The 2023 national motocross championships in the United States reached the halfway point at the weekend with its annual foray to the motocross hotbed of New England.
The 42nd running of the Crestview Construction Southwick National presented the most challenging test of the season thus far, where high temperatures and humidity combined with the demanding sand track of legendary The Wick 338 resulted in a gruelling afternoon of racing.
The perfect season by 450cc class rookie Jett Lawrence continued with another dominant outing by the Australian, who went 1-1 yet again for his sixth straight victory, while French two-time former MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle emerged with his first win in U.S. competition in the 250 class.
It was the Team Honda HRC duo of Chase Sexton and Lawrence leading the field into the first turn to start race one, as Sexton stormed to the holeshot only to be passed by Lawrence by the time they reached the second turn. Both riders dropped the hammer to open a gap on the field while Lawrence moved out nearly two seconds ahead of his team-mate.
Behind them, Ty Masterpool settled into third ahead of Aaron Plessinger and Dylan Ferrandis.
As the lead pair checked out on the field an exciting battle for third unfolded amongst Masterpool, Plessinger and Ferrandis.
The Yamaha-mounted Frenchman found himself in an opportunistic position and was able to slip past Plessinger as he pressured Masterpool. Ferrandis then set his sights on Masterpool for third.
The privateer racer didn’t flinch and made the former series champion go to work. After a persistent attack, Ferrandis finally got the upper hand and took control of third, leaving Masterpool and Plessinger to battle it out for fourth.
Near the halfway point of the moto, Sexton had chipped away at the deficit to Lawrence and moved within striking distance of his teammate. However, Lawrence picked up the pace again and built the lead back out to more than four seconds.
Lawrence continued to add to his lead through the remainder of the moto and rode to his 11th straight moto win with ease, crossing the finish line seven seconds ahead of Sexton, who was never pressured en route to second, while Ferrandis finished a distant third. Plessinger was fourth, while Masterpool rounded out the top five.
The second and final 450cc race of the day got underway with Ferrandis leading the field out of the first turn for the holeshot, but he was quickly overcome by Lawrence who proceeded to sprint out to an early lead. Plessinger slotted into third, with Adam Cianciarulo and Sexton in tow.
While Lawrence took advantage of the clear track it was Sexton who was making moves as he got around Cianciarulo for fourth and then made quick work of Plessinger to take over third. It didn’t take long for him to close in on Ferrandis for second as the lead trio checked out on the rest of the field.
Ten minutes into the moto less than 3.5 seconds separated the top three and that’s when Sexton made his move on Ferrandis to grab second.
Sexton was able to gain a few tenths on Lawrence initially, but the Aussie’s advantage grew over the second half of the moto. The lead surpassed double digits in the closing minutes and grew to nearly 20 seconds before he backed down the pace.
As has been the case for much of the season, Lawrence led every lap of action across both motos and wrapped up another perfect afternoon 14.7 seconds ahead of Sexton, with Ferrandis well back in third.
Another 1-1 effort gave Lawrence his sixth consecutive overall win and further extended the record start to his 450cc class career. He now sits tied with both Sexton and Ferrandis as the winningest active riders in the division and has led every lap in five of six rounds this season.
Sexton earned an assertive runner-up effort (2-2) for his third podium result in three starts, while Ferrandis rounded out the top three overall in third (3-3) with his fourth podium of the summer.
Lawrence’s lead in the championship standings now sits at 67 points over Ferrandis, while Plessinger, who finished fourth (4-4), is third, 90 points out of the lead.
“I didn’t enjoy that one bit,” Lawrence said. “That was a brutal track, the most brutal track I’ve ridden. It was just survival out there. My legs are shaking right now and I’m really tired, but that’s 12 (race) wins in a row now, which is awesome.”
The second half of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship will begin next weekend with a visit to the Land of 10,000 Lakes in Minnesota for another challenge at Millville’s famed Spring Creek MX Park.
Photo courtesy Honda USA
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RESULTS & STANDINGS AFTER ROUND SIX:
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 Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Yamaha (3-3 // 40)
4 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (4-4 // 36)
5 Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha (10-5 // 27)
6 Jose Butron, Cadiz, Spain, GASGAS (9-6 // 27)
7 Chris Canning, Coventry, Conn., GASGAS (8-7 // 27)
8 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (7-8 // 27)
9 Ty Masterpool, Fallon, Nev., Kawasaki (5-10 // 27)
10 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki (6-14 // 22)
450 Class Championship Standings (Round 6 of 11):
1 Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 300 Points
2 Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Yamaha – 233 Points
3 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM – 210 Points
4 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 176 Points
5 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM – 147 Points
6 Ty Masterpool, Fallon, Nev., Kawasaki – 134 Points
7 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 130 Points
8 Fredrik Noren, Lidköping, Sweden, Suzuki – 124 Points
9 Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha – 118 Points
10 Lorenzo Locurcio, Valencia, Venezuela, GASGAS – 110 Points
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points):
1 Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM (1-3 // 45)
2 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (2-2 // 44)
3 Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Kawasaki (6-1 // 40)
4 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna (3-4 // 38)
5 Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki (7-5 // 30)
6 Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (4-10 // 29)
7 Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., KTM (8-6 // 28)
8 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Yamaha (5-9 // 28)
9 Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Husqvarna (11-7 // 24)
10Caden Braswell, Shalimar, Fla., GASGAS (9-11 // 22)
250 Class Championship Standings (Round 6 of 11):
1 Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 218 Points
2 Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 213 Points
3 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna – 205 Points
4 Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Kawasaki – 198 Points
5 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 196 Points
6 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Yamaha – 182 Points
7 Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM – 179 Points
8 Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., KTM – 165 Points
9 Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Kawasaki – 122 Points
10 Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Husqvarna – 110 Points