Hunter Hangs In!

Tough week for the Lawrence brothers. First Jett Lawrence, the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Champ, was sidelined due to a thumb injury in the week leading up to RedBud. Then his brother, and points leader, Hunter Lawrence went 2-4 for third overall and lost the points lead to Chase Sexton who went 1-1.

A disappointment for sure, losing the points lead, but Hunter, who is a rookie to the 450 class this year, is wise beyond his years when it comes to handling disappointment. In the post-race press conference, he stated:

“I don't know, I've been on the highs and been on the lows, been on the emotional ride and it doesn't serve you well as an athlete," he said. "So, yeah, just self-evaluate everything. Okay, head down, bum up, you go for a good start. Okay, you get around the first turn first. Okay, this is the plan. Second moto you don't get around the corner too great and then you're like, “Alright, this is the, the game plan.” So, it's just kind of always adapting to whatever situation you're put in, you know, and at the end of the day I just do my best and if it's good enough then sweet, but if it's not, we just keep working and hopefully we'll get there.”

“I don't know, I've been on the highs and been on the lows, been on the emotional ride and it doesn't serve you well as an athlete." -Hunter LawrenceAlign Media

Speaking of ups and downs, Hunter was leading the first moto with Chase Sexton right behind him, before having a big get-off on one of the downhills. Somehow, he was still able to get up and finish second.

“Yeah, it happened so fast, and it was kind of weird, like, a lot of things caught me off guard a little bit with hitting a bump or something. And then by the time my wheels were on the ground again, the bike was completely, uh, not directly underneath me! So, I was constantly having to react to stuff to fix it. And yeah, it just kicked and then I tried to gas out of it and dropped the front wheel into the face of one of the really steep gnarly ones and that just like snapped so fast. And unlike the 250 when the old 450 goes, she barks pretty hard. So, you know, strap yourself in for the ride and do your best to save it. But I'm okay, just kind of gave my head a bit of a knock which all things considering we’ll take. It's all good.”

One of the key issues in the 450 class was lappers. Sometimes the leaders would roll up on five or six lappers at a time. As soon as they passed one group of lappers, they were already catching the next group.

"But I knew coming in it'd be tough to beat Chase at his home race... And I was close in the first one until I was upside down." -Hunter LawrenceAlign Media

“Yeah, the lappers were something else, you know, I think I'd get held up a bit and then Chase would get held up a bit and I even seen some flaggers like, looking and holding the flag and it's almost like they just gave up on waving it at one point and I was like, 'Just wave the freaking thing. Like, what are you doing?' [Laughs] So, that was a little bit lame. I thought the blue flag could have been used a little more aggressively. But I knew coming in it'd be tough to beat Chase at his home race. Obviously, you know, extra little fuel for the fire and I knew he'd be on it. And I was close in the first one until I was upside down. So, thankful to not be hurt and stuff and yeah, it just happened so fast. But that's the nature of the beast.”

In the second moto Hunter and Team Honda HRC took a gamble by going away from the Dunlop MX14 "scoop" tire and going to the more traditional MX34 knobby tire. While the MX14 is better for the start, Hunter (and Jett's) starts have been incredible this year, and the team thought it was possible to still get a good start on the MX34, and then take advantage of that tire's better hard pack performance during the moto. The harder, base soil was starting to come up at the bottom of the ruts for moto two. But, that gamble didn't pay off. Hunter got one of his worst starts of the year, and the tire didn't really help him make up ground after that.

"Obviously hindsight's a beautiful thing, you know?" said Hunter. "And you never line up on the gate and when it's time to go and the helmet goes on, you never go. 'Oh, crap. I wish I did this.' You get up there and you sack up and you, you believe in yourself and you go to execute. So, yeah, next year we'll have more info, you know?"

Hunter also said that he knocked his head in that first-moto crash, nothing serious, but enough of a difference to where he couldn't run his usual pace. He finished off the podium for only the second time in a moto this summer in fourth. Still his 2-4 moto scores were enough to land him on the overall podium for the day with third overall. He is the only 450 rider to be on the podium at every race so far this year.

Not every race is going to be perfect, but Hunter Lawrence is really mastering staying away from the highs and lows, and just focusing on process and results. It's that approach that has made Hunter a 450 championship contender already.

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Mike Pelletier...AMA Director of Racing

MX Large interview

Mike Pelletier is very much a major part in the fantastic relationship between AMA and FIM. Pelletier, who is a regular visitor to the MXGP scene as the American representative for the FIM and joined the MXGP paddock for the two Grand Prix’s in Indonesia this past week.

The American Motorcyclist Association promoted Pelletier to director of racing from his role as AMA Supercross manager, back in 2020 and its a move that has proved to be a master stroke for the sport Worldwide.

Pelletier who manages the AMA’s domestic amateur and professional competition operations and continued to oversee the AMA’s responsibilities for the AMA Supercross Championship. Pelletier grew up racing motocross and held professional licenses from 2011 to 2015 in the United States and Canada. He graduated from New Hampshire’s Plymouth State University with a bachelor’s in business administration.

MXLarge: First of all, welcome the Indonesia and the GP. We haven’t met before, but I know your face from being a big part of getting Team USA as strong a line-up as possible in recent years and I can imagine, it isn’t always easy. Firstly, how are you enjoying being in Lombok?

Pelletier: I have been to a few of these and actually 2022 I visited Sumbawa in Indonesia as the FIM delegate. This is my first double GP here and I am really enjoying myself.

MXLarge: Sumbawa must have been something of a culture shock? (Sumbawa is very much a third World Island and while I love it, it isn’t something many westerners get to visit).

Pelletier: It was for sure, but I really enjoy being here. We are learning as we go, and we have a great team here at the FIM and they have helped me with the changes and how they do things here. It is a good experience and a learning curve.

MXLarge: As far as the GPs you have enjoyed and this whole Lombok experience with two GP and the culture here. Can you explain how you have found it?

Pelletier: I mean I did Latvia in 2019 I believe, and of course I do the Nations. I did Sumbawa and this one, with back to back Grand Prix’s has been exciting and the FIM team have experienced the culture and we went to the Gilli Islands in between and really tried to take it in, hired some scooters, went and saw the monkeys and the people around here are so supportive and friendly and its been enjoyable with the riders and hanging out during the week for sure.

MXLarge: Is that the reason for you to come here, to look how they do it, because I think in general American’s do as great a job as anybody in running sporting events, but there are a lot of things the MXGP does really, really well. What can you learn from Infont?

Pelletier: I think we can learn from each other, and I have taken a lot back to the United States and hopefully I brought some things here as well. As my CMS roll, I try and do a few GPs a year and I am thankful I can do that, as the FIM delegate position.

MXLarge: The pyramid structure here at the GPs, with the EMX running side by side with the Grand Prix riders, which is something you don’t really do in America, with your amateur. Obviously, you have a good system in America, but is there anything you would want to implement from the system they have here in GP?

Pelletier: Sure, I think we have a pretty strong amateur scene (in America), and we are starting to do our combines and our futures, and I think we have found what we can learn from here. They have a very strong amateur scene here and I think their amateur scene goes all the way up to the Nations now with that talent level. Hopefully we can keep on improving and I think we are making those strides in America to get to that level.

MXlarge: Obviously the push for Team USA racing the MXdN has often been on and off as far as who wants to or can race for their country. It is a pretty complicated job, because you have so much racing and little time to prepare for the following year. You guys had the streak, and everyone wants to race and then you started losing and getting riders and teams involved was more difficult, but you have been pushing hard and from what I understand, the support for this year is pretty good. Of course, the financially situation doesn’t help with sending a team, but how is that his year with Star Racing, are they willing to allow Deegan to come to Matterley in October?

Pelletier: Yes, we have a lot of support in the paddock, believe it or not. They have always been really good, and the teams have been really nice. Last years was complicated, because we had a lot of riders switching brands and not having a lot of time on the motorcycle and asking them to do an even of that magnitude, we want the riders to be successful and comfortable. This year, we have a lot of interest and absolutely, with Star and the way Chase is riding right now and unfortunately Jett just got injured (he will be back for Nations), and Australia will be tough, but I think we will have a very strong line-up this year.

MXLarge: Obviously Eli (Tomac) is coming back, will he be in the mix? You would assume it will be Eli, Chase and Haiden or not?

Pelletier: Eli should make the last couple of outdoors and Cooper Webb is also returning, and we will see how that goes, but just the way Chase is riding, and Justin Cooper is riding well, Deegan is riding well. A lot of the PC guys are riding well. We will have a good, good turnout and a strong team for Matterley.

MXLarge: Normally you would announce the team at Unadilla, will that be the case, or later because of the situation with Eli and Cooper Webb?

Pelletier: Yes, normally, but it will be later and hopefully around the last couple of Nationals. We want these guys to come back and see how that goes and make a decision as it gets closer with those three SMX rounds at the end of the season. We have a little more time now than we did before. We want to make it as quickly as possible and get these guys ready and do the fund raise and things like that.

MXlarge: Obviously, because America have won the Nations more than any other nation and people generally like to cheer against Team USA, or at least, there is always the rest of the World wanting to beat the American team. When riders don’t want to go, or can’t go, you guys get a lot of stick. Do you think people don’t really understand how difficult it can be to fit the Nations in for your riders with the schedule you race?

Pelletier: It is a lot to ask and all the riders who do go, want to ride for their country. We do have a lot of races, but we are starting to see that they want to go, and it is a misconception that it is too long. It is difficult for the riders, but there is interest there and people don’t see behind the scenes, but this year, for sure, we will have a very strong team.

Deegan ready to ‘come back swinging’ after big RedBud crash

An incident with a lapper at RedBud fortunately did not result in injury.

Image: Octopi Media.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan escaped injury after landing on a downed rider’s bike in the second moto at RedBud. Deegan crashed heavily but was quick to remount and earned a P6 result in the moto. The 250MX points leader is already eager to get back to work this week to turn things around at Spring Creek.

The incident happened on the 13^th lap when Deegan was catching Tom Vialle and Ty Masterpool ahead of him. A lapped rider crashed on the big RedBud tabletop and Vialle and Masterpool both narrowly missed hitting him. A few moments later, Deegan came over the blind jump unaware of the crash and landed right on the machine laying in the middle of the track.

Deegan somersaulted onto his back and landed heavily but bounced right back up. He lost over 10 seconds in the fall and with it, any shot to get into a fight for an overall podium. But Deegan appears to be okay from the crash as he already has his eyes set on the seventh round coming up this weekend.

“In the second moto, I got pinched off really hard on the start, so it made it a little hard on me, but I got going,” said Deegan. “I started setting some of the fastest laps, and then a rider crashed on a landing and there were no flags, and I crashed. So, 2-6 for fifth overall on the day, and no points lost, that’s good. We’ve got a 42-point gap still, so we’re in a comfortable position. We’ll go back to work this week, though, so we can come back swinging next weekend.”

Deegan escaped with the exact championship lead he had entering the day despite the rider P2 in the championship, Chance Hymas, winning the overall. Hymas was docked five points after the first moto for jumping on a red cross flag and ultimately only outscored Deegan by five points on the day with 4-1 scores to Deegan’s 2-6.

Overall, both Deegan and the team are relieved that things didn’t end up worse in that situation.

“A lapper ended up going down on the landing of a tabletop, and Haiden crashed,” said team manager Jensen Hendler. “It wasn’t great, but he got back up and finished sixth for fifth overall. We still have the points lead and didn’t lose any points in the championship, which is good considering how it could’ve gone.”

Close but no cigar, Hunter crashes out of lead!

Race leading crash ‘happened so fast’ for Lawrence

Image: Octopi Media.

Hunter Lawrence led 14 laps of the first 450MX moto at RedBud before a crash ended his chance at the moto victory. Fortunately, Lawrence has stated he’s okay from the crash and the whole sequence that put him on the ground caught him by surprise.

After dueling most of the moto with title combatant Chase Sexton, Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence appeared to have the upper hand in the race coming to two laps to go. As he charged down the hill into the tricky off-camber corner of the RedBud track, Lawrence suddenly swapped big to the left and the resulting fishtail spit Lawrence to the ground.

He landed on his left shoulder and helmet area quite abruptly bouncing off the ground as Sexton rolled by into the lead. It took Lawrence a moment to gather himself, but once he did, he remounted and finished the moto in P2.

Due to a rough second moto causing him to go 2-4 on the day, Lawrence lost the championship lead in the process. But the Australian was simply happy to walk away at the end of the day and remained perplexed about the moment that flipped his day upside down.

“It happened so fast, and it was kind of weird,” said Lawrence. “A lot of things caught me off guard a little bit with hitting a bump or something and then by the time my wheels were on the ground again, the bike was completely not directly underneath me. I was constantly having to react to stuff to fix it and it just kicked.

“I tried to gas out of it and dropped the front wheel into the face of one of the really steep gnarly ones and that just like snapped so fast. Unlike the 250, when the old 450 goes, she bucks pretty hard. Strap yourself in for the ride and do your best to save it. I’m okay, like just kind of gave my head a bit of a knock, which all things considering we’ll take.”

Lawrence now sits seven points behind Sexton in the championship as the series moves into the second half this weekend at Spring Creek.

Strong second for Gajser, strengthens championship lead after Lombok

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser continued his high level of performance, by reeling off a pair of second-place finishes, giving him second overall at the MXGP of Lombok and increasing his lead at the top of the 2024 MXGP World Championship back to 34-points – the same margin as when he arrived on Indonesian shores before the previous round.

After his holeshot in the qualification race yesterday, the Honda CRF450R rider made it three holeshots out of three, with two more excellent starts today, giving him perfect track position for this reversed-circuit layout at the old Mataram airport.

In the first race, he was able to lead the majority of the race, but was never able to pull a convincing gap ahead of second place, and as a result, after a couple of small errors, he had to concede the lead with five laps remaining. It was still a good result as he gained more points in the all-important championship battle.

Like race one, he grabbed the holeshot in race two but this time wasn’t able to hold onto the advantage for too long and instead settled in behind the leader, watching and waiting to make his move. Keeping the gap under three seconds, and even closing right up to under a second, the #243 tried his best to make the pass, but on the tricky terrain, he eventually decided that it was better to come home safely in second than to perform a high-risk manoeuvre. That position was still six-points ahead of his nearest championship rival, moving the gap back to 34-points with eight rounds remaining.

Next up is the MXGP of Czech Republic, held at the historic Loket track which is known for it’s hard-pack surface on hilly terrain. It is a track that Gajser has never won on, but given the way he is performing this year, he will enter into the weekend looking to right that wrong.

Herlings on Top in Lombok

Jeffrey Herlings was the king of MXGP of Lombok with an absolute victory

 

Jeffrey Herlings was the king of MXGP of Lombok with an absolute victory

Jeffrey Herlings was the absolute winner of the MXGP of Lombok, part of the MXGP World Championship. The three-time champion of the premier class won both races on Sunday in Indonesia in clear fashion.

The battle from yesterday’s qualifying race continued in the first race, pitting Herlings (Red Bull KTM) against Tim Gajser (Team HRC). The Slovenian made the holeshot and led for the first 12 laps. However, the Dutchman never gave up, even when he had more than an eight-second deficit.

Gradually, Herlings closed the gap, overtaking Gajser on the 13th lap. From there, he never lost the lead and even pulled away, finishing with a 7.436s advantage. Gajser secured second place without major struggles. Calvin Vlaanderen (Monster Energy Yamaha) fought with Jorge Prado (Red Bull GasGas) until the end, overtaking him on the penultimate lap to take third place. Jeremy Seewer (Kawasaki) was fifth.

In the second race, Gajser repeated the holeshot, but Herlings took the lead shortly after. This time, it was the Dutchman putting the rival in a chasing position, with Vlaanderen in third.

With three laps to go, Herlings had more than an 11-second lead over Gajser, maintaining a very strong pace. However, he slowed down and ended up winning with a 6.087-s gap over Gajser. Vlaanderen secured third place, while Valentin Guillod (Team Ship to Cycle Honda) surprised by finishing fourth ahead of Prado.

In the overall standings for MXGP of Lombok, the calculations are straightforward: Herlings was the winner with the maximum 50 points, Gajser was second with 44 points, and Vlaanderen rounded out the podium with 40 points. Prado was fourth with 34 points, and Guillod (32 points) completed the top five.

What led to Haiden Deegan CRASH at RedBud

“When it bucks, it’s like a 1000-pound bull.”

Hymas Gets His First at Red Bud

First career overall victory for Hymas at RedBud

Another moto win results in breakthrough performance for the Honda rider.

Image: Octopi Media.

Team Honda HRC’s Chance Hymas claimed his second career moto win and first career overall victory with a 4-1 day to win the RedBud National. A chaotic day saw Hymas just hold off his teammate Jo Shimoda to win the second moto and narrowly claim the overall.

Unfortunately, Hymas did have a penalty in the first moto for jumping on a red cross flag and was penalized five points. That didn’t impact the overall score on the day as he kept his P4 finishing position in the first moto, but it did prevent him from gaining in the championship as he scored the exact same amount of points as Haiden Deegan on the day.

The overall fight came down to Hymas versus Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Ty Masterpool. Masterpool won the first moto and was in third place in the second moto, which would have won him the overall, before he faded back to P5. Shimoda then could have won the overall as well if he passed Hymas as he would have gone 5-1 to Masterpool’s 1-5, but he wasn’t quite able to get it down. Masterpool then would go 1-5 for P2 on the day ahead of Shimoda’s 5-2 for P3.

Red Bull KTM’s Tom Vialle would end up fourth place on the day going 3-4. He crashed while leading the first moto and then struggled with a bad start in the second moto. Championship leader Haiden Deegan put his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine P5 overall after a 2-6 day that featured a few moments in the second moto. It wasn’t an ideal day for the #38, but thanks to Hymas’ penalty, Deegan still leads the championship by 42 points.

Behind them, it was Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen in sixth, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Casey Cochran in seventh, Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas’ Ryder DiFrancesco in eighth, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Max Anstie in ninth, and Muc-Off FXR ClubMX’s Mark Fineis rounded out the top 10.

There have now been three different winners through six rounds of the series, but Deegan continues to be the spearhead as he remains the only rider to win more than one overall. With five rounds left to go, Deegan’s championship lead remains large as the rest of the field starts to focus on collecting race wins.