CONCORD, North Carolina: Jett Lawrence earned the holeshot at zMax Dragway in Round 1 of the SuperMotocross World Championship and withstood pressure from first Eli Tomac and then Chase Sexton to score a win in the first moto of the playoffs.
With continuous lightning in the area and diminishing daylight, the second motos in both divisions were canceled, and the overall results will be based on Moto 1. Jett Lawrence is credited with the overall win.
Racers will be awarded full points for this round.
With his Round 1 victory, Lawrence passed Justin Cooper for the championship lead over Chase Sexton. Jett has a nine-point advantage.
In Moto 1, Jett created a two-second gap and managed to hold it, with Tomac determinedly chasing the Pro Motocross champion. But Jett’s pace pulled Tomac and Sexton into an uncomfortable zone.
“It’s getting to the point where it’s just close to the limit, because right now you can’t really push the track at all,” Jett told NBC Sports’ Will Christien. “It can catch you really quickly if you compress the suspension too hard, and [if you] clip those ruts, especially. So, you’re just trying to play it smart and run the risk versus reward [balance]. So [I was] just really trying to get a flow and keep my laps as consistent as possible.”
Weather moved into the area during the closing laps, and with the wind picking up, Tomac tipped over from second, handing the position to Sexton as time was running off the clock.
“It’s funny, I thought I had the Holeshot, and I just blew the first turn,” Sexton said. “Jett got underneath me, and I was probably fourth or fifth behind Ken [Roczen] and just had to work my way up. Eli went down, which gave me a gift, but I felt pretty good, actually. I felt like I was gelling with the track. I’m not gonna lie, it’s probably one of the sketchiest tracks I’ve ever ridden, just with the kickers and all these weird things, and the dirt is so soft. So, I was trying to not be conservative, but try and be safe as well. Jett rode awesome. I reeled him in a little bit, but he’s pretty smart, and we were gauging each other. So, good moto, and [I’ll] try and get another good start, try and hold it this time, and see what we can do.”
Tomac’s rapid recovery ensured he would be credited with third overall.
“I’m not sure if it was [too much] acceleration or if it was the front end that tucked there; either way, I was maybe a little impatient,” Tomac said about the incident. “I moved out [to a different line] after that. I should have been using the cushion. Try to live and learn. Overall, felt really good. … The back motocross section is something like I’ve never seen. It’s fun, it’s technical, but at the same time it is gnarly.”
Moments after Jett took the checkered flag, rain fell hard with accompanying lightning, placing the round on hold. Lightning and heavy rain continued throughout the remainder of the afternoon, forcing one of the premier series to cancel a second moto for a rare occasion.
Fourth-place Hunter Lawrence and RJ Hampshire rounded out the top five.
The top-seeded rider entering the weekend, Justin Cooper, fell early before recouping to climb from last to 11th.
- Jett earned the holeshot.
- Tomac (second) and Roczen are in the top three on Lap 1.
- No. 1 seed Cooper got a terrible start, crashed, and fell to 22nd (last) early.
- Sexton moved into third on Lap 3.
- Hunter passed Roczen for fourth on Lap 5.
- On Lap 7, the top three were separated by less than two seconds.
- Tomac fell on Lap 8, slowing Sexton in the process.
- Jett beat Sexton by 3.865 seconds as rain began to fall.
In Race Notes
Jett earned the holeshot in heavy traffic.
Tomac and Roczen gave chase during Lap 1 with veteran skill challenging for a podium.
Sexton maintained his speed from qualification to race into fourth.
Hunter was just outside the top five in sixth on Lap 2.
Sexton moved around Roczen for third on Lap 3.
Tomac did not allow Jett to get too far away on the first four laps, keeping the lead to under four seconds.
Hunter moved up through the field and passed Roczen for fourth on Lap 5.
On Lap 6, Sexton caught Tomac and pushed him into a faster pace. The lead is down to one second.
Tomac pushed too hard and fell on Lap 8. He remounted in third.
Hunter moved onto Tomac’s back tire.
Heavy winds played havoc with riders’ balance as the clock ticked away.
Jett beat Sexton and Tomac to the flag.
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