Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1546388
450MX Hunter is finally a 450 champ. He led the series by only one point heading into the day, but things looked bleak when he crashed on lap one of the first moto and remounted from last place. "On the first lap of the first moto, I was like, 'Here we go again,'" Hunter said. "In the sec- ond moto, I knew I had to finish right behind Jett; most of my work was done in the first moto." A hard charge saw Hunter claw his way back up to eighth at the line, somehow bettering his brother and championship rival Jett by three positions. That gave Hunter just enough cushion to retain the points lead heading into moto two, as he crossed the line in fourth behind Jett. An un- characteristic fourth overall still proved good enough for Hunter to clinch the title by a mere two points. This marks his first 450 championship and is an incred - ible feel-good story after Hunter lost the Supercross crown earlier this year. The Lawrences are now the first siblings ever to both win premier-class championships. "I can't even put it into words," Hunter said. "It was a tough day for the Lawrences, as you can see, a pretty uncharacteristic day. Thank you to the team, my brother, my family, everyone that supports us. We're living the American dream and couldn't do ROUND 11 / AUGUST 29, 2026 IRONMAN RACEWAY | CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA MOTOCROSS I AMA PRO MOTOCROSS / SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP P66 7 AARON PLESSINGER 8TH (5-9) 450MX Aaron Plessinger finished inside the top 10 for the fifth time this season. "Qualifying went alright, my bike was feeling pretty good, but the cream of the crop was the first moto," Pless- inger said. "I didn't get the greatest start, but I made my way through the pack and got up to fourth. Then Coop [Webb] got by me, and I ended up fifth, but it was a solid moto—I was pumped with that! Then in the second moto, I felt a little flat, but I salvaged what I could and scored 5-9 on the day for eighth overall. The track was awesome and formed up well, so it was a good day." 31 MIKKEL HAARUP 10TH (4-14) 450MX Mikkel Haarup nearly had his first po- dium, but a fall dropped him to fourth in moto one. Fourth is still his best career moto finish. "It was an awe- some day," Haarup said. "The team did a great job all weekend. We put ourselves in a decent position after qualification, then I had a decent start in moto one. I pushed to put myself in third and battled to the end with MYOWNRACE