SAN DIEGO, California: For Hunter Lawrence, the third time was the charm. Since advancing into the 450 division in Supercross, Lawrence has had the worst luck in the season opener, so even though he missed the podium by one position last week at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, that top-five finish must have almost felt like a win. It was his first top-10 to start the season.
And after a penalty to Jorge Prado for failing the sound check after the Main Event, Lawrence scored the third most points.
“I got fourth, so that wasn’t bad,” Lawrence told NBC Sports at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego ahead of Round 2. “And then third in points after the sound issue with KTM, so I got technically one spot in the championship but didn’t get the third-place bonus or the points for third place that night.”
Two years ago, Lawrence missed the Main Event in the season opener after hitting a slick spot on the track and crashing in his heat. More problems in the LCQ kept him from advancing into the Main.
Last year, Lawrence seemed to put his trouble behind when he finished fourth in his San Diego heat. He was running sixth in the Main until he experienced problems once again. Lawrence fell to 11th on Lap 9, gained one position, and then lost it again to finish 11th. He was 0-for-2 in season openers.
Still, SMX riders do not mount their bikes without thinking they can win. Before Anaheim 1, Lawrence was already thinking about his odds of winning the championship. For the first race, the field is full of hopeful riders. Everyone is healthy and full of confidence.
But in 2026, one rider was missing before the gate dropped on the first feature. Hunter’s younger brother, Jett Lawrence, injured his foot and ankle in a training accident during the off-season.
Hunter rode with extra motivation.
“Extra motivation always helps,” Lawrence told NBC Sports before the season opener. “Try and make Honda proud and the family proud. I’m looking forward to this season, but just with Jett being unfortunately out, there’s still so many guys on the [pre-season media] stage with me, standing in the group before us. There’s 10 other guys that I still have to go out and try and beat, let alone the rest of the field. Everyone’s so good. Everyone’s great, honestly. And that’s what makes the sport so interesting.”
Racers cannot win a championship in the first round, but they can erect obstacles that make the remainder of the season difficult and that is the circumstance Lawrence has found himself since racing in the premier class.
Lawrence missed much of last year’s Supercross season to injury. His slow start and missed race contributed to being ninth in 2024.
Starting 2026 third in the standings is a step in the right direction and for the next two weeks, Lawrence is focused on maintaining or improving his position.
“Honestly, I’m just trying to start off the West Coast strong,” Lawrence concluded before heading to the track for San Diego’s press day.
