The Lawrence brothers finished first and second at Fox Raceway in Pala, California, to start the season, and they did it again at Thunder Valley Motocross Park in Lakewood, Colorado, with Jett Lawrence finishing second in the first moto and winning the second race to earn the tiebreaker over Hunter Lawrence.
Jett entered the round with a couple of question marks over his head, and he answered those queries with his second overall victory in the first three rounds of the Pro Motocross season.
“Going into the straight on that second moto, my legs were shot, so I had no legs at the start,” Jett told NBC Sports’ Will Christien. “I dug deep. In my head, I was ‘stay there, stay there’, and I was able to capitalize on a mistake by Hunter in one of the turns and then [Justin Cooper]. I didn’t expect this, but we’re happy to be up here.”
Hunter pressured Jett in the closing laps and earned the same points as Jett, but will not be credited with the victory. Hunter takes the red plate High Point next week to become the third holder this season.
“The little sh!t got me,” Hunter told Jason Thomas. “It was a good run; cool to go down to the wire. We made a change to the bike during the week for both of us, and it paid off pretty good.”
Justin Cooper earned the holeshot in both motos but faded to finish third and scored the third position overall.
“It was an awesome day,” Cooper said. “Both holeshots in like 25 minutes. The guys were riding really good today. I tried my best, and when they passed me, I was pretty much gassed at that point. I gave it everything up until that point.”
Justin Barcia’s fourth in Moto 1 and sixth in Moto 2 gave him fourth overall.
Chase Sexton pressured Cooper early in Moto 2 before he crashed. He recovered to finish sixth in that race and was fifth in Moto 1 for fifth overall. Sexton lost the red plate to Hunter and 14 points to Jett.
In the 250 division, Haiden Deegan remains perfect in regard to overall victories three rounds into the 2024 Pro Motocross season. He won the first moto and was second in Moto 2.
“Second moto, I got a good start and Chance [Hymas] was ripping,” Deegan said. “He was just going good. He had good line choice. The big picture: I had the overall, so don’t risk it. That first moto fall, I was not going to do that again but three in a row, we’re working babe and it’s paying off.”
Hymas, 19, made a statement in Moto 2 by winning the holeshot and walking away from the field. As he crossed the finish line, he was watched closely by 4540 Honda teammates Jett and Hunter Lawrence.
“I’m speechless right now,” Hymas said. “When I went over the finish line, I just broke down. There was a point when I didn’t even think this was possible. I’m just thankful to be here.”
Hymas moves into a tie for second in the Pro Motocross standings with Tom Vialle. They trail Deegan by almost one full moto with a 23-point gap.
Vialle took the final position on the podium with results of second in Moto 1 and fourth in Moto 2.
“Overall the speed was good, just too many mistakes,” Vialle said. “I crashed in the moto and tipped over in a corner. I was really mad, but that is racing.”
Jo Shimoda pressured Deegan until the end of Moto 2, but was forced to settle for third in that race. With his fifth in Moto 1, he finished fourth overall.
Levi Kitchen failed to podium for the first time this year with a seventh in Moto 2. His third-place finish in the first race handed him fifth overall. In combined SuperMotocross points, Kitchen clings to a two-point advantage over Deegan.
In Race Notes
The middle two motos will be shown live on NBC at 4 p.m. ET.
Sexton has the red plate, but Jett still sports the No. 1 as the defending champion.
Thunder Valley will be a test for Jett. After suffering the first loss of his Pro Motocross career last week at Hangtown, he needs to reestablish dominance with an immediate rebound.
Jett makes his statement loud and clear by posting the quickest time in qualification. Sexton does not have the same level of speed and lands fifth on the overall list.
In the 250s, Ty Masterpool finally gets comfortable on his Kawasaki and bests Deegan.
A lightning strike delays the beginning of 450 Moto 1.
Features
250 Moto 2
A light rain fell between the 450 and 250 motos, which will make this race challenging.
Hymas earns the holeshot with Haiden Deegan slipping and sliding behind him.
Kitchen rounds out the podium.
Swoll is in fourth, and Vialle rounds out the top five.
Kitchen falls a second time with 24 minutes remaining. He drops to fifth in the running order.
Swoll and Vialle advance around Kitchen.
Kitchen is falling back. Shimoda takes fifth position, and Masterpool momentarily gets around for sixth. Kitchen reclaims that position.
Just past the halfway mark, Shimoda takes third away from Swoll.
Vialle closes on Swoll and takes the spot with 12 and a half minutes on the clock.
Hymas is slowly pulling away from Deegan. He has an eight-second lead with seven minutes on the clock.
As time runs off the clock, Hymas leads Deegan by 6.2 seconds.
Shimoda is four seconds further back.
Vialle and Swoll round out the top five.
Kitchen is seventh. This is the first time this year he has failed to podium.
Hymas crosses the finish line 3.9 seconds ahead of Deegan, with Shimoda 2.4 seconds further back.
Vialle is in fourth, and Swoll rounds out the top five.
Kitchen misses the top five with a seventh-place result.
Click here for complete results of 250 Moto 2
Click here for overall official 250 results
450 Moto 2
Cooper gets the holeshot for the second time today.
Hunter, Sexton, and Jett are embroiled in a contest for second.
At the end of Lap 1, Sexton has the position over Hunter and Jett.
Jason Anderson rounds out the top five.
Sexton made changes between Moto 1. Now, he’s pressuring Cooper for the lead.
Cooper responds and pulls out a 1.5-second gap
Sexton crashes with 21 minutes on the clock while he attempts a pass on Cooper. He drops all the way to sixth. As things stand, Sexton has given back 11 points to Jett.
Hunter moves into second and Jett in third will make up a lot of points.
Anderson advances to fourth, with Justin Barcia fifth.
At the halfway mark, Sexton moves back into the top five.
Cooper fends off an attack by Hunter and settles into a 1.5-second lead with nine minutes on the clock.
Under six minutes on the clock. Jett sneaks by Hunter.
Jett gets Cooper with two minutes remaining. If he stays there, he will have the overall win.
Hunter gets around also. The overall win will go to whichever rider wins this moto.
Jett holds off a charge by Hunter to win the second race and the overall via the tiebreaker.
Hunter finishes second and secures the red plate heading into Round 4 at High Point.
Cooper takes the final spot on the podium.
Click here for complete results of 450 Moto 2
Click here for official overall 450 results
250 Moto 1
Deegan gets the holeshot, but Vialle is on his tail.
At the end of Lap 1, Hymas (third), Swoll (fourth), and Kitchen (fifth) round out the top five.
With 20 minutes remaining in the moto, Vialle is slowly allowing Deegan to get away. The gap is 2.6 seconds.
Nothing changes among the top five as the moto nears the halfway mark, but Masterpool is on the move deeper in the field. He passes Nick Romano and Julien Beaumer in one lap and moves up to ninth.
With 12 minutes remaining, Deegan’s lead over Vialle is under two seconds (1.845). Hymas, Swoll, and Kitchen still round out the top five.
Pierce Brown is 4.6 seconds outside of the top five.
Vialle won’t quit. He has the gap under two seconds again with five minutes on the clock.
Vialle gets slowed by lapped traffic and hands those two seconds back.
Almost immediately, Deegan loses his front wheel and goes down. Vialle takes the lead.
Deegan’s mistake creates a fierce battle with Vialle for the number one position on the track.
White flag, and Deegan takes the lead back as Vialle slips off track.
Vialle stays with the leader but falls while attempting to re-pass Deegan.
Kitchen moves up to third.
Hymas is in fourth, and Jo Shimoda rounds out the top five.
Masterpool hangs on for an eighth-place finish.
Click here for complete 250 Moto 1 results
450 Moto 1
Rookie Cooper gets the holeshot.
Jett will need to come through a few riders. He is fifth at the end of Lap 1
Barcia (second), Anderson (third), and Hunter (fourth) are in between.
Cooper stretches the advantage to three seconds over Barcia.
Jett is 6.8 seconds back in fifth.
With 20 seconds on the clock, Hunter moves up to third after passing Barcia. Anderson is in second.
We’re accustomed to seeing them battle at the front of the field, but Jett and Sexton are currently vying for fifth with 19 minutes remaining.
Jett passes Barcia and moves up to fourth with 16 minutes to go. One minute later, he gets Anderson for third.
It took half of the moto, but Hunter in second and Jett in third have podium runs.
Cooper continues to lead by five seconds.
With 13 minutes remaining, Sexton moves into fourth.
The Lawrence brothers are closing the gap. Hunter is 3.8 seconds behind Cooper, and Jett is 4.4 seconds behind with 10 minutes to go. Cooper needs to find a little more pace.
In fourth, Sexton has lost contact with the Lawrences.
Eight minutes to go, and Hunter cuts the lead to 2.8 seconds.
Hunter is coming, but does he have time? With 5:30 on the clock, Hunter is 1.7 seconds behind. Jett is 3.6 seconds behind the leader.
Hunter is on Cooper’s back wheel.
Two minutes remain, and Hunter gets Cooper. Jett makes up the ground and gets into second.
With time running off the clock, Sexton falls from fourth. He drops to seventh in the running order, which is going to cut into his championship lead.
With the white flag waving, Hunter has a six-second lead over Jett.
Hunter wins by eight seconds over Jett, who is still feeling the effects of last week’s crash.
Cooper takes the final spot on the box.
Barcia in fourth and Aaron Plessinger round out the top five.
Sexton made up one position after his fall to finish sixth.
For the moment, Hunter has the points lead.
“That was the question for me too,” Lawrence told NBC’s Jason Thomas when asked about his health. “How my body was going to handle that. ... We still weren’t quite good. I pulled my shoulder a little bit at the start, but thank gosh, I recovered and was able to keep riding.”
Click here for complete 250 Moto 1 results
Last Chance Qualifiers
450s
Lorenzo Locurcio leads all four laps of the LCQ and advances to the Mains.
He’ll be joined by Jeff Walker, James Harrington, and Josh Boaz.
Brad Todd was the first rider on the outside looking in.
Click here for complete 450 LCQ results
250s
Crockett Myers took the early lead and held it till the checkered flag.
He will join the Main with Jesse Jacobsen, Bailey Kroone, and Kyle Wise.
Back in sixth, Matti Jorgensen fails to advance.
Click here for complete 250 LCQ results
Qualification
450s
Jett’s opening statement is forceful and clear: He is fastest in Qualification 1 at 2:10.342.
Hunter (2:11.465) is Jett’s closest competitor, with Cooper (2:12.205) in third.
Anderson and Sexton round out the top five.
Click here for complete Qualification 1 results
In Qualification 2, Hunter leapfrogs Jett and lands on top of the board.
Anderson settles into second, which pushes Jett back to third.
Sexton improves to fourth, while Cooper falls to fifth.
Click here for complete 450 Qualification 2 results
The Qualification 1 results are easily the fastest, so Jett and Hunter Lawrence will have the best gate picks.
Click here for complete 450 Combined Qualification
250s
Masterpool is getting comfortable on his new Kawasaki. He jumps to the top of the board in Qualification 1 with a time of 2:16.262.
Deegan is not far behind at 2:16.290. Hymas (2:16.507) takes the third position.
Vialle and Kitchen round out the top five.
Click here for complete 250 Qualification 1 results
Shimoda is fastest in this session at 2:17.300.
Savatgy shows consistent speed and lands second In Qual 2 over his Triumph teammate Swoll.
Hymas and Deegan round out the top five.
Click here for complete 250 Qualification 2 results
As with the 450 division, the first session was the fastest, with Masterpool earning the best gate pick over Deegan and Hymas.
Click here for complete 250 Combined Qualification
More SuperMotocross News
Michael Mosiman out for remainder of MX
Nate Thrasher out with collarbone injury
Thunder Valley by the numbers
450 results from Hangtown | 250 results
Chase Sexton sweeps Hangtown, snaps Lawrence streak
AMA explains Deegan, Vialle discrepancy
Dave Prater wants to keep SMX riders guessing
Haiden Deegan waits four hours for Fox victory
Jett Lawrence remains perfect at Pala and in MX
Cameron McAdoo suffers setback, Ty Masterpool steps in