D
ylan Ferrandis put an exclamation
point on his 2021 Lucas Oil 450 Pro
Motocross Championship with a con-
vincing performance at the Hangtown Moto-
cross Classic, just outside of Sacramento,
California. The Monster Energy/Star Racing
Yamaha rider, who had already wrapped up
the title the previous weekend in Southern
California, won the first moto at Hangtown,
then came from a first-turn crash in the
second moto all the way up to third to clinch
another overall win.
The real drama, however, took place
in the 250cc class, where Team Honda's
18-year-old Jett Lawrence came into the race
with a 23-point lead over Justin Cooper, the
last man standing between himself and his
first professional championship. But after
two crashes in the early laps put Lawrence
outside the top 20, the pressure was sud-
denly intense for the Australian. He ended
up eighth, but with Cooper winning, his
points lead was suddenly cut in half. And
after another early spill in the second moto, it
seemed like Lawrence's youthful exuberance
was becoming more like panic. But he settled
down, moved up to third-place and ended up
clinching Team Honda its first AMA 250 Pro
Motocross since 1996, when Steve Lamson
was the in-house specialist in the 125 class.
VOLUME 58 ISSUE 37 SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 P71
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BROWNDOG WILSON
Ferrandis battles back,
Lawrence holds on for
250MX Championship
The 2021 250MX Championship came down to
these two guys at the season finale at Hangtown.
At one point, Justin Cooper (32) was in a position
to win it, but Jett Lawrence (18) held on for the title.
