Yeah, Hunter Lawrence! With a healthy and ready field back in action for the SMX playoffs, established 450 champions like Chase Sexton, Eli Tomac, and Jett Lawrence were set to prove to the world who is the real boss. Enter the 450 rookie, improving rapidly, who bested everyone over the weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, notching his first 450 win and taking the SMX points lead into the final race this weekend in Las Vegas.
Four riders have won motos in four SMX motos run thus far. It appears anyone can take this.
“I’d like to say not just anyone can take it I’d like to give myself a little credit, I’m not just anyone!” said Hunter with a laugh when he joined the SMX Insider post-race show after his win. “But, absolutely, this format, you’ve seen it. The racing is so close. The little tenths here and there are the separators. And that’s what makes it super!”
Hunter grabbed the Progressive holeshot and led early in moto one, then bobbled in a rhythm lane that gave everyone fits throughout the day, allowing his brother Jett to shoot past. Hunter stayed close, though, and that paid off when Jett stalled, and Hunter sailed back into the lead. By then, Eli Tomac had closed on the brothers, and a wild three-way battle for the lead was underway. Hunter hung tough under pressure from riders who each have AMA 450 Supercross and Pro Motocross Championships.
“No doubt you hear him [Tomac], that’s for sure. Whether he’s right behind you or five seconds behind you,” said Hunter.
“Yeah, it's cool. Cool to race Tomac,” Hunter said later. “I watched him from Australia racing with Stewart, Villopoto, Dungey, those guys. So, yeah, it's cool. Probably a bucket list thing.”
When you consider how this 450 journey started for Hunter, going down in the first turn of his Anaheim 1 heat race and failing to make the main event, and to where he advanced to, leading laps late in the 450SX campaign, getting a podium, and then vying for the 450 Pro Motocross Championship, maybe none of this is surprising. It’s been a steep, steady climb all season long, so why not believe he can now go for the gold against anyone?
“I don't think I surprised myself. I feel like I've been knocking on the door long enough now all throughout summer and stuff,” he says. “Just a good day. The track, funnily enough I think was just a good training day for these conditions. Like, we've not ridden something like this since like Europe. So it's cool just to ride something a little different. Obviously, hindsight, it's cool. In the moment you're probably not like, 'Oh man, this is so sick!' But just, as a racer, brush up on those kind of conditions again because we never get to really ride them.”
This upcoming weekend? Well, the dirt will likely be hard and slick again, but Las Vegas is a night race, which might dial it back a bit. Las Vegas Supercross races have been hard and slick before, but not to the level it was in Texas. It will be a factor, though. Lots of other storylines, not the least of which is a winner-takes-the-title scenario involving three riders, two of which are brothers.
Hunter and Jett have prepared for this moment.
“We’re brothers first and racers second,” said Hunter.
Jett himself looked bummed to have coughed up a potential win, but he cooled off later in the press conference.
“I was just more so frustrated about the first one [moto],” he said. “The second one, obviously the start wasn't ideal, but I still came through and managed to a good position where I think in the first one, it would have if I didn't make the mistake of the bike stalling and that stuff, I think it would have had a lot different outcome, but at the end of the day, at least, if it wasn't me as a Lawrence winner, at least Hunter got it. In the moment I was obviously pissed about it, but then after once I kind of cooled down and really assessed what was going on, it was more cool.”
Hunter then laughed about what he’s going to work on this week.
“Oh, you'd be a bit more off the surprised how much fitter I've been getting during the weeks, man, like I'm just bouncing back fresher and fresher every weekend,” he said. “You know, jump in the cryo chamber, pet the donkeys on the farm. That's great for the soul. Come back fresher and younger, just try and get under Jett’s skin where I can.”
A fresh winner in the 450 class, and a fun perspective. It will get real serious next Saturday.
“It was an awesome day in Texas," Hunter summed up in a Honda statement. "We made the best of a really tough, grueling racetrack. I’m super stoked to get this win for myself and the team; it’s the ultimate thank-you to everyone involved. I’m looking forward to leaving it all out there in Vegas. Let’s go, baby!”
