VOL. 54 ISSUE 35 SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 P57
was unbearable. I'm just happy to be
on the podium, and I'm happy with my
riding. I'm looking forward to the next
round back in Europe."
The 2-4 score gave Covington third
overall.
And then there was Hunter Lawrence.
The young Aussie undoubtedly knows
about the fondness American teams
have for Australian racers, and follow-
ing in the path of Chad Reed, who was
on hand at the GP, to go from Australia
to the GPs, and then head to the USA,
is definitely on his mind. He wanted to
perform in front of the American industry
and fans. And he did.
In the first moto, Lawrence started
near the front and had to work his way
around Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha's
Mitchell Harrison to snag third, which he
did. And in the second moto, Lawrence
battled it out in the early laps with points
leader Pauls Jonass along with Harrison
and Justin Cooper. Lawrence eventually
secured third from Jonass, then made
his move on the fading Covington late
in the race for second. But Lawrence
wasn't finished yet. With his own Suzuki
teammate Jeremy Seewer breathing
"It was my first moto win as a pro, and
man, seeing those American flags wave
as we're going around the track, and
hearing the crowd go crazy, I haven't
had that feeling in a long time," Hamp-
shire added. "It's emotional, man. These
guys are no joke. My team busts their
butt week-in and week-out, and I may
not have gotten one during my season,
but this 1-1 feels good."
Covington (Rockstar Energy Husqvar-
na) had a fantastic weekend in Florida
as well. He won the qualifying race
on Saturday, and Sunday he got two
holeshots. In the first moto, he was just
bested by Hampshire. In moto two he
was determined not to let that happen
again, so he pushed to snag the win
from Hampshire, but it was too much
for his body, and he faded to finish an
eventual fourth place in the moto.
"It just got a little bit hot out there to-
day, and I've been in Europe for a while,
so I'm not used to this heat," Covington
said. "After about 10 minutes, I was just
following Hampshire. I made a push to
try to catch him, but he was just riding
really solid, and I couldn't make it hap-
pen, so I was done after that. The heat
Australian
Hunter Lawrence
enjoyed the best
ride and finishes
of his career.
