Lawrence Wins at Fox Raceway I AMA Pro Motocross Opener 31.05.2021: Fox Raceway National AMA Pro Motocross 2021 Round 1 Team Honda HRC kicked off the 2021 AMA Pro Motocross series at Pala, California’s Fox Raceway–the same venue where Red Riders dominated last year’s season fi

Fox Raceway National
AMA Pro Motocross 2021   Round 1

Team Honda HRC kicked off the 2021 AMA Pro Motocross series at Pala, California’s Fox Raceway–the same venue where Red Riders dominated last year’s season finale–with a successful outing that saw Jett Lawrence take the overall victory in the 250 class, while Ken Roczen notched second overall in the 450 division.



Their teammates also performed well, with Hunter Lawrence finishing sixth overall in 250 racing despite struggling with crashes, whereas Chase Sexton tallied fifth overall in the 450 class, thanks in part to a very close second-place result in moto 1.



The first 250 moto at the North San Diego County venue saw Jett Lawrence suffer a poor start and complete lap one in 17th place, but he made his way through the pack to eventually finish second, while brother Hunter struggled with rear traction and finished sixth. Jett got a much better start in the second moto, and he quickly advanced from fourth, taking the lead on lap seven of 15. From there, the young Australian pulled ahead, ultimately winning by nearly seven seconds, while Hunter finished fifth.



Sexton completed lap one of the first 450 moto in fifth place and moved toward the front, securing second at the race’s midway point. Toward the end of the 30-minute-plus-two-laps moto, he closed on the leading Dylan Ferrandis, eventually finishing less than a tenth of a second back.



Unfortunately, a first-turn moto 2 crash forced the Illinois native to charge through the pack for a 10th place finish, good for fifth overall. Roczen had been a little uncomfortable in the first moto, finishing sixth, but the German came out strong in moto 2, taking the lead on lap one and holding strong to win by nearly 12 seconds, earning second overall.






NOTES



•    Team Honda HRC took advantage of the 28-day post-supercross break to test the CRF450R and CRF250R race bikes, with all four riders putting in track time in Southern California.


•    Each of the Team Honda HRC riders approached the 2021 season opener from a different perspective. Ken Roczen–the team veteran–was returning to AMA Pro Motocross after sitting out last year’s outdoor races; for the first time, Chase Sexton was entering a series with a full year of 450 experience under his belt, including an overall win in last year’s AMA Pro Motocross finale at the same track; meanwhile, this was Hunter and Jett Lawrence’s first outdoor race with the factory team, though Jett had won at Fox Raceway in last year’s final round.


•    The opening round enjoyed perfect Southern California weather, with sunshine and warm-but-not-uncomfortable temperatures. That said, track conditions proved challenging for all the riders.


•    Although the pandemic situation has improved significantly in recent months, the series organizers continued to enforce safety protocols. The riders meeting was pre-recorded and available for online viewing Friday evening, the paddock was closed to spectators, autograph sessions were suspended (though teams provided pre-signed posters to be distributed to fans), teams were asked to practice social distancing and only permit essential personnel in the team pods, and media interview opportunities were permitted at the sole discretion of each team.


•    Team Honda HRC marked the May 18 passing of former factory motocrosser Scott Sheak with “RIP Iron Sheak” stickers on their race bikes’ front fenders. Sheak, who rode for Team Honda in 1997, succumbed to complications resulting from injuries in a training crash in his home state of New York.


•    Jett Lawrence posted the fastest time in 250MX qualifying, at 2’20.389”. Hunter Lawrence had a fourth-best time of 2’21.301”. FXR/Chaparral Honda rider Carson Mumford posted the 20th-best, time.


•    Roczen posted the third-best time in 450MX qualifying, at 2’20.443”. Sexton was seventh-fastest at 2’21.460”, and FXR/Chaparral Honda’s Coty Schock was 19th-best.


•    Roczen’s 450 moto 2 victory was his first since the Unadilla round in 2019.


•    In the early 450 points chase, Roczen is tied for second with Aaron Plessinger, five points behind round 1 overall winner Dylan Ferrandis, while Sexton is fifth. Jett Lawrence and Jeremy Martin are tied for the 250 points lead, while Hunter Lawrence sits sixth.


•    The top three overall finishers from each class, including Jett Lawrence and Roczen, participated in a virtual post-race press conference via Zoom on Saturday evening. Sexton was also asked to participate due to his 450 win at last year’s Fox Raceway round.


•    Team Honda HRC will head to the mile-high Thunder Valley round in Lakewood, Colorado, where the second AMA Pro Motocross round will take place this weekend.

    
       


Ken Roczen  94


“My first outdoor race at Fox Raceway ended up being really good. I felt a little rusty riding motocross in general, and I rode a little bit tight in the first moto but could salvage a sixth-place finish. Then I got a good start in the second moto and just rode really well to get my first moto win of the year, which is amazing.


I ended up being second overall, and I hope to build each and every weekend from here on out. The class is really stacked, so it’ll be a tough season, but we’re ready to give it our all. We’ll continue working to see if we can get the bike working a little better for me as well, and I’m looking forward to Colorado.”         

    
       
Chase Sexton  23


“Round 1 at Pala for me didn’t start off the greatest. I had a rough time in practice, just finding a flow with the track and the bike. I turned it around in the first moto when I got a pretty good start. I kind of went backwards a little bit and then found my groove and charged forward.


I made a good push towards the end and got close to Dylan [Ferrandis] but couldn’t quite make it happen. In the second moto I went down on the start and from there it was an uphill battle, just trying to do as much damage control as possible. I got back to 10th and am looking forward to Thunder Valley.”         

    
       


Hunter Lawrence  41


“It was a rough weekend. To start off with two crashes in each moto wasn’t ideal, but we live and learn. I’m looking forward to next weekend, just to be able to be better and not make those mistakes.


I’m happy to get the season started nonetheless. Sixth overall is a start—nothing to jump up and down about, but I’m happy to be fit and healthy.”         



    
       
Jett Lawrence  18


“My start in the first moto didn’t give me good hopes of a podium, but I ended up carving my way through into third; then [Max] Vohland had some bad luck with a bike malfunction so I ended up going into second. I could see Jeremy [Martin] up there so I kind of put in a little bit of a charge, but I didn’t want to overdo it and make a silly mistake like I used to.


In the second moto I think I was eighth or something on the start. I made my way into third, and it took me a while to figure out what the two Star boys were doing out front; they were really on it. J-Mart made a mistake and I was able to get close enough to watch what he was doing and got a pass done a few laps after that.


I set my eyes on [Justin] Cooper and caught him fairly quickly; I think he might have made a mistake, but I got the pass done, which was really good. It was really square-edged and technical today, so it kind of helped me a little bit, but I felt really good; I felt like if it was at any other track it would’ve been the same. I felt really strong because I’ve been putting the work in. I’m glad to see that’s paying off, and I can’t wait for next weekend, to maybe do something similar.”         

    


       
    
Erik Kehoe
Team Manager


“The team worked hard in preparation for the start of the MX series, and the effort paid off. Jett had an amazing win in the 250 class and Hunter rode strong all day for a great start to the series. Chase was fast all day and finished a strong second in 450 moto 1.


 Unfortunately, a first-turn crash in moto 2 had him charging hard through the pack all the way to 10th in the moto and fifth overall. Ken rode a little tight in the first 450 moto, but came out strong in moto 2. He took the lead on lap 1 and held strong for the moto win and second on the day.”         

    
       
    
    450MX Moto 1 Results


1    FERRANDIS  Dylan     14    USA    25    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
2    SEXTON Chase     23    USA    22    Team Honda HRC    Honda   
3    BARCIA Justin     51    USA    20    TLD/Red Bull GasGas    GasGas   
4    PLESSINGER Aaron     7    USA    18    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
5    WEBB Cooper     2    USA    16    Red Bull KTM     KTM   
6    ROCZEN Ken     94    GER    15    Team Honda HRC    Honda   
7    CIANCIARULO Adam     9    USA    14    Monster Energy Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
8    MUSQUIN Marvin     25    FRA    13    Red Bull KTM     KTM   
9    TOMAC Eli     3    USA    12    Monster Energy Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
10    ANDERSON Jason     21    USA    11    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
11    CRAIG Christian     29    USA    10    Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
12    SAVATGY Joey     17    USA    9    Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS    KTM   
13    OSBORNE Zach     16    USA    8    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
14    WILSON Dean     15    GBR    7    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
15    ANSTIE Max     34     GBR    6    Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki    Suzuki   
16    SHOCK Coty     72    USA    5    FXR/Chaparral Honda Racing    Honda   
17    SURRATT Ryan     951    USA    4    PR-MX Pelletier Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
18    MEDAGLIA Tyler     555    CAN    3    Husqvarna Canada    Husqvarna   
19    NICOLETTI Phillip     46    USA    2    Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing    Yamaha   
20    HAYES Jacob     156    USA    1    Mitchell Motorsports    Kawasaki   
    
    
       
    
    450MX Moto 2 Results


1    ROCZEN Ken     94    GER    25    Team Honda HRC    Honda   
2    PLESSINGER Aaron     7    USA    22    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
3    FERRANDIS  Dylan     14    USA    20    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
4    ANDERSON Jason     21    USA    18    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
5    OSBORNE Zach     16    USA    16    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
6    BARCIA Justin     51    USA    15    TLD/Red Bull GasGas    GasGas   
7    MUSQUIN Marvin     25    FRA    14    Red Bull KTM     KTM   
8    TOMAC Eli     3    USA    13    Monster Energy Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
9    CRAIG Christian     29    USA    12    Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
10    SEXTON Chase     23    USA    11    Team Honda HRC    Honda   
11    WEBB Cooper     2    USA    10    Red Bull KTM     KTM   
12    CIANCIARULO Adam     9    USA    9    Monster Energy Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
13    LUPINO Alessandro     177    ITA    8    MRT Racing Team KTM    KTM   
14    ANSTIE Max     34     GBR    7    Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki    Suzuki   
15    SHOCK Coty     72    USA    6    FXR/Chaparral Honda Racing    Honda   
16    BOGLE Justin     19    USA    5    Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS    KTM   
17    NOREN Fredrik     40    SWE    4    Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing    Suzuki   
18    SAVATGY Joey     17    USA    3    Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS    KTM   
19    HARTRANFT  Brandon     28    USA    2    Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki    Suzuki   
20    SURRATT Ryan     951    USA    1    PR-MX Pelletier Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
    
    
       
    
    250MX Moto 1 Results


1    MARTIN Jeremy     6    USA    25    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
2    LAWRENCE Jett     18    AUS    22    Team Honda HRC    Honda   
3    HAMPSHIRE RJ     24    USA    20    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
4    MOSIMAN Michael     42    USA    18    TLD/Red Bull GasGas    GasGas   
5    COOPER Justin     32    USA    16    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
6    LAWRENCE Hunter     41    AUS    15    Team Honda HRC    Honda   
7    FORKNER Austin     38    USA    14    Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
8    MARCHBANKS Garrett     48    USA    13    Club MX    Yamaha   
9    NICHOLS Colt     64    USA    12    Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
10    ROBERTSON Stilez     67    USA    11    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
11    HAMMAKER Seth     150    USA    10    Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
12    SWOLL Jalek     47    USA    9    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
13    FRYE Jarrett     59    USA    8    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
14    SHIMODA Jo     30    JPN    7    Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
15    MCADOO Cameron     31    USA    6    Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
16    THRASHER Nate     91    USA    5    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
17    MASTERPOOL Ty         USA    4    AEO/GasGas    GasGas   
18    SCHWARTZ Dilan     90    USA    3    Bar X/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki    Suzuki   
19    MARTIN Alex     26    USA    2    Manluk/Rock River Yamaha/Merge Racing    Yamaha   
20    DRAKE Derek     33    USA    1    Bar X/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki    Suzuki   
    
    
       
    
    250MX Moto 2 Results


1    LAWRENCE Jett     18    AUS    25    Team Honda HRC    Honda   
2    MARTIN Jeremy     6    USA    22    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
3    COOPER Justin     32    USA    20    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
4    MOSIMAN Michael     42    USA    18    TLD/Red Bull GasGas    GasGas   
5    LAWRENCE Hunter     41    AUS    16    Team Honda HRC    Honda   
6    MARCHBANKS Garrett     48    USA    15    Club MX    Yamaha   
7    VOHLAND Max     115    USA    14    Red Bull KTM     KTM   
8    FORKNER Austin     38    USA    13    Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
9    HAMPSHIRE RJ     24    USA    12    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
10    BROWN Pierce     45    USA    11    TLD/Red Bull GasGas    GasGas   
11    SHIMODA Jo     30    JPN    10    Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki    Kawasaki   
12    NICHOLS Colt     64    USA    9    Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
13    SWOLL Jalek     47    USA    8    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
14    FRYE Jarrett     59    USA    7    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
15    MUMFORD Carson     39    USA    6    FXR/Chaparral Honda Racing    Honda   
16    MARTIN Alex     26    USA    5    Manluk/Rock River Yamaha/Merge Racing    Yamaha   
17    THRASHER Nate     91    USA    4    Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha    Yamaha   
18    ROBERTSON Stilez     67    USA    3    Rockstar Energy Husqvarna    Husqvarna   
19    VARIZE Joshua     241    USA    2    KTM Orange Brigade/Factory Connection    KTM   
20    MILLER Max     604    USA    1    KTM Orange Brigade    KTM   
    
    
       

 


Team Honda HRC - AMA SX/MX,  also photo