One week after the season opener in Pala, the AMA Pro Motocross Championship has received a clear indication of its intentions. Jett Lawrence is back.
At the prestigious Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, the Honda rider celebrated his first overall victory of the season, displaying the same dominance as in his prime. Two race wins, the fastest qualifying time, and a perfect points haul made it clear that the reigning Pro Motocross and SMX champion, despite his winter injury, once again poses a serious threat to all his title rivals.
Jett is in control of the situation
Lawrence made a statement right from qualifying. He was the only driver to break the 1:50 mark, clearly relegating rookie Haiden Deegan to second place.
In the first race, the Australian left no doubt about his dominance. After taking the holeshot, he controlled the race from the start and managed his lead confidently to the finish. Behind him, his brother Hunter Lawrence and Haiden Deegan battled for the remaining podium positions.
While Hunter overtook Deegan shortly before the end of the race, Jett drove towards an unchallenged race victory.
Even in the second race, there was ultimately no getting past the Honda star. Although a race stoppage followed by a restart added extra excitement, Lawrence once again took the lead early and prevailed against the strong competition.
The duel of the brothers
The second race proved particularly interesting. For much of the race, Hunter Lawrence seemed to be within striking distance of his brother. The championship leader repeatedly closed the gap and put Jett under pressure.
But it was precisely in this phase that the younger Lawrence showed his class.
“I knew that Hunter would be right there if I went all out from the start. That’s why I first found my rhythm and then later did a short sprint to disrupt his rhythm. That worked,” Jett explained after the race.
Within just a few laps, the gap grew from just under a second to several seconds. The race was decided. "It's harder to race against Jett than against anyone else. He's my toughest opponent," Hunter admitted afterward.
Deegan continues its advance
Even though victory remained out of reach, Haiden Deegan could be pleased with another strong weekend.
The Yamaha rider, in only his second Pro Motocross race in the 450cc class, once again stood on the podium and gained valuable experience against the established top riders. Notably, Deegan rode two almost identical races. With third-place finishes in both, he avoided mistakes and consistently collected points.
“I want to improve from weekend to weekend. That’s the goal. We’ll keep working and try again next week,” said the rookie.
With third place in the championship, Deegan is already in the middle of the title fight after two events.
Hunter remains top of the table
Despite the defeat against his brother, Hunter Lawrence was able to leave Hangtown with a positive feeling. Following his double victory in Pala, he now secured an equally convincing 2-2 result. This keeps the Honda rider leading the championship.
However, the lead has shrunk considerably. Only six points now separate the two brothers after two of eleven races. This sets up exactly the scenario many fans had hoped for: a direct title fight between Hunter and Jett Lawrence.
Title fight picks up speed
While Jett Lawrence celebrated his first victory of the year in Hangtown, the weekend also provided another insight: the Honda brothers currently appear to be the ones to beat in the 450cc class.
Behind them lurk drivers like Haiden Deegan, Chase Sexton and Jorge Prado, but in Rancho Cordova no one managed to keep up with the pace of the two Australians over the full race distance.
After two races, the season is still long. However, Hangtown has shown that the reigning champion has returned to where the competition least wanted to see him: right at the front.