Family Affair: Lawrence Brothers Go 1-2 at High Point MX | Honda HRC Progressive
Round 4 of AMA Pro Motocross took place at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, where Honda HRC Progressive riders Jett and Hunter Lawrence put on a show in the 450 class, taking the top two spots in the overall results. Jett earned 1-3 moto tallies to earn his fourth-straight overall win and stretch his lead in the title chase, while Hunter had solid 2-2 moto scores for second overall. The squad’s 250 riders were struck by misfortune, with Chance Hymas finishing fourth overall but possibly injuring his knee, while crashes limited Jo Shimoda to sixth overall.
Jett grabbed the holeshot in the first 450-class outing and ran up front before slipping to third when he stalled at the one-third mark. He was back in front four laps later and went on to win the moto by 1.852 seconds. Meanwhile, Hunter settled into fourth early on and advanced to third by lap 3. He rode in that position for much of the moto before moving past Aaron Plessinger near the end and taking a solid runner-up finish. For moto 2, it was Hunter’s turn to pilot his CRF450RWE across the holeshot line in first place, and although he was passed by Eli Tomac a few turns later, he ran in second on the slick, treacherous, rain-soaked track, staying there until the race was red-flagged due to lightning. Jett had been delayed by another rider in turn 1 and was mired mid-pack early on, finishing lap 1 in ninth place. He mounted an impressive charge despite using all of his tear-offs, eventually getting up to third place to earn the overall win. Other Red Riders included Joey Savatgy (Quad Lock Honda Racing), who finished sixth overall, Jeremy Hand (Valley Motorsports) in 22nd, Justin Rodbell (Rodbell Racing) in 26th, Brandon Ray (Raylentless Racing) in 32nd and John Short (IQ Racing Team) in 34th.
In the first 250 moto, Hymas and Shimoda both had to fight through the field after mid-pack starts saw them finish the first lap in 13th and 11th, respectively. Hymas was in the top 10 by lap 2 and sat seventh after lap 6. With three laps remaining, he advanced to the top five, and he stayed there to the checkers. Shimoda climbed to ninth before a tip-over at the quarter-race mark shuttled him back to 13th, forcing him to make an inspired charge to eventually finish one spot behind his teammate. Hymas got a strong jump out of the gate in moto 2 and was third across the holeshot line, then second by the end of the first lap. He remained there until the final lap, when an unfortunate incident saw him cross the finish line in third, favoring his right leg. Shimoda had ended lap 1 in fifth place and gained another spot on the next go-around, only for another crash—this one around the one-third mark—to drop him to 10th. Undeterred, he again charged impressively to finish fifth. Hymas’ 5-3 moto scores were good for fourth overall, while Shimoda ended the day sixth overall. SPR Honda’s Lance Kobusch was 29th overall.
