Unsatisfied with their performances at the opening round of the SuperMotocross Playoffs, Jett and Hunter Lawrence more than made up for it at the second of three stops, this one at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. The brothers posted overall wins in their respective classes (Jett in 450SMX, Hunter in 250SMX), and since the event paid double points, they also improved their positions in the title chases. 

Jett Lawrence nailed the holeshot in the first 450SMX moto, with Sexton sitting third out of turn 1. Sexton powered by Justin Barcia on lap 1 and pressured Lawrence, the two Red Riders pulling ahead of the field. Sexton eventually backed off but held Ken Roczen off to finish second. 

Lawrence and Sexton started well in moto 2 and—following an action-packed first lap—were first and third, respectively. Lawrence fought off the advances of Roczen lap after lap, then decided to allow the German by with three laps remaining, knowing that a second-place finish would still earn him the overall win.

The first 250SMX moto saw Hunter Lawrence emerge from turn 1 in third place, and he overtook Tom Vialle on the first lap. The Australian then hunted Haiden Deegan for the first seven laps before moving by just after the finish line. Hunter then rode mistake-free for the final five laps to take the moto win. 

The next time out, Hunter sat in third in the early going, locked in a battle for the lead with Justin Cooper and erstwhile points leader Jo Shimoda. He made a pass stick on Cooper at the one-third mark, and took over the lead at the two-thirds mark when Shimoda appeared to suffer a mechanical issue. From there, Lawrence was able to cruise to a comfortable win and take over the points lead.

After taking part in the pre-race press conference and PR activities, all three active Team Honda HRC riders got to try the track during Friday’s free-practice sessions. Jett Lawrence and Chase Sexton were 1-2 on the 450 time sheets, while Hunter Lawrence was third in the 250 ranks.

With two of three SMX rounds completed, Team Honda HRC is in strong contention for both titles as they head to Los Angeles this weekend. Chase Sexton and Jett Lawrence sit 1-2 in the 450 championship chase, separated by just two points. Hunter Lawrence leads the 250 fight, with three points over second place. Triple points are paid at the finale, so strong results will be even more important there.

Jett Lawrence: “I didn’t want another weekend like Charlotte. I came into this weekend with a lot of motivation for a good result. We worked a lot on starts this weekend, and I think that was the key today. I also feel like racing a more motocross-type track fits my riding style better; I felt a little bit more at home on the track this weekend, and it was much easier to try and find the correct suspension for this layout.

I think it was the two laps when I think Kenny was really on me, when he kind of closed the gap. I was riding, but my mind was somewhere else thinking, trying to do math. But, I kind of took two laps and was just thinking and making sure if I did let him pass, it wouldn’t affect my overall. But it turns out my great math wouldn’t have meant anything if I would have let him pass or not. 

So that’s my good math. But it was two laps I was thinking of it. Then I was like, I’m pretty sure I’m good. So at that back section I just let him pass. Then just kind of ran behind. I got to see how he races, so it was a good thing for me because obviously I can only learn so much if I’m in front of the guy. So it was nice to kind of see how Kenny’s lines were and see how he kind of races on a bit of a tighter track. I got to see in outdoors, but I haven’t quite seen in more of a kind of supercrossy layout.

Hunter Lawrence: We had a much better night in Chicago than in Charlotte. We put a lot of effort into our starts this week and made some changes that worked out for the better. I’m happy to be leaving here with a win and right in the championship hunt. 

We knew that, as long as we were in the top three going into Los Angeles, we had a chance, with the way the points are structured. We just have to head into this last round with starts like today, and we’ll be just fine.