For the second consecutive weekend, the AMA Supercross series faced inclement weather that left the track in a treacherous condition, this time in San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium. While poor starts affected the performances of all Team Honda HRC riders, they ended with better results than in San Francisco, limiting what could have been considerable damage.
The Team Honda HRC duo of Jett and Hunter Lawrence found themselves buried in the pack off the 450SX main-event start. The muddy surface made passing particularly risky, as the riders were forced to venture outside of the main line, where the muck was deepest. Despite the tricky conditions, the Lawrence brothers worked their ways through the pack over the course of the race. Jett gained valuable championship points with a hard-fought fourth-place result, while Hunter finished three spots back in seventh. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis put in a strong ride to finish in sixth position, once again the highest-finishing non-factory rider. Jett lost a position in the championship standings, slipping to third, but he actually reduced the gap to the leader, to just four points.
In the 250SX main event, Jo Shimoda also struggled off the start, rounding the first turn toward the back of the pack. The Japanese rider put his head down and worked through the pack. In the late stages of the race, Shimoda found himself in an intense three-rider battle for fourth place, which he would eventually secure for the night. SmarTop/MotoConcepts Honda’s Mitchell Oldenburg notched a commendable seventh-place result.
Jett Lawrence: “Coming into the day was a bit of a rough one with my hand and I was a little bummed with fourth, but what we had going today was definitely good. I feel good, and I’m excited to have a dry race again so I can show my actual speed.”
Hunter Lawrence: “We had a good learning curve. Unfortunately, our result didn’t really reflect the riding in the main event—I feel like we rode very well. A lot of positives and an improvement on last weekend, so we just have to keep on building. Our time is coming.”
Jo Shimoda: “I thought I was riding well all day despite the back end sliding a lot in the main event. That was disappointing, but my riding was good. I nearly made the podium, which is an improvement on last weekend. The pace and the riding have been good, and I still believe I can do it. I just want a normal weekend.”
Lars Lindstrom: “After last weekend’s extreme mud race, we knew that this could be another rainy weekend, which it was. We learned a lot from last week, and we were better tonight, although our starts were very poor. We will have to do our homework on that, but I’m proud of those guys tonight. Jo was the fastest rider in both the heat and the main event, and if it wasn’t for starting almost last, I think he could’ve had an incredible result. With Jett having a sore thumb, I’m really pleased that he was able to ride through the pack the way he did, and the same goes for Hunter, who was just a few bikes behind as they went forward. We’re all looking forward to hopefully a dry race next week, no one more than the mechanics who have been having to work absolutely flat-out; hats off to them and the entire team for a great job done this weekend.”
Words and images: Honda
