With his third overall 450cc class victory of the season, Australian Jett Lawrence is back in the lead in the United States.
His elder brother and main title threat, Hunter Lawrence, won the first moto at round six at Southwick at the weekend just gone and finished the event second overall.
As the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross series eclipsed its midway point and Southwick celebrated 50 years of racing, sibling rivals Jett and Hunter Lawrence once again battled at the front of the 450 field, securing another 1-2 overall finish on one of the toughest tracks on the calendar and the only true sand circuit of the season.
The Honda HRC Progressive duo confirmed that they are each other’s only true competition, trading holeshots and moto wins.
Every moto thus far has been topped by one of the brothers, with Jett holding a slim one-point title-chase lead, and third place now, more than a full race behind.
In the 250cc class, New Zealand’s Cole Davies took his Yamaha to 7-2 finishes to leap to the top of the championship standings, while an untimely injury for Honda’s Jo Shimoda brought his championship pursuit to a halt.
Belgian talent and KTM factory rider Sacha Coenen, the points leader in the MXGP championships in the MX2 class, put on a show with a dominant performance in just his second ever AMA motocross race with a 1-1 sweep of the 250cc class races.
However, a non-regular in the American competition, Coenen won’t be a feature at season’s end.
Meanwhile, the first 450cc race saw Jett Lawrence launch his bike to the front, with Hunter close behind. Jett controlled the pace early, but Hunter Lawrence began closing the gap during the second half. Jett went down while leading late in the race, allowing Hunter to take over the top spot.
A red flag then ended the moto one lap early, and Hunter secured his fourth moto victory in his last five starts. Jett remounted in time to salvage second place.
Hunter grabbed the race two holeshot, with Jett third, and the leading quartet quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. Jett soon passed Yamaha upstart Haiden Deegan for second and began applying pressure on his brother.
Hunter went down in a turn with less than five minutes remaining, and Jett took advantage to claim the moto victory and overall win. Meanwhile, Hunter remounted in fourth and was able to secure second overall.
Hymas enjoyed good starts in the 250 class and battled near the front of the pack. Despite fading slightly late in the second race, he continued to show strong pace, recording a respectable 5-7 tally for sixth overall.
“Hunter and I had a pretty big lead in the first moto, so when I fell, I was able to get up in second, thankfully,” said Jett Lawrence afterwards.
“In the second moto, I was just pacing myself and trying to save something for the end if I needed it. Obviously, you don’t want to see someone crash and gift you a race win, but we’ll take it.
“It’s definitely tough battling with my brother, but it’s fun – I wouldn’t want to be battling with anyone else. I know where I’m at, I know where he’s at, and I feel like we’re at the top of our sport right now. To battle your brother for a championship is really cool, and not many people get to experience that.”
Photo courtesy Honda
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RESULTS AND STANDINGS AFTER 6 OF 11 ROUNDS:
450MX Overall Results at Southwick:
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda)
2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda)
3. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha)
4. Jorge Prado (KTM)
5. Garrett Marchbanks (Kawasaki)
6. Cooper Webb (Yamaha)
7. Dylan Ferrandis (Ducati)
8. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna)
9. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph)
10. Jordon Smith (Triumph)
450MX Championship Points (after 6 of 11 rounds):
1. Jett Lawrence: 271
2. Hunter Lawrence: 270
3. Haiden Deegan: 218
4. Jorge Prado: 202
5. Garrett Marchbanks: 183
6. RJ Hampshire: 1837
7. Dylan Ferrandis: 152
8. Mikkel Haarup:149
9. Cooper Webb: 139
10. Jordon Smith: 103
250MX Overall Results at Southwick:
1. Sacha Coenen (KTM)
2. Levi Kitchen (Kaw)
3. Cole Davies (New Zealand, Yam)
4. Kayden Minear (Yam)
5. Julien Beaumer (KTM)
6. Chance Hymas (Hon)
7. Nate Trasher (Yam)
8. Francisco Garcia (Kaw)
9. Carson Mumford (KTM)
10. Michael Mosiman (Yam)
Also: 39th, New Zealand’s Brodie Connolly (Hon)
250MX Championship Points (after 6 of 11 rounds):
1. Cole Davies: 227
2. Levi Kitchen: 225
3. Jo Shimoda: 194
4. Julien Beaumer: 194
5. Ryder DiFrancesco: 167
6. Kayden Minear: 163
7. Chance Hymas: 152
8. Seth Hammaker: 134
9. Carson Mumford: 122
10. Nicholas Romano: 116