Everyone knew saw Hunter Lawrence as a title contender entering the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, but we didn't know he came into the series nursing an injury. The Australian had just clinched his first professional title in the U.S. a few weeks prior (the 250SX East Region title), but a practice crash on Monday limited his riding this week. Even on Thursday’s press day riding session he was limited on what he could do.
However, the #96 dug deep on race day, claiming third in the first moto and then taking the race—and overall—win in the second moto. It was just Hunter’s second overall 250 Class win in his career, but it was quite a ride, given the rib injury, and how important it was to set the tone for the season. Here is what he said to the media during the post-race press conference.
Let's talk history. First time ever in AMA Pro Motocross where two brothers won on the same day. Are you aware of that?
No! But it's cool for sure.
You and your brother always take what the race gives you. You tried like heck to get second in that first one, but you took a third, and the second one, you did what you needed to do.
Yeah, you're either going to win or you don't. You can only take what the track is giving me. First one they put a lot of water down so you're trying not to make any silly mistakes and tuck the front just due to wet conditions. I've done that before. Second one I put a lot of emphasis on the start. That was a good one.
Let's talk about having metal starting grates. Hunter, you ran the scoop tire today. Did you feel okay? Obviously the holeshot the second moto, didn’t work too badly.
Hunter Lawrence: Yeah, for sure. I think I speak for everyone. We’re all like, okay, is everyone running a scoop tire? Then okay, we’re running a scoop tire. If Washougal start straight was as deep as today, we’d probably run a scoop tire there, just because the start is so important. I think the grates are cool. It takes uncontrollable variables out of play. Like if it’s a stupid mudder for example, the mechanics are trying to sweep water out of the rut and the other guy’s water he’s sweeping out just goes into yours. So, I think all other professional motorsports—Fomula1, MotoGP—the start position is the same every time. So, I think it’s good. Definitely takes a toll off of our mechanics’ knees and ankles from stomping gates.
![Hunter Lawrence taking the 250 Class moto two win.]()
Hunter Lawrence taking the 250 Class moto two win. Align Media ![Hunter Lawrence poses with the championship leader's red plate.]()
Hunter Lawrence poses with the championship leader's red plate. Align Media ![Hunter Lawrence celebrating with the crowd.]()
Hunter Lawrence celebrating with the crowd. Align Media
You spent a lot of time on the scoop tires and it’s interesting that the 250 riders, knowing how unbelievably critical the start is, they all opt for scoop tires and the 450 guys don’t. They must feel like they have enough power to pull down that start straight for some reason, but they rarely opt for it. Do you ever discuss it with your brother?
Yeah, absolutely. We talked about it today. I’m like, first moto you guys might get away with scoop, but no way you want to be on a 450 with a scoop tire on that second moto. Like I said, if there’s three contenders that are running a paddle tire, then every other guy on a factory team or a contender is going to do the same because they don’t want to lose that start. I was just telling RJ [Hampshire] we need like a gentlemen’s agreement like, the track is bone dry but the start is deep. Either we all go paddle tire, or we all go knobby tire and keep it like that.
Two totally different experiences moto one and moto two. Coming from the back and then kind of dominating the second one. Were both experiences important to give you some momentum going into the rest of the season?
Yes and no. I had a massive crash on Monday and I’ve torn all the fascia and cartilage off my rib. So, I did three laps on press day. I’m a gamer and I was going to show up to win, but I’m like, hey, I’ll be happy with a top five. Just damage control. Like I said, Thursday I could barely even ride. So, it was good. I feel like on this track, the second moto, I definitely made my life easier because coming through the pack, this track it’s so hard to push faster than the set pace, let’s say, just because of how the track forms up and stuff. It’s like it has a set pace. Once you get your rhythm, that’s all you can really get out of it. You’ve seen with Jett and Chase. They didn’t really drop the hammer like some other tracks where there’s two and three seconds coming off their lap time towards the end. It was kind of set pace. You could maybe go faster, but you could end up on the ground.
Fox Raceway - 250
May 27, 2023| Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 3 - 1 | Honda CRF250R |
| 2 |  Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA  | 6 - 2 | Yamaha YZ250F |
| 3 |  R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL | 1 - 11 | Husqvarna FC 250 RE |
| 4 |  Tom Vialle | Avignon, France  | 7 - 3 | KTM 250 SX-F |
| 5 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 5 - 4 | Yamaha YZ250F |
Considering the injury coming in from this week, what was your genuine expectation for today? Were you surprised to be standing in the middle of the podium or was that still a realistic goal for you?
It was more just how I felt. I just had to block everything out and not think about it. We didn’t talk about it at all today. It was just out of mind, out of sight. G [Dr. H. Rey Gubernick, AKA “Doc G”] worked his magic and it was unreal. I knew what I'm capable of. I just tried to have my body not hold me back. So, that was good. It was good enough to get the job done.
The holeshot was great in the second one, but did your ribs also loosen up some? Were you more comfortable in the second race?
No. The second one was worse than the first one. That’s why I said it was so important to get the holeshot. They hurt a lot, but what can you do? You’re not just going to pull off and, “Oh, my ribs hurt.” You've got to race, right?
