JETT LAWRENCE WINS ANAHEIM 2

Honda HRC Progressive returned to Angel Stadium for Anaheim 2, California, this weekend for the third round of AMA Supercross, where Jett Lawrence claimed his first 450SX main-event win of the season, while Hunter Lawrence put in a solid ride to secure fifth. Jo Shimoda continued to demonstrate resilience, battling through injury for a respectable sixth-place finish in the 250SX West main event.

Hunter and Jett Lawrence both got off to excellent starts in the 450SX main, slotting into second and third, respectively, after the first turn. Both riders dropped positions early on, but Jett was in control of second by around the one-third mark, with Hunter sixth. Jett dogged the leading Jason Anderson until about two-thirds of race distance, when he drag-raced him through the whoops, setting up a block pass in the following turn. Once by, Jett quickly established a small cushion, eventually winning by two-and-a-half seconds. Meanwhile, Hunter maintained a steady pace despite challenging competition, finishing in fifth.

In the rain-affected 250SX main event, Jo Shimoda continued to showcase his determination, riding through the pain of his injured hand. After starting in eighth, the Japanese rider lost a couple of spots and then executed a pair of clean passes to finish sixth, earning valuable points and maintaining his consistency in the championship fight. SLR Honda’s Parker Ross had a solid performance, riding in the top 10 for much of the race before finishing 12th—the best result of his career.

NOTES

• After notching a respectable fifth-place finish last week despite suffering from illness, Hunter Lawrence continued to feel under the weather the next couple of days. However, with a combination of sauna time and red-light therapy, his condition improved considerably during the week, and he felt quite well coming into Anaheim 2.
• Having spent the week between the first two rounds in California testing, both Lawrence brothers spent the week before Anaheim 2 at home in Florida, although rain reduced riding time considerably.
• After suffering two broken fingers at the San Diego Supercross, Jo Shimoda stayed off the bike all week and instead focused on training, as well as undergoing PEMF therapy sessions to reduce the inflammation. As he did last week, Shimoda’s mechanic Ben Griffith installed a single Cycra handguard on his rider’s bike. Shimoda is expected to once again avoid riding during the week before round 4.
• Shimoda is expected to once again avoid riding during the week before round 4.
• Jett and Hunter Lawrence took part in Friday’s Media Day before joining other riders on an abbreviated version of the track, allowing them some time to familiarize themselves with it.
• Huntington Beach Honda, a popular Southern California Powerhouse dealer, set up a pop-up activation booth in the Honda HRC Progressive pits, where they displayed a CRF450RL and a CRF110F, and engaged with fans and customers.
• Jett Lawrence was fastest overall in the 450 qualifying sessions, while Hunter Lawrence was eighth. Jo Shimoda was 10th-quickest in 250SX West. Also of note was Phoenix Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis, who was 11th in 450SX.
• Hunter Lawrence met and exchanged jerseys with Landon Knack, a Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher who (like Hunter) wears number 96. Shortly after, Jett and Hunter met and bench-raced with Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson, who drives a Honda HRC-powered Red Bull F1 car.
• During the opening ceremonies, Hunter Lawrence was introduced with a new video, featuring him recreating Lightning McQueen’s intro from the movie Cars.
• Shimoda had a strong start in the first 250SX heat race, running second early on before finishing in fourth to secure a spot in the main event. Also advancing through the heats was SLR Honda rider Parker Ross. Phoenix Racing Honda rider Gavin Towers topped the last-chance qualifier, advancing to the main event.
• In the first 450SX heat race, Hunter Lawrence started in fourth before finishing third. Jett had a strong start in the second heat, settling into second and eventually finishing there, after pushing Jason Anderson for most of the race. Phoenix Honda Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis qualified through his heat race, as did Quadlock Honda Racing’s Shane McElrath and Joey Savatgy.
• Jett Lawrence had the fastest lap time of the 450SX main event. Also impressive was the reigning champ’s consistency, with 13 of his 22 laps falling in the 1’00” range.
• Following his victory, Jett participated in the post-race press conference. Anaheim 2 marked the ninth victory of his young 450SX career, and his 12th podium result in the class.
• Next up, Honda HRC Progressive heads to Glendale, Arizona, for AMA Supercross round 4 this Saturday. It will be the first Triple Crown event of the season.
• For the first three races, the Honda HRC Progressive trucks have been returning to the team’s Torrance, California, race shop between rounds. However, following round 3, the trucks spent Sunday in Anaheim while the mechanics rebuilt the race bikes, then the drivers hit the road directly to Glendale, Arizona, for round 4. The trucks will now stay on the road for the remainder of the AMA Supercross season.

Jett Lawrence
“It was a good race. I had some good lines, and the track was pretty fun until it started raining and got pretty icy. I had a decent start and was mainly just trying to be really patient and not rush anything, just because the track could catch you out really quickly. I was in second for quite a while and ended up finally making a move for first and stuck it, thankfully, then just tried to keep my laps consistent and make no mistakes. I got my first win of the season, so that’s good. Hopefully we have more to come, but the main goal is obviously trying to get that points lead down. We’re heading in the right direction. I’m super pumped–on to Arizona.”

Hunter Lawrence
“Anaheim 2 is probably one of my worst venues in the past, so I’m happy I got a good start and am getting out of here with a fifth. I’m just going to get home and get some good laps in; it’s been a bit of a crappy start to the year on the training side of things, with the testing and then getting sick and stuff, so I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of the routine. It’s promising that we’re this close already, with the lack of laps, so it’s good, man. I’ll build from here; this is a solid start to a series compared to last year, so I’ve got to look at that–the glass is half full. It was a good night. Jettson had a good night as well obviously, and we’re all safe and healthy and ready to swing in now for the Triple Crown.”

Jo Shimoda
“I’m honestly just hanging onto the bike; it’s really tough on me. It was a tough night again with my hand, but I put good effort in the main event to try to score some points. I just don’t want to let this [championship] go; I feel like I’ve got to stay in it. Next week hopefully I’ll be a little better and stronger, to keep this thing alive.”

Lars Lindstrom – Team Manager
“I’m really happy with tonight’s results for all our riders. Obviously, Jett getting the win was the highlight, and I’m not afraid to admit that my stomach was in knots from before the gate even dropped, until the checkered flag fell. After the difficult first round, to only be five points out of the championship lead is awesome, and we’re only one point worse than we were after round 3 last year. We still need to improve on the bike, but I’m happy for the boys to go home and learn more about what we need, and what they need to improve on. I’m so proud of Jo for surviving the night, and hopefully next weekend he’s just a little bit better, and can then take the next three weeks to let his hand completely heal and come out swinging for the rest of the series.”