as his mechanic struggled to
get the tire cover off Lawrence's
rear wheel just moments before
the gate drop.
"I was already tweaking be-
fore the gate, but thankfully not
that
bad of a start," Lawrence
said. "I was able to calm down
It was all business for Law-
rence. Two costly mistakes last
weekend
derailed his hopes
for a win, and the 450-rookie
seemed determined to right
those wrongs in Daytona.
Things nearly went sideways off
the start for the points leader
ROUND 8 / MARCH 2, 2024
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY / DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA
SUPERCROSS I MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES / AMA SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
P72
7 AARON PLESSINGER
18TH 450SX
Aaron Plessinger looked good in the
trying conditions but suffered a big
crash and his worst result of the sea-
son. "The main event was going well…
until it wasn't. I was running around
fifth or sixth, hit a soft spot on the face
of a jump, and had to bail over the
bars. I got up, the bike was all twisted,
so I pulled in, went back out, and then
rolled around to save some points."
59 DAX BENNICK
10TH 250SX EAST
Rookie Dax Bennick had a great day.
The Monster Energy Star Racing
Yamaha rider was the top 250SX
qualifier and was mixing it up with the
leaders all night, eventually finish-
ing 10th in the main. "I never rode a
track that gnarly, for sure," he said.
"I was first in qualifying and felt good
on the bike. I was riding my butt off,
but things happen. I crashed in my
heat when I was in second, and then I
made it all the way to sixth or seventh
in main from a dead-last start and
then crashed again. I was trying su-
per hard, but this track's gnarly, and
it got me a few times tonight. I'm not
going to stress. It's my rookie year,
and I shouldn't be beating these guys,
but I know I can."
MYOWNRACE
Daytona marked
Lawrence's third win
of the season. He's
also the first rider
to beat Eli Tomac at
Daytona in six years.
