VOLUME ISSUE DECEMBER , P59
A I N E R
T
his one was indeed a no-brainer. How could we not pick Jett
Lawrence as our Rider of the Year? The 20-year-old Australian
had a sensational race season, which he dominated from
start to finish, successfully conquering every championship he set
out to win. He capped off his already astounding 250cc career by
winning the 250SX West Coast Championship (while never finish
-
ing off the podium) before bumping up to the 450cc factory Honda
for the Pro Motocross Championship. Lawrence proceeded to win
every single moto over the summer—22 gate drops, 22 wins. Only
two other riders have ever accomplished that feat (Ricky Carmi-
chael and James Stewart), but it's a feat that's never been achieved
by a rookie. "Jettson" then carried that momentum into the inaugu-
ral SuperMotocross playoff rounds, where he won the final two of
three races to pocket the million-dollar prize.
BY RYAN NITZEN I PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARTH MILAN/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
TO SAY THAT JETT LAWRENCE HAD A GOOD SEASON RACING DIRT
BIKES WOULD BE THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR. EVEN GREAT
WOULD NOT DO IT JUSTICE. PHENOMENAL, OR EVEN MINDBLOWING,
MIGHT BE A LITTLE MORE ACCURATE. STILL. AFTER ACHIEVING EVERY
GOAL THAT HE AND HIS HONDA HRC TEAM SET OUT TO DO IN THE U.S.,
IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT JETT LAWRENCE
IS OUR 2023
CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR
