• Australian limits damage in difficult conditions
• Lawrence sits second in the championship standings, still in title fight

Adverse weather conditions created a demanding track and forced shortened main events at AMA Supercross’ 15^th round, held in Philadelphia. While the 450SX race didn’t go the way Honda HRC Progressive or Hunter Lawrence had hoped, they minimized what could have been significant damage and turned in a third-place result, keeping them in the title hunt.

Lawrence powered to the 450SX main-event holeshot aboard his CRF450RWE, leading Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb. The trio of title contenders battled early on before Lawrence was displaced by Roczen. Lawrence recovered and began challenging the leader before the halfway mark, but a fall in a rhythm section relegated him to third. From there, the focus shifted to damage limitation, as the Australian managed the situation to secure valuable championship points. With two rounds remaining, he sits just four points back in the standings, keeping him firmly in title contention.

Quad Lock Honda rider Joey Savatgy finished fourth overall, equaling his career-best premier-class result. Quad Lock’s Shane McElrath and Dean Wilson were sixth and eighth, making it four Hondas in the top eight. Quad Lock rider Christian Craig was 15^th.

NOTES

• Crossroad Powersports, a dealership in Upper Darby Township, enhanced the fan experience within the Honda HRC Progressive pit area through a pop-up activation, showcasing a CRF250R, a CRF110F and additional products while engaging directly with fans.
• Still recovering from a fractured fibula, Honda HRC Progressive rider Jo Shimoda attended the Philadelphia round and participated in the autograph session with his teammate Hunter Lawrence.
• Recently signed Storm Lake Honda rider Kyleigh Stallings, who will participate in the upcoming WMX championship, was interviewed by Peacock for an upcoming WMX preview show.
• In 250SX East combined qualifying, Storm Lake Honda riders Izaih Clark and Luke Neese were 11^th and 17^th, respectively. Phoenix Racing Honda rider Gavin Towers qualified 13^th, Jeremy Hand (Valley Motorsports) was 15^th, Short Racing’s John Short IV was 18^th, and Ti Lube Honda’s Ryder Floyd was 21^st. Clark, Floyd, Hand, Towers and Neese went on to qualify for the main event through their heat races, respectively finishing third, fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth (five Hondas advancing directly to the main). Towers went on to finish a respectable ninth in the main event, with Hand 11^th and Floyd 17^th.
• Lawrence turned in the second-fastest time in 450SX qualifying. Quad Lock Honda riders Shane McElrath, Joey Savatgy, Christian Craig and Dean Wilson qualified in seventh, ninth, 10^th and 12^th, respectively. Privateer Red Riders Kyle Bitterman (Underdog Racing) and Zack Williams (McGinley Clinic) qualified 31^st and 32^nd, respectively.
• Following a crash in the 250SX East main event, Clark was carried off the track by the Alpinestars Mobile Medical crew. The following day, Storm Lake Honda Manager Buddy Brooks confirmed that Clark had broken his femur in the incident, and that he had undergone an eight-hour surgery and was in good spirits. Everyone at American Honda wishes Clark a speedy recovery.
• Lawrence grabbed the holeshot in his 450SX heat race, before dropping to third on a very slippery track. In the second heat race, Savatgy impressed with a hard-fought win over Justin Barcia, marking his first premier-class heat race win since his rookie season in 2019. 
• With only two rounds remaining, Hunter sits second in the 450SX standings, four points behind Ken Roczen and 20 points ahead of Cooper Webb. 
• Honda HRC Progressive heads to Denver for the penultimate round of AMA Supercross on Saturday, May 2.

Hunter Lawrence 96 “We invested a lot more time into the starts in wet conditions, and that was a big positive this weekend; I had good starts in the heat race and the main event, so it’s good to see the work pay off. I felt really good with how I was riding, and just the smallest little mistake in the wrong part of the track bit me. Then your gloves are all muddy, so it’s just kind of trying to get back into a rhythm and not have the train completely come off the tracks. They say mud is the great equalizer, but it’s more like a minefield. We didn’t quite get the end result we wanted, but that’s racing. I’m excited to leave here having learned more, so we’re ready for whatever the last two rounds bring—it’s going to be good!”

Jo Shimoda 30 Out for the remainder of SX Season with Fractured Fibula. Hopes to return for MX Outdoor Series.

Lars Lindstrom Team Manager “Not the results we were aiming for, but as everyone knows, in these conditions, anything can happen, good or bad; to only lose five points is something we’ll look at positively. I’m really happy with Hunter and the team for understanding what we needed to improve to make sure that we get good starts in any condition, to give us the best chance at a win. It’s a bummer that Hunter had that tip-over, because he had a good flow going; I think he had a great chance at winning that race. Another positive is that this simplifies things; we have to go out and win the last two races if we want to win this championship.”