• Reigning champ slashes deficit in premier-class title chase
• Hunter Lawrence maintains podium record, retains lead in championship fight
• Second consecutive 250 podium finish for Chance Hymas
• Fourth overall for Jo Shimoda in 250 division

The High Point National Motocross round in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, saw Team Honda HRC rider Jett Lawrence notch his third overall win of the season, and his second in a row, although this one was hard-fought on a treacherous track. Riding with a painful shoulder from his round 2 crash, the 20-year-old Australian had to fend off strong challenges in both motos—the first from brother Hunter Lawrence and the second from Chase Sexton. Nonetheless, he dug deep and found a way to post a perfect 1-1 moto tally, halving his deficit in the title-fight to just eight. Hunter Lawrence retained the red plate and his perfect podium-overall-finish record, his 2-3 moto scores netting him third overall. In the 250 class, Chance Hymas went 4-3 for third overall, while Jo Shimoda was fourth overall with 3-5 scores.

The CRF450RWE race machines of Hunter and Jett Lawrence were first and second across the holeshot line in the first premier-class moto, and the brothers proceeded to slug it out at the front in a performance that was reminiscent of their days battling for the 2022 250 title. A lap-3 bobble by Hunter allowed Jett to assume the lead, but the duo continued to run together, expanding the gap on third place to over 35 seconds by the time they crossed the finish line.

The second moto saw Jett and Hunter start second and fifth, respectively. Hunter moved up a position on lap 1, and another one on lap 2, but Chase Sexton got by him the next time around. Jett passed Jason Anderson on lap 5 and Hunter did likewise four laps later. Jett defended the lead for four laps before Chase Sexton got by. The two battled for three laps before Sexton went down, and Jett went on to take the win, with Hunter third.

The first 250 moto saw Hymas start well and move into the lead on the first lap, while Shimoda was quickly into fourth. Shimoda got by Tom Vialle, and the top three commenced a battle that lasted until Hymas made an error that allowed both Ty Masterpool and Shimoda to move by. With the laps winding down, Shimoda and Hymas both succumbed to Haiden Deegan, leaving them to finish third and fourth, respectively.

Shimoda and Hymas completed the first lap in sixth and seventh, in what would be a wild second moto. Hymas mounted a charge that carried him all the way to the lead before the midway point, and he held it for five laps before losing a couple of spots late, to finish third (still good enough for an overall podium). Shimoda had a steady moto to finish in the top five, his 3-5 giving him fourth overall.

NOTES

• Team Honda HRC attended the High Point Media Day on Friday, turning laps on the track and doing interviews with journalists.
• As usual, there was a pop-up activation booth in the Team Honda HRC pits at High Point. Pittsburgh dealership Snow’s Honda staffed the booth, displayed powersports products, engaged with fans and customers, and spread the word about Honda’s CRF promotion (purchase any 2024-or-earlier CRF250R or CRF450R and get a free canopy, aluminum stand and carpeted mat).
• For the first time in the premier class, Hunter Lawrence wore the red number plate on his CRF450RWE at High Point Raceway, and he kept it heading into round 5.
• As is the case at occasional races, lunch at the track for the Team Honda HRC crew was provided by longtime friends of the team Jamie Irvine and Jay Winter. In addition, the business partners also served the team Saturday-evening dinner at their Canonsburg restaurant, Toscana Brick Oven. “These guys have been our friends for over 20 years,” said Team Manager Lars Lindstrom. “They’re from the area and are a part of the team now, making sure that we all eat at a gourmet level. We love those guys!”
• Jett Lawrence posted the best 450 lap during morning qualifying. Hunter Lawrence was fourth-fastest, and Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis was 10^th-best. In the 250 ranks, Chance Hymas was second-quickest, while Jo Shimoda was 12^th.
• Of the 40 riders to compete in the 450 class, an impressive 10 were Honda-mounted.
• In High Point history, Honda has the most premier-class overall wins (15) and moto wins (30). Red Riders to win High Point’s premier class include Jimmy Ellis, Bob Hannah, Rick Johnson (twice), Jeff Stanton (twice), Doug Henry, Damon Bradshaw, Ezra Lusk, Ricky Carmichael (four times) and Jett Lawrence (now twice).
• Hunter maintained his perfect AMA Pro Motocross premier-class overall podium finishing record.
• In the 250 class, Hymas now has sole possession of second place in the standings, with Shimoda sitting in fifth.
• AMA Pro Motocross now has its first weekend off of the 2024 series, which will give Jett Lawrence some time to let his shoulder heal. Round 5 is on June 29 at The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts.

Jett Lawrence 18 “Chase [Sexton] had some good lines, and it was a bummer to see him go down–that was his race for sure. I didn’t feel as good, and my shoulder was fatiguing a bit more today. We were struggling a bit there, but I had a little Lady Luck. It was good to get the overall, and on to the break–it’s much needed.”

Hunter Lawrence 96 “I would’ve liked to capitalize a little better in the second moto, but I just didn’t have the flow from the first one. I’m not really stoked on that second moto, but we’ll take that one on the chin. Now, we can enjoy the weekend off, hang out at home and come out swinging at Southwick in a couple of weeks.”

Jo Shimoda 30 “Today was probably my best race of the outdoor season. I had better starts overall, and I was able to battle a little bit more up front and see the leaders, which was nice. I still need to make some improvements; the speed isn’t where I want it to be, but we’re getting much closer to where we should be.”

Chance Hymas 48 “I still need to figure out my first motos. I’m still trying to establish myself in this class. I’m sitting second in points, which is awesome, but it’s still going to be a struggle to get where I want to be. I need to find a little more speed and be smarter around the track. It’ll be a battle all summer, but I’m stoked to be where I am so far.”

Lars Lindstrom Team Manager “This weekend’s track was a great example of what American motocross is all about. With the rain we got on Friday night, the track turned out to be pretty epic for the motos, and I’m proud of all our guys today. It’s really good to see both of our 250 riders at the front of the pack, when there are so many capable riders in the field. We continue to improve on both the bikes, so I’m hoping that we can see both of the riders on the podium at some point. We really do have our starts dialed in on the 450, and it was a battle today against Chase Sexton. We’ll continue the fight and do our best to stay at the front of the pack.”