Christien Ducharme first met Jett Lawrence in the fall of 2018, before most people had even heard of the Australian motorcycle racer.
Lawrence was a gangly 15-year-old, barely 120 pounds and on the cusp of breaking into American motocross.
Ducharme had messaged Lawrence over Instagram a few times — even met his father, Darren, and brother, Hunter — but it wasn’t until Lawrence walked into the GEICO Honda shop that autumn day that the two hit it off.
It’s safe to say, neither mechanic nor rider had any idea what the next five years would hold.
“You know, it’s funny, going from that day to now; he actually has grown up,” Ducharme joked.
At the time, Lawrence was fresh off his final season competing in the EMX250 Motocross European Championship. His worldwide racing résumé also featured title runs in the FIM 65cc Junior Motocross Championship and Australian 85 Junior Motocross Championship.
To many, the early achievements simply serve as statistics to glance over when reading his bio, but to Lawrence those will forever be the days that built him.
“When we went to Europe, it was win at all costs,” Lawrence recalled. “We didn’t have that much money, we went over there with 8,000 euros to our name, to all of us, and we had to make that last until the house was sold.
“We went over there and we were like, ‘We’re here to succeed at any cost. We don’t care how it gets done, we’re going to do it.’”
It was that mentality that drove Lawrence, and his brother, to relocate to the United States in 2018 with the intention of making “Lawrence” a household name on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross circuits.
And it was with that relentless determination that 15-year-old Lawrence arrived at GEICO Honda to race for the team’s amateur Factory Connection Honda squad.
At the same time, a door was opening in Ducharme’s career.
After graduating from the Pro SX MX Tech Mechanic Trade School in West Virginia during 2016, Ducharme had been biding his time as a practice mechanic for Carson Mumford and a race mechanic for Hunter Yoder, who were both part of GEICO’s amateur program.
But Lawrence’s arrival in 2018 brought about an opportunity for Ducharme to hit the refresh button and start anew with the hotshot amateur.
With Lawrence antsy to work his way to the professional ranks, and Ducharme eager to continue climbing the ladder on the race team, the two joined forces for the 2019 season.
While the duo experienced the usual bumps and bruises that come with rookie endeavors, the sheer number of victories, titles and win streaks amassed over the ensuing five years is nothing short of legendary.
Together, Lawrence and Ducharme have collected five consecutive AMA championships and stacked up 25 wins across Supercross and motocross, including both 250cc and 450cc class competition.
There are many factors that have impacted their unparalleled success, but Lawrence believes his history with Ducharme is important to the story.
“I think it’s one of the best things. A lot of people look over it, but a really, really good relationship with your mechanic is a big thing, because on the dirt bike side of things, he’s the last person you really talk to,” Lawrence said.
They still had their awkward, getting-to-know-you phase, according to Ducharme, but the Vermont-born mechanic and Australian-bred rider have built a mutual trust that’s become invaluable.
“He knows what gets me going, what clicks me into focus and the right words to say on the line of what to do or what not to do,” Lawrence said. “It’s the small things.”
There’s a certain ease and comfortability they radiate at the track, as they’ve fine-tuned their race-day routines to near-perfection over the last five seasons.
“Every year, you know, you start to sense each other more and more. I can see when he is out there riding, if he’s fighting something, he’s not himself or just having an off day,” Ducharme said. “It’s as simple as being that we’ve been tied together for so long.”
One of Ducharme’s priorities during any given race weekend is to keep the mood light, which admittedly isn’t that difficult, considering the jovial personalities that he and Lawrence flaunt at the track.
“Honestly, the least serious we keep it, kind of seems to be the best,” Ducharme said. “There are times you rein it in and you’re serious, but most of the time, you try to keep it energized. Now, he’s finally getting older, but it’s hard to tell a 16-year-old kid to be so serious all the time.”
However, one of those “serious” moments occurred during the Aug. 26 Pro Motocross season finale at Unadilla MX in New Berlin, N.Y.
While 450 rookie Lawrence had clinched the premier class motocross championship two weekends prior at the Unadilla National — arguably relieving most of the pressure on his 20-year-old shoulders — he had more history-making potential ahead.
Should he win the final two motos of the year, he would become the first rookie to complete a perfect motocross season and only the third rider in series history to accomplish the feat.
The other two riders who have done so are Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart.
“It was like a whole new little stress window,” Ducharme said. “It wasn’t until Ironman that you’re like, ‘All right, we got 20 out of 22. Like, it’s not the time to ruin it.’”
While the responsibility was in Lawrence’s capable hands during the 20 minutes from gate drop to the checkered flag, every minute prior to the start of the race heightened Ducharme’s nerves.
“I was like, that’d really suck if the championship was already wrapped up and I ruined his perfect season,” Ducharme continued, “because he could be one of the top few guys to ever do it.”
Their fate was sealed under the Indiana sun, as Lawrence expertly kept Chase Sexton at bay to claim both moto victories and complete the 22-race sweep.
Of all the milestones the young Australian surpassed this year — from earning a final 250SX championship and claiming the 450 title in his rookie motocross season — it’s the winning streak that is most difficult for him to believe.
“At the beginning of the year, I thought it’d be sick, but I didn’t really think too much of the championship,” Lawrence said. “I thought, ‘If I do (win) it, it’s going to be very, very hard.’ But, to do it how I did it, I surprised myself a little with that one.”
Ducharme doesn’t find it quite as easy to pick just one highlight out of the long lineup of moments he’s shared with Lawrence.
“He’s won five championships in a row, so that alone has me like, ‘Am I still dreaming?’” Ducharme said. “To go from winning in one class to the next class, continuing to win like that, this whole season has had so many aspects to it that have been pretty cool just to be a part of.”
To quickly trace Lawrence’s winning record, one must start with his 250 motocross season in 2021, when the No. 18 rider earned his first championship in America riding for Honda HRC.
He continued that pattern during his 250SX East and 250 motocross campaigns in 2022, sweeping both titles. This year, Lawrence put the stamp on his 250 career with a fourth consecutive class championship in the 250SX West division.
Then, during the outdoor season, Lawrence moved up to the premier 450 class and proceeded to win every moto.
“Gosh, I hope I won the rookie of the season, cause dude, if I lost that, that would suck,” Lawrence playfully joked during the final motocross press conference.
But as the 20-year-old sat on stage alongside his brother, who had just clinched his first 250 motocross title, Lawrence couldn’t help but reflect on their journey.
“For us to be bankrupt and now to be driving matching Ferraris, it doesn’t seem real,” Lawrence said. “The way we were living in Australia, the pathway for us to be where we are, undefeated in a rookie season with a 450 championship, there was no pathway to that for us.
“To do what we’ve done and make history and be up there with Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart, it means the world.”
As much of a dream come true the last five years have been for Lawrence, it’s been equally rewarding for Ducharme, who has walked alongside Lawrence every step of the way.
After being named Mechanic of the Year in 2021, ’22 and ’23, Ducharme has a few of his own awards to add to his and Lawrence’s collection.
“That’s like our championship plaque,” Ducharme said. “The rider gets the No. 1 plate, but for us (mechanics), getting that (award) is like a personal achievement. It’s pretty cool to hang on your wall.”
While Lawrence and Ducharme have plenty of accomplishments to hang their hats on, most recently including the 450 SuperMotocross World Championship, this is only the beginning for the Honda HRC duo.
They have their sights set on winning a 450 class Supercross championship next — the only title they have yet to win together.
“We’ll go after it every season until we get that one,” Ducharme said.
This story appeared in the Oct 11, 2023, edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
