One week after a strong showing at the AMA Pro Motocross opener, Team Honda HRC had an even better weekend at Lakewood, Colorado’s Thunder Valley National, with Ken Roczen turning in a flawless 1-1 moto tally to notch the 450 overall win. The German was capably backed up by his teammates, with brothers Jett and Hunter Lawrence finishing second and third, respectively, in the 250 class, while Chase Sexton overcame a poor 450 moto 2 start to notch sixth overall. Between them, Roczen and Jett Lawrence won three of the day’s four motos, and each assumed sole possession of the lead in his class’s title chase.

Having set the fastest 450 lap time in qualifying, Roczen exited turn 1 fourth in moto 1, then quickly advanced to third, made another pass for second, and took control of the lead–all on the opening lap. Although the German lost ground in the middle portion of the race–Adam Cianciarulo got by on lap 6 of 16, and Dylan Ferrandis did likewise four laps later–Roczen rallied to retake the lead three laps from the end, then carried it home for an impressive moto win. In the second moto, Roczen was untouchable from the start aboard his CRF450R, quickly taking the top spot from Cooper Webb and never looking back, earning his third straight moto win, this time with a 8.9 second margin. Teammate Chase Sexton completed the first 450 moto in fourth place but suffered a subpar moto 2 start, finishing the opening lap in 13th place. Undaunted, he charged forward to a fifth-place finish for sixth overall.

In 250 racing, Jett Lawrence and title rival Jeremy Martin were at the front of the pack following the first gate drop, but unfortunately the race was red flagged for a downed rider. On the restart, Jett and Hunter Lawrence battled for third before ultimately finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. The start of the second 250 moto saw Jett and Justin Cooper battling for the lead, with Hunter not far behind in third. With 20 minutes remaining, Jett made a strong pass on Cooper for the lead. The young Australian pulled away, eventually taking his second moto win of the season by over 15 seconds, for second overall. Although Hunter had a minor crash in the second moto, he didn’t lose much time and continued on for third in the moto and overall, marking the third AMA Pro Motocross podium result of his career.

NOTES

  • Sitting at an elevation over 6,000 feet above sea level, Colorado’s Thunder Valley Motocross Park provided dry conditions for this year’s National, with temperatures hitting 80º Fahrenheit when practice started and peaking at approximately 90º in the afternoon.
  • The track layout was similar to that of years past, with its uphill start into a right-hand turn, and plenty of ups and downs. There were minor modifications toward the end of the track, including additional hills and turns.
  • Hunter Lawrence posted the third-fastest time in 250MX morning qualifying, his 2’07.565” in the final session good for fourth overall, two ahead of Jett Lawrence’s 2’07.978”. FXR/Chaparral Honda rider Carson Mumford posted the 21st-best time, and TiLube Honda’s Maxwell Sanford finished 31st.
  • Roczen dominated qualifying in the 450MX class, posting a notable 2’05.667” in the final session. Sexton was eighth-fastest at 2’08.923”, and FXR/Chaparral Honda’s Coty Schock was 18th-best.
  • With Roczen having sat out last year’s AMA Pro Motocross series, this was his first outdoors overall victory since the August 10, 2019, Unadilla round, where he also won both 450 motos. It was the 21st overall AMA Pro Motocross win of his career (19 in 450, 2 in 250).
  • In the 450 points chase, Roczen carries the lead by a single point ahead of Dylan Ferrandis, while Sexton sits fifth. Jett Lawrence has the 250 points lead, with a 10-point advantage on Justin Cooper, while Hunter Lawrence now sits fourth.
  • The Lawrence brothers are the second siblings to ever share a Pro Motocross podium, joining Alex and Jeremy Martin, who first accomplished this at the 2016 Glen Helen National.
  • The top three overall finishers from each class, including Ken Roczen and Jett and Hunter Lawrence, participated in a post-race press conference via Zoom on Saturday evening.
  • With two rounds in the books, the AMA Pro Motocross series now takes a weekend off before resuming in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, for the High Point National, where Roczen and Jett Lawrence will wear the red plates on their race bikes.

Media contact:

Kayla Mead // Jonnum Media // kayla@jonnummedia.com // +1 (760) 822-4786

Ken Roczen 94

“I honestly don't know what to say. We haven't had a perfect weekend like this in a long time. The team and I have done some work this week with suspension, but it just isn't proven until we race, feel comfortable and get some good finishes. I had the pole position today and won both practices to go into the first moto. We had a great, great battle with Adam [Cianciarulo] and Dylan [Ferrandis] in the first moto, and I was able to be aggressive in the end and clinch that win. That was huge for us; I was really happy with that and felt strong in the end. I tried to get as much recovery as possible between the motos, and honestly, it was really nice before the second moto with the cloud cover—perfect conditions. I really liked how they didn't go too deep with the tilling on the track, because it allowed us to move around and pretty much use the entire track. I had a lot of fun out there. This track just really suits my style and we ended up going 1-1. It was an incredible day. I was bummed that my family couldn't be here, but so stoked for my team and myself. It’s just what we needed. It seems like we're hitting our stride right now and it’s also good to go into an off-weekend.”

Chase Sexton 23

“I had high hopes coming into today after last weekend. It started off rough in the first and second practices. In the first moto, I rode okay and finished fourth, but overall didn't ride to my potential. In the second moto, I actually rode well, but started last again; I made a bonehead move and started in second gear like normal [instead of first for the high elevation]. I had to ride as hard as I could from there on and finished fifth. Overall, it wasn't the day I wanted, going 4-5, but we're back in two weeks and I'm looking forward to High Point. I really like that track and I'm excited to go back to the East Coast."

Hunter Lawrence 96

"Not a bad weekend; not really anything to jump up and down about, but pretty happy with the fact that 5-3 moto scores landed us third overall. I was happy with the start in the second moto. That was really good; especially with the altitude it can be tough with the horsepower, so we got a really good start and perfected that. Obviously the crash wasn't ideal, but we got up and regrouped really well and were able to make a solid push all the way through to the end, staying in third. I'm happy to be leaving unscathed, fit and healthy, and ready to fight at High Point. We know what we have to work on and will just keep grinding away and get where we want to be."

Jett Lawrence 18

"Colorado was a bit of an up-and-down day. In qualifying, [Justin] Cooper crushed us, going 2'05”. Then in the first moto, I got a really good first start with second behind J-Mart [Jeremy Martin]. We ended up having a red flag and the next start wasn't so good. I was in fourth, and the boys were just way faster than me in the first moto. I just had to make sure to put my head down in the second moto and give it to them. I got a really good start. Justin was in front of me and we had a really good battle in the first few laps, going back and forth; I had a lot of fun with that. I knew if I could get him and kind of crack him a little bit, he would feel like he was going to make a mistake, but he made it hard for me and it was fun. I had a lot of fun in that race and it was good racing with Justin. Hopefully we can just keep this going in the next few rounds and maybe click off some more overall wins."

Erik Kehoe

Team Manager

“The entire team did a great job preparing for this high-altitude event in Lakewood, Colorado. After a few adjustments early in the day, Jett and Hunter rode hard to finish second and third overall. Jett’s second-moto win helped him secure the red plate going into the next round. Ken showed his determination and speed all day, beginning with qualifying first in the morning. His consistent starts put him in a good position to ride his own race and win both motos! His consistency paid off, earning him the red plate as well. Chase showed good speed today as well, but inconsistent starts hurt his chances of earning a podium spot. His second-moto start had him finish lap 1 in 13th place, but he moved up through the pack to finish fifth in moto 2, earning sixth overall for the day.”

AMA Pro Motocross 2021
Race Round 2   Thunder Valley

450MX Moto 1 Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Roczen Ken 94 GER Team Honda HRC Honda
2 Ferrandis  Dylan 14 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
3 Cianciarulo Adam 9 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
4 Sexton Chase 23 USA Team Honda HRC Honda
5 Plessinger Aaron 7 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
6 Craig Christian 28 USA Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
7 Barcia Justin 51 USA TLD/Red Bull GasGas GasGas
8 Webb Cooper 2 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
9 Musquin Marvin 25 FRA Red Bull KTM KTM
10 Savatgy Joey 17 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
11 Tomac Eli 3 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
12 Osborne Zach 16 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
13 Anstie Max 34 GBR Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki Suzuki
14 Bogle Justin 19 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
15 Noren Fredrik 61 SWE PR-MX Pelletier Kawasaki Kawasaki
16 Wilson Dean 15 GBR Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
17 Surratt Ryan 58 USA PR-MX Pelletier Kawasaki Kawasaki
18 Hartranft  Brandon 41 USA Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki Suzuki
19 Meshey Scott 84 USA None Husqvarna
20 Hayes Jacob 156 USA Mitchell Motorsports Kawasaki
AMA Pro Motocross 2021
Race Round 2   Thunder Valley

450MX Moto 2 Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Roczen Ken 94 GER Team Honda HRC Honda
2 Ferrandis  Dylan 14 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
3 Barcia Justin 51 USA TLD/Red Bull GasGas GasGas
4 Plessinger Aaron 7 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
5 Sexton Chase 23 USA Team Honda HRC Honda
6 Cianciarulo Adam 9 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
7 Craig Christian 28 USA Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
8 Webb Cooper 2 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
9 Musquin Marvin 25 FRA Red Bull KTM KTM
10 Tomac Eli 3 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
11 Bogle Justin 19 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
12 Wilson Dean 15 GBR Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
13 Anstie Max 34 GBR Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki Suzuki
14 Noren Fredrik 61 SWE PR-MX Pelletier Kawasaki Kawasaki
15 Savatgy Joey 17 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
16 Shock Coty 37 USA FXR/Chaparral Honda Racing Honda
17 Hartranft  Brandon 41 USA Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki Suzuki
18 Falk Mitchell 74 USA AJE Motorsports/Motul GasGas
19 Rodbell Justin 55 USA SGB Racing/Maxxis/Babbitt's Kawasaki Kawasaki
20 Meshey Scott 84 USA None Husqvarna
AMA Pro Motocross 2021
Race Round 2   Thunder Valley

250MX Moto 1 Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Martin Jeremy 6 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
2 Cooper Justin 32 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
3 Hampshire RJ 24 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
4 Lawrence Jett 18 AUS Team Honda HRC Honda
5 Lawrence Hunter 96 AUS Team Honda HRC Honda
6 Shimoda Jo 30 JPN Team Honda HRC Honda
7 Marchbanks Garrett 35 USA Club MX Yamaha
8 Schwartz Dilan 40 USA Bar X/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki Suzuki
9 Nichols Colt 45 USA Team Honda HRC Honda
10 Swoll Jalek 31 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
11 Thrasher Nate 49 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
12 Frye Jarrett 39 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
13 Forkner Austin 33 USA Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki Kawasaki
14 Mumford Carson 43 USA FXR/Chaparral Honda Racing Honda
15 Vohland Max 36 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
16 Varize Joshua 38 USA KTM Orange Brigade/Factory Connection KTM
17 Kelley Derek 74 USA AJE Motorsports/Motul GasGas
18 Flock Jesse 667 USA Fox Racing Shift MX Dunlop Tires Husqvarna
19 Miller Max 604 USA KTM Orange Brigade KTM
20 Drake Derek 33 USA Bar X/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki Suzuki
AMA Pro Motocross 2021
Race Round 2   Thunder Valley

250MX Moto 2 Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Lawrence Jett 18 AUS Team Honda HRC Honda
2 Cooper Justin 32 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
3 Lawrence Hunter 96 AUS Team Honda HRC Honda
4 Shimoda Jo 30 JPN Team Honda HRC Honda
5 Nichols Colt 45 USA Team Honda HRC Honda
6 Swoll Jalek 31 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
7 Marchbanks Garrett 35 USA Club MX Yamaha
8 Forkner Austin 33 USA Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki Kawasaki
9 Brown Pierce 44 USA TLD/Red Bull GasGas GasGas
10 Thrasher Nate 49 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
11 Mosiman Michael 29 USA TLD/Red Bull GasGas GasGas
12 Schwartz Dilan 40 USA Bar X/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki Suzuki
13 Frye Jarrett 39 USA Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha Yamaha
14 Mumford Carson 43 USA FXR/Chaparral Honda Racing Honda
15 Masterpool Ty 42 USA AEO/GasGas GasGas
16 Varize Joshua 38 USA KTM Orange Brigade/Factory Connection KTM
17 Vohland Max 36 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
18 Alves Ramyller 70 USA None KTM
19 Hampshire RJ 24 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
20 Kelley Derek 74 USA AJE Motorsports/Motul GasGas
Location Information

Lakewood, CO, United States - View in Google Maps