Fourth overall for Hunter Lawrence at Washougal

Jo Shimoda notched his third podium overall result of the 250 season at the Washougal Pro Motocross National in the Pacific Northwest, notching 3-3 moto finishes to take the same position on the day. In the same class, Chance Hymas toughed out a badly hurting right ankle to complete both motos, even charging forward in race 2 following a turn 1 crash, ultimately tallying an 8-12 showing for ninth overall. Despite qualifying on pole in the 450 division, Hunter Lawrence wasn’t able to find the pace he has shown for much of the season, finishing just off the overall podium for the first time in his young premier-class outdoor career. Words: HRC

Lawrence got a third-place start in the first 450 moto, but he lost a spot on the first lap. On a track that is notorious for making passing difficult, the Australian moved by two riders to capture second at the midway point, but he lost his front end in a corner on the next lap and went down, slipping back to fifth. That was his eventual finish position, one ahead of Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis. The second moto saw Lawrence start second and quickly assume the lead, but he wasn’t able to maintain the necessary pace on the slippery track and slipped back to fourth at moto’s end, for fourth overall. Ferrandis was fifth in the moto and sixth overall.

Shimoda was sixth out of turn 1 in the first 250 moto, and he quickly advanced to fifth, with Hymas a couple of positions back. Shimoda mounted a charge at the moto’s midway point, moving up to third (his eventual finishing position), while Hymas gritted his teeth to finish eighth. Shimoda was sixth off the moto 2 start, and although he lost a spot early on, he soon recovered that position. He advanced to fifth through the whoops on lap 2, then moved into fourth on lap 4 and third a lap later, and that’s where he finished for third overall. Meanwhile, Hymas was taken out in turn 1 and, after limping back to his downed bike, spent the moto recovering to finish 12^th.

NOTES

• All three active Team Honda HRC riders took part in Friday’s Media Day activities on Friday at Washougal, getting track time and doing interviews with attending journalists.
• After suffering a severe sprain to his right ankle last week, Chance Hymas’s participation in the Washougal round was in doubt. The Idaho native took part in qualifying and determined that he was up to at least try to complete moto 1, and he ultimately completed both motos.
• Vancouver, Washington, dealership Pro Caliber Motorsports staffed a popup activation booth at Washougal, displaying powersports products and engaging with fans and customers.
• Washougal featured a Military Appreciation theme, and Team Honda HRC participated with special Throttle Jockey graphics featuring a Viper Urban Camouflage pattern from team apparel sponsor TrueTimber.
• After missing two races due to an injured back, Cameron Camera was back at work in the Team Honda HRC pits, spinning wrenches for Hunter Lawrence.
• During morning qualifying, Hunter Lawrence turned the fastest time of the 450 riders, giving him the first gate pick. In the 250 class, Chance Hymas and Jo Shimoda were seventh- and ninth-best, respectively.
• Washougal marked the first time that Lawrence hasn’t finished on the overall podium in his young 450MX career. It was also the first time that Honda didn’t finish on the 450 podium since the last round of the 2021 season.
• Nonetheless, Hunter retains second in the 450 title chase, 28 points behind Chase Sexton, with three rounds remaining. In the 250 ranks, Hymas and Shimoda sit fourth and fifth in the points, respectively.
• Team Honda HRC and the rest of the AMA Pro Motocross traveling circus get a much-needed two-weekend break, with round 9 scheduled for August 10 at Unadilla MX in Upstate New York.

Hunter Lawrence: “I’m looking forward to reevaluating after this weekend. I’ve kind of been struggling since RedBud—it just seems like I haven’t been the same since that crash. So we’ll go back to the drawing board and figure a few things out about myself. It’s been two weekends in a row that I haven’t even had one good moto in me, which is extremely uncharacteristic. We’ll take this break to make sure we’re 100% healthy, so we can come out swinging for the last three rounds.”

Image: HRC