Young Australian Jett Lawrence secured the 2024 AMA 450cc Supercross Championship title at the series finale at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the weekend.
It was mission complete for the 20-year-old Team Honda HRC rider as he rode intelligently to finish with a safe seventh placing aboard his CRF450RWE machine.
Meanwhile, defending champion Chase Sexton (KTM) took the win, his second of the season, in Utah at the weekend.
Yamaha rider Justin Cooper delivered his season-best performance in his rookie year and took second place.
Cooper Webb (Yamaha), riding injured yet with a mathematical chance at the championship, finished in third place, netting him second overall on the season.
In the 250SX Class, both Regional Championships battled in the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown. Haiden Deegan grabbed the holeshot and defended the lead against several challenges to take the win, the third of his career and his first East/West Showdown victory.
Jett Lawrence is only the third rider to secure the premier-class Supercross crown in his rookie season. Unsurprisingly, he also earned the AMA 450SX Rookie of the Year award.
Jett Lawrence kicked off the year with a win at Anaheim 1, becoming the first rider to win in his premier-class debut. He added victories in Detroit, Daytona, Birmingham, Indianapolis, Nashville, Philadelphia and Denver (by comparison, the next most successful rider scored four victories).
Jett Lawrence collected additional podium finishes in Glendale and Seattle. Over the course of the season, he was the top qualifier at nine rounds, and he earned eight heat-race wins.
He and his elder brother/team-mate Hunter Lawrence swept the 450SX heat-race wins in Seattle and Nashville, becoming the only sibling pairing ever to do so, and in Denver they notched a historic 1-2 finish in the main event.) At eight of the 14 non-Triple Crown rounds, Jett turned in the fastest main-event lap time.
“I’m happy it’s finally over!” said Jett, a native of Landsborough, in Queensland, Australia.
“It felt like a long season, but also kind of fast. I guess the emotions will probably set in tomorrow or Monday. I’m still super happy about it, and especially happy for the team. The whole race, I was thinking, ‘Don’t mess up, don’t mess up, don’t mess up!’”
“Whenever there was any sketchiness, I just backed it down; we just had to bring it in with the points we needed. Honestly, this championship only really became a goal at the end of last year—once I got my outdoor title, I thought, ‘Okay, let’s try for it in Supercross.’ It’s definitely a dream come true.”
This was the second premier-class AMA Supercross title in a row for Honda, and a record 17th overall. Past Red Riders to accomplish the feat include David Bailey, Jean-Michel Bayle, Ricky Carmichael, Donnie Hansen, Rick Johnson, Jeremy McGrath, Johnny O’Mara, Chase Sexton and Jeff Stanton.
Honda also has more AMA Supercross premier-class wins (336) than any other bike brand.
Jett Lawrence has ridden for Team Honda HRC since 2021 (a year after he turned pro with the Honda-supported Factory Connection squad), and he is already cementing himself as a rightful place-holder among these Honda legends from the past.
This is his seventh AMA title, as it was preceded by the 2021 and ’22 250 Pro Motocross Championships, the ’22 250 East Supercross Championship, the ’23 250 West Supercross Championship, the ’23 450 Pro Motocross Championship (in a perfect season!) and last year’s inaugural 450 SuperMotocross Championship.
Since the summer of 2021, he has won every championship in which he has competed, and he has collected all six of the AMA championships that are currently active.
In addition, Jett Lawrence earned the AMA Pro Motocross Marty Smith 250 Rookie of the Year Award in 2020, and in 2023 he was named Rider of the Year by the AMA, as well as Cycle News and Racer X Illustrated.
“I can’t begin to adequately express my admiration for Jett, and I know everyone at Honda shares that appreciation,” said Brandon Wilson, Manager of Racing and Advertising at American Honda.
“This championship wasn’t without its challenges, but Jett learned quickly from misfortune and mistakes, showing maturity well beyond his years and focusing on the ultimate objective.
“His riding and results speak for themselves, but almost as impressive is the way that he works and interacts with the team—behind the scenes, on a daily basis.
“I’m certain that’s in large part down to his family, including Hunter, who we’re also proud of and privileged to have under our tent. Everyone at Honda is so happy for all of the Lawrences, and we look forward to a long future together.”
Jett Lawrence and his team won’t have much time to celebrate their AMA Supercross success. The AMA Pro Motocross series kicks off in Pala, California, in just two weeks’ time, with the SuperMotocross series set to begin in Concord, North Carolina, on September 7.
Photo courtesy HRC Honda
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PREMIER SX450 CLASS:
WESTERN REGION 250cc:
EASTERN REGION 250cc:
