The third and final event of the SuperMotocross playoffs saw the Honda HRC Progressive team take both titles, overseas riders taking all the American glory.
The silverware went to Jett Lawrence and Jo Shimoda at the drama-filled SMX finale and for Lawrence it was his 10th career AMA championship, while Shimoda became the first Japanese rider to win an AMA crown.
Australian rider Lawrence put in a strong 1-2 450cc class performance as the series came to a dramatic conclusion at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, while his elder brother Hunter Lawrence capped off a consistent season by finishing second overall in both the finale and the championship standings.
Meanwhile, Shimoda sealed the 250cc class crown with a 1-2 moto score and the overall win.
Hunter (who was under the weather with a cold) grabbed the holeshot in the opening 450 moto and led the early laps, with Eli Tomac eventually taking over the lead.
Jett started in second but was shuffled back to fourth. He settled in for a bit before mounting a charge around the halfway mark, eventually executing a decisive pass on Tomac four laps from the end to take the win, while Hunter held on to finish third.
The second moto saw Hunter start third and move into the lead on lap two, while Jett was fighting through traffic after starting eighth. Knowing he needed to finish second in the moto to take the win and title, Jett advanced to third by lap four.
His progress stalled there, but he rallied late and, with less than three laps remaining, moved by Tomac for second.
Hunter took the wire-to-wire win, but Jett’s runner-up result was enough for the overall victory and the title.
The first 250 moto saw Shimoda rocket out of the gate to grab the holeshot, and he never looked back, leading wire-to-wire for a commanding win.
Race two brought high drama, with championship stakes on the line. Shimoda was guaranteed the championship if he could finish the moto in third or better, but he started fifth and immediately dropped back to eighth.
He quickly began carving through the pack, and by lap four he was in fourth.
After a brief hold there, he surged forward again, momentarily taking the lead when championship-rival Haiden Deegan slowed and allowed Shimoda to pass him.
Deegan then made several blatant take-out attempts, knocking both riders down at one point and dropping out with an injury.
Shimoda was able to get going in second place, and although he slipped to third near the end, he made a last-lap pass on Frenchman Tom Vialle to add the overall win to his championship.
Jett Lawrence said: “It’s definitely emotional. Honestly, midway through, I thought it was over – I was struggling to close on Eli and Hunter, and at one point I kind of gave up. Then with about three laps to go, I told myself, ‘I’m just going to send it.’ If it worked, great; if I crashed, that was the risk.
“Thankfully, it paid off. Afterward, the emotions hit me – especially seeing how well Hunter was riding this weekend. To be honest, if he hadn’t been sick, I think he would’ve had this – this 100 percent would’ve been a different story.
“He was so strong all weekend, and I was slacking compared to him. It’s really special to be out there racing with my brother, and I’m thankful for the team behind us.”
Hunter Lawrence said: “It was a bittersweet night. I feel like I rode really well and gave it my all, but I came up just short in the end. I was able to win the final moto and do what I needed to there, but I probably could’ve been a little better in the first one.
“Still, it was a great night overall for the team, winning both championships and going 1-2 again in the 450 class – lots of positives to take away, and now I’m looking forward to Motocross of Nations.”
Jo Shimoda said: “Honestly, the day was really stressful, especially the second moto – I need to rewatch it! There was a lot of contact out there, but I’m glad I stayed up and kept pushing.
“To be the first Japanese rider to win a championship like this means so much to me. Accomplishing something so important gives me a huge confidence boost, and I’m really proud of everyone who helped make this possible.”
© Photo courtesy Honda
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ROUND 3 RESULTS & FINAL STANDINGS:
450 Overall Results:
- Jett Lawrence (Hon)
- Hunter Lawrence (Hon)
- Eli Tomac (Yam)
- Ken Roczen (Suz)
- Justin Cooper (Yam)
- R.J. Hampshire (Hus)
- Cooper Webb (Yam)
- Joey Savatgy (Hon)
- Justin Barcia (Gas)
- Justin Hill (KTM)
450 Championship Points (after 3 of 3 rounds):
- Jett Lawrence (166)
- Hunter Lawrence (151)
- Eli Tomac (135)
- Ken Roczen (117)
- Justin Cooper (115)
- Cooper Webb (112)
- R.J. Hampshire (109)
- Chase Sexton (92)
- Joey Savatgy (89)
- Justin Barcia (86)
250 Overall Results:
- Jo Shimoda (Hon)
- Seth Hammaker (Kaw)
- Tom Vialle (KTM)
- Nate Thrasher (Yam)
- Ty Masterpool (Kaw)
- Jordon Smith (Tri)
- Garrett Marchbanks (Kaw)
- Lux Turner (KTM)
- Haiden Deegan (Yam)
- Dilan Schwartz (Yam)
250 Championship Points (after 3 of 3 rounds):
- Jo Shimoda (167)
- Seth Hammaker (144)
- Tom Vialle (127)
- Nate Thrasher (118)
- Haiden Deegan (116)
- Ty Masterpool (99)
- Jordon Smith (96)
- Garrett Marchbanks (81)
- Levi Kitchen (77)
- Daxton Bennick (65)