Hunter Lawrence: “I made my attempted pass on Kenny [Roczen]...it was just a crappy racing incident”

“It was a bittersweet main event. I feel like my riding was really good, but I spun off the gate. I’m not sure 100% why that happened, but after that I was making my way through the pack. At the 10-minute mark, I figured the track out and really got going; I was able to do a lot of the rhythms deep into the main. Then I made my attempted pass on Kenny [Roczen] for third, and we got together. I certainly didn’t intend on taking him out—it was just a crappy racing incident, but not how I wanted the night to go, especially after how I felt. In my perfect world, I would’ve jumped to the inside, got that lane, and then tried to catch Cooper Webb. Obviously, it’s cool to still have the red plate—we definitely salvaged some points. With a good start, I feel like it could’ve been a completely different night; I had what it takes to get the win.”

“Coming into this weekend, we didn’t have high hopes that the weather would cooperate with us—February in Seattle isn’t exactly predictable! Luckily, Saturday was rain-free, and the track crew did a great job building the track in record time because of the Seahawks championship party on Wednesday. Even with the rain on Friday, they were able to have the track in incredible shape, and the design was great, allowing multiple options all around the track. With the soft dirt, the ruts that formed quickly made racing the track really tough, but that’s what separates the good riders from the great riders. I think we prepared well for the race, with good strategy to help Hunter in the main event, but spinning on the starting grate wasn’t in that plan. Even with that, I’m proud of how Hunter was able to slice through the pack to get to the front, proving once again that even without a great start, he’s one of the elite riders and deserves to be in the championship fight.”