NEW BERLIN, New York: Jett Lawrence withstood massive pressure from Jorge Prado in Moto 2 of the Unadilla National and took over the championship lead after Hunter Lawrence crashed midway through the race and failed to earn any points.
Jett entered Round 26 at Unadilla 12 points behind Hunter. He lost three additional points after Hunter won Moto 1, but with Hunter’s misfortune he left with a 10-point advantage. With finishes ofsecond and first, Jett was scored the overall winner.
Until Hunter’s crash, the battle at the top of the leaderboard was as intense as Pro Motocross fans have seen in 2026.
Hunter earned the holeshot and took the early lead over Jett and Prado.
Prado pressured Jett for second on Lap 2, which pushed the defending champion into a faster pace. Prado matched him, and when Jett passed Hunter for the lead on Lap 4, Prado followed him in the next couple of turns. a blanket could have covered the three leaders until Lap 7, when Hunter cross rutted at top of the steepest hill on the circuit.
Hunter’s bike remained at the top of the hill. The rider tumbled all the way to the bottom and had to climb back up to retrieve his bike. As Hunter remounted, he fell a second time. By the time Hunter gained control, his bike was mangled. He completed another couple of laps, but ultimately retired after earning no points.
Prado continued to pressure Jett for several laps, but with the points pressure off his shoulders, Jett found his flow and extended his lead to 10 seconds at the checkered flag.
Jett was unaware of Hunter’s crash until after the race. He was informed of the incident by a teammate and his immediate response was to ask about Hunter’s health. He was informed that Hunter was unijured.
That handed third to Haiden Deegan, but he was double-digit seconds behind. The third place finish coupled with a fourth in Moto 1, put him on the overall podium.
The battle for the remaining positions in the top five was between a bevy of fresh faces. Garrett Marchbanks took fifth from teammate Cornelius Tøndel early in the race, crashed, and then remounted the charge. He took fourth from Jed Beaton on Lap 13, bringing Mark Fineis with him to fifth.
