・ Jett Lawrence takes the 250SX West title in Denver – his fourth AMA crown
・ Chase Sexton tops the Premier League and takes the points lead
・ Colt Nichols is fine after a bad fall while running near the top
On a dramatic evening in downtown Denver, Team Honda HRC continued their dream 2023 AMA Supercross season, taking the 250SX West Region crown from Jett Lawrence (on the heels of Hunter Lawrence who took the 250SX East crown last week fetched). Meanwhile, Chase Sexton clinched his second 450SX win in as many weekends and his third in four races. With title rival Eli Tomac suffering an injury, Sexton took the points lead with one lap remaining.
After a poor start in the 250SX West Main Event, Lawrence finished 10thth on the first lap but he knew he only needed a 10th place finish to clinch the title. The young Australian drove safely to avoid jeopardizing the title and was ninth after one lap, eighth a lap later and he moved up to seventh after six laps. Halfway through the 21-lap race, Lawrence sat in third place and he held that position to the end, celebrating his fourth AMA crown as he crossed the finish line.
In the 450SX main event, Sexton was sixth after one lap after being delayed at Turn 1. He moved up to fourth place in Round 3, and after Eli Tomac departed a round later with an injury, the Illinois native found himself in second place. He took the lead on lap 7 and drove smoothly to the finish where he won by over eight seconds. Meanwhile, Nichols was riding extremely well from the start, catching a strong start and running in the top five until suffering a scary crash. Luckily, the Oklahoma native turned out to be relatively okay after a few spooky moments, and he’s looking forward to competing in the series finale.
REMARKS
Chase Sexton, Colt Nichols and Jett Lawrence all attended Friday’s media day
Many riders and team members wore special decals honoring the late Wills Fedrick, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Paddock Manager who lost his life last week.
A week after winning the 250SX East crown, Hunter Lawrence entered the Denver race to cheer on his brother for his championship. Hunter made a guest appearance at the booth for the broadcast during the 250SX West main event but left in time to congratulate Jett on the podium.
In the day’s qualifying, Team Honda HRC again led the combined times in both classes, with Sexton best in the 450SX and Lawrence fastest in the 250SX West. Nichols was a solid seventh in the Premier League.
In 250SX West Heat 2, Lawrence was involved in a pileup shortly after the start and got back up around 15th He went into damage control mode, riding fast but controlled until he got fourth place on the penultimate lap and held that place to the finish – two behind SmarTops/MotoConcepts Honda’s Mitchell Oldenburg. KBR-sponsored Red Rider Luke Kalaitzian moved in from ninth place, and TDMX back Brandon Ray made it out of the last chance qualifier.
In the second 450SX Heat Race, Sexton and Nichols came out of Turn 1 in third and fourth place respectively. After one lap, Sexton was in second place and he took the lead around the middle and then went by a 1.5 second lead with Nichols taking a solid third place. Also emerging from the heat was Fire Power Honda’s Dean Wilson, while SmarTop/MotoConcepts Honda’s Anthony Rodriguez and TiLube/Storm Lake Honda’s Michael Hicks made it out of Heat 1.
Sexton’s 450SX win is his fifth of the year and sixth of his career. Lawrence’s third place is 22ndnd 250SX podium result of his career.
Sexton’s win put Honda in a tie with Kawasaki for first place on Denver’s premier class winners list, with two.
Sexton and Lawrence both attended the post-race press conference.
Team Honda HRC now heads west to Salt Lake City for the final AMA Supercross round of the year, with Sexton leading a seven-point lead in the 450SX title chase. Hunter and Jett Lawrence have already won the 250SX East and West titles respectively, but they have a chance to go head-to-head as the finale is also an East-West showdown.
