VOLUME 62 ISSUE 22 JUNE 3, 2025 P73
Lawrence's strategy paid
off as the second motos were
shortened by five minutes due
to the extreme heat. This time,
he nailed the start and came out
running with the front group. By
the end of lap one, the number
18 found himself in familiar terri
-
tory as he led the pack. He'd stay
450MX
Lawrence just proved that
round one was no fluke. With
Hangtown as the site of his
season-ending crash one year
ago, fans were eager to see how
he'd perform. After winning the
opening round at Fox Raceway,
Lawrence was again the favor
-
ite, especially after news broke
during
the week that defending
champion Chase Sexton was
going to sit out the Hangtown
race due to soreness from his
crash one week ago. The current
points leader, Lawrence, missed
a shift off the start of race one,
which put him further back than
expected, while the two leaders
broke away up front. Lawrence
moved into a comfortable third
but seemed to back things down
as the race wore on.
"Once I got around J. Coop
[Justin Cooper], I knew we had
another moto," Lawrence said.
"I put a few good laps together,
but then I was like, 'Eh, I don't
want to push to him [leader
Eli Tomac].' I'd just be wasting
energy for the second one."
19 JORDON SMITH 6TH
(11-6) 250MX
Jordon Smith narrowly missed a top
five overall finish. "Today was a lot
better," he said. "I had two average
starts and, with the conditions, I had
to dig until the very end. I am proud
of myself for pushing through, and
the extra bike time this week certainly
helped. I think that we will continue to
grow as a team each week."
MYOWNRACE
2025 Hangtown National Video Highlights
(Left) Jett
Lawrence played
the long game
and used 3-1
finishes to take
the overall
450MX win.
(Below) Aaron
Plessinger nearly
won the opening
450MX moto,
but a closing Eli
Tomac stole it
away with two
laps to go. Still,
Plessinger's 2-3
put him second
on the overall
podium.
