Jett Lawrence injured his thumb in a practice crash Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the 2024 Pro Motocross Championship, sending a quake through the outdoor season.
“It’s obviously a bummer, but it’s part of our sport,” Lawrence said in a news release. “It was honestly a pretty small crash, but it is what it is. I’ve been pretty lucky with injuries in my career so far, so I guess it’s just my turn. I was happy with the progress we’ve made in the championship since my setback at Hangtown, and I was excited to try and keep my championship.
“That obviously won’t happen now, but I have a good team around me and will focus on getting healthy again and coming back at 100 percent. I look forward to cheering on Hunter [Lawrence] and doing whatever I can to help him the rest of the series.”
Jett is scheduled to undergo a procedure on Thursday, July 4, at the Steadman Clinic in Colorado. Following the surgery, he will focus on making a return in time for the SuperMotocross World Championship opener on September 7 in Concord, North Carolina and defend his 2023 title.
Sitting second in championship points with first- or second-place results in every Motocross round he has entered, except the Hangtown Motocross Championship, a race in which he crashed in Moto 1 and injured his shoulder, Lawrence might have taken the lead this weekend with a continuation of that streak.
Jett was the presumptive favorite to defend his championship, but his brother Hunter Lawrence has the championship lead by three points over Chase Sexton.
“We’re fully behind Jett and will support him through his recovery,” said Lars Lindstrom, Team Manager for Honda HRC. “It’s pretty crazy that three of the championship’s top riders have now been sidelined with the same injury, especially one that’s typically pretty rare.
“Of course it’s disappointing, but even though Jett has won the last seven championships he’s competed in, he’s still so young and has a lot of success ahead of him. Physically he’s a freak of nature and a specimen, so to keep it that way, allowing him to heal to 100 percent is the goal. With Hunter currently leading the points chase, I like our chances of keeping the AMA Pro Motocross 450 Championship with Honda, and we look forward to working on that this weekend at RedBud. In the meantime, everyone on the team and at Honda sends their love Jett’s way; we’ll miss having him on the line.”
Since his ascension to the 450 division, Lawrence has won every title championship he has entered.
At the end of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross season, Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac suffered thumb injuries and missed the start of the Pro Motocross season.
Tomac chose to skip the Supercross season finale so he could undergo thumb surgery sooner. His return to racing has yet to be announced.
Webb rode the final Supercross rounds injured and underwent surgery at the conclusion of the season. He recently returned to racing with a light schedule of practice.
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