Lawrence Brothers Dominate in the Southwick Sand

Lawrence Brothers Dominate in the Southwick Sand

Honda HRC Progressive continued their impressive form in AMA Pro Motocross, this time at The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts—a unique track on the circuit that is famous for its brutal, sandy conditions. Jett and Hunter Lawrence once again swept the top two spots in the 450 class, with Jett delivering another perfect 1-1 performance and Hunter not far behind with consistent 2-2 moto finishes. In the 250 ranks, Jo Shimoda rebounded from falls in moto 1 to claim second in the final outing and secure fifth overall.

The first 450 moto saw the CRF450RWE race machines of Jett and Hunter cross the holeshot line first and second, respectively, and Jett immediately put in a sprint to establish a gap at the front. At the halfway mark, he had a cushion of 10 seconds, with Hunter an additional seven seconds up on the next rider. Jett mostly maintained his edge from that point, while Hunter continued to stretch his margin over third. At the checkers, the gap between the brothers was 13.786 seconds, with an additional 18.922 seconds separating third place.

Jett snared yet another holeshot in moto 2, with Hunter a couple spots back this time. While Jett opened an advantage on Jorge Prado, Hunter pressured Eli Tomac, muscling by in a corner to take third on lap 6. Hunter assumed second when Prado went down at around the midway point, and the Honda rider then fended off a couple of challenges from Tomac before going on to finish a commendable second, 20 seconds behind his brother and 12 seconds ahead of Tomac. Among the other Red Riders, Joey Savatgy (Quad Lock Honda) was 12th overall, Cornelius Tondel (JWR Honda Racing) was 17th, Michael Witkowski (Phoenix Racing Honda) was 28th, Deven Sorensen (Sorensen Racing) was 34th and Brandon Ray (Raylentless Racing) was 35th.

READ MORE: AMA PRO MOTOCROSS NEWS

Thanks to a first-turn crash, Shimoda began the first 250 moto nearly dead last, and another early fall penalized him further. The Japanese racer had no choice but to begin a race-long charge, and it eventually carried him up to a 10th-place result. Shimoda got a much better start in moto 2, exiting turn 1 in fourth place. From there, he executed a couple of passes and maintained the gap to the front, taking second in the moto for fifth overall. Other Red Riders included TJ Albright (Phoenix Racing Honda) in 27th overall, Lance Kobusch (SPR) in 37th overall and Mark Fineis (TiLube Honda) in 39th overall.

Jett Lawrence 1
“I’m focusing on each race as it comes—no point in thinking about championships this early. It was a good day, definitely not an easy one with how rough the track got, but I felt solid. Hunter going 2-2 for second made it even better for the team. Big thanks to everyone who stuck it out in the crowd today—it’s not easy out there—and to my team, Red Bull, 100% and all our partners for the support. And hey, tying James Stewart on the all-time win list? That’s pretty cool. I told him I’m coming for him on the golf course, too!”

Hunter Lawrence 96
“I’m just putting in work—always trying to get stronger and improve. The team has helped a lot with the bike setup; we’re in the best spot we’ve been, and I’m continuing to get the best out of myself, too. Honestly, I’m getting sick of seeing No. 18 up on top of the podium, so it’s time to fight back! I’ll give it another crack next Saturday at RedBud.”

Jo Shimoda 30
“It’s kind of the same situation as last year—just need to keep building. My fitness has been good, and my speed is okay, but I need better starts. I think the riding is there, so we’ll keep working and give it another shot at RedBud.”

Lars Lindstrom – Team Manager
“This track is definitely the most unique track we have on the circuit, and the relentless bumps make my lower back hurt just looking at them. Our riders today made it look like it wasn’t that rough, like it was a fun track to ride while sand surfing some of the most difficult sections. I’m really happy with all three of our riders today. Jo’s comeback in the first moto after being down twice was pretty incredible. I’m also totally stoked on Hunter’s strength today being able to catch and put an incredible pass on a Southwick legend like Eli Tomac, which is unbelievably impressive. The day, though, belonged to Jett, and I don’t know how it’s humanly possible to be as good as he is. He was completely superhuman today, and he really made one of the most difficult tracks in the world look like child’s play. I’m really looking forward to next week at RedBud, where we have some really cool things planned.”

Words and Images by HRC

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