A career-first 450 Triple Crown race win and another overall podium see Honda Progressive star close to within 4 points of the championship lead
Hunter Lawrence continues to build momentum in his sophomore 450SX campaign, delivering his strongest start yet to an AMA Supercross season with a hard-fought second overall at Houston’s NRG Stadium. The Australian claimed his first-ever 450SX Triple Crown race win and left Texas having halved Eli Tomac’s championship advantage to just four points.
The Houston round marked the first Triple Crown event of the 2026 season — a format that hasn’t historically played to Lawrence’s strengths — yet the Honda HRC Progressive rider once again showed growing maturity and composure under pressure.
Lawrence’s night began with promise before a costly error in the opening race. After starting inside the top five and charging into third, a small mistake dropped him to seventh at the flag, immediately putting him on the back foot in the three-race format.
“It was a bit of a bummer in the first race—it was just a silly little mistake; it wasn’t really a crash, but then as soon as I went off the track where it meets the concrete, it’s just so slippery and it’s hard to save that.”
With only a short turnaround before Race 2, Lawrence regrouped quickly. A strong start saw him slot into second before he picked off Jorge Prado for the lead, controlling the race to secure a career-first Triple Crown race victory in the premier class.
“I just reset after that one, and I think we did pretty good. I’m happy with how the night went, honestly. This format is one of the tougher ones for me; those short-duration sprints don’t come easy.”
The final race saw Lawrence again in the thick of the fight. Running second early, he briefly dropped back under pressure from Tomac and Jason Anderson before reclaiming the position. With points tight at the front, the overall result ultimately hinged on action behind him, as Cooper Webb’s late move secured the overall victory by a single point.
“I find the short turnaround from the first to the second race easier than the last one, where you’re kind of waiting around a little bit longer. I feel like the longer you wait, the tougher it is because it’s like you’re starting fresh again.”
Starts once again proved critical, particularly in the final encounter.
“The start is everything—even in a normal main event, it just makes your night so much easier. You see the chaos that goes on and I’ve been on the other side of that, so I just try to give myself the best shot into that first turn.”
Lawrence pinpointed one small detail as the deciding factor in the last race.
“In the last moto, I didn’t get that one middle lane, and that gave Eli the inside; that was where that race was decided, I think. I still tried to push and get in a rhythm.”
Despite missing out on the overall, the Australian was philosophical about the bigger picture — particularly the championship implications.
“I knew the night win was there, and I needed to get him, but I think that if I keep putting myself in the top five around the first turn every weekend and click off good laps, good things are going to start happening.”
With three consecutive runner-up finishes to open the season and consistent points gains on his rivals, confidence is clearly building.
“I like my chances over the next couple races. From what it could’ve been, we did pretty good damage control, and we pulled four points back on the lead. We live to fight another day, and I’m looking forward to Glendale.”
Lawrence now sits second in the 450SX championship standings on 84 points, just four behind Tomac after four rounds. AMA Supercross resumes this weekend in Glendale, Arizona, where the Australian will look to continue his push toward a maiden premier-class victory.
Houston 450SX Overall Results
- Cooper Webb (Yam)
- Hunter Lawrence (Hon)
- Ken Roczen (Suz)
- Eli Tomac (KTM)
- Chase Sexton (Kaw)
- Jason Anderson (Suz)
- Jorge Prado (KTM)
- Malcom Stewart (Hus)
- Justin Cooper (Yam)
- Dylan Ferrandis (Duc)
450SX Championship Points (after 4 of 17 rounds)
- Eli Tomac: 88
- Hunter Lawrence: 84
- Ken Roczen: 76
- Chase Sexton: 74
- Cooper Webb: 71
- Jason Anderson: 62
- Justin Cooper: 57
- Jorge Prado: 56
- Joey Savatgy: 50
- Dylan Ferrandis: 49
