Fresh from taking the AMA Supercross premier-class championship in his rookie season, Jett Lawrence kicked off his defense of the AMA Pro Motocross 450 crown with a stellar 1-1 overall win at Pala, California’s Fox Raceway over Memorial Day Weekend. Jett has still never been defeated in the class, as this event extends his tally to 24 moto wins and 0 losses. As if that weren’t enough for Team Honda HRC, Hunter Lawrence notched a stellar second-overall finish in his outdoors debut aboard a 450, thanks to solid 2-3 results. Also impressive was Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis, whose fourth-overall showing made it three Red Riders in the top four. As for the 250 ranks, Team Honda HRC riders Chance Hymas and Jo Shimoda finished the day fourth and sixth overall, respectively, the duo posting steady moto finishes of 3-4 and 8-6.

Hunter got an incredible jump off the 450 moto 1 start but wasn’t prepared for the extra speed of the 450 and ran a bit wide, allowing the CRF450RWE of his brother to knife underneath in turn 1 and exit with the lead. Hunter battled with Aaron Plessinger for half the race until he was able to get back into second just after midway, behind his brother. The pair stayed in that order to the finish. The moto 2 start was almost identical, except this time Hunter held off Jett across the holeshot line. Jett nonetheless got around shortly after, and the brothers battled hard for the first part of the race. Just past the midway point, Sexton got around Hunter and challenged Jett, but the younger Lawrence held strong to the finish. Hunter’s third-place result was good for second overall.

Hymas was about sixth out of turn 1 in the first 250 moto, and he was up to fifth by the end of lap 1. Two laps later he was in fourth, and that’s where he rode all the way to the finish. Afterward, Tom Vialle was docked one position for going off-track, resulting in a solid podium result for Hymas. Meanwhile, Shimoda completed lap 1 in 10th place and fluctuated a bit before settling into eighth, which is where he finished. The CRF250R-mounted duo were about eighth and ninth off the moto 2 start, and sitting seventh (Shimoda) and ninth (Hymas) a lap later. By the race’s midway point, those positions had swapped, and at the checkered flag they were up to fourth and sixth, matching their overall results.

Jett Lawrence: 18

“Two good starts, led every lap, won both motos—I basically hit every goal I set for myself today. I still have to work on some stuff on myself and the bike, but overall, it’s good to keep the streak going—24-0 so far! I’m looking forward to Hangtown.”

Hunter Lawrence: 96

“It was a good day—second overall in my 450 outdoor debut! I just went when the gate dropped, and that led to two starts near the front. I’m happy to be leaving here like this.”

Lars Lindstrom: Team Manager

“The season rolls on straight into the outdoors—not a lot of time to celebrate the Supercross championship, but it’s cool to have a change of pace and get back to the roots of the sport. I’m really stoked on Chance’s race and his improvement in the end of the races lately—really strong. We have some work to do with Jo to get him comfortable, and his ankle needs some healing as well, so it was good to get out of here with a top 10. A lot of people were wondering where Hunter would be in the pecking order, but I was sure that he would be a solid third-place guy in his rookie 450 MX season. I just didn’t know exactly how he would stack up to Jett and Chase. He blew us all away, with his incredible starts and speed that showed that he’ll be a top contender in the 450 class! I really don’t have words for Jett; this kid is such a machine, he honestly gives me vibes of Ricky Carmichael, when he would just rise to whatever occasion he needed to. He wasn’t 100% comfortable today, which makes me feel bad for the competition when we get him there.”

The rider of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team achieved the best result of the season so far. 11th Marco Bezzecchi 

Barcelona (Spain), May 26th 2024 - Fabio Di Giannantonio crossed the finishing line in fifth place and achieved the best result of the season at the Catalan GP on the Ducati Desmosedici GP of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. 11th Marco Bezzecchi, after a complicated start from the 16th box on the grid. 

Sixth on the grid and in P11 after the start, Fabio manages not to lose contact with the group in front and imposes a truly constant pace towards the end of the race. Really solid during the last laps of the GP he manages to climb the ranking to the Top5 and, after he achieved the sixth Top10 in six races so far, rises to 62 points in the general standings (P9).

Overall a more complicated weekend for Marco who started from the middle of the group. In P15 after the first lap, he was fighting to get into the top ten right up to the checkered flag. On the eve of the Italian GP, in just seven days at the Mugello, he is tenth in the standings with 42 points.

PALA, Calif. – A convincing start to the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship saw Chase Sexton finish third overall at Fox Raceway on Saturday, delivering 4-3 results across the pair of 450MX motos, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Tom Vialle was also on the podium in 250MX with P3 overall.

Sexton's first appearance outdoors on the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION saw him qualify in second position, before an early crash in Moto 1 this afternoon saw him forced to work his way back through the field for P4. He came out swinging in Moto 2 and challenged for the victory, eventually taking the checkered flag in a close second position to secure third overall.

Chase Sexton: "The bike has been really good outdoors and I think that comes from KTM's experience in MXGP. We're happy with this finish to be on the podium, and we still have some work to do, but it will be an evolution throughout the season. We're looking forward to Hangtown now."

Fox Raceway marked the return to competition for Aaron Plessinger in the 450MX ranks, where he impressed on his way to third place in the opening encounter. The Cowboy was unfortunately involved in a first-turn pile-up in Moto 2, recovering for 12th position and being credited seventh overall for the weekend.

Aaron Plessinger: "Pala was okay and it was how I expected myself to be coming into it. The first moto was really, really good, I got off to a great start and was right there on Jett [Lawrence]. I started riding tight but loosened up toward the end and got third. Second moto, unfortunately, had a crash in the first corner, so I did what I could and salvaged 12th. Seventh overall isn't the end of the world, I'll take that and we'll go to Hangtown swinging – I'm excited!"

A podium result in the 250MX category saw two-time MX2 World Champion and new 250SX East number one Tom Vialle finish third overall on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. Vialle accelerated to the holeshot in Moto 1 and led a share of laps before reaching the finish in P3, but a penalty following an off-track excursion later demoted him to fourth.

Vialle fell in the opening laps of the second moto, but recovered for third position, which in turn sealed him P3 on the podium to commence the season. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 250MX teammate Julien Beaumer began his first full Pro Motocross campaign with a 13-9 scorecard for 11th overall.

Tom Vialle: "I had a great start in the first moto, was able to lead a few laps, and I got a little tight with some arm-pump, so I finished third. Second moto, I had a crash early in the moto, so I was around sixth and came back to third. At the end of the day, of course, I wanted to do a little bit better, but we started the first round of the podium overall and I think we can only do better in the next races. I feel good with the bike and physically, so I'm really excited for Hangtown."

The Gran Premi de Catalunya brought MotoGP to round six of 21 for 2024 and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing flew around the sunny and warm climes of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to bag a top ten result. Brad Binder classified 8th with the KTM RC16 as Jack Miller suffered a DNF in northeastern Spain.

Low grip was one of the main concerns in the build-up to the Gran Premi de Catalunya main event on Sunday with teams and riders diligently working on their race set-up and tire choice to tackle the problematic tarmac. The Saturday Sprint provided a taster of the feeling and the unpredictability of the conditions, and the temperatures increased with the extra sunshine on Sunday.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing took to the grid in 4th and 9th after one of their better collective qualification performances. Strong starts for both Brad and Jack meant exciting potential as the pack settled into a rhythm but Miller lost traction into Turn 10 early into the race and his hopes were dashed. Binder hovered on the fringe of the podium fight but had to ease his pace to manage his front rubber. He kept consistent to make sure of 8th and holds the same slot in the championship standings. Jack is 15th in the rankings.

Onto Mugello and where Binder notched the all-time MotoGP top speed record at 366.1kmph. Another fast treat awaits at the Gran Premio d’Italia next weekend.

Brad Binder, 8th: “It was a bit tricky in the race today. We’d been good here all weekend but after six laps in the race the front tire dropped off and in the last few weeks when I’ve ignored that strange feeling then I end-up crashing. So today I needed to be a bit careful and when I felt the limit coming I had to lower the pace. I could not make time on braking and entry and nursing it around meant there were not really moments where I could make pace. A tricky day.”

It was an all Repsol Honda Team battle for most of the Catalan GP, Joan Mir edging out Luca Marini and battling for points until the line.

Ideal racing conditions met the MotoGP World Championship riders as they lined up on the grid. Luca Marini had an excellent launch when the lights went out and moved to lead the Repsol Honda Team pairing in the opening laps. Locked nose to tail, Marini and Joan Mir would battle it out for much of the race.

Joan Mir would eventually emerge as the faster of the two riders, crossing the line in 16th after an intense battle with Takaaki Nakagami before being promoted to 15th due to a penalty up the field. The #36 was left wanting much more from the weekend but remains focused on future developments to the Honda RC213V bringing further gains.

It was a positive Sunday for Marini for was able to battle for top Honda honours during the opening part of the race with Mir and Nakagami. Changes to the Honda RC213V this weekend left the Italian feeling more comfortable on the bike, focusing on the overall improvements rather than the unique points brought up by the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

There’s no time to rest as another race, the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello, and a post-race test are coming the very next week. An exciting prospect for Luca Marini who will ride in front of his home fans for the first time in Repsol Honda Team colours.

More water, mud and challenging circumstances in 2024 MXGP but Red Bull KTM Factory Racing emerged from the Grand Prix of France with podium appearances in both MXGP and MX2 classes thanks to Jeffrey Herlings and Andrea Adamo both classifying 3rd at St Jean D’Angely.

MXGP again ran the gauntlet with changeable weather conditions at the popular hard-packed St Jean D’Angely circuit in western France for round seven of the campaign and the third weekend of action on the bounce. The venue is one of the principal sites for Grand Prix racing in the country and has twice hosted the prestigious Motocross of Nations this century. The slick and stony course welcomed a typically large and boisterous crowd but the instability of the climate – summed up by sunshine and then thundery showers through practice and qualification on Saturday – soaked the track and made it muddy, rutty and hard to judge.

Liam Everts used his sensitive feeling with the terrain to capture 2nd place in the MX2 RAM Qualification with teammate Andrea Adamo in 5th and Sacha Coenen towards the rear of the gate after a couple of errors across the difficult soil counted against him. Everts was later judged to have jumped while yellow flags were waving and was bumped to 4th. Jeffrey Herlings was 10th in the MXGP affair on Saturday.

On Sunday decent starts were going to be key to podium contention, particularly for sodden second motos for both classes as the heavens erupted. Herlings worked to gain 6th in the first race from 8th. After the second start he made his way to 2nd on the opening lap and then had to keep his concentration under pressure from Tim Gajser. The track was almost flooded but Jeffrey found a faster groove and pulled away to catch Romain Febvre, seizing the lead with a gutsy move around the outside down one of the St Jean hills. He crossed the line in 1st for his second checkered flag of the season. Herlings took part in the podium ceremony as runner-up but with Gajser gaining places due to rider penalties he was later lowered to 3rd.

In MX2 reigning world champion Andrea Adamo demonstrated more high-level form with two top-four results. The Italian was precise and confident to rise to 2nd in the first moto and then kept cool when the rain fell to make sure of 4th in the second race. It was enough for the third step of the podium. Liam Everts was just as steady but a slightly slower rhythm and made sure of a 6-5 for 5th. Sacha Coenen’s excellence from the start gate led to more holeshot spoils: the Belgian is now up to 6 for the year. He fought with his twin, Lucas, for the lead in the second moto but several small mistakes meant he was 15th and 9th on the day to just miss out on the top ten.

EMX125 fired into life for the fifth date of eleven that runs concurrently with MXGPs in 2024. Gyan Doensen ranked 4th overall. The youngster was 8th in the mud on Saturday and grabbed an improved 3rd on Sunday morning. The KTM 125 SX rider is 2nd in the standings with the European Championship next in action at the Grand Prix of Latvia in three weeks’ time. Cas Valk, fresh after his decent MX2 wildcard in Spain the previous weekend, was 3rd for the fourth date of ’24 EMX250. The Dutchman rode his KTM 250 SX-F to a 7-3 scorecard and is 2nd in the points table; 23 from P1. Grand Prix’s principal feeder class will line-up as a support class again at the eighth round of the world championship.

MXGP will travel east and to Talkessel in Teutschenthal for the German GP in a fortnight. Trips to Kegums (Latvia) and Maggiora (Italy) will follow hard upon.

Jeffrey Herlings, 6th and 1st for 3rd overall in MXGP: “We finished 6-1 for 3rd and it could have been better, could have been worse. The results changing after the race meant I lost a few points to the others but I’m pretty satisfied with my second moto. The bike worked well, and ran clean all moto in those conditions, so the team did great. I’m looking forward to Teutschenthal now after a practice race in the UK next week. Difficult this weekend, and we need to think about the health of the riders and think professionally. That’s my opinion.”

Andrea Adamo, 2nd and 4th for 3rd overall in MX2: “A pretty solid weekend and we’ve made a step compared to the beginning of the season because I am able to be decent every moto. It was a strange weekend because we had good conditions where it was almost dry, and then storms that made it very muddy. A strange feeling…but the second moto was pretty good. I have to be happy…and I have to keep consistent while looking for another step these coming races.”

Liam Everts, 6th and 5th for 5th overall in MX2: “Difficult weekend and a bit up and down. I won’t give my opinion on what happened on Saturday. Moto one, I was a bit behind Sacha and I crashed with Kay [De Wolf]: a racing incident. They can happen. Something went wrong for me at the start of the second and I struggled in the first fifteen minutes to pass the slower guys but once I got free air I had good pace…obviously it was too late. I’ll come back better in Germany.”

MXGP

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser won an eventful MXGP of France after a second-moto rain deluge to take-back the MXGP championship lead once again, and show that when the conditions get tough, the Honda CRF450R rider rises to the occasion.

There was initial confusion after the race as the FIM officials had to assess some yellow flag penalties handed out to other riders, but once those had been sorted out, it was confirmed that the #243 was the victor of the 2024 MXGP of France, after his one-four results.

In race one, when the track surface was back to it’s usual rutted, hard-pack self, Gajser put on a clinic to take his third moto victory of the season, moving quickly from third into first and pulling out a comfortable margin when he crossed the finish line. Winning that race gave him the virtual red-plate as he came into this GP tied, but he knew he’d have to perform in a similar fashion in race two if he wanted to leave the hillside venue of St Jean D’Angely grasping the actual plaque.

One hour before their gate-drop, the predicted rain hit the track in full force, turning the surface into mud and puddles, just like in the qualification race yesterday. This time around he got stuck in third place, and with the wet roost, and the single fast-line, he found himself unable to move forward and gain the positions that would have 100%-secured him the overall. Instead, with time running out to make a move, he ended up making a mistake on a downhill and remounted down in sixth place, which is where he eventually crossed the finish line. However, the FIM officials had spotted that the two riders in front of him had jumped on yellow flags, which moved him up into fourth and gave him enough points to take his first overall of this 2024 campaign.

The Slovenian now holds a five-point gap over his closest rival as they head into an off-weekend, before the series returns on June 1-2 for the MXGP of Germany in Teutschenthal, another track which Gajser has a good history on and one where he’ll once again have the red-plate adorning his Honda CRF450R.

MX2

Ferruccio Zanchi put in two excellent rides in changing conditions, going seven-eight for seventh overall in a very challenging MXGP of France. The youngster belied his years by riding smoothly in both dry and wet conditions, putting in a number of moves on the first lap to get himself well inside the top 10 and then holding on with some solid laptimes.

Considering it is only the Italians’ fourth GP, he is already becoming a staple performer in and around the top 10, and as he gets more and more bike-time, he’ll be looking to progress even further up the race standings at every opportunity. Next up will be the MXGP of Germany, where Zanchi won a moto in the EMX250 class, so he’ll be using this weekend off to prepare for that, before heading to Teutschenthal with even more confidence.

Second Straight AMA 450SX Championship for Team Honda HRC

Team Honda HRC earned its fourth premier-class championship in a row (following 2023 crowns in AMA Supercross, AMA Pro Motocross and SuperMotocross), with Jett Lawrence finalizing the accomplishment at Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium. The 20-year-old rode to a steady seventh-place main-event result, which was more than enough to secure his seventh AMA crown in a row. Hunter Lawrence rode well all day, but after being knocked down early in the 450SX main event, 15th place was all that he could manage. The finale was also a 250SX East-West Showdown, which meant Team Honda HRC riders Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas were both in action. In the end, the duo tallied fourth- and seventh-place finishes, respectively.

Jett knew that even if title rival Cooper Webb were to take the win in the final 450SX main-event start of the year, all he needed to do to secure the crown was finish in 17th place or better. The Australian ran seventh after turn 1, with Webb only one position better, while Hunter sat in third place. Buoyed by the momentum of his best-ever finish the previous week, Hunter was pressuring for second when he was run off the track by Jason Anderson on lap 2. He remounted near the back of the pack and eventually rode to a 15th-place result. Meanwhile, Jett ran as high as fourth for a while but opted to avoid potentially dangerous battles and settled for seventh at the finish.

Shimoda managed a third-place start in the 250SX East-West Showdown, while Hymas was back in 19th place. An early miscue by Shimoda cost him a couple positions, and he ran in fifth for the first few laps. He made a pass and spent laps 4 through 15 in fourth place, then overtook Jordon Smith for third. Unfortunately, the Japanese rider was passed on the last lap, and he finished just out of the podium positions. Meanwhile, despite his inauspicious getaway, Hymas rode well throughout the main event, climbing steadily through the pack to eventually notch a seventh-place result.

Jett Lawrence  ¹⁸

“I’m so excited we won the championship, but I’m also feeling grateful that the season’s over. The whole main event, all I could think was, ‘Don’t mess up.’ I just wanted to get a decent start, settle into a comfortable pace, and ride my race. It’s felt like a long season, but it’s gone very fast. I’m sure the emotions will set in more this week; right now, I’m happy about it, but even more happy for the team.”

De Baets Yamaha Supported MX team’s Lotte van Drunen celebrated an emphatic Grand Prix win at round three of the FIM Women's Motocross World Championship in Lugo, Spain. After finishing as a close runner-up in Race One, the Dutch sensation charged to victory aboard her GYTR-kitted YZ250F in Race Two to claim her second overall victory of the season. As a result, van Drunen now holds a nine-point advantage at the top of the WMX Championship Standings.

Arriving in Spain as the red-plate holder after a stunning double race win at round two in Sardegna, van Drunen was focused on breaking away from her rivals by the end of the weekend. Early on Saturday morning she set the tone for another positive weekend by qualifying as the fastest rider by well over a second.

Despite not getting off to a great start in Race One, the 16-year-old made a series of quick passes and moved into third by the end of lap one. Shortly after, her closest championship rival, Daniela Guillen, fell, which gifted van Drunen second place. Within a few laps, van Drunen engaged in a tense battle for the lead with the defending World Champion Courtney Duncan and led momentarily before crossing the finish line in second.

Knowing victory in Race Two would secure overall victory, van Drunen took full advantage of a much better start. Once again engaging in a battle at the front of the field with Duncan, van Drunen powered past on lap eight and began inching away. Going on to win with a near 10-second margin underlined the talent of the youngster who claimed her second consecutive GP win and now leads the title race by nine points ahead of round four in Germany.

One week on from the epic mud race in Portugal, the MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 Team was back in action in Spain for the fourth round of the EMX125 series. All three riders enjoyed the perfect track conditions, with Mano Faure demonstrating incredible consistency once again by posting a 5-5 result for fourth overall. The talented young Frenchman’s weekend was highlighted by holeshotting and leading Race Two for five laps before a small crash dropped him to fifth. Faure is now tied on points for fifth in the EMX125 Championship Standings.

At the same time, Dani Heitink delivered a breakout performance in Race Two with a stunning, career-first EMX125 race victory aboard his GYTR-kitted YZ125. The young Dutchman moved into second after Faure fell before making a crucial pass for the lead with two laps to go. Heitink ultimately placed fifth overall in Spain after claiming 16th in Race One to move up to seventh in the Championship Standings.

EMX125 round four was a tough and painful one for Jarne Bervoets. The young Belgian was hit by a few riders after he fell early on in Race One, but he courageously fought back to 21st. Lining up battered and bruised for Race Two, the young Belgian recovered from a first turn crash to cross the finish line in 14th for 20th overall. He now lies 11th in the EMX125 Championship Standings.

Round five of the EMX125 championship takes place next weekend at the MXGP of France in Saint Jean d’Angely with van Drunen back in action for WMX round four on June 1-2 at the MXGP of Germany in Teutschenthal.

The rider of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, always in the Top10 this year, equals the best result of the season so far. Marco Bezzecchi retired after a crash

Le Mans (France), May 12th 2024 - Really solid weekend for Fabio Di Giannantonio at Le Mans where the French GP took place today. The rider of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team confirmed the sensations of yesterday's excellent P7 and improved by crossing the finishing line, after fighting for the podium, in sixth place. Marco Bezzecchi crashed in the initial stages.

Excellent sprint at the start and fourth place at turn 1, Fabio is in the battle for the podium positions until a few laps before the checkered flag. A small mistake at turn 4 and the subsequent penalty with a long lap relegated him to the bottom of the second group. With 47 points, he is ninth in the overall standings. 

Double zero and crash for Marco, who demonstrates that he has found the pace of the fastest guys. After a difficult start (P9 after the first lap), in an attempt to recover, he crashes during the fourth lap when he was in eighth position (tenth in the standings with 36 points).