race recap
JETT LAWRENCE - GRIT 234 450SMX
September 27, 2023 · Jett Lawrence
JETT LAWRENCE | GRIT-234 | 450 SMX
Seeking to conclude a legendary run in his initial 450cc season on a high note, Jett Lawrence sought to ravage the track within the LA Memorial Coliseum as the lights grew brightest on Saturday evening. After battling at the highest tier of the pack for qualification, no-one could refute his prowess aboard the Honda chassis prior to gate(s) falling for the first main event of the evening. And once that occurred, the crowed would roar with exclamation as he bolted down the initial straightaway albeit under complete control. Garnering a position of fourth, before Justin Barcia crashed (which ultimately resulted in an unfortunate red-flag). This though, seemed to play into the hand of the Australian as the margin between he and his competitors had lessened - and following the red-flag restart, it was Lawrence who quickly made passes on that of Chase Sexton and eventually Jason Anderson. Now into second (by lap six), the pivotal point of action between he and Ken Roczen (who led the field around) would be a tremendous quadruple jump, onto the plateau before the finish-line. It was daring, and extremely dangerous - but the Honda rider possessed the leap within his arsenal of tools and continued to "pull it" per se, prior to a tremendous pass being made before the eighth lap was completed! Many in the crowd could sense that a bit of "flare" accompanied the move, where Lawrence would cut to the inside in the corner after with multiple instances of scrubbing on the obstacles thereafter...and once into the lead, he would monitor the margin that was sustained he and the German rider, keeping himself at an admirable distance prior to the checkered flag waving where he accomplished victory! For moto-two, his quick advances into second (where he placed his machine ahead of Adam Cianciarulo and Ken Roczen) would be extraordinary; and a means to attack early race leader Chase Sexton. However, his Suzuki opponent wasn't letting him off the hook that easily, and Lawrence would have to fight through every facet of the raceway to keep the second-place residency defended from the German opponent. All the while, Sexton continued to maintain a significant distance ahead of both of them...until a disastrous crash on the tenth circuit would seemingly hand Lawrence the lead. Jett was able to luckily dodge the motorcycle of his down teammate, where he then took the last ten laps of competition with a victorious swagger that couldn't be forged. And even with Roczen remaining within striking distance, the composure of Lawrence flourished...ultimately generating victory in the moto, the overall win, and the SMX Championship as well!