Coming into the final race of the season at Fox Raceway last weekend, Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence all but had the 250 class title wrapped up. All he needed to do was finish 12th or better in the first moto to clinch the title no matter what other riders did. Well, Jett Lawrence did more than that as he went on to win the moto, but he wasn’t too happy about it as his brother Hunter Lawrence, who was battling for second in the championship, finished right behind him. Jett admitted after the race he would have pulled over to help him, but it ultimately wouldn’t matter anyway.
So, Jett Lawrence clinched his second 250 class title and had a surprise guest back at his tent afterwards in multi-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman. It was a wild day and a weird day, and we caught up with the champ at the end of it all.
Racer X: Hey did this feel like a championship day? I mean it was, but you didn’t have to sweat it out. How did it actually feel? Did it feel different than a regular race?
Jett Lawrence: It definitely felt like not as much pressure, to be honest. It definitely felt more relaxed just because you had that big points gap. Definitely getting that holeshot in the first one just helped to kind of, “Ahhh.” But yes and no a little bit. I knew it was championship day, but it still doesn’t really feel like it until after when we came back and started doing burnouts and stuff.
Well yeah, after the first moto, I’ve never seen someone win a title and a moto and then be bummed that he didn’t pull over to help his brother. I’ve never seen this level of celebration. You were actually mad. That was crazy.
Yeah, I was bummed. I was trying to hold Jo [Shimoda] off as much as I can. I mean, each lap I tried to just go slower and slower so I could let Hunter catch and sure enough he did, I just didn’t know it was him behind. I thought it was still Jo. I didn’t hear the pitch difference in the motorbike. Normally I can tell which is which and what sounds like my bike but apparently, I didn’t this time. I saw him, like right before the finish line when I hit the triple, I saw him, it just didn’t register fast enough until I went over the finish line going, “Damn it.”
Getting on the brakes and handing over the moto win is probably not a good look, so maybe it’s for the best that you didn’t do that. Hey, you won nine of 12 overalls this year, but I feel like it was controlled. I feel like it wasn’t like, “I’m out here to try to win every moto by a minute.” You just did what you needed to do every weekend. Was that the plan?
Yeah, it’s kind of just been about being smart and taking the risk out of everything really. If I need to push, I can push enough where I was safe, and if I had to push over my head, I was calm enough to go, “Yeah you guys can have this one.” I felt it helped this year obviously being good on the bike. Having a good setting, getting up there on the starts more. But I think it was just the next steps of maturing. I feel like that’s definitely what I was focusing on this year, just trying to get as many wins as I possibly can and not make it as stressful.
Now let’s talk about the people behind you. First of all, I met some people that were taking pictures of you at like five years old and they’re here for the finale. Did you hang out? Did you see them?
I’ve seen a lot of faces today. Even though how hot it is, even the heats gotten to me so I could just be delusional right now and just forgetting everyone.
Do you remember [Dennis] Rodman?
I do remember that. I mean if I forgot that now, I’d need to get punched.
So, Dennis Rodman is your guy? That’s like your hero?
Yeah, I’ve never really been a kid to look up to one person. But like the last few years, seeing obviously American basketball and watching the Last Dance on Netflix, I saw his segment and I liked it. Most people don’t like him, but I do. I love the guy. He’s the one guy I looked up to. I’ve never looked up to most people in our sport, which sorry James, Ricky, and those guys. My bad. But I just looked up to him because no matter what he was doing, he was doing some crazy stuff for sure, but he’d always show up and train 100 percent. Even when Michael Jordan had to go to Vegas to get his ass out of bed.
So, you got to hang with him a little bit?
Yeah, I got to hang with him. I ended up getting a shirt from him. We surprisingly got him in a Jettson donut shirt. I told him though that since he’s wearing it, he has to stop at our shop once it’s up.
Congratulations! We’ll see you at des Nations. And we’ll see how fans treat you there. They might have to hate you for a weekend. Sorry bro.
But, do they really?
For a weekend!
But the question is, do they really? Like, are they really going to hate me for a weekend?
Somebody just said they will, one of your buddies. Oh no! He’s smiling now! I said it’s going to be very complicated. I know you love Aussies, and you love the Lawrence brothers. I don’t know what’s going to happen.
Yeah, he ain’t getting tickets then.
