Following Sexton’s injury, the Honda rider is not a factor for all the other 450cc riders; Hunter Lawrence scores a new one-two finish in a fiercely contested 250cc by the Aussie brothers
If the National’s 450cc class was already “limp” after a Supercross that ended in a free fall from the point of view of injuries, Chase Sexton’s stop coming during the week dealt a definite knockout blow to the main outdoor title race. , a famous saying reads “weather the good and the bad” But in the historical setting of Hangtown, Jett Lawrence only played Pretty, leaving practically nothing to a small and far-flung group of antagonists.
The Aussie from the Honda team never really managed to start in front of everyone, but in both heats he took first place in a few corners and with great ease. The lead with which he crossed the finish line was always narrow, but the fact is that the 19-year-old from Gold Coast pulled off his will from the first corner of Race 1 to the last corner of Race 2. Demonic excellence.
The second step of the podium went to Dylan Ferrandis, who resisted several attempts by Aaron Plessinger for second place in the first race, while in Race 2 he dropped his arms, leaving Cooper Webb in third place. The KTM rider returned to the outdoor podium for the first time since the last round of 2021, just like yesterday, at an event held in Hangtown, where he finished second in Race 2.
The opportunity was lost to Plessinger, who crashed out more than half distance in the second heat after managing to get the better of Webb for second place. The “cowboy” did not advance beyond a partial sixth place and fourth overall, ahead of Adam Ciancirulo who was dominant on the flying laps but was never dangerous at race pace: fifth and fourth places for the Kawasaki rider, who though race-1 Paid for a delay of 53 seconds in Race 2 and one minute in Race 2.
The battle of the privateers for sixth place was won by an outstanding Ty Masterpool, who made his debut in the 450 cc twice in seventh place in the Kawasaki. The former Yamaha factory rider edged past Derek Drake’s BarX team (8-8), Jerry Robin’s Yamaha (10-9) and Lorenzo Locursio’s (9-11) Gas Gas and José Antonio Butrón’s (16-5) Suzuki. .
Lawrence confirmed a perfect score of 100 in the general standings and the sentiment is that this march will continue for a long time to come. Ferrandis has 82 points for second place, followed by Webb with 74 and Plessinger with 69.
The 250cc class was much more hard fought and full of heroes, with the start playing a fundamental role given the high level of the participants and the pace of the race which was not much different between the riders achieving the best results.
Hunter Lawrence repeated Pala’s results as well as the script read earlier last week, with a comeback third place finish in Race 1 and a commanding win in Race 2. The eldest of the two Honda brothers doesn’t give the impression of being unbeatable, but in terms of belief and tenacity, he doesn’t fear any comparison right now. The more rounds in which there have been two outright wins in the meantime, the more “round” results will eventually be considered in the next race.
Hangtown once again had the star reputation of Hayden Deegan, eventually winning the first heat after scoring the holeshot and then forcing out Justin Cooper in the final minutes. In Race 2, the young talent from the Yamaha team could not hold on to a promising start in the opening race and were forced to recover from behind. During the climb, the Californian found a lot of resistance in the Jalek Swell, taking advantage of a marked track and a lack of trajectories offered to defend himself better in Husqvarna. The Florida rider’s resistance lasted several minutes and Deegan had to be content with fourth place in the heat for third overall.
Central step of the podium for Cooper, second in both races and fourth consecutive time in 250cc in the top 3 at this track. If Deegan proved impossible to catch in the first half, the second half saw the 2021 Supercross West Coast Champion get a sprint of his own, holding the lead for a few minutes before giving way to Lawrence.
A decidedly weaker Tom Wiell fourth in Race 1, seventh like last week at Fox Raceway, and more dominant in Race 2 with a third place. The feeling is that the two-time world champion still has to get to the root of the matter with the structure of American tracks (from the point of view of bike set-up) and the very high speed at the top. National Running Day.
Two fifth places and an identical overall result for RJ Hampshire, thanks to two disappointing starts, then one by Joe Shimoda who was a victim of a struggle between Deegan and lapped Trey Fierro in Race-2 after a fourth place in Race-1: ” The “Dangerboy” Mexican was knocked down trying not to lose a meter on the swallow and Shimoda had no room to avoid the privateer Kawasaki on the ground, ending up on him and only finishing tenth. Good performances for the Spaniard in sixth and eighth Yamaha Guillem Fares, while Max Wohlland disappointed, having delayed starts in both heats and only 11th overall (11-12).
Finally, attention should be paid to Cambola, who knocked out Jeremy Martin and Michael Mosimann at the start of Race 2. The dynamics of Martin’s fall are particularly shocking, whose right hand ended up under the front wheel of another motorcycle: a broken wrist is feared.
The general classification of the cadet class provides Lawrence Red Plate with 90 points compared to Deegan’s 80 and Cooper’s 78, but Wyll and Hampshire follow a short distance away and could still play some significant chances for the title.
From the heat of California, in a few days we will pass through the coolness of the Colorado mountains: the third round of the national season will actually be staged at the Thunder Valley track in Lakewood.
450cc Standings:
450cc Riders Championship:
250cc Standings:
250cc Riders Championship:
Images: Honda Racing US Instagram