Honda HRC's Hunter Lawrence walked away with the winner's trophy at Saturday's Unadilla National, but he also walked away with a crucial 22-point advantage in the 250 class championship that now just has two rounds remaining. Coming into the day, he had just a three-point lead over Haiden Deegan but Deegan would be stricken with a mechanical DNF in the first moto and then had to come from way back in the second moto to finish 10th. The shuffling vaulted Justin Cooper into P2 in the standings now and Lawrence had a much more comfortable margin in the title fight after his 2-2 moto scores netted him the overall.
With the championship picture clearing up for him and another victory in his pocket, Hunter spoke with the media after the race about it all.
Hunter, you came in here awfully tight in the points after what happened to Haiden in the first moto. Obviously, it’s a relief that you have a little bit of a cushion there. I saw an interview on TV where you looked a little bit more relaxed before the second moto started there. Tell us about your day and the championship, you must feel some relief.
Hunter Lawrence: It was a good day. The starts weren’t too hot, but we’re trying. Trust me. It was good. The roost is gnarly at this place. I’ll speak for everybody. It sucks. Be a bit sore tomorrow. But it was good. Happy to come away with a win. The boys were riding good. The track, I don't think it was traditional Unadilla. There was ruts towards the end of the day, but it was still pretty more so high speed. Last year it was high speed as well, but traditionally seemed to be a lot slower speed, deep, more ruts and stuff. But it was good.
Congratulations on another overall. I believe this is the sixth time you and your brother have swept the two classes. Jett winning the championship, it seemed like you were as happy for Jett as he was for himself. Tell us a little bit about that. Obviously you as a family are very tight and you guys have had quite a journey to get to where you are today.
Yeah, absolutely. It’s tough because right after his moto, I’m on the line. Levi’s bike just got pushed into the gate. I’m like, I got to pick a gate, and he comes over. I’m like, don’t make it too emotional. I’ve got to go race! But it was good. I’m super proud, just as a brother, racing aside and all that nonsense. It’s rad to see. I think at the end of the day, I just want to see the best for him. As you do for any of your family members or close friends. Really proud of him.
After Washougal, you and Jett took a few days off and took a little R&R there. Obviously, some people could question if that was the prudent thing to do, and it would be hard to argue that it wasn’t because you guys took a few days off and had the great results that you had today. So, did it recharge your batteries?
Yeah, absolutely. Like we all know, everyone has always got a comment to make that aren’t in this position or racers or even athletes themselves. Everyone is a critic in their own way. If you took days off, you’re lazy. If you just went straight back to work, you’re tiring yourself out, what are you doing? So we just kind of do what we know and trust, and it’s good. Sometimes it’s better to recharge the batteries than just keep the hammer down this late in the season.
All three of you guys, we had that brief pause before the second moto and then we had the restart. What is going through your mind there? Mentally, physically, how do you stay in it?
Justin: I don’t like that. I feel like the sight lap gets some of the nerves out and you just want to go race. You don’t want to be sitting there on the line thinking about too much. There’s a lot that can go through your head and you just want to leave those emotions aside and get on the track. I didn't see really what it was delayed for, but it seemed like nothing changed in the eight minutes that we waited. So I would have liked to go out there a little bit earlier.
Hunter: Same thing. I was like, "Man, this sucks." This reminded me of the shootout in New York earlier this year where we got called off. We were ready to go. We would have had the main done before anything hit. So I said to the guy, “Are we waiting for the storm to hit and then go?” He’s like, “I don't know anything.” The countdown. It didn’t hit though, thankfully.
Obviously Jo [Shimoda] was charging there at the end of the second moto. Did you know he was close? Did you know he was going to give it his all? Did you expect that push from him?
No, I knew where he was. He was three, three and a half seconds. It was actually the corner before the mechanics lane. I made a mistake, and kind of got squirrelly and didn’t get that step-up. Then the gap pretty much went to nothing. So that’s kind of how he got super close. I’m like, all right, we’ve got to execute a good lap. So, it was good. Obviously then Justin was bringing it home. So we all finished relatively close.
There’s a lot of fast guys in the 250 class, we’ve seen different moto winners, different overall winners, we’ve seen guys have injuries and come back—Justin you had your issue and came back and you’re still in this championship. Does that change your approach at all throughout the race week? Knowing that the situation is changing constantly, how do you manage that?
I just go race. I mean, why over-complicate something that hasn’t happened yet? And we got two motos to look forward to in the day so just, go and race.
You missed a lot of time I think during the week of training throughout the year with the ribs and stuff, were you starting to feel your fitness was going away and do you think you can get that back? Has that been a factor at all? Are you feeling better now?
Yeah, I feel a lot better now. The two weekends off was good, was able to do normal training so yeah it’s good. At the start, the first four it’s easy we’ve got such a good base but yeah it does, it does kinda of drop off a little but nothing to worry about really. I mean, I feel good and stuff so yeah onto the next one.
In the first moto there were tons of battles going on. You made a pass on Hammaker, you had Deegan beside you, two lappers in front of you, Hammaker on the inside before gravity cavity. I don’t know of you remember all that, but that was super clutch that you made a pass, got through two lappers and didn’t get passed by the guy behind you. Do you remember that moment and can you walk me through it?
I mean, you just walked me through it. [Laughs]
Do you remember picking lines or what was running through your mind when you came into that situation?
No I don’t, sorry mate. That’s a lot of roost a lot of lappers a lot of passes and stuff so it’s a lot to take in.
But is that what it’s like in these battles then? Where you’re just on instinct a lot of times?
Yeah, I mean, if you were to stop and think it’s already too late. So, so much of it’s on instinct, you know? It’s just natural reflexes and fight or flight.
Second moto, did you feel strong with Jo all over you? Are you happy with the way the fitness felt there?
Yeah, it was good. When I got into second, I think it was like fifteen minutes to go and I’ve seen Justin up there and I kind of made a little bit of a push and the sun started coming down, getting a bit weird in some spots, and the track got really—it kind of turned a page and got pretty sketchy. I was like, you know I know my position, I did what I needed to do, so I just kind of, happy there, kept a good pace, stay focused and uh, yeah.
This is just not over yet, right? And we see lately that you have had some little issues, struggling in the start, passing. We know there’s a lot of levels in this class but, two races to go, what things are you going to fix this week in order to wrap up the season or win the championship?
Yeah just get around the first turn. I’m confident with my ability and where I’m at right now, so, I just, yeah, get around the first turn. In today’s case, two top tens was good so obviously try to improve that. It’s tough with seventeen Yamahas on the line—doesn’t make it easy—so yeah, gotta bring my A-game every start.
Everything was on cruise control for about the first nine motos. We work our way to RedBud after High Point, everything seems to be going to plan. Second moto, RedBud, go down in the first turn—first adversity really of the series, you know, first real problem. then next week, at Southwick, then we have a mechanical and that type of thing. It really didn’t seem to phase you. At this point in your career, is that just a mental issue that you know you were going to look past, it’s something we can’t do anything about, it happened, or where does your resiliency come from? Where did you find the wherewithal to put that aside and just push forward?
I mean, at the end of the day you’re only in control of what you do. So, if there’s things happening out of my control, if there’s, you know—touch wood it doesn’t happen—but if there’s another mechanical in the future then so be it. It is what it is, you know. I got a great team and we do everything we can so uh, yeah. I mean, dude, I can only control so much and at the end of the day if I give them 100 percent and for some weird reason it don’t work out then hey, it don’t work out.
What’s the best piece of advice that you guys have been given each in the sport?
Uh, yeah, just work hard. You know, that’s what our Dad instilled in us, work hard and stay dedicated and be honest with yourself.
What part of the track is your favorite section?
The part where you don’t get roosted. [Laughs] That part’s really good.
In a sport where it can go in any direction, what’s one thing you wish you knew from the start?
Where do you begin? You could write a book on what you wish you knew where you started. I mean, it’s a pretty loaded question. I mean, the one thing you’d want to know is like, how to know the other million things before you start [laughs].