Jett Lawrence Opens Pro Motocross Championship Season with Continued Dominance
of Fox Raceway National

Haiden Deegan Begins 250 Class Title Defense with Assertive 1-1 Effort

The second half of the SMX World Championship regular season got underway on Saturday, with the start of the 54th season of the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Southern California’s Fox Raceway at Pala was the site for Round 18, the Pala Casino Spa & Resort Fox Raceway National Presented by Fox Racing, where abundant sunshine and moderate temperatures set the stage for a compelling afternoon of racing that saw a pair of dominant performances from two of the sport’s rising stars. In the 450 Class, Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence made his return to action from a torn ACL and maintained his unbeaten record at Fox Raceway with a 1-1 sweep in which he led every lap. In the 250 Class, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan began his title defense with a second straight win at the season opener, his home race, also completing a sweep of the motos.

450 Class

Moto 1

A highly anticipated opening moto began with a familiar sight as the Team Honda HRC Progressive duo of Jett and Hunter Lawrence emerged from the first turn side-by-side and nearly came together, with the edge for the Pro Motocross Holeshot going to Jett. The younger sibling was able to inch away, as Hunter Lawrence was passed by Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper. A couple spots back, defending champion Chase Sexton started fifth aboard his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine.
 
As the top three settled in, Sexton faced adversity while running fourth as he was forced to take off his goggles. He maintained his spot in the running order, despite pressure from Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac, but was directed to visit the mechanic’s area for a new set of goggles. On the ensuing lap, Sexton crashed. He was slow to remount and eventually rode back to the paddock for a DNF.
 
The top of the running order remained unchanged the rest of the way, as Jett Lawrence moved out to a double-digit advantage and went wire-to-wire to extend his unbeaten streak in the 450 Class at Fox Raceway to five motos. Cooper earned a career-best moto result in second, while Hunter Lawrence finished third. Tomac followed in fourth, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger rounding out the top five.

Moto 2

The final moto of the afternoon got underway with a big Pro Motocross Holeshot for Hunter Lawrence that put him a couple bike lengths ahead of the field. His lead was short lived, however, as both Jett Lawrence and Plessinger were able to get by, with Tomac lurking in fourth. As Jett inched away, the battle behind him continued with Hunter Lawrence reclaiming second and Tomac following through into third to drop Plessinger to fourth.
 
Less than five minutes into the moto, Tomac was able to make the pass on Hunter for second and looked to close in on Jett Lawrence for the first time in Pro Motocross competition. In a matter of a half lap, the top two were multiple seconds ahead of the field, effectively setting up a head-to-head battle for the moto win. Behind them, Hunter Lawrence and Plessinger duked it out for third.
 
Tomac was relentless in applying pressure on Jett Lawrence, but the young Australian was able to keep him at bay and pull away in certain parts of the track. Tomac found a way to inch closer, but Lawrence would counter a few moments later. In his pursuit, Tomac made minor miscues that allowed Lawrence to build a lead that soon grew to about 2.5 seconds as they approached the final 10 minutes.
 
The Yamaha rider bided his time and made another push with about eight minutes to go and was able to close the deficit to under a second. Despite being faster and having better lines, Tomac couldn’t get alongside to attempt a pass. Slowly, the distance between the leaders started to swing in Lawrence’s favor. The lead continued to grow in the closing stages of the moto as the Honda rider withstood one of the toughest tests of his young career to close out his sixth straight moto win 11.8 seconds over Tomac. A lengthy battle for third between Hunter Lawrence and Plessinger saw the KTM rider make a late pass to grab the position.

Overall

In three career 450 Class starts at Fox Raceway, Jett Lawrence has not only won all six motos but also every single lap. A third straight 1-1 performance resulted in his 16th win in 17 career starts. Tomac’s first season opener since the 2022 season resulted in a runner-up effort (4-2), while Hunter Lawrence rounded out the overall podium in third (3-4).
 
Jett Lawrence’s initial lead in the championship standings sits at 10 points over Tomac, with Hunter Lawrence 12 points behind.

1st: Jett Lawrence, Team Honda HRC (1-1)
“I had a few good beast mode attacks from [Tomac] and I had to do everything I could to fend him off. I knew I had a stronger section, so I made sure I nailed it every time. With about five laps to go I had to give it everything and I tried to use the lappers to my advantage. It was awesome to race against [Tomac] and feel that adrenaline again.”
 
2nd: Eli Tomac, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (4-2)
“I was trying my heart out and it was close for about 25 minutes. We both had our strong spots on the track, so we were constantly trading momentum. It was definitely a pleasure to race against Jett. I’m really excited to get this series going. I felt strong and back to full health, and I’m ready to keep going.”
 
3rd: Hunter Lawrence, Team Honda HRC (3-4)
“It was a pretty average day, but I’ll take it. There’s a lot to build on. I had a great battle with [Plessinger] in Moto 2 and made a little mistake right at the end and he was there to capitalize. That’s frustrating to end the day like that, but happy to be on the podium.”

250 Class

Moto 1

The first moto of the season began with Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas emerging from the first corner with the Pro Motocross Holeshot. After an early challenge from Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Ty Masterpool, who briefly held the lead, Hymas asserted his control of the moto and eventually opened a multi-second lead on the field.
 
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer took advantage of a strong start to eventually slot into second, while Masterpool dropped back several positions after the 10-minute mark of the moto. Deegan then became the rider on the move, as the defending class champion started sixth but charged his way up to third.
 
Just before the halfway point of the moto Hymas went down navigating a deep rut, which allowed both Beaumer and Deegan to assume the top two positions as Hymas remounted in third. Not long after, Deegan put pressure on Beaumer for the lead and seized control of the moto. Beaumer was then forced to contend with a resurgent Hymas, who made the pass for second.
 
As the moto entered its final 10 minutes, the battle for the podium picked up again as Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda made his way up into second after passes on both Beaumer and his teammate.
 
Out front, Deegan sprinted away from his rivals and went unchallenged the rest of the way to grab the moto win by 6.6 seconds over Shimoda, with Hymas in third. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle was fourth, followed by Beaumer in fifth.

Moto 2

The second moto got underway with the KTM duo of Vialle and Beaumer out front, with Vialle securing the Pro Motocross Holeshot and early lead. Behind them Deegan slotted into third, with Shimoda right behind in fourth. As the leaders looked to settle in, a small miscue halted Vialle’s momentum enough to allow Beaumer to make the pass and forced the Frenchmen to fend off Deegan from third.
 
With the clear track ahead, Beaumer showed impressive pace to slip away by nearly three seconds 10 minutes into the moto. Behind him, the battle for second heated up between Vialle, Deegan and Shimoda. After fending off a persistent challenge from Shimoda, Deegan made quick work of an opening to get by Vialle for second and faced a 2.5 second deficit to Beaumer.
 
With just over 12 minutes remaining, Deegan had closed in on the lead and began to look for an opportunity to attempt a pass on Beaumer. On one of the track’s steep uphills Deegan made his move and grabbed the lead. He then sprinted away to a near two-second advantage. Shimoda, meanwhile, went to work on Beaumer and eventually made the pass for second in the same spot Deegan gained the lead. On the following lap, Vialle got by his teammate for third.
 
Deegan successfully kept Shimoda at bay in the closing stages to wrap up a sweep of the motos for the second consecutive season at the track he grew up riding at. The Honda rider from Japan finished 5.3 seconds back in second, with Vialle in third.

Overall

Deegan begins his title defense the same way he started his championship campaign from a year ago, with a 1-1 performance for the eighth win of his career. Shimoda recorded his best-ever opening round result in second (2-2), while Vialle rounded out the overall podium in third (4-3).
 
Deegan has established a six-point lead over Shimoda in the point standings after one round, with Vialle 12 points back in third.

1st: Haiden Deegan, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (1-1)
“It was a good day, but we could still be better. This track is so gnarly, but it’s outdoors, you’ve got to dog it out. We went 1-1, same as last year, so I’m stoked.”
 
2nd: Jo Shimoda, Team Honda HRC Progressive (2-2)
“Today had a lot of surprises. I wasn’t feeling that great coming in. I just told myself to get a good start and get a lap in and that’s what we did. It’s been a rough year, but it feels really good to be on the podium.”
 
3rd: Tom Vialle, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (4-3)
“I want to be better (than third). This race was a tricky one and it’s good to be on the podium, but I’m working to be better than that. I’m looking forward to next weekend.”