• 450 rookie extends perfect record to 12 consecutive moto wins
• Chase Sexton notches 2-2 450 finishes, advances in standings
• Misfortune plagues Hunter Lawrence in 250 class

As the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross series cleared its midway point in the grueling heat and challenging sand of Southwick, Massachusetts, Jett Lawrence’s incredible year continued unabated, with the 19-year-old Australian once again leading every lap of both motos aboard his Team Honda HRC CRF450RWE. Lawrence’s rookie success is unprecedented, as he has won all 12 motos run thus far. In his second race back from a three-race absence due to a concussion, Chase Sexton improved his performance by one position compared to last week, notching 2-2 moto finishes for second overall, good enough to advance him three positions in the title chase, to seventh. The 250 class proceedings proved more challenging for the team, as Hunter Lawrence suffered a technical issue that brought a premature end to his first moto. A poor moto 2 start left him battling through the pack to eventually finish eighth, for 13th overall.

In the first 450 moto, Sexton led the pack out of turn 1, but Jett moved by in the next corner. The teammates stayed in those positions from then on, with Sexton pulling a 25-second advantage over third place 18 minutes in. At the finish, Jett was seven seconds ahead of his teammate, who in turn was 46 seconds up on the other podium finisher. Jett and Sexton were second and fifth after the moto 2 start, and they were first and fourth after completing lap 1. Sexton was up to third a lap later, and he dispatched the second-place rider on lap 5. At the finish, Jett won with a 14-second advantage, and Sexton was a further 38 seconds up on third place.

The first 250 moto saw Hunter exit turn 1 in ninth place, but he advanced to the top five by lap 4. He was up to fourth three laps later, but with two laps left, he pulled off the track with a mechanical issue. Hampered by a poor gate pick for the second outing, Hunter was mired in 17th place after the first corner. He was up to 11th after the first lap, and to eighth by the midway point. With his vision affected by roost and rain, that’s as high as the Australian would climb, and he settled for 13th overall, determined to reverse the momentum next week in Minnesota.

NOTES

• MOMS Motorsports, a dealership in Northampton, Connecticut, set up a pop-up activation booth in the Team Honda HRC pits, where they engaged with fans and customers.
• Jett Lawrence once again notched the fastest 450 time in morning qualifying, by over 2 seconds. Sexton was comfortably in second, while Hunter was third-quickest in the 250 class.
• Similarly, Jett posted the fastest lap time in the first 450 moto, with Sexton second-quickest. The third-fastest rider had a best time that was nearly 3 seconds slower than Sexton’s. In moto 2, it was Sexton who posted the fastest lap time, with Jett second-best.
• With this weekend’s success, Jett extended Honda’s leads atop the most-overall-wins list and most-moto-wins list at Southwick, to 15 and 30, respectively. Other Red Riders to have taken overall wins at the venue include Pierre Karsmakers, Marty Smith, Donnie Hansen, Rick Johnson (twice), Jeff Stanton (four times), Jeremy McGrath, Ezra Lusk and Ricky Carmichael (three times).
• Jett extends his winning streak this season, now up to 12 moto wins and 6 overall wins. This was Jett’s second victory at Southwick, as last year saw him go 1-1 in the 250 class. Hunter scored his career-first overall win in 2021, also winning both motos in the same division.
• Southwick marked the fifth time in six rounds that Jett has led every lap in both 450 motos. Only at High Point did anyone else lead a lap, although Jett still won both motos.
• Jett continues to capture maximum points, now leading the 450 class with 300 points, 67 clear of second place. Chase climbs up to seventh in the standings, despite only participating in half the races to this point. Hunter is now in second place in the 250 class, 5 points back from the leader.
• Both Jett and Sexton participated in the post-race press conference.
• Team Honda HRC now heads to Minnesota next Saturday for the Spring Creek National.

Jett Lawrence 18 “It was a pretty brutal day–it was all about survival. I was just looking to get out of the roost and toward the front as soon as possible; I wanted to put in some fast laps early and gain some distance. I knew everyone would be gassed toward the end of the moto, so late charges wouldn’t be in the cards. I’m just looking forward to getting out of this place and heading to Spring Creek; that’s one of my favorite places on the schedule.”

Chase Sexton 23 “It’s a lot harder when you haven’t been racing like these guys. I felt good all day, but it's tough to be in the best shape for Southwick without gate dops. I feel like my riding and my speed were good all day, I just didn’t have it in the second moto. I need to be more smooth and consistent. Eli [Tomac] and I had a great battle at Spring Creek last year, so hopefully I can bring that experience over and get back to where I was.”

Hunter Lawrence 96 “It was a rough day at Southwick. A malfunction in the first moto hurts, and the second moto was all about salvaging points. Obviously, I didn’t want to be coming out of this race five points behind, but we’re going to enjoy the chase.”

Lars Lindstrom - Team Manager “It was another up-and-down day for the team. I want to apologize to Hunter for letting him down in the first moto after he gutted out a strong race while trying to recover from last week's crash. He’s a true warrior, and I have no doubt he'll come back strong this next race and get back to where he was before his RedBud start crash. The 450 riders put on a clinic today, going 1-2 and finishing so far ahead of third place. What can you say about Jett that hasn’t already been said? Just unreal. I think Millville is a great track for both Jett and Chase, so I’m expecting another great race. Hopefully we'll see more battles!”