• Japanese rider earns third-place result in 250SX East main event
• Crash in 450SX main belies Hunter Lawrence’s impressive speed
• Australian still firmly in the premier-class title fight

Round 11 of AMA Supercross in Detroit presented several trials for Honda HRC Progressive, although there were positives for the team and riders to take away. Despite adversity, Jo Shimoda secured a podium finish as the 250SX East class reached its season’s midway point. Meanwhile, Hunter Lawrence was the fastest 450SX qualifier, won his heat race and set the fastest lap time of the main event, before a crash and subsequent visit to the mechanics’ area resulted in an 18th-place result. Although the misfortune resulted in the Australian slipping out of the points lead, he sits just four points behind the leader.

Lawrence did not get his usual stellar start in the 450SX main, but he quickly advanced from fifth place out of turn 1 to third place by lap 3. Unfortunately, while challenging Chase Sexton for second just before the halfway mark, he suffered a hard crash at the end of the whoop section. Although Lawrence remounted quickly, the fall had resulted in a bent handlebar and a jammed front brake. A stop by the mechanics’ area to remove dirt from the brake lever cost him even more time, and he finished in 18^th place. Quad Lock Honda riders Joey Savatgy, Christian Craig and Shane McElrath turned in ninth-, 12^th– and 14^th-place results, respectively.

Shimoda launched to a strong second-place start in the 250SX East main event and ran third early on. He moved back up to second on lap 3 and then lost the position a couple of laps later, running at a good pace while managing arm pump. The Japanese rider slipped to fourth just past the halfway point, but a late-race crash by Coty Schock opened the door for Shimoda to secure a podium finish. He remains third in the standings, 14 points behind the leading Cole Davies. Additional Red Rider highlights included a strong ride from Luke Neese, who finished inside the top 10, while Phoenix Racing Honda’s Evan Ferry delivered a career-best performance with an 11th-place result.

NOTES

• Phoenix Racing Honda riders Evan Ferry and Gavin Towers took part in Friday’s Media Day activities.
• Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cullin Park suffered a dislocated shoulder injury during last week’s 250SX East/West Showdown main event in Birmingham. Further examination revealed a fracture, and Park underwent successful surgery on March 25. The Floridian will miss the remainder of the series. 
• While Honda HRC Progressive riders Jett Lawrence and Chance Hymas continue to progress well in their recoveries from injury, both attended the U.S. MotoGP round in Austin, Texas.
• Quad Lock Honda’s Joey Savatgy made his return to racing in Detroit, having recovered from a March 7 foot injury sustained in Indianapolis. 
• Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda placed 12^th in 250SX combined qualifying. Phoenix Racing Honda riders Evan Ferry and Gavin Towers qualified seventh and 11^th, respectively. Jeremy Hand (Valley Motorsports) qualified in 20^th, John Short IV (Short Racing) was 21^st and Ryder Floyd (Ti Lube Honda) was 27^th, while Storm Lake Honda riders Luke Neese and Izaih Clark were 23^rd and 24^th, respectively. 
• Honda HRC Progressive rider Hunter Lawrence placed first in 450SX combined qualifying, followed by Quad Lock Honda riders Christian Craig, Joey Savatgy and Shane McElrath, who were 12^th, 13^th and 15^th, respectively. Red Rider Zack Williams (McGinley Clinic) qualified in 27^th.
• Shimoda got a rough start in the first 250SX East heat race, getting to the first corner in 10^th. He steadily worked his way forward, moving to fourth toward the end of the race, before a crash by Caden Dudney allowed him to take third. Ferry, Towers and Neese advanced directly through the second heat race, while Hand secured his spot in the main event with a second-place finish in the LCQ.
• Lawrence dominated the second 450SX heat race with a holeshot and wire-to-wire victory, while Savatgy (seventh) and McElrath (eighth) also transferred directly to the main event. Earlier, Craig had grabbed the holeshot in his heat race before finishing fifth.
• Lawrence now sits second in the 450SX championship standings, four points behind Eli Tomac, with six rounds remaining.
• Honda HRC Progressive will look to rebound at round 12 of AMA Supercross this Saturday in St. Louis. The 250SX class will feature an East-West Showdown.

Hunter Lawrence 96 “My day was a bit of a bittersweet one. The qualifying race went really well, and I was happy with everything—the bike, the team, myself, everything felt great. I was feeling really good in the main event and was honestly feeling so comfortable. I was really happy with where I was, and I made a push to the front and was catching Kenny and Chase. I just got caught by surprise with the crash at the end of the whoops. I was okay, but the bike took some unfortunate damage. It’s just racing, sometimes that happens, and I had to pull into the mechanics’ area. I crashed two more times just due to the front brake locking on, so that was difficult to bring home but I think we managed two points. It was a difficult situation, but we’re still in it and can’t wait to bounce back next weekend.”

Jo Shimoda 30 “The track was pretty jumpy and had massive whoops, and I was just uncomfortable. It was a bit of chaos in the first lap. I had arm pump right away, so it got sketchy. Honestly, there's nothing good about today. I was slow, and I just couldn't figure it out; I didn't make the smart decisions. We’re five rounds in now, so I need to step it up and for the wins. I think [next week’s] Showdown is the best opportunity for the situation I'm in right now, so next week we have to deliver.”

Lars Lindstrom Team Manager “We’ve had a great 450 season so far, with not a lot of difficulties, which is represented by our run of finishes inside the top four at every event so far this year up until now. It wouldn’t be very normal to have a season without some adversity, so although we gave up a lot of points tonight, we’re still in a great position for the championship. The way that Hunter has been riding gives me a lot of confidence that we’re still in the driver’s seat. Most important, he wasn’t injured and is more motivated than ever to win more races. Jo wasn’t himself tonight, which I think was a combination of the track, and him not feeling 100% physically. Hopefully he can get a good week of training in and come out swinging in St. Louis. Both Hunter and Jo won there in September for the SMX race, so we have good vibes going into this coming weekend.”