Honda HRC Progressive enjoyed a standout Independence Day at the legendary RedBud Motocross National, as Hunter Lawrence and Jo Shimoda both took over the coveted red plates that signify the championship leads. For the third time this season and the second time in a row, Hunter secured a premier-class overall victory, while Jett Lawrence added another moto win and an overall-podium finish, despite experiencing an uncharacteristic challenging day. In the 250 class, Shimoda earned his first moto victory of the season to take over the championship lead, while Chance Hymas continued to build momentum with his strongest result of the season so far.
Heavy rainfall during the previous 24 hours left the track in an extremely challenging condition for the motos, with deep ruts developing throughout much of the course.
After starting third in moto 1, Hunter overtook Jorge Prado and then caught and passed Jett for the lead in the closing laps. While Hunter was navigating one of the deepest ruts, dirt and debris became lodged in his bike’s chain guide and rear-sprocket area.
This caused the rear wheel to momentarily lock, resulting in an unfortunate tip-over that allowed Jett to regain the lead, and Hunter was forced to settle for second. In moto 2, Hunter started sixth but quickly worked his way through the riders ahead of him. With just over three laps remaining, he passed Prado for the lead and pulled away to a convincing 12-second victory, securing the overall win. Meanwhile, a pair of early tip-overs dropped Jett outside the top 10 in moto 2, but the defending champ responded with a determined charge back to fifth, securing third overall.
After avoiding a first-turn incident in the first 250 moto, Shimoda steadily worked his way forward, putting in a signature late surge before finishing third. A stronger moto-2 start put him in immediate contention, and he methodically closed on the leaders before making the moto-winning pass on Cole Davies. Shimoda then pulled away to a convincing 12-second victory, earning the moto win and second overall. Hymas recorded an 8-6 moto tally as he builds consistency and works toward podium contention.
