Honda teammates Jett Lawrence and Chase Sexton finished 1-2 for the ninth time this season in the Washougal Nationals as the rookie points’ leader continues to keep his perfect season of moto victories alive. Sexton’s worst finish this season was a third in RedBud’s Moto 2.
As easy as Lawrence is making it look, there have been signs that the competitive gap may be shrinking. Lawrence failed to get the holeshot in either moto and did not lead the first lap of both Washougal races. In the closing stages of Moto 2, he was pressured by Sexton, but the teenaged rider is unflappable and refuses to bend under the weight of the competition.
RESULTS: Click here for full 450 Results; Click here for 250 Results
In the post-race news conference, Lawrence insisted he has the big picture in mind during the race. He would be willing to give up a moto win in order to protect his wellbeing and the championship, but he has not had to worry about that through the first eight rounds.
When asked about his energy reserves at the end of a race, Lawrence was evasive. Then again, since no one has seriously pressured him all the way to the checkers since Sexton did that in Moto 2 of the season opener at Fox Raceway, he may be legitimately unaware.
Moto 1 Results | Lap Chart | Fastest Segment Times
Moto 2 Results | Lap Chart | Fastest Segment Times
Consolation Race
Sexton finished second in both motos for the third straight week to secure second overall. He closed to within a second of Lawrence with time running off the clock. But Sexton has a reputation for pushing too hard in situations like this and at Washougal, he knocked the bike out of gear in a tight turn and tipped over. Lawrence rode off into the sunset.
With a pair of fourth-place finishes in both motos, Jason Anderson finished third overall to complete his comeback from a neck injury suffered late in the Monster Energy Supercross season. Anderson returned to action four rounds ago at RedBud and immediately scored a top-five, but was not as productive in the past two weeks with 10th-place finishes.
Click here for 450 Overall results | Rider Points | Manufacturer Points
Combined SMX points
Dylan Ferrandis tied Anderson in points but was relegated to fourth overall on the tiebreaker. He stood on the podium in Moto 1 but finished a position behind Anderson in fifth in Moto 2 and when points are tied, the rider with the best second race takes the spot. Ferrandis has 14 top-fives in 16 motos this season and a worst finish of seventh, which means he is consistently earning enough points, (16 per moto on average), to push the championship battle into at least the next-to-last round of the 2023 Pro Motocross season. Ferrandis earned the holeshot in both motos.
Aaron Plessinger did something no one has been able to since Ken Roczen led early in Moto 2 at High Point – he led three laps to start Moto 2. Three laps may not seem like much, but that is the deepest anyone has denied Lawrence the lead since Roczen made his one, and so far only, appearance in Pro Motocross this year.
Haiden Deegan became the first rider to sweep a weekend in the 250 class on his way to his third moto win and second overall victory. It was not that long ago that he celebrated his first podium in the Daytona Supercross race with his family looking on. At the start of the stadium series, he was not even certain he would be on a 250 this year. Now as a rookie, he is within three points of reclaiming the red plate he relinquished last week.
Justin Cooper kept his perfect record of top-five moto finishes alive with a third in the first race and a second in Race 2. Sitting on the podium in the post-race news conference, he admitted that his energy waned in the closing laps because he did not eat enough earlier in the day. Timing and scoring revealed a more complex story since Deegan posted the fastest lap of the weekend on the same circuit that he passed Cooper.
Moto 1 Results | Lap Chart | Fastest Segment Times
Moto 2 Results | Lap Chart | Fastest Segment Times
Consolation Race
After winning the first four motos, Hunter Lawrence suffered DNFs in back-to-back rounds at RedBud and Southwick. He lost the red plate to Deegan and needed to make a statement at Spring Creek, which he did my winning his fifth overall of the season. Washougal was not as kind. Lawrence had a bad start to Moto 1 before climbing to second at the checkers. Often when that happens, he dominates the second race but a fall in a heavily shadowed section of the track stranded him in fourth. He finished third in the overall standings.
Fourth in the points’ standings, RJ Hampshire finished fourth overall at Washougal with a 4-5. He has shown a lot of speed this season with 10 top-five moto finishes, but an 11th in Moto 2 at Pala and a few seventh- or eighth-place finishes have denied him the points needed to seriously challenge Lawrence and Deegan for the top spot.
Jo Shimoda rounded out the top five this week with consistent results of sixth in Moto 1 and seventh in Moto 2. In 12 rounds since returning from a practice injury earlier this year, Shimoda has five overall top-fives, His worst Pro Motocross finish is a pair of sevenths earned at Pala and RedBud.
Click here for 250 Overall results | Rider Points | Manufacturer Points
Combined SMX points
2023 Motocross Results
Round 7: Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence win
Round 6: Jett Lawrence, Tom Vialle win
Round 5: Jett Lawrence, Haiden Deegan win
Round 4: Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence still winning
Round 3: Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence continue to win
Round 2: Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence win again
Round 1: Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence win
2023 Supercross Results
Round 17: Chase Sexton, Jett Lawrence win
Round 16: Chase Sexton, RJ Hampshire win
Round 15: Chase Sexton, Hunter Lawrence win
Round 14: Justin Barcia, Max Anstie win
Round 13: Chase Sexton, Hunter Lawrence win
Round 12: Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence win
Round 11: Eli Tomac bounces back with sixth win
Round 10: Chace Sexton wins, penalized
Round 9: Ken Roczen wins
Round 8: Eli Tomac wins 7th Daytona
Round 7: Cooper Webb wins second race
Race 6: Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence win
Race 5: Cooper Webb, Hunter Lawrence win
Race 4: Eli Tomac, Hunter Lawrence win
Race 3: Chase Sexton, Levi Kitchen win
Race 2: Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence win
Round 1: Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence win
2023 SuperMotocross Power Rankings
Week 24: Chase Sexton close the competitive gap
Week 23: Justin Cooper is now most powerful in 250s
Week 21: The Lawrence brothers remain perfect
Week 20: Cooper Webb moves up
Week 19: Jett Lawrence pulls away
Week 18: Jett Lawrence rockets to the top
Week 16: Chase Sexton takes SX title
Week 15: Eli Tomac is back on top
Week 14: Justin Barcia, most of top 20, hold steady
Week 13: Justin Barcia leapfrogs the Big Three
Week 12: Eli Tomac gains momentum
Week 11: Cooper Webb, Eli Tomac overtake Chase Sexton
Week 10: Chase Sexton leads with consistency
Week 8: Chase Sexton unseats Eli Tomac
Week 7: Jason Anderson narrowly trails Eli Tomac
Week 6: Perfect Oakland night keeps Eli Tomac first
Week 5: Cooper Webb, Chase Sexton close gap
Week 4: Eli Tomac retakes lead
Week 3: Ken Roczen takes the top spot
Week 2: Ken Roczen moves up; Chase Sexton falls
Week 1: Eli Tomac tops 450s; Jett Lawrence 250s