ANAHEIM, Calif. — Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence took an impressive win amid wet track conditions inside Angel Stadium.
It was the defending Monster Energy AMA Supercross and SMX World Championship champ’s first win of the season, and it was a thriller with four to five racers battling for the lead for much of the race.
Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen came out of the exciting main event battle with a second-place finish and becomes the third points leader after three rounds.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson took over the lead six minutes into the race and held the spot for approximately eight laps. Anderson battled hard and finished the night with a third-place finish. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac, the points leader going into the race, recovered from a near-last start to earn a seventh-place finish.
“You have to be very patient [racing in those conditions]. Jason was riding really well, and I was struggling to find anywhere to gain on him or try to make a pass,” Lawrence said. “He had to get a little risky in the whoops… I think we both got sketchy through them. I was being very patient and trying not to rush anything. Lap by lap I just hit my marks. There was the rain, my goggles were fogging up a little bit, but we’re happy to get that [win]. We’re better than we were at the last round at Anaheim, so that’s good. On to the next round in Arizona.”
Roczen moved into the point lead.
“It’s an absolute dream. After I was in position last week for a possible third, I came back [to the truck and] was thinking it would be so rad to share a red plate with Eli,” Roczen said. “And just to have a red plate, it’s been a long time, especially on a Suzuki. I wasn’t able to make [a win] happen tonight. This was an absolutely insane race. We were in a battle the whole way, and it was awesome. With the rain and how hardpacked the dirt was, it was very slippery out there, but I just kept my focus the whole way… After making a [first] pass stick on Jason I hit neutral, and he got me back. I was bummed because it’s a lot of work to get by.”
In 250SX class racing, Haiden Deegan grabbed the holeshot with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer in second. Beaumer made an aggressive pass attempt in the second corner that brought the two racers together for the second time that night.
Deegan held the lead and quickly pulled out a cushion to never be challenged again even as heavy rain came down late in the race. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies earned his first professional podium in just his third professional Supercross race; it came courtesy of a last-lap mistake from Triumph Racing’s Jordon Smith who was challenging for the second-place spot when he crashed in the whoops. The 250SX Class podium consisted of three teenagers; it was the first all-teen podium since 2011. Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda, winner of the season opener, put in a steady ride, despite having two broken fingers, to move from 10th place up to sixth at the checkers.
“You pissed off the bull last week,” Deegan said. “Juju ran his mouth so it’s time to lock in. You don’t want to piss me off because I come out swinging. A big thanks to my team, they put a lot of work in this week. We grinded from morning until the end of the day, multiple times. We got the bike dialed… keep talking and I’ll come out swinging.”
