After the Hangtown Motocross Classic round, Honda HRC Progressive Team Manager Lars Lindstrom made it clear that Hunter Lawrence is done playing second fiddle, even if to his younger brother.
“I think that this past season of supercross, when he rose to that next level…I mean he was already elite, going second in SMX and in motocross last summer, but this supercross season, when he took that next step, beating Eli Tomac and beating Ken Roczen and beating [Chase] Sexton and all these guys [for race wins), he is at a mental level where he's not accepting second before he has gotten second to his brother,” Lindstrom said. “He's been close. I think maybe it was a little bit easier to swallow because he maybe hadn't grown to that level yet, but I don't think he's there anymore. I think right now, he’s like, ‘No, I'm the guy too. I'm winning. I'm not letting this kid beat me.’”
![Hunter Lawrence]()
Hunter Lawrence Align Media ![Hunter Lawrence]()
Hunter Lawrence Align Media
Of course if Hunter wants to win, he'll have to go through his brother and defending champion Jett Lawrence to do it, now that Jett has gone back to winning form. Lindstrom commented on Jett Lawrence going 1-1 in just his second race back from his injury back in December, when the #1 looked to be “back to his normal” self.
“I'm really happy with the progression of Jett, mainly in his starts,” said. “Last week was kind of an anomaly. He didn't really; he's typically one of the best starters, and I think it had been a long time since he'd been rusty, so we worked on that. It literally took about 15 minutes on Tuesday to try to get him, and at first, he was kind of like, ‘Man, my start mode feels weird, and this is weird.’ And then luckily that was cool, having not just the team but Darren Lawrence [father], he can always kind of just cut through the BS and tell him how it is, and it's hard to do when it's my kid, I can tell him what he's going to do. That's how it is with Darren. It is kind of cool. So, he did that, and we all kind of showed him. We did some video and did some analyzing, and then I mean literally in 15 minutes he was already ripping starts right next to [Jorge] Prado, by the way, which was kind of funny. The only two people at Pala on a Tuesday are [Lawrence and Prado] on the starting line, five feet away from each other. That was funny.”
So with Jett's form coming around and Hunter wanting to win, that led to a great second-moto battle for the overall.
“Then, the racing they [Lawrence brothers] had today was epic,” he continued. “Hunter was just absolutely going for it in that second moto to try to get back by, and it was really fun to watch. Almost at some point there, it was almost like you wanted to tell him, ‘Chill, don't throw it away. We're going one-two right now.’ But they're super competitive, and it's going to be a dog fight for this championship. I think between those guys.”
"They're super competitive, and it's going to be a dog fight for this championship. I think between those guys.” - Lars Lindstrom Align Media
He also spoke about the 250 Class riders Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas, Shimoda having finished sixth and fifth overall and Hymas having finished eighth overall twice to start the season. Both were expected to be title contenders this year but have gotten off to a slow start in terms of results. Through two rounds, Shimoda sits fifth (16 points back) and Hymas sits seventh (29 points back), which in this class, things could change quickly!
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Seth Hammaker | Bainbridge, PA  | 85 |
| 2 |  Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | 78 |
| 3 |  Julien Beaumer | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 71 |
| 4 |  Cole Davies | Waitoki, New Zealand  | 70 |
| 5 |  Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan  | 69 |
| 6 |  Nick Romano | Bayside, NY | 61 |
| 7 |  Chance Hymas | Pocatello, ID | 56 |
| 8 |  Max Vohland | Sacramento, CA | 49 |
| 9 |  Carson Mumford | Simi Valley, CA | 48 |
| 10 |  Ryder DiFrancesco | Bakersfield, CA | 47 |
“The 250 class is super, super difficult when everybody's so close, and you have to get a start,” said Lindstrom on the talented 250 Class field. “There's a couple of guys, obviously, [Levi] Kitchen made his way through the pack. Jo made his way through the pack, that second moto pretty well. But man on the starts, and it was like this when we had the Lawrences too. On a 250 start, you have to just nail everything, and it's obvious how difficult it is to be consistent. I mean, not many people have been with that, even when Deegan was in the class. Trying to get really, really consistent starts as we did at the end of last summer, is our goal. That's what we're going to work on. That's what we've been working on this week. And then I think the results will come from that. Jo almost got a great start that second Moto, but then Hammaker’s bike came over and kind of got in his way and stopped. And if he had been P2, then I think he would've won that moto, and then it would've been a lot different conversation. Both guys got to work on it."
Lindstrom also thinks Hymas can improve this upcoming weekend. He won the Thunder Valley National in 2025.
"I think, for Chance, he just needs to find his groove and get his race craft back, race fitness, and everything back," Lindstrom commented. "But next weekend, Colorado is the track that he's the best at and most comfortable at. So, I'm hoping that we can make a big step there and then keep building. I mean, the inconsistency in the class is what we're hoping to capitalize on. I guess just make sure that we keep building and getting stronger, and it's going to be kind of anybody's game right now.
