RedBuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud! After a weekend off, the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship returned to action for the RedBud National. Celebrating the Fourth of July and the 50-year anniversary of Pro Motocross racing at RedBud MX—and throw in an MX Sports Pro Racing Scouting Moto Combine—we had quite a busy weekend. And once the gates dropped on the 22nd round of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX), fans both packing the facility and watching at home were treated to some great racing. Morning showers ended and the sun came out.
Friday gave a preview of what the future generation of the sport will look like. But Saturday reminded us there is a new generation on the rise in the current two pro divisions with big wins from two respective rookies. Let’s dig into the action from round five.
In the first moto, it was Hunter Lawrence’s race from the getgo. The #96 grabbed the race lead and never looked back. He claimed his fifth moto win of the season, but his maiden moto one win of the year. After taking podium finishes in the first four rounds but had only claimed moto two wins until today. Maybe this was the day he got both moto wins. Things were shaping up to be the case, that was until about halfway to the first turn of the second moto. Haiden Deegan claimed second overall ahead of RJ Hampshire, who made a late pass on Justin Cooper to claim the final podium spot. In his season debut, Seth Hammaker rode home an excellent fifth-place finish. Max Vohland, Levi Kitchen, Jo Shimoda, Tom Vialle, and Daxton Bennick rounded out the top ten. Shimoda would have finished seventh, but while battling he went off the track and did not slow down and was docked after the race for accelerating while off the course, bumping him back to eighth, giving Kitchen seventh. Bennick topped the overall 250 Class qualifying session (from the B group) and then claimed tenth in his first ever pro race aboard his #241 Yamaha YZ250F. Ryder DiFrancesco and Tom Vialle collided while inside the top five early in the race, with DiFrancesco coming through the checkered flag 14th and Vialle coming through ninth.
As the field blasted off into the first turn of moto two, Lawrence and Jett Reynolds locked bars, causing a pileup. Tough to say who was at fault as the entire field was jostling for positions, but it resulted in the duo, as well as Derek Kelley and Bryson Raymond. The championship leader was on his knees and clearly in pain, as was Reynolds and Raymond. Kelley got up and got going as the Alpinestars medical team tended to the downed three riders. Eventually, Raymond and Reynolds got going, and Honda HRC crew members grabbed the #96 Honda as Lawrnece was being helped to his feet by the medics. He was loaded onto the medical cart and taken to the nearby semi-truck for evaluation.
The start of the second 250 Class moto Mitch Kendra The start of the second 250 Class moto Mitch Kendra Hunter Lawrence helped to his feet and off the track my the Alpinestars medical team. Mitch Kendra Hunter Lawrence on the medical cart. Mitch Kendra The championship leader's day ended early, but the team's initial report is that he does not have any broken bones or serious injuries. Mitch Kendra
Eventually Honda HRC team manager Lars Lindstrom was interviewed by TV pit reporter Jason Thomas, stating Lawrence is banged up (his right arm and his ribs) but did not suffer and broken bones or significant injuries. While Lawrence claimed the moto win in race one, he ended the day with only 25 points, which allowed the championship gap to close up. More on that in a moment. Lindstrom said:
“Looks like we avoided major injury. Looks like he’s going to be okay. Pretty big hit to right arm and that kind of scared him, but already starting to feel better.
Out front in the second race was Levi Kitchen leading Deegan. Kitchen went on to claim the moto win, his first of 2023, as Tom Vialle claimed second. Deegan’s 2-3 gave him the overall win over Kitchen’s 7-1 for the maiden win of Deegan’s rookie career. Kitchen claimed second overall ahead of Justin Cooper’s 4-4 for third overall, rounding out the podium of a Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing sweep. The team celebrated a together in a picture afterwards and one of them even had a broom out!
Just one year ago, Deegan raced the MX Sports Pro Racing Scouting Moto Combine event here at RedBud MX. Fast forward and he has accomplished a good bit in his rookie season of AMA Supercross and Motocross. For the second generation rider, it was a huge win. His goal posts keep moving as he keeps improving and learning. We knew the #238 would be good as a rookie, but did anyone expect this level of growth this quickly!? About two years ago at this time he was still on a supermini prepping for the Supermini 1 and 2 classes at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. He has had quite an impressive rookie season so far and now only sits 11 points behind Lawrence in the Pro Motocross standings. Deegan also becomes the first rider not named “Lawrence” to win an overall so far this summer.
“This is awesome. I knew that consistency would pay off. I’m glad to put America on top at least once this season. This team knows I have a shot at this championship, and they know I have the heart and determination and I can’t thank them enough for all the support they’ve given me.”
Kitchen–like most riders–says he just needs a start. He is proving when he gets a start, he can run up front and claim race wins. Unfortunately, his overall finish was hindered by his seventh in moto one. In the post-race press conference he was not pumped with his first moto result and basically said he did not want to die his hair for that kind of day. He turned it around with a start in moto two, beating Vialle by 8.961 seconds. He said he is looking forward to next weekend’s Southwick National, where he claimed second in a moto last year, and looks to keep the ball rolling.
“The first moto was bad on my part,” Kitchen said in the press conference. “I got a bad start, so I lined up on the far inside for moto two. It was a gamble and it paid off. I got by Haiden [Deegan] off the start and then was able to ride my own race. It feels awesome and I’m looking forward to the races coming up."
After missing the motos at the High Point National, Justin Cooper said he was only about to race today because of the weekend off in between the rounds. While he has a strong base, he said he needs to recover more ahead of next Saturday. Unfortunately, losing those 50 points last weekend essentially ends his Pro Motocross Championship hopes. He also lost five points in the first moto Saturday, for jumping on a red cross flag, although he does hold onto third overall on the day.
“I always want to win but I’ll take [the podium],” Cooper said in the press conference. “We rode hard from the back. I wasn’t able to get the starts I needed but I did my best to close the gap to the guys up front. I kind of hit a wall in that second moto, so I’m happy to be on the podium. We need to keep working and hopefully that win will come.”
Vialle’s 9-2 finishes gave him fourth overall on the day, but oh what could have been. Like Lawrence, Vialle has had mediocre first motos and strong second motos early in Pro Motocross. But today was shaping to be different. However, a get together with DiFrancesco ruined his chances at an overall podium/win today.
“Another weekend finished here at RedBud, where I had some difficulties in the first moto with a couple of crashes and could only finish in ninth,” Vialle said in a post-race release from the team. “Second moto was again way better, I finished second in that moto after some good fights, so lots of positives again, and now we’ll go back to Florida this week to get as prepared as possible for the next race in the sand at Southwick.”
Watch our full post-race interview with Vialle.
Vohland (6-6), Shimoda (8-5), Hammaker (5-10), Lawrence (1-40), and Bennick (10-10) rounded out the top ten overall.
"It was a good day today for me at RedBud,” Vohland said in a KTM post-race recap. “I started outside the top 10 in both motos, but was able to work my way forward for sixth in each moto. I feel strong, the bike is working really well, though I will shift focus to starts this week. I'm looking forward to carrying good momentum into Southwick."
Mitchell Harrison finished 12-11 for 11th overall in his Pro Motocross season debut as he is spending his summer racing professionally in Canada. DiFrancesco’s 14-14 earned him 13th overall. Jalek Swoll went down in turn three of the first moto and was not able to finish due to a beat up bike. He finished eighth in the second moto for 14th overall. Aforementioned Reynolds claimed 11-20 in the motos for 16th overall in his return to racing. Caden Braswell, who will remain with the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas team through the next three rounds, had a hard crash and mangled bike led to a DNF in moto one, then rebounded to finish 12th in moto. He claimed 18th overall.
“It was a good day at RedBud,” Braswell said in a post-race release. “I'm super-excited to continue and improve. There are a lot of positives to take away from the experience. I had a lot of fun with the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Team. I'm looking forward to Southwick and the sand and the heat. I'm going to put my head down and continue to push.”
In his second pro race after a moto one DNF due to a mechanical issues on his one and only bike at High Point Raceway, Matti Jorgensen claimed 20th overall with 19-18 moto finishes.
Hunter Lawrence (200 points) leaves the fifth round with an 11-round point advantage back to Deegan (189 points) as Hampshire sits third with 167 points, Shimoda fourth with 158 points, and Kitchen fifth with 154 points. Hunter Lawrence also continues to lead the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) 250SMX Class qualifying standings.
RedBud - 250
July 1, 2023Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Temecula, CA ![]() | 2 - 3 | Yamaha YZ250F |
2 | ![]() Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA ![]() | 7 - 1 | Yamaha YZ250F |
3 | ![]() | Cold Spring Harbor, NY ![]() | 4 - 4 | Yamaha YZ250F |
4 | ![]() | Avignon, France ![]() | 9 - 2 | KTM 250 SX-F |
5 | ![]() | Hudson, FL ![]() | 3 - 7 | Husqvarna FC 250 RE |
Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia ![]() | 419 |
2 | ![]() | Cold Spring Harbor, NY ![]() | 399 |
3 | ![]() | Suzuka, Japan ![]() | 393 |
4 | ![]() | Temecula, CA ![]() | 371 |
5 | ![]() Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA ![]() | 322 |
Position | Rider | Hometown | Qualifying Points | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Temecula, CA ![]() | 539 | 157 |
2 | ![]() | Suzuka, Japan ![]() | 468 | 152 |
3 | ![]() | Hudson, FL ![]() | 474 | 122 |
4 | ![]() Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA ![]() | 478 | 114 |
5 | ![]() | Belmont, NC ![]() | 234 | 110 |
In the premier class, it was more of the same as to what we have been seeing all year. Jett Lawrence topped the board in qualifying by two seconds, he holeshot both motos, and he led all laps in both motos (17 of 17 in moto one, 16 of 16 in moto two) en route to his ninth and tenth straight moto wins and fifth straight overall win. Similar to Deegan’s rookie year in the 250cc division, we expected Jett Lawrence to have a strong rookie season in the premier class. But come on, this is ridiculous! In moto one, he beat Chase Sexton by 17.920 seconds and held off a charging Dylan Ferrandis by 4.894 seconds in moto two. In that second moto, Jett had some pressure from Ferrandis–even having a few small bobbles–but he still came out victorious. He said in the post-race press conference he was having a hard time finding a grove in the second moto. But for the second race in a row, despite not being fully comfortable, he managed the moto sweeps and took the overall win.
“Another good moto and another good start,” Jett Lawrence said in the press conference. “That’s key. [Second moto] I didn’t know Dylan [Ferrandis] was there at first but then I saw my pit board. I looked behind and saw he was right there, so I picked it up. The lappers made it difficult, but it was another good day.”
Ferrandis’ 3-2 beat Sexton’s 2-3 for second overall. The #14 is not on the level he was in his 2021 championship-winning rookie 450 Class Pro Motocross season, but he missed a lot of time with his concussion and is still working through the measurements with the all-new generation Yamaha Y450F. He said the weekend off was good for him as the team tested a lot on the bike and made improvements. Ferrandis got close to the #18 a few times in the second moto was unable to reel close enough for a pass attempt. The honest rider also said it is hard to find ways to beat Jett since the young Australian is “doing everything right.” He also said beating Jett is doable but he would have to have a perfect day in order to do so. He took a step closer to doing so today.
“This is a good step in the right direction,” Ferrandis said. “We needed time with the new Yamaha to make it better and the time off helped. We’re improving and that’s good. I was hoping to keep pace with Jett [Lawrence] but he was just too good today.”
Sexton returned to the series following a concussion and bout with mono. He was not pleased with his performance at a track he grew up racing for years.
“It’s nice to be back,” the #23 said in the press conference. “That was not a good performance out of me. It was kind of embarrassing and I’ve got to be better. We’ve still got some work to do but I’m looking forward to getting back to the level I know I’m capable of. It’s going to be fun the rest of the season.”
However, big picture wise with Cooper Webb sidelined for Saturday with a mid-week practice crash, Sexton did return to P1 in the points for the SMX 450SMX Class qualifying standings.
Aaron Plessinger, Adam Cianciarulo, and Ty Masterpool were battling with the top trio throughout the day. Plessinger finished 4-4 for fourth overall, Anderson 5-7 for fifth overall in his Pro Motocross season debut, and Adam Cianciarulo 31-6 for 10th overall.
Watch our full post-race interview with Anderson.
“Practice and qualifying were pretty rough for me, but I sent it in the opening moto!” Plessinger said in a post-race quote. “I got a pretty good start and battled my way up to fourth, then second moto, pretty much the same deal... Got a good start, was third for a little bit, and then rode a pretty lonely fourth for 30 minutes – that was crazy. I was a little sore out there, but 4-4 on the day, fairly happy with it, and now we'll go home and do some homework before Southwick."
Cianciarulo slid out and accidentally caught Masterpool as well in the first moto, bumping Masterpool from a third-place podium finish to an eventual six place after remounting. The #9’s bike had a messed up throttle tube so his race was over. He rebounded for sixth in moto two. Masterpool had a mechanical issue that ended his second moto early. Bummer deal for the #81 (13th overall) on a very promising day at a venue he really enjoys.
“I was pretty bummed in the first moto,” said Masterpool. “I felt like I had third, and I was running into a lot of lappers and it’s hard. They think I look like a lapper or something as a full privateer. They were waving the blue flag at me and stuff too. So, I was struggling with the lappers first one and then a rider [Adam Cianciarulo] came into me and took me out. I went over the bars really bad in that first moto and got sixth. I felt like I had a fourth or third in that one so a little bummed. Then second moto, another really good start and I was running up there. I made some suspension changes, and it took me a lap or two to figure it out, and then once I figured it out on that lap, I was like, ‘Oh boy, we’re feeling super good.’ It felt like I could start clicking off a lot of people and then my bike blew up unfortunately. I guess it was holding up pretty good for a full stock motor. Just pretty bummed. I felt like it could have been a podium ride.”
Garrett Marchbanks (9-5 for sixth overall), Fredrik Noren (7-8 for seventh overall), Phil Nicoletti (10-9 for eighth overall), Jose Butron (11-10 for ninth overall), and Cianciarulo rounded out the top ten overall.
A few other riders to note: Bryce Shelly 15-12 for 11th overall in his second pro race ever. Luca Marsalisi finished 17-11 (best moto finish to date) for 14th overall. PulpMX Wild Cat Racing’s Lorenzo Locurcio finished 8-29 (16th overall) after his suspension bolt fell off, causing him to retire from the race. Jeremy Hand finished 14-14 for 15th overall. Chandler Baker finished 13th in the first moto, then 30th in moto two for 18th overall.
Jett Lawrence (250 points) leaves the fifth round with a 57-point advantage over Ferrandis (193 points). Sexton reclaims sole possession of the 450SMX points lead, as he leaves the 22nd round (of 31) with a seven-point lead over Cooper Webb. Jett now sits ninth in the 450SMX standings.
RedBud - 450
July 1, 2023Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia ![]() | 1 - 1 | Honda CRF450R |
2 | ![]() | Avignon, France ![]() | 3 - 2 | Yamaha YZ450F |
3 | ![]() | La Moille, IL ![]() | 2 - 3 | Honda CRF450R |
4 | ![]() | Hamilton, OH ![]() | 4 - 4 | KTM 450 SX-F |
5 | ![]() Jason Anderson | Edgewood, NM ![]() | 5 - 7 | Kawasaki KX450 |
Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia ![]() | 550 |
2 | ![]() | Avignon, France ![]() | 399 |
3 | ![]() | Hamilton, OH ![]() | 386 |
4 | ![]() | La Moille, IL ![]() | 338 |
5 | ![]() | Port Orange, FL ![]() | 328 |
Position | Rider | Hometown | Qualifying Points | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia ![]() | 550 | 163 |
2 | ![]() | Mattstedt, Germany ![]() | 340 | 146 |
3 | ![]() | La Moille, IL ![]() | 710 | 126 |
4 | ![]() | Newport, NC ![]() | 451 | 120 |
5 | ![]() | Hamilton, OH ![]() | 622 | 104 |