Since the weekend off following the High Point National, Hunter and Jett Lawrence and their Honda HRC Progressive CRF450Rs have pulled away from the pack. Early-season moto winner Eli Tomac has fallen way off, and Chase Sexton is not ready to battle the brothers yet in his return. Justin Cooper and Aaron Plessinger have taken some lumps, Cooper Webb is out and Jorge Prado is still not there. Early in the season, the Lawrences admitted they had some work to do with their bikes. Now they're set and have ripped off 1-2 finishes overall in the last four races.
In the same order, of course. Jett still hasn’t lost an overall this year and has still only lost one 450 Pro Motocross race in his career. Spring Creek might have been Hunter’s toughest challenge against his brother, though, holding him at bay in the first moto in a matter in which he could not just a week ago at RedBud. Jett, just like RedBud, went down early, but this time his march to the front stopped in second place. He reeled in a few seconds off of Hunter and cut the gap from nine seconds to about six, but that was as close as he could get.
“First one I had a really good start and just tipped it over,” said Jett. “Yeah, I just worked my way back to second and couldn't make it back to Hunter. Second one was able to make a good start again and then just tried to ride with no mistakes, and not make that same mistake twice, and we just pulled it off. He was there the entire time, he was running really well. It was a good moto.”
Hunter ended up 1-2, yet another runner-up finish for a rider who somehow has never finished out of the top five overall in a 450 pro motocross race in his career, which started last season, and yet also still doesn’t have an overall win.
“I'm just trying to go fast,” said Hunter Lawrence. “It's as simple as that. It's not rocket science. I'm just trying to go faster to catch him. And yeah, I'm frustrated after [the race] because I want to win. So I think everyone can almost probably imagine in their head what I'm thinking out there because it's not that crazy of a thought. It's just exactly what it is.”
Don’t confuse Hunter’s frustration over not winning with frustration toward his brother. The Lawrences long ago established that they each make each other better, especially as teammates, so this package deal is a necessary component. Yes, Jett is tough to beat but Hunter and Jett make each other better, and pulling away from the rest of the field, first, is a heck of an accomplishment. Maybe Hunter could win more if Jett weren’t there, but would Hunter be as good if he didn’t have Jett to ride and test with? Would Jett be as good without Hunter? They’ll both tell you no.
Thus, the real win is for both, as they add a gap on the rest of a very deep 450 pack. Rarely do two teammates roll this strong together. Last week at RedBud, they even switched bikes on press day to try different settings. That never happens between teammates who are not also brothers. Building and improving together has led to better days for both, and leaves them with nothing left but to battle each other. Frustrating? Can be, but that’s better than the alternative.
“The 450 race was incredible to watch, and it reminded me of 2022, when the brothers went at it on 250s,” said team manager Lars Lindstrom. “Hunter went to another level today, and it’s one of the only times I’ve seen someone get the best of Jett; I’m super proud of him. In the second moto they put on an absolute clinic, and Hunter was giving Jett all he could handle—it was a blast to watch!”
As the bike changes took hold after the first few rounds this year, Jett started to move out on the field. Hunter has explained several times that his brother's alien-like talent allows him to adapt quickly. Hunter needs more reps, more data, more laps to truly adjust to a new setting. It seems he's reaching that point, and closing the gap. It could be up to Hunter, now, to prevent Jett from winning all the overalls this year. At Millville, he was closer than ever.
