Hunter Lawrence showed impressive speed as he led most of the first race then came back from outside the top 10 in Moto 2 to finish second for eighth overall.
The Team Honda 114 Motorsports rider make the technical conditions look easy as he swept through the field and with a couple more laps could have easily taken a much-deserved win.
Lawrence showed great speed all weekend, putting his Honda CRF250R right at the front of the field for a long portion of the first moto, building upon his recent run of good form. Unfortunately, a technical issue robbed the Australian rider of his first moto win of the season but he didn’t let that setback get him down and he came out determined to repeat the effort in race two.
A bad jump out the gate meant he had his work cut out, but he put his head down and charged through the field, on a track that others were finding difficult to pass on. Lawrence came all the way through to second and was closing in on the leader as time expired, proving to everyone watching that he was the fastest guy on the track.
“I was really happy with my weekend. It was disappointing how the first moto ended but all weekend I felt pretty good,” said Lawrence. “Every session we went out, I was in the top five, including a second in timed qualifying. Then in the qualification race we had a rock and mud jamming into the rear brake which lost me some places but I was still able to ride well and finish fourth.
“In the first moto I ripped a good start on my Honda CRF250R, made some quick passes and got myself into the lead. I then led the whole race until two or three laps to go, until we had a small technical issue, so I ended up not finishing. I wasn’t too demoralised though because I knew how well I was riding, so I regrouped in the break and got my focus back to try and do the same again in race two.
“Unfortunately I didn’t get such a great start but I put my head down and moved from outside the top 10 into the top five, halfway through the race. I knew my speed and fitness were good so I kept charging and got into second place and moved to within striking distance on first place before the race expired. I know deep down I was the fastest this weekend, I believe that, and I know I’ve worked really hard to be here, which is a satisfying feeling.”
Todd Waters finished 17th overall the in MXGP class in his second race of the year for Redmoto. The Honda rider showed good pace but wishes he had more time on the new bike. “I’m disappointed it’s the last race of the season because I didn’t do the full championship and I’ve only done two rounds with this Redmoto team,” explained Waters.
“I feel as though I’m just starting to get comfortable on the bike and set it up how I want so it’s a shame that it has to end now. This weekend I showed a bit of fight and I think it’s probably the best I’ve ridden all MXGP season so although it’s not the result that I wanted, at least I can walk away knowing that I fought this GP and tried my best.”