It was a magical weekend for the red brand as Honda commemorated its 50th anniversary in motocross, Team Honda HRC riders literally perfect at the opening round of AMA Pro Motocross Championships.
Honda riders swept the top two positions in both 450 motos and both 250 motos.
For much of the day, the team-mates were each other’s only real rivals at the Pala, California, track, but in the end it was Chase Sexton and Jett Lawrence winning the two classes to take early points leads, while Ken Roczen and Hunter Lawrence each notched a pair of impressive second-place results.
The Honda men enjoyed strong starts in their motos, with Sexton and Roczen trading holeshots in the 450 class and Jett Lawrence second early on in both 250 races.
Hunter Lawrence had the most overtaking work to do, including a moto 2 charge from seventh to second, highlighted by a dramatic last-lap pass on Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda that kept the team’s impeccable results tally intact.
Sexton had to make passes on Roczen in both 450 motos, whereas Jett ran relatively comfortably at the front in the 250 races. Both Sexton and Jett had relatively narrow winning margins over their team-mates (averaging 10.3 seconds and 6.1 seconds, respectively), whereas in the 450 motos, the gaps from Roczen to the first non-Honda riders averaged a notable 32.0 seconds!
The special day meant different things to the four riders: For Sexton, it was a statement performance that showed he is ready to run at the front of the premier class; for Roczen, it was a successful return to racing after he withdrew from supercross in early March to rebuild his health; for Jett Lawrence, it was a commanding beginning to his defence of the Gary Jones Cup that is held by the reigning 250 champ; and for Hunter Lawrence, it was evidence that he is a legitimate threat to challenge his brother for that trophy.
For anyone who witnessed the exhibition, it had the makings of motocross lore that will likely be recounted for another 50 years.
A night-time event on Friday featured a number of past Honda champions, including Gary Jones, Johnny O’Mara, Rick Johnson and Trey Canard, along with past Team Honda manager Dave Arnold. When it was time for the unveil, Jones and Jett Lawrence – Honda’s first and most recent AMA Pro Motocross Champions, respectively – had the honours of pulling the cover off the new CRF450R 50th Anniversary Edition. The evening also saw 11-time Baja 1000 winner Johnny Campbell recognised for his 30th anniversary with American Honda.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of AMA Pro Motocross, series organizers are featuring different champions from the past in the broadcast booth alongside announcer Jason Weigandt. Appropriately for this event, the celebrity guests were Rick Johnson and Jeremy McGrath, two great champions from Honda’s past.
Meanwhile, during the racing itself, Sexton turned the fastest lap time in both 450 motos, with Roczen second-best both times out. Jett and Hunter Lawrence did likewise in 250 moto two, after notching the second- and third-fastest laps of moto one.
Sexton’s impressive performance was the first 1-1 showing of his career, and it increased his tally of MA Pro Motocross 450 overall victories to three. One of his other wins also came at Fox Raceway, in 2020.
The riders won’t have much time to enjoy their incredible success at the AMA Pro Motocross opener, as round two takes place this coming weekend, about 500 miles north at Prairie City State Vehicle Recreation Area.
Photo courtesy Honda
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RESULTS & STANDINGS:
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish):
1 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda (1-1)
2 Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (2-2)
3 Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha (3-3)
4 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (7-4)
5 Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (5-5)
6 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki (4-8)
7 Antonio Cairoli, Italy, KTM (10-6)
8 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (6-10)
9 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., GASGAS (8-9)
10 Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., Husqvarna (11-7)
450 Class Championship Standings (Round 1 of 12):
1 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 50
2 Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 44
3 Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha – 40
4 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 32
5 Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 32
6 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki – 31
7 Antonio Cairoli, Italy, KTM – 26
8 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM – 26
9 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., GASGAS – 25
10 Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., Husqvarna – 24
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish):
1 Jett Lawrence, Australia, Honda (1-1)
2 Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda (2-2)
3 Jo Shimoda, Japan, Kawasaki (4-3)
4 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna (3-9)
5 Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., GASGAS (9-4)
6 Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (6-6)
7 Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki (8-5)
8 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Yamaha (5-8)
9 Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS (7-7)
10 Stilez Robertson, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna (10-11)
250 Class Championship Standings (Round 1 of 12):
1 Jett Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 50
2 Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 44
3 Jo Shimoda, Japan, Kawasaki – 38
4 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna – 32
5 Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., GASGAS – 30
6 Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki – 30
7 Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki – 29
8 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Yamaha – 29
9 Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS – 28
10 Stilez Robertson, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna – 21