Welcome to Fox Raceway for round one of the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. After just one week off, the boys are back to kick off the summer’s racing series. We’ve got feet on the ground in Pala to bring you coverage all day long. After four long motos, it’s both Lawrence’s taking their overall victories.
450 Moto 1
Jett Lawrence put on an absolute clinic in the first 450 moto. He grabbed the holeshot and ran away with the win, the first of his new 450MX career. It was a smooth race for Lawrence, who finished 10 seconds up on his teammate Sexton.
Chase Sexton took second in moto one. Even with a slow start, the Honda rider still matched the best laps of his teammate. In the end he just couldn’t make up enough time on Lawrence out front. A second in the first moto still kept him in contention for the day’s overall.
Dylan Ferrandis returned to action today and held tough for a podium in moto one. The Yamaha rider was a bit off the pace from the two front runners but he still stayed in front of the two KTM’s of Webb and Plessinger.
450 Moto 2
The second 450 moto looked like a near carbon copy from moto one. Lawrence started off in the lead with Sexton closely behind in second. The two teammates went toe to toe for the entire 36-minute race, never being more than three seconds apart. Both riders made mistakes but Jett held on for the win over Sexton. With 1-1 and 2-2 scores, the two Honda’s took the top two spots on the podium.
Dylan Ferrandis held on for third in moto two. He battled again with Webb and Plessinger but held on for the final spot on the box. A consistent 3-3 day for Ferrandis earned him third overall in his first race back.
Webb and Plessinger flip-flopped results, trading fourths and fifths on the day. Plessinger got the advantage with 5-4 over Webb’s 4-5.
450MX Overall Results (Top 10)
| 1. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 1-1 |
| 2. | Chase Sexton | (Hon) | 2-2 |
| 3. | Dylan Ferrnadis | (Yam) | 3-3 |
| 4. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 5-4 |
| 5. | Cooper Webb | (KTM) | 4-5 |
| 6. | Adam Cianciarulo | (Kaw) | 6-7 |
| 7. | Grant Harlan | (Yam) | 9-6 |
| 8. | Jose Butron | (GG) | 10-8 |
| 9. | Lorenzo Locurcio | (GG) | 7-11 |
| 10. | Fredrik Noren | (Suz) | 13-9 |
250 Moto 1
RJ Hampshire was the man to beat in the first 250 moto of the day. The Husqvarna rider battled for the lead early on and took over the top spot after the first few laps. He ran away with the win in the first moto and set the tone for the rest of the day.
Max Vohland came out swinging in moto one and put the haters to rest with a front-running performance. The KTM pilot started near the front of the field and settled into a solid pace behind Hampshire. After an up-and-down Supercross series, it’s good to see Vohland on the box against a stacked field.
Hunter Lawrence took third. The 250 East Supercross champ started off slowly but worked his way through the field as the race wore on. By the time he caught up to the front, there was nothing he could do. Third place still put him in contention for the day’s overall.
250 Moto 2
Hunter Lawrence bounced back in the second moto with a dominant win. He took the holeshot and never looked back, leading every lap of the 30+2 lap race. With 3-1 finishes, Lawrence takes the overall win at round one.
Haiden Deegan finished second in moto two. The 250 rookie started up in podium territory and moved his way past Tom Vialle near the half-way point. Deegan looked like a vet as he cruised to second in the race and second overall.
Tom Vialle held on for third. The two-time MX2 World Champion is in his rookie year here in the states and landed on the podium in his first outdoor race. His third place finish put him in a three-way tie for fourth, but his second moto finish gave him the upper hand in the overalls.
RJ Hampshire didn’t see the same success in race two as he crashed twice on lap one alone. Hampshire clawed his way up but fell again late in race and eventually finished 11th. His 1-11 scores still earned him third overall.
250MX Overall Results (Top 10)
| 1. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 3-1 |
| 2. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 6-2 |
| 3. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 1-11 |
| 4. | Tom Vialle | (KTM) | 7-3 |
| 5. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 5-4 |
| 6. | Maximus Vohland | (KTM) | 2-9 |
| 7. | Jo Shimoda | (Kaw) | 4-6 |
| 8. | Guillem Farres | (Yam) | 8-5 |
| 9. | Levi Kitchen | (Yam) | 10-7 |
| 10. | Carson Mumford | (Kaw) | 11-8 |
QUALIFYING
Jett Lawrence is making his full-time 450 debut today and he did so in typical Jett fashion. The 450 rookie set the fastest time of the morning, three seconds ahead of his Honda teammate Chase Sexton. Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo rounded out the top three in qualifying.
450MX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 2:20.539 |
| 2. | Chase Sexton | (Hon) | 2:23.053 |
| 3. | Adam Cianciarulo | (Kaw) | 2:23.251 |
| 4. | Cooper Webb | (KTM) | 2:23.507 |
| 5. | Dylan Ferrandis | (Yam) | 2:24.190 |
| 6. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 2:24.862 |
| 7. | Derek Drake | (Suz) | 2:25.889 |
| 8. | Dante Oliveira | (KTM) | 2:26.862 |
| 9. | Jerry Robin | (Yam) | 2:28.019 |
| 10. | Fredrik Noren | (Suz) | 2:28.049 |
250MX
The field is stacked in the 250MX class with the usual suspects and some new faces. There’s a wave of rookies making their debuts today and many of them landed inside the top 10. Justin Cooper is back on a 250 after a brief stint in the 450SX class. He topped the charts ahead of Max Vohland and Supercross champ, Hunter Lawrence.
250MX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 2:21.308 |
| 2. | Max Vohland | (KTM) | 2:22.200 |
| 3. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 2:22.225 |
| 4. | Levi Kitchen | (Yam) | 2:23.550 |
| 5. | Jo Shimoda | (Kaw) | 2:23.804 |
| 6. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 2:23.938 |
| 7. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 2:24.056 |
| 8. | Jeremy Martin | (Yam) | 2:24.311 |
| 9. | Guillem Farres | (Yam) | 2:24.488 |
| 10. | Ryder DiFrancesco | (Kaw) | 2:24.532 |
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