Just 112 days after exiting the AMA Supercross series with a torn ACL, Honda HRC Progressive rider Jett Lawrence returned to action for the opening AMA Pro Motocross round in Pala, California, where he extended his flawless overall-win record at Fox Raceway to eight (five in 250, three in 450), via an impressive premier-class moto sweep. Also returning from a layoff (his due to a shoulder injury) was Hunter Lawrence, who tallied a 3-4 score for third overall.

On a track that developed deep ruts and technical lines throughout the day, the Lawrence brothers showed poise and composure in their return to racing. Jett and Hunter nailed their moto 1 starts aboard their CRF450RWE race machines, exiting turn 1 first and second, respectively. Jett went wire-to-wire to win by 11.482 seconds over Justin Cooper, with Hunter a solid third. Hunter went on to rip a huge moto 2 holeshot before Jett quickly took over.

Eli Tomac moved into second early and engaged in a legendary battle with Jett, who held off the “Beast Mode” challenges the entire 37 minutes and 4 seconds to take an emotional win. Hunter defended third place from Aaron Plessinger for most of the race, only to relinquish the position when he made an error on the final lap, though his fourth place was good enough for third overall.

Jett Lawrence

“With everything we’ve gone through, with injuries and having to deal with the mental battle, and my body not handling the pain killers very well—I had all that emotion, and I was thinking, ‘I can’t wait for Pala—I want to win.’ I have a good circle of people around me, and they all backed me in difficult moments. This is a reward not just for me, but for them. It was good to be back out there again and get that adrenaline rush.”

Hunter Lawrence

“Pretty average day. I’m happy, and we’ll take it. Coming back from an injury, you never really know. For sure I had more outdoor prep than in years prior, but it’s just a race-pace thing—it’s tough to just jump back in. Me and AP [Aaron Plessinger] battled the whole second moto, and then I made a small mistake on the last lap and he was right there to capitalize on it. That was a punch in the gut, but it was good—a lot to build on.”