Round nine of the 2022 outdoor motocross season in the United States featured one of the summer’s toughest challenges with a rough and highly technical track at Unadilla, in New York state.
But Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton was up to the challenge, reclaiming the lead of the 450cc class points standings with a convincing 1-1 sweep of both races.
This saw Sexton leap past Colorado’s Eli Tomac (Yamaha) and back into the championship points lead.
In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda prevailed with his second win of the season following a wild day of racing in the smaller displacement.
The opening 450cc race in the premier class saw a new, yet familiar face at the head of the pack to start as defending champion and Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing rider Dylan Ferrandis stormed to the MotoSport.com Holeshot in his first gate drop of the season.
He was followed by Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson and Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen.
German rider Roczen then went on the charge and made the pass on Anderson for second. He continued to push and grabbed control of the lead from Ferrandis before the completion of the first lap.
A small miscue by Anderson caused him to lose third to point leader and Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing rider Tomac.
A determined Tomac got around his team-mate to move into second and then looked to chase down Roczen for the lead. The Yamaha rider showed patience and waited for his opening, then made a successful pass on his longtime rival in his first attempt. Behind them, Anderson made the move on Ferrandis for third and brought Sexton along with him for fourth.
Tomac stabilised his lead to nearly three seconds over Roczen as the moto passed the halfway point. This is also when Sexton was able to make his move on Anderson for third.
The Honda rider’s charge didn’t stop there as he then made quick work of his teammate Roczen for second not long after. Sexton continued to post the fastest laps on the track to chip away at Tomac’s lead.
As the battle for the lead started to heat up, Roczen continued to lose positions, giving up his hold of third to Anderson and fourth to Ferrandis.
Back up front, Sexton successfully eliminated his deficit and passed Tomac with ease with about seven minutes left in the moto.
With the lead in hand, Sexton ran away from the field and went unchallenged the rest of the way.
He easily claimed his fifth moto win of the season by 12.8 seconds over Tomac, in what was arguably the Honda rider’s most impressive single moto of the season.
Anderson followed in third while Ferrandis parlayed his holeshot into a fourth-place result. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ryan Dungey crossed the line in fifth, but received a one-spot penalty for jumping on a red cross flag, which moved Roczen into fifth and Dungey sixth.
The second and deciding 450cc race got underway with Tomac leading the way with the holeshot, followed by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia, and Sexton.
As Tomac looked to establish an early lead Sexton made the pass on Barcia for third and looked to continue moving forward, soon making the pass on Plessinger for second to start the second lap.
With the championship leaders out front, all attention shifted to Sexton’s pursuit of Tomac.
They settled in through the opening 10 minutes of the moto until Sexton decided to drop the hammer and go on the attack.
He quickly erased his deficit to the lead and made a quick move that appeared to catch Tomac off guard and allowed Sexton to make an easy pass for the top spot. Moments later, Anderson made the pass on Plessinger for third after several laps of pressure.
Sexton quickly built a lead of almost two seconds but was unable to check out on Tomac, who stalked the lead and studied his rival’s lines. The leaders traded fast throughout the middle portion of the moto before Sexton inched away as they approached lapped riders. The lead continued to build from there and soon surpassed 10 seconds.
The Honda rider put it on cruise control in the closing stages to take the moto win by 15.8 seconds over Tomac. Anderson finished in a distant third.
Overall, Sexton’s second 1-1 sweep of the summer brought him his third victory of the season and his second in a row. It’s the fifth win of his career. Tomac (2-2) settled for the runner-up spot, while Anderson (3-3) completed the overall podium.
The winning effort vaulted Sexton back atop the championship standings, where he reclaimed his hold of the red plate with a one-point edge over Tomac with three rounds (six races) remaining. Anderson further strengthened his hold of third, 84 points out of the lead.
“It was an awesome day,” said Sexton.
“I struggled this morning in qualifying but we made some bike changes that worked out really well. This track really suited my style and I just couldn’t be happier with how the day went. I’m having an awesome summer and I’m so happy on my bike. I just want this to keep going.”
250 CLASS
The first 250cc race of the afternoon got underway with Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Nick Romano at the head of the pack, only to be passed by his team-mate Justin Cooper for the holeshot.
Romano then dropped another spot to Shimoda, who initially started third. Point leader and Team Honda HRC rider Jett Lawrence started just outside the top five. Cooper then crashed out of the lead but remounted quickly, resuming deep inside the top 10 of the running order.
Shimoda assumed the lead, with Romano second and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker third, followed by Lawrence in fourth. Lawrence made the pass for third and then engaged in a spirited battle with Romano for second, which allowed Shimoda to extend his lead.
Lawrence finally appeared to have the pass made but then went down as he looked to solidify the move, which dropped him just outside the top five.
As Shimoda continued to pull away and soon built a lead of more than 10 seconds the battle for the remaining spots on the moto podium heated up between Romano and the Honda siblings of Hunter and Jett Lawrence. As Hunter looked for a way past Romano it allowed Jett to slip by for third.
However, he crashed again and remounted in eighth. With the pressure from his brother gone, Hunter Lawrence bided his time and then made the pass on Romano for second. The rookie then lost his hold of third to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire.
While the action behind him was intense, Shimoda enjoyed a smooth ride out front and cruised to his second moto win of the season by 7.8 seconds over Lawrence, with Hampshire third. Romano followed in fourth, while Cooper rebounded to finish in the top five. Jett Lawrence soldiered home in seventh.
As the field roared out the gate for the second 250cc race, it was the same rider leading the field to the holeshot, with Cooper out front, this time with the Lawrence brothers in tow.
Shimoda emerged in seventh and had his work cut out for him from the outset of the moto.
The lead trio settled into their positions quickly and established a steady pace through the opening five minutes, with each finding a rhythm. Jett Lawrence then slowly inched toward his Yamaha rival and began to apply pressure at the 10-minute mark.
From there the chess match started to unfold. Lawrence attempted several passes, but Cooper defended, which caused Lawrence to lose ground and forced him to restart his pursuit.
As the battle for the lead intensified, Hunter Lawrence appeared to encounter an issue with his Honda and slowed, which caused him to lose a position to Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo.
Meanwhile, back up front, Jett Lawrence crashed trying to track down Cooper and lost multiple positions. A couple laps later, Shimoda crashed while running third and dropped to fourth.
The wild action worked heavily into Cooper’s favour as he soon moved clear of the field by more than 10 seconds. McAdoo settled into second in just his second race of the season, while Jett Lawrence recovered to challenge him from third.
The championship leader was persistent and successfully made the pass as the moto entered its final 10 minutes.
In the closing minutes of the race, the Pro Circuit team-mates of McAdoo and Shimoda waged battle for third. The entertaining fight saw McAdoo fend off multiple pass attempts before Shimoda finally appeared to give in.
Back up front, Cooper put together an impressive wire-to-wire effort that saw him capture his second moto win in his last three attempts. He took the chequered flag seven seconds ahead of Lawrence, while Shimoda was able to mount one final attack and make a successful last lap pass on McAdoo for third.
Overall, the wildest and most unpredictable afternoon of racing of the season thus far saw Shimoda prevail with his second victory of the season and of his career following 1-3 finishes.
Cooper’s dominant second moto landed him in the runner-up spot (5-1), while Hunter Lawrence edged out his brother for the final spot on the overall podium in third (2-5).
Despite missing out on the overall podium for just the second time this season in fourth (7-2), Jett Lawrence lost just two points to his brother in the championship battle.
A total of 26 points now separates the siblings with six motos remaining, as Shimoda sits 40 points behind in third.
The 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will continue next Saturday, August 20, with a visit to the shadow of the nation’s capital of Washington DC and Southern Maryland’s Budd’s Creek Motocross Park.
Photo courtesy Honda
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RESULTS & STANDINGS:
450 Round Points:
- Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda (1-1 = 50 points)
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha (2-2 = 44)
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki (3-3 = 40)
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (7-4 = 32)
- Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (5-7 = 30)
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (6-6 = 30)
- Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (4-10 = 29)
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., GASGAS (10-5 = 27)
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki (9-8 = 25)
- Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha (11-9 = 22)
450 Championship Points Standings:
- Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 409 points
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha – 408
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki – 325
- Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 304
- Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha – 273
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 266
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., GASGAS – 246
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM – 230
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki – 191
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., Husqvarna – 165
250 Round Points:
- Jo Shimoda, Japan, Kawasaki (1-3 = 45 points)
- Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (5-1 = 41)
- Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda (2-5 = 38)
- Jett Lawrence, Australia, Honda (7-2 = 36)
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna (2-8 = 33)
- Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., KTM (6-6 = 30)
- Nick Romano, Bayside, N.Y., Yamaha (4-9 = 30)
- Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki (11-4 = 28)
- Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha (10-7 = 25)
- Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS (9-10 = 23)
250 Championship Points Standings:
- Jett Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 391 points
- Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 365
- Jo Shimoda, Japan, Kawasaki – 351
- Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 316
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna – 227
- Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., KTM – 222
- Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki – 207
- Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Yamaha – 180
- Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., GASGAS – 169
- Stilez Robertson, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna – 169
- Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha – 169