Jett Lawrence Extends Points Lead With Overall Win at Hangtown MX

• Hunter Lawrence a steady fifth overall in 450 class, with 5-4 scores
• Jo Shimoda earns second-straight 250-class runner-up result
• Chance Hymas grabs 250 moto 1 holeshot before illness sidelines him in moto 2

On a weekend that saw sweltering Northern California weather conditions, Honda HRC Progressive rider Jett Lawrence scored an impressive overall win at the Hangtown Motocross Classic, tallying 3-1 moto scores and stretching his title-chase lead to 16 points. Teammate Hunter Lawrence was fifth overall with 5-4 finishes. For the second week in a row, Jo Shimoda put on a solid second-overall performance in the 250 class, finishing second in both motos. Unfortunately, Chance Hymas was affected by illness and was unable to take part in the second moto.

After starting eighth in the first 450 outing, Jett moved up to fourth on lap 1 and advanced another spot on lap 3, then stayed there to the finish. Hunter finished lap 1 in fifth and rode in that position for the remainder of the race. Jett and Hunter were second and third across the holeshot line in moto 2, and Jett immediately advanced to the lead. Showcasing smooth, calculated riding on the punishing, sunbaked surface, he never looked back and scored a 10.911-second victory. Hunter fluctuated between fourth and fifth throughout, taking the checkers in fourth. Quad Lock Honda Racing’s Joey Savatgy finished 11^th overall, while IQ Racing Team rider John Short and Raylentless Racing rider Brandon Ray were 24^th and 38^th, respectively.

Hymas snared the 250 moto 1 holeshot aboard his CRF250RWE and battled with Casey Cochran over the lead for the first part of the race. Shimoda crossed the holeshot line in seventh place and lost two spots on lap 1, but he quickly mounted a run that carried him to the top five by lap 3 and the top three by lap 7. He advanced to second place two laps later and stayed there for the second half of the moto. Meanwhile, Hymas depleted his energy reserves and slipped back to 13^th by the finish. Still feeling under the weather, Hymas elected to sit out moto 2. Shimoda suffered an eighth-place moto 2 start, but he was up to fifth after one lap. Beginning with lap 3, he passed one rider per lap to advance to second place just past the one-third mark, and he held that position to the finish. Among the satellite and privateer efforts, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Gavin Towers was 25^th, SLR’s Jace Allred was 26^th and TiLube Honda’s Patrick Murphy was 27^th. Lance Kobusch made a splash in 250 moto 2 by grabbing the holeshot and taking the early lead, holding it for a couple of laps before ultimately ending his race early. The privateer Red Rider showed impressive speed up front and delivered a standout moment for SPR Honda.

NOTES

• As was the case last week at Fox Raceway, the Hangtown event hosted a round of the WMX series on Friday, and Red Riders occupied two spots on the overall podium. SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen (the round 1 winner) was second with 3-2 moto scores, and Quad Lock Honda’s Charli Cannon was third with a 2-3 tally. Nielsen and Cannon also occupy the second and third spots in the title chase, 6 and 15 points behind the leader, respectively.
• Hangtown also hosted a Moto Combine for up-and-coming amateur riders, and SLR Honda rider Leum Oehlhof finished third overall aboard his CRF250R, with 2-3 moto scores. In 13^th overall was Phoenix Racing Honda’s Tiger Wood, with TiLube Honda teammates Brock Walker and Garrett Alumbaugh finishing 16^th and 18^th, respectively.
• Two Northern California Honda dealerships—Roseville Honda Motorsports and Parriott Motors—set up pop-up activation booths in the Honda HRC Progressive pits at Hangtown. Roseville displayed a CRF450RWE and CRF50F, and Parriott (a trials-specialist shop) showed off a pair of Montesa Cota models. Both dealers interacted with fans and customers and provided information on Honda’s Powersports lineup.
• Former Honda great and NorCal local Steve Lamson served as the grand marshal for this weekend’s Hangtown race. Lamson won the 1995 and ’96 125cc AMA Motocross National Championships aboard a factory CR125R.
• Honda HRC Progressive rider Chance Hymas set the second-fastest time in 250-class combined qualifying, while teammate Jo Shimoda was 12^th. Phoenix Racing Honda rider Gavin Towers was another two spots back, SLR Honda’s Jace Allred was 24^th, SPR’s Lance Kobusch and TiLube Honda’s Patrick Murphy were 29^th and 30^th, respectively, and TiLube Honda’s Trevor Colip was 52^nd.
• Jett notched the fastest time in combined 450-class qualifying, over half a second better than the second-quickest rider. (As pointed out by We Went Fast, Jett has been the top qualifier in 16 out of the 18 premier-class AMA Pro Motocross rounds that he has competed thus far in his career.) Hunter was eighth on the timesheets, one ahead of Quad Lock Honda’s Joey Savatgy. IQ Racing Team rider John Short and Raylentless Racing’s Brandon Ray were 31^st and 32^nd, respectively, Western Honda’s Hunter Schlosser was 41^st and Factory Moto Kids-backed Talon Gorman was 53^rd, while Revenant rider Eric Rivera and Ridezilla’s Adam Conway were 66^th and 67^th.
• Due to extreme heat, AMA officials shortened both second motos by five minutes, to prioritize rider safety.
• Jett posted the fastest lap time in the second 450 moto, over half a second faster than the next-best rider.
• Amazingly, Hangtown is the only AMA Pro Motocross track where Jett Lawrence has tallied a premier-class overall loss (last year). That said, he is far from weak at the venue, having amassed three overall wins there—in 2022 in the 250 class, and in 2023 and 2025 in 450. Since 2018, Jett is the only rider to score two or more overall wins at Hangtown. It is also the track where he wrapped up his first AMA Pro Motocross 250 title, in 2021.
• Jett’s victory extended Honda’s lead as the manufacturer with the most premier-class overall wins at Hangtown, with 20 (compared to 12 for second place). Red Riders to have scored overall wins at the event include Billy Grossi, Marty Smith, Bob Hannah, Alan King, Rick Johnson (three times), Jeff Stanton, John Dowd, Jeremy McGrath, Kevin Windham, Sebastien Tortelli, Ricky Carmichael (three times), Chad Reed, Ken Roczen and Jett Lawrence (twice).
• Jett has now accumulated 17 overall wins in AMA Pro Motocross premier-class events, giving him sole possession of 11^th place on the all-time list, just one behind Kent Howerton, in 10^th.
• The next stop on the AMA Pro Motocross tour is round 3 at Thunder Valley in Lakewood, Colorado, this coming Saturday, June 7.

Media contact:

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

450 Overall Results

1. Jett Lawrence (Hon)
2. Aaron Plessinger (KTM)
3. Justin Cooper (Yam)
4. Eli Tomac (Yam)
5. Hunter Lawrence (Hon)
6. Cooper Webb (Yam)
7. R.J. Hampshire (Hus)
8. Jason Anderson (Kaw)
9. Jorge Prado (Kaw)
10. Malcolm Stewart (Hus)

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11. Joey Savatgy (Hon)

24. John Short IV (Hon)

38. Brandon Ray (Hon)

450 Championship Points (after 2 of 11 rounds)

1. Jett Lawrence (95)
2. Aaron Plessinger (79)
3. Eli Tomac (78)
4. Justin Cooper (76)
5. Hunter Lawrence (73)
6. Jason Anderson (59)
7. Jorge Prado (58)
8. R.J. Hampshire (56)
9. Joey Savatgy (49)
10. Cooper Webb (45)

—

250 Overall Results

1. Haiden Deegan (Yam)
2. Jo Shimoda (Hon)
3. Levi Kitchen (Kaw)
4. Julien Beaumer (KTM)
5. Garrett Marchbanks (Kaw)
6. Jordon Smith (Tri)
7. Mikkel Haarup (Tri)
8. Ty Masterpool (Kaw)
9. Dilan Schwartz (Yam)
10. Michael Mosiman (Yam)

—

19. Chance Hymas (Hon)

25. Gavin Towers (Hon)

26. Jace Allred (Hon)

27. Patrick Murphy (Hon)

31. Lance Kobusch (Hon)

250 Championship Points (after 2 of 11 rounds)

1. Haiden Deegan (100)
2. Jo Shimoda (88)
3. Julien Beaumer (67)
4. Garrett Marchbanks (65)
5. Levi Kitchen (52)
6. Tom Vialle (52)
7. Michael Mosiman (47)
8. Ty Masterpool (46)
9. Chance Hymas (45)
10. Seth Hammaker (45)

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