1-2 in the Final Standings for Honda HRC Progressive

• Honda rules year-end honors, including Manufacturer of the Year and Team of the Year
• Hunter Lawrence secures second in 450 championship behind Jett Lawrence
• Second in 250 standings for Jo Shimoda

 AMA Pro Motocross wrapped up this weekend at Budds Creek MX in Mechanicsville, Maryland, with Honda HRC Progressive celebrating a dominant season finish. Having already clinched the premier-class title last weekend, Jett Lawrence closed out the series with another overall win thanks to a 1-2 moto tally, while brother and teammate Hunter Lawrence went 3-1 to lock up second overall on the day. Hunter also finalized second place in the 450 points chase, giving Honda a 1-2 series sweep in the 450 division—the first time a manufacturer has taken the top two premier-class spots since 2014. In the red-flag-affected 250 division, Jo Shimoda kept his strong form going with consistent podium results, ending the day second overall and the season second in the championship.

Jett delivered a wire-to-wire moto 1 performance, taking the holeshot aboard his CRF450RWE and leading every lap for a commanding victory. Hunter faced a tougher start from 13^th out of turn 1, but he steadily charged forward, making 10 passes over the course of the moto to secure third. He rebounded with the moto 2 holeshot, just ahead of Jett. Hunter set a strong pace, pulling a 13-second gap over his younger brother by the finish.

Shimoda started the first 250 race in third place and was battling at the front when an early red flag flew. He was eighth on the full restart and surged forward to second place before the midway point, then held the spot to the finish. He was later penalized one position for passing on a red-cross flag and five championship points for jumping on the red cross. The Japanese rider was fifth out of turn 1 in moto 2 and quickly advanced to third, then made the pass for second before another red flag came out on lap 4—deep enough into the race that the restart was staggered this time. Shimoda maintained second from that point to the finish, wrapping up the day with 3-2 scores.

NOTES

• Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence and Jo Shimoda all participated in Budds Creek’s media day on Friday, taking part in interviews and riding sessions ahead of the weekend’s racing.
• EZ Performance Center, a Honda dealership from Orange, Virginia, was on hand at Budds Creek, manning a booth in the Honda HRC Progressive pit area and displaying a CRF110F trail bike, along with TRX250X and TRX90X sport ATVs.
• As they’ve done at several rounds this season, Jamie and Kayla Irvine, along with Jay Winter, were on hand at Budds Creek to cook for the Honda HRC Progressive crew. The longtime friends of the team, who own several popular restaurants in Pennsylvania, have been a welcome part of the squad’s program throughout the season.
• In combined qualifying for the 450 class, Jett topped the charts by over a second, with Hunter third. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis was sixth, Valley Motorsports’ Jeremy Hand was 11^th, Quad Lock Honda’s Shane McElrath was 13^th, Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing’s Dylan Wright was 17^th, Justin Rodbell (Rodbell Racing) qualified 23^rd, Brandon Ray (Raylentless Racing) was 24^th and John Short (The McGinley Clinic Privateer Support Program) was 27^th.
• In 250 combined qualifying, Shimoda was fifth overall, while Quad Lock Honda’s Brodie Connolly was 19^th, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cullin Park was 22^nd and TiLube Honda Racing’s Izaih Clark was 25^th.
• The WMX series wrapped up at Budds Creek with three motos of racing—two on Friday and one on Saturday. Quad Lock Honda’s Charli Cannon secured second overall with 1-2-4 finishes, while SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen rounded out the podium after consistent 4-4-2 results, and Jaylie Gallacher (MotoSport Hillsboro) was 13^th overall with 13-12-13 scores. Other Red Riders included Kaitlyn Jacobs in 15^th (15-15-16), Sydney Plath in 19^th (19-19-19), Kayla Alexander in 20^th (20-20-20) and Addi Clouse in 21^st (21-21-21).
• With Jett and Hunter splitting holeshots at Budds Creek, the brothers ended the series tied with seven each—giving Honda HRC Progressive an impressive total of 14 holeshots out of 22 (an impressive 64 percent!).
• Jett’s flawless first moto at Budds Creek represented his ninth wire-to-wire win in 22 tries this season.
• Adding to Honda’s strong day at Budds Creek, Jett Lawrence clocked the fastest lap in the first 450 moto.
• With Jett’s success this weekend, Honda moves into a tie with Kawasaki for most premier-class overall wins at Budds Creek, at eight. Red Riders to have accomplished the feat include Jeremy McGrath (twice), Kevin Windham, Ricky Carmichael (twice), Chad Reed and Jett Lawrence (twice).
• Jett ended the series with nine out of 11 overall premier-class wins, boosting his career total to 24.
• Jett’s latest championship is his ninth crown in AMA professional racing, and it makes him the 14^th rider to earn two or more premier-class AMA Pro Motocross crowns.
• Honda capped off the season in dominant fashion, earning the lion’s share of the year-end honors. During an extended podium ceremony at day’s end, American Honda Manager of Racing & Advertising Brandon Wilson accepted the Manufacturer of the Year Award, and he was joined by Honda HRC Progressive Team Manager Lars Lindstrom for the Team of the Year Award. Lindstrom was also recognized as Team Manager of the Year, while Tom Poage (driver of Honda’s hospitality truck) was named Truck Driver of the Year. On the technical side, Christien Ducharme was honored as Mechanic of the Year, with Jett Lawrence himself presenting the award to his tuner. On track, Jett earned the 450 crown at the previous round, and Budds Creek saw Hunter wrap up second in the series standings, giving Honda a commanding 1-2 final result in the premier class. Jo Shimoda claimed second in the 250 class.
• While it was impressive that Jett and Hunter locked in first and second in the AMA Pro Motocross premier-class final standings, it was not the first time that Honda has accomplished the feat. Ricky Johnson and David Bailey did it in 1986, Jean-Michel Bayle and Jeff Stanton did it in 1991, and Ricky Carmichael and Kevin Windham did it in 2003. That said, this was the first time in history that a pair of siblings have gone 1-2 in the final premier-class rankings.
• Hunter finished the season as the only rider to finish every moto in the top five. He has finished second in points in both of his seasons in the AMA Pro Motocross 450 class.
• With AMA Pro Motocross complete, the riders and teams now take a weekend off before shifting to the SuperMotocross Playoffs. The three-round postseason will kick off September 6 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

Media contact:

Tati Ziemer // Jonnum Media // tati@jonnummedia.com // +1 (707) 888-9418

450 Overall Results

1. Jett Lawrence (Hon)
2. Hunter Lawrence (Hon)
3. Justin Cooper (Yam)
4. R.J. Hampshire (Hus)
5. Justin Barcia (Gas)
6. Malcolm Stewart (Hus)
7. Dylan Ferrandis (Hon)
8. Eli Tomac (Yam)
9. Valentin Guillod (Yam)
10. Jorge Prado (Kaw)

—

13. Kyle Webster (Hon)

15. Shane Mcelrath (Hon)

17. John Short (Hon)

20. Jeremy Hand (Hon)

23. Justin Rodbell (Hon)

33. Brandon Ray (Hon)

35. Zach Williams (Hon) 

450 Championship Points (after 11 of 11 rounds)

1. Jett Lawrence (509)
2. Hunter Lawrence (454)
3. Eli Tomac (395)
4. Justin Cooper (389)
5. R.J. Hampshire (366)
6. Jorge Prado (262)
7. Malcolm Stewart (240)
8. Aaron Plessinger (204)
9. Valentin Guillod (201)
10. Justin Barcia (196)

—

250 Overall Results

1. Haiden Deegan (Yam)
2. Jo Shimoda (Hon)
3. Levi Kitchen (Kaw)
4. Garrett Marchbanks Kaw)
5. Nate Thrasher (Yam)
6. Ty Masterpool (Kaw)
7. Cole Davies (Yam)
8. Drew Adams (Kaw)
9. Ryder Difrancesco (Gas)
10. Dilan Schwartz (Yam)

—

18. Cullin Park (Hon)

28. Izaih Clark (Hon)

35. Patrick Murphy (Hon)

40. Ashton Bloxom (Hon)

41. Brodie Connolly (Hon)

250 Championship Points (after 11 of 11 rounds)

1. Haiden Deegan (502)
2. Jo Shimoda (454)
3. Garrett Marchbanks (352)
4. Levi Kitchen (327)
5. Tom Vialle (288)
6. Mikkel Haarup (239)
7. Seth Hammaker (231)
8. Maximus Vohland (230)
9. Jordon Smith (211)
10. Ryder Difrancesco (191)

—

Additional assets are available as downloadable files. Please sign in or register here.