The SuperMotocross Playoffs have been around for three years now, and for three years in a row Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence has won the second round! Once on a 250 and now twice on the 450. In St. Louis, Hunter pulled the holeshot in the first moto and opened up a sizable lead over Ken Roczen in second and Eli Tomac in third. Meanwhile Jett Lawrence had a bad start, coming around the first turn in almost dead last, and while he was able to charge through most of the pack, Jett was only able to get up to fourth, which set Hunter up nicely for the overall.
In the second moto Hunter was fourth off of the start and eventually made his way around Chase Sexton. With Jett in the lead, and Tomac in second, this put Hunter in position for the overall. However, if Tomac passed Jett the overall would go to Eli, and when lappers got in Jett’s way all three riders were less than two seconds from each other. Eli was pressuring Jett and Hunter was pressuring Eli. Though it was exciting to watch, no passes were actually made, and Hunter went 1-3 for the overall. In the post-race press conference Hunter spoke on the battle and how intense it was trying to get around lappers:
“It was tricky because I think all of us think the same thing when we're coming up on lappers on a track where it's so tough to gain time, and I think it's pretty like, ‘Oh, shit, oh, shit, like get out of the way!’ because, yeah, the slightest bobble can cost you time or maybe have you lose a position.”
This was only Hunter’s third win in the 450 division (SMX Playoff round 2 in 2024 was his first and then the Ironman national earlier this year was his second) and in typical Hunter fashion did not wast energy celebrating. He has stated before that he tries not to let the highs get too high or the lows get too low. So when asked about how special Round 2 has been for him and if he set the tone for the day he replied, “That's a great question. I don't even know. I couldn't even -- it's not even that deep. Like I just -- I'm racing, just trying to do the best I can, just trying to make ends meet, just working away.”
And while Hunter is able to stay focused on his job, he is able to celebrate his teammate and friend Jo Shimdoa’s win earlier in the night. Especially if that means he can take a brotherly dig at Jett. “Yeah, I don't care about Jett's success in the second moto, more pumped for Jo. Happy to get the overall. Jett's had enough wins, so we can just overlook that one [moto win].”
The Lawrence brothers are in rare territory battling each other for wins on the weekends, and training together during the week. It can’t be easy getting beat by little brother most of the time, but Hunter handles it with grace, even if Jett does get on his nerves sometimes: “I think it's the same as everyone else who's racing. When he's out there on the track, obviously the guy is good, and I'm doing everything I can. Yeah, I know how to push his buttons better than anyone else. I know when he's feeling good, when he's not feeling good… I want to beat him at his best. Actually, you know what, last night at dinner I wanted to bash him. He really was pushing buttons, but we got him tonight. (Laughter).”
With triple points paid at SMX Playoff round 3, for the second year in a row the brothers are in a winner takes all position against each other in Las Vegas. On the podium in St. Louis Hunter mentioned he is building a house, so the bonus money comes in handy at the moment. So, the question is, if Hunter can win the SMX World Championship and the million-dollar bonus that comes with it, will we finally see a celebration out of Hunter? Or will he remain his calm and collected self?
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Qualifying Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 580 | 166 |
| 2 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 516 | 151 |
| 3 |  Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO  | 475 | 135 |
| 4 |  Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany  | 288 | 117 |
| 5 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 670 | 115 |
