Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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"I definitely didn't expect a day like this," Lawrence said. "I felt like I knew where I was coming in, but jumping up to this class, everyone is fast and fit. That sec- ond moto, I kept looking over my shoulder, thinking I gave myself a gap, just to see the 23 even closer than before! I find battles like these fun, though. They make me a better rider and they test how well I can handle the pressure. I knew Chase wasn't going anywhere and it would be a long 35 minutes, but it was great having a clean battle. I expect this whole season to be a chess match, and it's nice to take the first round." 450MX There isn't a better way to make your 450cc AMA Pro Motocross debut than winning both motos. And that's exactly what Jett Lawrence did. But this wasn't the first time we've seen Jett on a 450. The first time came last year at the Motocross of Nations at RedBud, where he impressed just about everyone. At Pala, he went 1-1, dominating moto one but hav- ing to work for it in moto two. He showed he could win on the big bike with and without pressure. Moto one saw Lawrence walk away from the field and the rest of the riders struggle to find their pace in the opening stages of the race. Lawrence had it on cruise control the whole way, opening a comfortable lead and holding on to it to the finish line, taking the checkers a massive 10.02 seconds (the gap was even more than that at times during the moto) ahead of his Honda HRC teammate, Sexton, who started the race from fourth. It was very much a different story in race two, as the two team- mates went head-to-head the entire 30-plus-two-lap moto, which is most likely a preview of what we'll see throughout the summer. The suspense lasted the whole race. The duo was never sepa- rated by more than three seconds. Everyone watching was expect- ing a late-race attack by Sexton, but it never quite materialized, despite Sexton finishing just 1.008 seconds behind the young Aussie, who was in control the entire way. Lawrence led every lap of both races and continued his unde- feated career win streak at Fox Raceway. VOLUME ISSUE MAY , P81 32 JUSTIN COOPER 5TH (5-4) 250MX Justin Cooper came out swinging at Pala. He topped 250MX qualifying by three seconds. Unfortunately for the Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha Team rider, he was unable to parlay that momentum into the motos. "It was a good day, overall," he said. "I just had bad starts, but I felt good on the bike. The second moto was pretty good for me. I went from 20th and got up to fourth. I was working to try and get those guys at the end but came up a little short after expending a lot of energy to get to the front. We've just got to be better off the gate so we can fight for the win." MYOWNRACE (Left) Jett Lawrence made his AMA 450cc outdoor debut a winning one, much to the delight of his fans. PHOTO: GARTH MILAN/RED BULL CONTENT POOL (Below) By the time Chase Sexton (23) got into second place in the first 450MX moto, Lawrence was already long gone.