Australian Jett Lawrence did it again, dominating the 450cc class as the United States Pro Motocross Championships for 2023 made its final appearance on the West Coast on Saturday.
Washougal MX Park hosted racing at this eighth round of the series and, just as Honda-mounted Lawrence had done at the previous seven rounds, he again finished 1-1 on the day.
Indeed, the perfect season for Lawrence in his first 450 class campaign continued with another assertive performance from the young Australian for his eighth straight overall win and 15th and 16th moto victories.
Meanwhile, in the 250 class, rookie Haiden Deegan enjoyed the best outing of his young career with an impressive effort that saw him go 1-1 for the first time to tighten up the championship battle with his second win of the season.
The opening moto of the premier class began with Frenchman Dylan Ferrandis out front, just ahead of Lawrence, while Lawrence’s Team Honda HRC team-mate Chase Sexton battled his way into third.
Ferrandis kept Lawrence at bay to lead the opening lap, which made him just the third different rider to do so this season and ended a 105 laps-led streak by Lawrence.
The Frenchman maintained his hold of the lead for another lap but Lawrence was able to make the pass and grab control of the moto.
Ferrandis gave pursuit from second as Sexton looked to close in from third. As the moto continued the lead trio settled into their respective positions on the track while Jason Anderson kept them honest in fourth.
At the 15-minute mark, Sexton mounted his attack on Ferrandis and seized the moment to grab second.
At that point, Sexton sat 6.5 seconds behind his team-mate and looked to log his fastest laps of the moto to try and close the gap.
However, Lawrence didn’t let up and extended the lead to 7.5 seconds.
Lawrence maintained his lead the rest of the way and extended his undefeated streak to 15 motos, crossing the finish line 7.9 seconds ahead of Sexton, who was never challenged in second.
Ferrandis fended off a pair of challenges by Anderson to secure third, while Anderson settled for fourth and Adam Cianciarulo in fifth.
The second and final moto of the afternoon got underway with a gate malfunction, which necessitated a red flag and restart for the 40-rider field.
On the restart, it was Aaron Plesssinger out front for the holeshot as Lawrence and Sexton duked it out for second, from which Lawrence grabbed control of the position. Anderson slotted into fourth with Ferrandis in fifth.
The clear track paid dividends for Plessinger as he was able to maintain his hold of the lead through the opening five minutes as Lawrence appeared to settle in and bide his time, maintaining his advantage over Sexton in third.
With about 10 minutes down in the moto Lawrence closed in, looked for a way by and made a quick and decisive pass on Plessinger to take control of the moto. Plessinger then waged battle with Sexton for second, with the Honda rider able to make a quick pass to try and keep his team-mate within reach.
About 2.5 seconds separated the Honda riders as the moto approached the halfway point, with both riders trading momentum.
Sexton appeared to be the slightly faster rider and was able to cut the gap to under two seconds. The distance between the duo continued to tighten as the moto surpassed the 15-minute mark.
The lead stabilised between 1.3 to 1.5 seconds through the heart of the moto as both riders continued to play the on-track chess match.
As they approached lapped riders the battle shifted into Lawrence’s favour as the lead grew to two seconds. With three minutes to go the team-mates were closer than they’d been all moto, separated by just over a second.
Both riders waited for the moment to pick up the pace for one final push, but the potential battle ended when Sexton briefly tipped over.
The lead grew to nearly 10 seconds by the time Sexton resumed, which allowed Lawrence to keep the unbeaten streak intact. Lawrence wrapped up moto win 16 by three seconds over Sexton, while Plessinger parlayed his holeshot into a third-place effort, just ahead of Anderson.
Lawrence’s latest 1-1 performance signified his first ever moto wins at Washougal as his quest for a perfect season has surpassed eight rounds, with three remaining.
His eighth career win breaks the Aussie into the top 20 on the all-time wins list. Sexton settled for his fourth straight runner-up effort (2-2), while Anderson became the newest rider this season to finish on the overall podium in third (4-4).
Lawrence’s massive lead in the 450 Class standings has grown to 95 points over Ferrandis, who finished fourth overall (3-5), while Plessinger’s fifth-place finish (7-3) allowed him to maintain his hold of third, 120 points behind Lawrence.
“There’s a first time for everything [winning at Washougal]. I was pumped to make my way around Chase [Sexton] on the start. I was a little down on myself [in the final moto] and I was hoping [Sexton] was feeling as [tired] as I was. Then he went down, so that’s a bummer. This has been a surreal season so far,” Lawrence said.
The Pro Motocross Championship will observe its final break in action for the 2023 season before returning for its three-round stretch run, which will begin on Saturday, August 12.
The iconic rolling plains of Central New York’s Unadilla MX, in New Berlin, will welcome riders at the Honda Unadilla National for round nine of the summer campaign.
Photo courtesy Honda USA
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RESULTS & STANDINGS AFTER ROUND EIGHT:
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish // Points):
1 Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (1-1 // 50)
2 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda (2-2, 44)
3 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki (4-4 // 36)
4 Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Yamaha (3-5 // 36)
5 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (7-3 // 34)
6 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (5-7 // 30)
7 Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha (8-6 // 28)
8 Ty Masterpool, Fallon, Nev., Kawasaki (6-8 // 28)
9 Phil Nicoletti, Cochecton, N.Y., Yamaha (11-9 // 22)
10 Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki (10-10 // 22)
450 Class Championship Standings (Round 8 of 11):
1 Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 400 Points
2 Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Yamaha – 305 Points
3 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM – 280 Points
4 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 236 Points
5 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 218 Points
6 Ty Masterpool, Fallon, Nev., Kawasaki – 190 Points
7 Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha – 174 Points
8 Fredrik Noren, Lidköping, Sweden, Suzuki – 169 Points
9 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM – 147 Points
10 Jose Butron, Cadiz, Spain, GASGAS – 132 Points
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points):
1 Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (1-1 // 50)
2 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (3-2 // 42)
3 Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (2-4 // 40)
4 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna (4-5 // 34)
5 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Yamaha (8-3 // 33)
6 Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki (7-6 // 29)
7 Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Kawasaki (6-7 // 29)
8 Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., KTM (5-8 // 29)
9 Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., Kawasaki (9-9 // 24)
10 Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS (12-11 // 19)
250 Class Championship Standings (Round 8 of 11):
1 Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 300 Points
2 Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 297 Points
3 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 281 Points
4 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna – 274 Points
5 Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Kawasaki – 269 Points
6 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Yamaha – 247 Points
7 Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., KTM – 219 Points
8 Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM – 210 Points
9 Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Kawasaki – 146 Points
10 Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Husqvarna – 144 Points