DOMINANT 1-2 RESULTS FOR JETT AND HUNTER LAWRENCE AT HANGTOWN MX CLASSIC

Monday, 8th June 2026

Hangtown, Prairie City SVRA

Dominant 1-2 Results for Jett and Hunter Lawrence at Hangtown MX Classic

・Honda HRC Progressive duo untouchable in both 450 motos.

・Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas overcome adversity to secure top-10 250 results.


Honda HRC Progressive rider Jett Lawrence has been nearly untouchable in his 450 AMA Pro Motocross career thus far, so a third-overall finish at last week’s 2026 opener—while a dream result for nearly anyone else—had some wondering if his superiority had slipped. At this weekend’s Hangtown Motocross Classic however, Lawrence shrugged off the pain of a still-healing ankle and dominated, topping qualifying and winning both motos. Teammate and brother Hunter Lawrence—who had turned in a similar performance one week earlier—was also impressive, finishing a strong second in both motos and retaining a lead in the championship fight.

A moto 1 holeshot and another strong start in moto 2 allowed Jett to control the races from the front. Looking increasingly comfortable aboard his CRF450RWE, the defending AMA Pro Motocross Champion was nearly flawless on his way to securing his first overall victory of the season. Still, he was pushed most of the way by Hunter, who displayed his signature consistency and speed throughout the day. He spent most of moto 1 in third place but made a late pass on Haiden Deegan and then immediately pulled away to finish second. Moto 2 saw the Australian grab the holeshot and lead lap 1 before a red flag reset the race. After the restart, Hunter found himself in second place and spent the remainder of the moto applying pressure to his younger brother. His efforts secured second overall and completed another 1-2 finish for Honda HRC Progressive.

In the 250 division, Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas took significant steps forward from the opening round, showcasing improved starts and podium-contending speed on their way to securing fifth and eighth overall, respectively.

Shimoda delivered a solid third-place finish in moto 1 after spending much of the race challenging for second, while Hymas impressed with a fifth-place result. Unfortunately, both riders were caught in a massive first-turn incident at the start of moto 2, forcing them to charge from deep in the pack. Despite the setback, both riders mounted determined comeback rides, with Shimoda steadily working his way forward to finish sixth in the moto and fifth overall, while Hymas finished 12th in the moto and eighth overall. Although the final overall results do not fully reflect the pace demonstrated by both riders, their performance highlighted important progress. 

NOTES

・All four Honda HRC Progressive riders took part in Friday’s media activities, conducting interviews with the attending outlets and getting some time on the Hangtown track. Weather conditions were much hotter than on race day.

・Roseville Honda Motorsports—a Powerhouse dealer based about 35 minutes north of the track—staffed a popup display in the Honda HRC Progressive pits at Hangtown, showing a 2026 CRF450R, as well as a CRF50F (Honda also had a 2027 CRF450R on display). The activation was also an opportunity for the dealership to engage with local fans and customers.

・Between the first and second qualifying sessions, the four factory Honda riders took part in an autograph session in the Honda HRC Progressive pits.

・AMA Pro Motocross announcer Katie Osborne was featured on Race Day Live, as she was invited to the Honda Rider Education Center to ride a CRF250F with her family.

・Hangtown marked the first round of the 2026 WMX series, and two Red Riders—Quad Lock Honda’s Charli Cannon and SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen—were representing. This season finds the class contesting one moto on Fridays and one moto on Saturdays, with the latter included in the Peacock coverage. Cannon finished second overall with 3-2 results, while Nielsen placed third overall with a 2-3 tally.

・Before the start of the second moto, Peacock aired a feature on Nielsen, which included a look at her career so far and interviews with her parents.

・Peacock also included a feature on Jett Lawrence’s comeback from injury.

・For the second week in a row, a Lawrence topped 450 combined qualifying, only this time it was Jett instead of Hunter. The older Lawrence brother had a stellar hot lap going at the end of the second session, but a late tip-over left him a respectable fourth. Quad Lock Honda riders Christian Craig and Kyle Webster were 10th and 19th, respectively, with SLR Honda’s Justin Rodbell 23rd, Limited Decal-backed Sage Powers 39th, Hoag Racing’s Blake Hoag 41st, JCR Honda’s Ryan Surratt 43rd, Clinton Racing’s KC Clinton 55th, Feine Tune Racing’s Gavin Tilford 58th, Factory Moto Kids’ Talon Gorman 61st, Morse Racing’s Rocco Morse 68th, Factory Moto Kids’ Jeffrey Gorman 69th, Strode Racing’s Kaiser Strode 71st, Badell Racing’s Jack Badell 72nd and Jordan Isola Racing-sponsored Jordan Isola 75th. Surratt finished third in the 450 last-chance qualifier, slotting him into the motos.

・Honda HRC Progressive riders Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas had a respectable showing in 250 combined qualifying, placing third and sixth, respectively. Phoenix Racing Honda rookie Aden Keefer was 24th-best, two spots ahead of teammate Gavin Towers. SLR Honda’s Alvin Hillan was 42nd, MPS Enterprise-backed Ty Freehill was 54th, and Honda Switzerland AGMX Racing rider Tim Jaunin was 57th. Hillan won the 250 last-chance qualifier, earning a spot in the motos.

・Jett posted the fastest lap times in both 450 motos, and his moto 2 best was particularly impressive—over 1.3 seconds better than anyone else. Hunter was second on the lap-time sheets in both motos.

・With this weekend’s victory, Honda extends its premier-class overall-win record at Hangtown to 21—nine more than the next-closest manufacturer. Red Riders on the list include Billy Grossi, Marty Smith, Bob Hannah, Alan King, Rick Johnson (three times), Jeff Stanton, John Dowd, Jeremy McGrath, Kevin Windham, Sebastian Tortelli, Ricky Carmichael (three times), Chad Reed, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen and Jett Lawrence (three times).

・Honda HRC Progressive heads to Lakewood, Colorado, for the Thunder Valley National Motocross this Saturday. Hunter Lawrence will continue to carry the red plate on his CRF450RWE. The event will also mark the second round of the WMX Championship, with Quad Lock Honda’s Charli Cannon and SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen competing again.

1 Jett Lawrence

Honda HRC Progressive

“I worked on my starts a lot this week, but didn’t ride as much, to try and save my ankle. I honestly think this track looked after my ankle a lot more than Pala; I had a lot of moments where I could rest my foot, and my ankle is definitely not as sore as last week. Obviously, Hunter’s my brother, so I know him very well—he’s always right there for the whole race. I spent the first 15 minutes getting a flow, using the least amount of energy, and then halfway through did one really fast lap to get a gap where I could pull away. It was a good day, and I’m happy I was able to go 1-1, like I used to; it gives me some confidence going into the rest of the season.”

Hunter Lawrence 96

Honda HRC Progressive

“It was a different kind of race craft today. Where normally most tracks, you can sit on a guy’s rear wheel for a good amount of time, and you can take different lines and not really lose that tag—you had to time things. Multiple times in the first moto, I’d take half a lap or a lap as a breather, and then I’d try and make another little push and make something happen. I tried doing the same thing with Jett in the second moto, but when I took the breather, he ended up sprinting for his fastest lap, and I couldn’t bridge that gap again. I feel like any time you were following someone and tried a different line, you just lost time, so I really do feel like that red flag messed me up.”

Jo Shimoda 30

Honda HRC Progressive

“Overall, it was a positive day. I think the bike has gotten better for me, but we still need to work on the starts a little bit. If we can get up in the front, I think we can avoid the carnage and get away with better results. But my riding is good, I feel pretty fit, and I’m excited for next weekend.”

Chance Hymas 29

Honda HRC Progressive

“Round 2 at Hangtown was alright. It’s just too bad I got caught up in a pileup in the second moto. That wasn’t great, but we made improvements on the bike coming into this weekend, and we’re looking forward to restarting next weekend.”

Lars LindstromTeam Manager

Honda HRC Progressive

“Last weekend was kind of an anomaly, because Jett is typically one of the best starters. But we worked on that this week, and it literally took him 15 minutes on Tuesday before he was already ripping starts. Today, the racing between him and Hunter was epic. Hunter was absolutely going for it in the second moto, and it was really fun to watch. They’re super competitive, so it’s going to be a dogfight for this championship. It reminded me of 2022, when they went back and forth in 250 outdoors, and just had these really awesome races.

“The 250 class is super difficult—when everybody’s so close, you have to get a good start. Jo made his way through the pack in the second moto, but our goal is to get really consistent starts, like we did at the end of last summer. Jo almost got a great start in that second moto, but then Seth Hammaker’s bike came over and kind of got in his way. If he would’ve been P2 then, I think he would’ve won that moto, and then it would have been a different conversation. For Chance, he just needs to find his groove and get his craft and fitness back. Colorado is the track that he’s the most comfortable at, so I’m hoping we can make a big step there and then keep building.”

250MX Overall Results

1. Levi Kitchen (Kaw)

2. Julien Beaumer (KTM)

3. Seth Hammaker (Kaw)

4. Cole Davies (Yam)

5. Jo Shimoda (Hon)

6. Nicholas Romano (Kaw)

7. Max Vohland (Yam)

8. Chance Hymas (Hon)

9. Carson Mumford (KTM)

10. Kayden Minear (Yam)

—
32. Aden Keefer (Hon)
37. Alvin Hillan (Hon)
39. Gavin Towers (Hon)

250MX Championship Points (after 2 of 11 rounds)

1. Seth Hammaker: 85

2. Levi Kitchen: 78

3. Julien Beaumer: 71

4. Cole Davies: 70

5. Jo Shimoda: 69

6. Nicholas Romano: 61

7. Chance Hymas: 56

8. Max Vohland: 49

9. Carson Mumford: 48

10. Ryder DiFrancesco: 47

—
31. Gavin Towers: 1