race recap
JETT LAWRENCE GRIT-225 450MX
July 4, 2023 · Jett Lawrence
JETT LAWRENCE | GRIT-225 | 450MX
What else could be said about Honda's Jett Lawrence? The 450cc rookie had been dominant thus far in 2023, and would continue on that pattern throughout the course of the Red Bud National on Saturday. Months ago, he would prove that he could excel aboard the larger engine via action at the Motocross of Nations...but with Chase Sexton returning to competition for the fifth round of the current tour, many enthusiasts wondered if this would be "the race" in which Lawrence's streak was broken. Jett proceeded to refute the claim of anyone combatting his streak of excellency, with stellar lap-times in practice and a hole-shot to the first moto; where he edged ahead of the hard-charging Ty Masterpool when dashing across the chalk line. Lawrence then proceeded to engage in his patented sense of race-craft, where he combined an unbelievable flow of fluidity with outright speed that couldn't be nullified - leading to a multi-second gap being built, and sustained, as he managed the moto from the pinnacle of the leaderboard. He would monitor his adversaries as he raced forward amongst paralleled sections of the layout, taking subtle glances to his left and right while Dylan Ferrandis, and Chase Sexton would try to work their way through the field...but there was nothing that could rattle the red-plate holder, who seemed be multiple steps ahead of the competition! Eventually leading all seventeen laps before taking the checkered flag, Lawrence would again prove as to why he's considered one of the great(s) in the current era. For the second moto of the afternoon, Lawrence (again) mastered the hole-shot sequence and put the entire field behind him...but was startled when he could hear a Yamaha engine beginning to move closer in the earliest of laps. It was Dylan Ferrandis, which caused the Australian to glance over his shoulder and monitor as to how fast the number fourteen was charging. The "surge" on behalf of the French rider would be quickly erased though, where Jett managed to break away as laps were stockpiled and they neared the halfway point. Again, the Honda rider wouldn't pay any attention to what was occurring behind him; even with teammate Chase Sexton returning to action. This would lead to a multi-second gap, amplifying to a nearly ten-second margin at one point...before Lawrence cruised across the line with an extraordinary feeling of confidence, claiming another overall win via scores of first and first!