Jett and Hunter Lawrence spoke to the media ahead of the US Nationals beginning this weekend, that will see both Aussies expected to challenge at the front of the 250 class on their factory Honda machinery and no doubt they will end up battling each other on track at times during the 12 round series! This is what they had to say…
Jett Lawrence
You had a strong ending to supercross with a win, and you’re heading into motocross. Are you looking to win round one and stamp some authority on this championship?
I don’t know. I haven’t raced any of these guys outdoors yet. It’s a different year. No, I just want to see where we are. You can’t win a championship in the first round, but you can lose it. I’ll just do what I can on that day and try to be there for the whole season. Hopefully, I can win a championship, but if anyone else does get it, hopefully I don’t make it easy on them.
As you transition from rookie to title contender, does the pressure increase?
Um, I don’t really think you get pressure put on to you unless you do it to yourself. If you think you have pressure, then you have pressure. If you don’t think about it, then you don’t have that stress. I don’t think much has changed much; I’ve just gotten smarter on the bike. Starting to ride more as an adult, it feels like, less like a kid. But I think being in title contention is fun. You have something to look for. As a rookie you’re just like “Yeah I’ll just go out there and have a good race.” Now you have that extra bit of fire going to either win or always be battling with the top boys. But I don’t put much pressure on myself.
I know it’s cliché but, do you think of this race by race, or do you think about the title and the big picture?
I think if you think about the championship too much, it can wreck you. I think you have to be present and, in the moment, take it race by race and wherever you end up, you end up. If you’re there every race, you’ll be there for the championship.
Hunter Lawrence
You had injuries last year, you were hindered by that shoulder all year long. You were very good in 2019, you won some motos. Do you feel like you’re back to where you were then, in race winning form, or do you feel you’re even ahead of where you were going into that season?
One hundred percent. Yeah, this is the healthiest, body wise, and physically strong and mentally ready I’ve ever been. Obviously this supercross season was really good, we made a lot of progress, shoulder is good, and my body is good. Mate, I’m just excited to go racing.
How much of a benefit is it to have that momentum from such a good supercross season coming into outdoors?
Yes and no. It is [a help] if you’re someone who really relies on confidence to do well, which, I don’t think I am. I could suck in qualifying but deep down I know I’m a racer, so I don’t think that makes or breaks me. But obviously it helps having a good season, just knowing how strong I felt. The majority of my passes were made late in the race, which just proves I’m race ready and fit and strong late in the race. Yeah, I’m looking forward to racing and showcasing that here as well.
The big talk the last few seasons has been the Star Racing Yamaha and what it will take to battle those bikes. How much better is your bike this year? Do you think it will be an improvement over what we’ve seen from the GEICO Honda program to the factory program?
Yeah…a shit ton mate!
Images: Honda