Australian Hunter Lawrence took his Honda to score his first win in the premier grade of the AMA supercross championships in Arlington at the weekend.
The victory also extended his lead in the 450SX title chase, while team-mate Jo Shimoda, from Japan, delivered an inspiring second-place 250SX East result in his return from injury.
The Arlington, Texas, AMA Supercross round proved to be an incredible night of racing for Honda HRC Progressive, with emotional performances in both categories.
After coming close on several occasions, Lawrence notched his career-first win in the 450SX class, while Shimoda secured an impressive second-place result in the 250SX East opener—his first race back from a neck injury.
Lawrence quickly recovered from a so-so jump out of the gate, positioning himself in third exiting turn one.
He took advantage of a Cooper Webb mistake on lap eight to move into second and soon joined Germany’s Ken Roczen at the front.
A three-way battle for the lead ensued, with the Australian demonstrating determination and composure as he dealt with the riders ahead and behind.
Lawrence made the decisive move on Roczen at the five-minute mark and quickly established an advantage out front.
That edge shrunk when the riders behind him jumped with a red-cross flag displayed, but Lawrence held firm until the chequered flag, earning the first premier-class win of his career.
In the 250SX main event, Shimoda grabbed the holeshot and led the field through the opening stages. At around one-third race distance, after seeing the red lights flashing (indicating a red-cross situation), he rolled a small double and the finish-line jump that followed it.
Meanwhile, Yamaha’s Pierce Brown jumped with the red light still illuminated, enabling him to pass Shimoda.
Despite applying intense pressure on Brown for the remainder of the race, the Japanese rider was unable to reclaim the lead. Nonetheless, his performance underlined his status as a championship contender.
At night’s end, Honda HRC Progressive personnel vigorously disputed the lack of penalties around the red-flag incidents in both classes.
On Monday, the AMA released an official statement indicating that it has no plan to apply penalties. The team intends to escalate the issue and is currently reviewing all viable avenues.
The riders now turn their focus to round 8 of AMA Supercross this Saturday in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo courtesy Honda
Find BikesportNZ.com on FACEBOOK here
450SX Results
- Hunter Lawrence (Hon)
- Eli Tomac (KTM)
- Cooper Webb (Yam)
- Ken Roczen (Suz)
- Justin Cooper (Yam)
- Chase Sexton (Kaw)
- Joey Savatgy (Hon)
- Aaron Plessinger (KTM)
- Christian Craig (Hon)
- Dylan Ferrandis (Duc)
450SX Championship Points (after 7 of 17 rounds)
- Hunter Lawrence: 149
- Eli Tomac: 145
- Cooper Webb: 133
- Ken Roczen: 131
- Chase Sexton: 122
- Justin Cooper: 112
- Joey Savatgy: 95
- Dylan Ferrandis: 87
- Jason Anderson: 84
- Aaron Plessinger: 79
250SX Results
- Pierce Brown (Yam)
- Jo Shimoda (Hon)
- Daxton Bennick (Hus)
- Seth Hammaker (Kaw)
- Cole Davies (Yam)
- Drew Adams (Kaw)
- Coty Shock (Yam)
- Devin Simonson (Yam)
- Cullin Park (Hon)
- Kyle Peters (Yam)
250SX Championship Points (after 1 of 10 rounds)
- Pierce Brown: 25
- Jo Shimoda: 22
- Daxton Bennick: 20
- Seth Hammaker: 18
- Cole Davies: 17
- Drew Adams: 16
- Coty Shock: 15
- Devin Simonson: 14
- Cullin Park: 13
- Kyle Peters: 12