 50th anniversary model CRF450R. That retro look—blue seat, gold rims—carried right into Saturday’s racing, as the race team bikes got the anniversary-edition graphics, and the riders and staff wore retro-looks as well. Then Honda actually created retro results! Team Honda swept both the 250 and 450 classes with 1-2 finishes in all four motos. The last time a team went 1-2 in all four motos? That was also Team Honda back at the 1990 opener, courtesy of AMA Hall of Famers Ricky Johnson, Jett Stanton, Mike Kiedrowski and Jean-Michel Bayle.
![Ken Roczen and Chase Sexton Fox Raceway 1.]()
Ken Roczen and Chase Sexton Fox Raceway 1. Align Media ![Roczen and Sexton Fox Raceway 1.]()
Roczen and Sexton Fox Raceway 1. Align Media ![Sexton leads Roczen Fox Raceway 1.]()
Sexton leads Roczen Fox Raceway 1. Align Media ![Sexton]()
Sexton Align Media ![Celebration.]()
Celebration. Align Media ![Podium Fox Raceway 1.]()
Podium Fox Raceway 1. Align Media
Yep, the 2022 sweep was about perfect, but, as Lindstrom indicated, it felt like a dream. Was there actual reality to this? Over the next 11 races, could Honda grab titles in both classes?
Team Honda hasn’t won a 450 championship of any kind since Ricky Carmichael in 2004, and in the time since every other major manufacturer has achieved more than one. Terms like “Curse of the GOAT” are catching traction. Until Honda finally wins an AMA title again with the CRF450R, all individual race wins have tempered enthusiasm.
The 250 story is different. Jett Lawrence has been in control again for most of the summer, and merely needs a 12th in moto 1 to lock up his second-straight title. Take out his costly DNF at RedBud, and he’s already got this locked.
![Hunter Lawrence Fox Raceway 1.]()
Hunter Lawrence Fox Raceway 1. Align Media ![Jett Lawrence FoxRaceway 1.]()
Jett Lawrence FoxRaceway 1. Align Media ![Lawrence brothers at Fox Raceway 1.]()
Lawrence brothers at Fox Raceway 1. Align Media
The 450 title gets all the attention. Chase Sexton stands a point behind Eli Tomac, controlling his own destiny. Win, and it’s over. The Curse of the GOAT is broken.
“To be honest, I’m ready for the season to be over, because I’m ready to stop stressing!” said Lindstrom in the team PR this week. “Jett needs just a few points for the 250 class, but Chase kept it just as interesting as it has been in the 450 class. We’re going to go into the last race down by one point—it’s basically who can win at Fox Raceway, a win-or-go-home kind of deal. We haven’t been in this position in a really long time, so we’re all just in the moment—stoked to be here, but at the same time, we’re extremely serious about trying to win both of these championships. It’s going to be a big one next week.”
With the 50th anniversary celebration and the 1-2 finishes, the opener seemed like the perfect weekend. But Sexton and Lawrence have kept it going over the next 10 race weekends, putting the squad on the precipice of something even bigger: winning both titles. It didn’t seem like Honda could top the last outing at Fox Raceway, but this time, they’re hoping for an even bigger celebration.
