GEICO Honda's Hunter Lawrence claimed the win in Moto 1 at the High Point National, Round 4 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.
The Queenslander’s performance in Moto 1 represented his first Lucas Oil Pro Motocross career win. Lawrence backed this up with a third in Moto 2 earning him second overall for the round.
ADB just spoke to Hunter about his performance on the weekend. “The weekend at High Point was awesome, my first career AMA win and going 1-3 put me in second overall for the day,” Lawrence told ADB.
“I was pumped with two decent motos and good starts, obviously the second moto start wasn’t as good as Moto One and it showed. I got stuck behind Nichols for too long and made a big mistake trying to look for different passing lines but, all in all, it was a good day and I am happy with the steps we made in the right direction.
“Jacksonville is the next stop and it’s more sandy, loamy, kinda terrain so should be fun having the paddle tyre on again.”
Stay up-to-date with Hunter by following his column in each issue of ADB Magazine.
KTM rider Wilson Todd finished 10th overall after placing 12-10 at High Point. He was stoked with the result, saying on Instagram, “Way to leave on a high, top 10! Soo many people to thank for being apart of this trip. Firstly @cari_schehr and @schehrb from @grindstonecompound for taking me in giving me a platform to train and stay and treat me like a king! @bengriffith__________ for the motivation to get here and being my mechanic when I was in need. @troylee25, Tyler Keefe, Roger DeCoster and @tld_raceteam for taking a shot to give myself a chance to go racing on an unbelievable team! And so many More people to thank. @johnnymclean , @maxlee_50, @Amos 528, @maniacwrench, @tld_moto, @odigrips, @100percent_moto, @wearelusty.”
250MX Round Recap
Moto 1
The first 250 Class moto of the afternoon saw Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper emerge with the Motosport.com Holeshot followed closely by teammate Colt Nichols and GEICO Honda’s Hunter Lawrence. The three riders led the 40-rider field across the line on the opening lap, while Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis and Cianciarulo were credited in fourth and fifth, respectively. The first several laps witnessed the top-five riders going bar-to-bar as they aggressively challenged one another.
With Cooper riding at the front of the field, the battle behind him began to intensify as Lawrence moved within striking distance of Nichols for second, eventually making the pass stick on Lap 6. Lawrence would continue his march to the front and made the move just one lap later to overtake Cooper for the race lead. The third placed Nichols was using every inch of the racetrack as championship rivals Ferrandis and Cianciarulo battled for position and found their way past, sliding Nichols outside of a podium position.
On Lap 9, Cooper had a rear view mirror full of his teammate Ferrandis, which led to Ferrandis aggressively pushing Cooper out of his way to take the second, costing Cooper several positions. Cianciarulo took advantage of Cooper’s bobble to inherit third, and shortly after second, thanks to a mistake by Ferrandis.
Queensland’s Lawrence managed the race out front and rode brilliantly to take his first-ever Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship moto win with 8.2 seconds to spare on Cianciarulo.
Moto 2
As the 250 Class field exited the first turn to start Moto 2 it was Nichols who succeeded in taking the Motosport.com Holeshot, with Cianciarulo and GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton giving pursuit. Lawrence, who won the opening moto, started the race in fourth, while Ferrandis had his work cut out by completing the opening lap in 10th.
Nichols used his holeshot to log fast laps out front as he navigated the challenging track conditions and kept championship point leader Cianciarulo at bay during the opening laps. Just behind the top two were GEICO Honda teammates Sexton and Lawrence who pushed one another to help keep the leaders within sight. Cianciarulo grabbed a handful of throttle by over jumping one of the obstacles to force his way to the inside and around Nichols for the race lead on Lap 5. Moments later, a mistake by Nichols in the roller section would allow for Sexton to overtake second.
Out front, Cianciarulo and Sexton pushed the pace turning fast laps, which allowed them to build a comfortable lead over the riders behind them. Lawrence closed in on Nichols and briefly made the pass until a mistake would allow Nichols to retake the position. On Lap 11, Lawrence once again clawed his way to the rear fender of Nichols and made the pass for third.
Cianciarulo charged the entire 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto to take his fourth moto win of the season by 6.2 seconds over Sexton. Lawrence followed in third.
