• Third premier-class overall victory of the season for Hunter Lawrence 
• Jett Lawrence battles through adversity for another overall podium 
• With his first moto-win of the season, Jo Shimoda takes 250 points lead 
  

Honda HRC Progressive enjoyed a standout Independence Day at the legendary RedBud Motocross National, as Hunter Lawrence and Jo Shimoda both took over the coveted red plates that signify the championship leads. For the third time this season and the second time in a row, Hunter secured a premier-class overall victory, while Jett Lawrence added another moto win and an overall-podium finish, despite experiencing an uncharacteristic challenging day. In the 250 class, Shimoda earned his first moto victory of the season to take over the championship lead, while Chance Hymas continued to build momentum with his strongest result of the season so far.

Heavy rainfall during the previous 24 hours left the track in an extremely challenging condition for the motos, with deep ruts developing throughout much of the course. After starting third in moto 1, Hunter overtook Jorge Prado and then caught and passed Jett for the lead in the closing laps. While Hunter was navigating one of the deepest ruts, dirt and debris became lodged in his bike’s chain guide and rear-sprocket area. This caused the rear wheel to momentarily lock, resulting in an unfortunate tip-over that allowed Jett to regain the lead, and Hunter was forced to settle for second. In moto 2, Hunter started sixth but quickly worked his way through the riders ahead of him. With just over three laps remaining, he passed Prado for the lead and pulled away to a convincing 12-second victory, securing the overall win. Meanwhile, a pair of early tip-overs dropped Jett outside the top 10 in moto 2, but the defending champ responded with a determined charge back to fifth, securing third overall.

After avoiding a first-turn incident in the first 250 moto, Shimoda steadily worked his way forward, putting in a signature late surge before finishing third. A stronger moto-2 start put him in immediate contention, and he methodically closed on the leaders before making the moto-winning pass on Cole Davies. Shimoda then pulled away to a convincing 12-second victory, earning the moto win and second overall. Hymas recorded an 8-6 moto tally as he builds consistency and works toward podium contention.

NOTES 

・Kendallville Powersports, an Indiana Honda dealership located an hour and a half southeast of the track, supported Honda HRC Progressive at RedBud, engaging with fans while showcasing a Pioneer 1000 side-by-side and a CRF50F. 

・Between qualifying sessions, Honda HRC Progressive hosted a fan autograph session featuring all four factory riders. 

・Jett Lawrence topped 450 combined qualifying, with Hunter Lawrence in third. TiLube Honda Racing’s Mark Fineis qualified in 14^th, SLR Honda’s Justin Rodbell was 19^th, Valley Motorsports’ Jeremy Hand was 21^st, Quad Lock Honda Racing’s Christian Craig was 22^nd, Lasting Impressions’ Ronnie Orres was 46^th, 110 Racing’s Brett Heidorn was 50^th, Feine Tune Racing’s Gavin Tilford was 59^th, Trinity Motorsports’ Mitchell Prescott was 70^th and GFR’s Dean Gall was 72^nd. 

・In 250 combined qualifying, Honda HRC Progressive riders Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas finished 11^th and 12^th, respectively. Quad Lock Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly was 19^th; Phoenix Racing Honda’s Gavin Towers and Aden Keefer were 29^th and 30^th, respectively; MPS Enterprise’s Ty Freehill was 49^th and McGinley Clinic’s Kyle Czworkowski was 67^th.  

・Hunter posted the fastest lap time in 450 moto 1, while Jett was second on the lap-time sheets. Shimoda posted the fastest lap in the first 250 moto. 

・RedBud marked Hunter Lawrence’s fourth career premier-class overall victory. It also marked his 22^nd career premier-class podium finish, moving him past his trainer, Johnny O’Mara. 

・Hunter’s success extended Honda’s premier-class overall-win record at RedBud to 14—two more than the next-best manufacturer. He joins other Red Riders to have won at the venue, including Marty Tripes, Steve Wise, David Bailey, Jeff Stanton, Jeremy McGrath, Kevin Windham, Sebastian Tortelli, Ricky Carmichael (three times), Chad Reed and Jett Lawrence (twice). 

・Hunter leaves RedBud with a three-point lead over Jett in the 450 standings, with third place another 48 points back. Shimoda now leads the 250 championship by four points. 

・The AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues this Saturday in Southwick, Massachusetts, where Honda HRC Progressive will carry the red plates in both the 450 and 250 classes. 

Jett Lawrence 18 “Normally I really like these conditions and can ride them well, but I just struggled with my foot today; there’s muddy sand, and it just pulls you in. I have all my weight on my left foot, so I struggled a lot with my balance. It’s hard right now because I normally love riding, and lately it’s been a struggle with my foot—it’s kind of taken away one of the things I love doing. It’s tough because I can have a good flow on the track, but in the back of my mind I’m always thinking, ‘Imagine if I had another good ankle’—I know I could be going faster, and things would come a lot easier because I’m having to work so much harder. We’re just putting up with it, but today just wasn’t an ideal track for my situation. Hunter deserved that first one; he caught me and passed me, and I just wasn’t in a really good flow. I’ll take the moto win, but deep down I know it was gifted. It was a rough day at the office, but we’ll go back, get better, and try to be a little stronger for Southwick.”

Hunter Lawrence 96 “I was super gutted after the first moto; I felt like I did everything right, and to not get that win was a bummer. So I was like, ‘I’ve got to make it right in the second one.’ I didn’t get the best start, but I kind of let it come to me. The track was extremely difficult this weekend; it was sandy, muddy, sloppy, hard packed, slippery—everything in one. It was tricky, but it was probably the coolest RedBud for me. I mean, July 4 was today, not Friday or Sunday—it was America’s 250th birthday, and it’s epic. How many people have tracked down Jett, made the pass and put a gap on him? That in itself I was really happy with. I had the first-moto win,but then a bunch of sand got blocked in the chain guide, stopping the rear wheel, and then the bike cut out—so that’s just because the conditions were so damn tough. It could happen to anyone, but I’m very happy—just proud of my day.”

Jo Shimoda 30 “I was able to ride a little faster without trying so hard. I want to give props to the track builders; I like the way they didn’t fix as much today. It just made more of a difference for the good riders, and it slowed down the race a lot. There were a lot of ruts, so I had to be patient and creative. It was a fun RedBud. This moto win means a lot; at Thunder Valley I went 3 -2 for first overall, but today was a proper moto win after my neck injury. It’s a massive confidence booster, and we needed that as a team—and it was a good place to do it. We’re not even halfway, so the red plate is cool but I feel like I have more in me. I’m looking forward to the next few rounds.”

Chance Hymas 29 “Fourth of July weekend was better for me—a good step in the right direction. I had two good starts, which is definitely positive, and I was inside the top 10 in both motos, which was also great. We just keep building each weekend, and I’m looking forward to Southwick.”

Lars Lindstrom Team Manager “Overall, we had another great weekend, and I’m really, really happy to have both red plates on our bikes for the next race. One of the most positive and exciting things about this weekend was that we were able to get better starts in the 250 class, which has been a focus of ours, and we’re determined to make that a habit and continue to improve. Jo was unbelievable once again, and proved that physically no one can touch him, which I think will be valuable for the next races. I’m also happy to see Chance have his best result of the summer, and continue to improve. Hunter was just on another level today, and I can’t even imagine how he feels after having such a dominant day at one of the coolest events of the year on our nation’s 250th birthday. I’m so happy for him, and he deserves a massive amount of credit. I really feel for Jett. To beat Hunter, he needs to be 100%, and he just isn’t at this time, so he’ll have to dig extremely deep, which I know he can and will. It will make it super exciting for the rest of the season.”