• Lawrence stretches 250SX West Region points lead to 23
• Chase Sexton finishes fifth in 450SX after leading early

The Lawrence brothers exhibition that has been the 2023 AMA Supercross 250SX season continued this weekend in Seattle, where the West Region riders resumed action after a one-month pause, giving Jett Lawrence the opportunity to post his fourth win in five races. Combined with the five wins earned so far by his brother Hunter in the East Region, the result gives the CRF250R-mounted Australians nine victories through 11 events. Meanwhile, Chase Sexton topped 450SX qualifying yet again and put himself in a position to win the main event, but an unfortunate crash out of the lead relegated him to fifth at the finish.

Lawrence emerged from turn 1 of the 250SX West main event in fourth place and quickly passed Cameron McAdoo for third. Next he moved by Hunter Yoder and set out in pursuit of the leading Stilez Robertson. Lawrence assumed the lead on lap 5 and, although he was kept honest by RJ Hampshire and McAdoo, he rode in control to win by 2.712 seconds.

Sexton started third in the 450SX main event, but he was into the lead before the completion of the first full lap. Near the midway point, he went down in a corner and remounted in fourth before finishing fifth.

NOTES

• Like all of the squads, Team Honda HRC pitted under the stadium at Seattle.
• Washington dealership South Bound Motorsports (with stores in Lakewood, Bremerton and Olympia) set up an activation booth in the Team Honda HRC pit area, where they displayed new motorcycle models and engaged with fans.
• Team Honda HRC rider Colt Nichols once again had to miss this round as he recovers from a concussion incurred at Daytona.
• Yet again, Team Honda HRC swept the top qualifying positions in both classes, with Sexton quickest in 450SX (by .487 seconds) and Lawrence fastest in 250SX West (by .812 seconds). It was Sexton’s ninth pole position of the year (his fourth straight) and the seventh round at which the Team Honda HRC qualified best in both classes.
• Lawrence started the second 250SX West heat race in third place and settled into a battle for second with Cameron McAdoo. Lawrence took the position, but then the two made contact, with both going down. Lawrence remounted in time to finish second behind Levi Kitchen. SmarTop/MotoConcepts Racing Honda’s Mitchell Oldenburg was sixth, and his teammate Anthony Rodriguez advanced from heat 1.
• The second 450SX heat race started with Sexton in fifth place. He quickly advanced to third and stalked Jason Anderson for several laps before muscling his way by. He then closed to Cooper Webb’s rear fender but couldn’t get by before the finish. Fire Power Honda’s Dean Wilson and MotoConcepts rider Cole Seely made it through the first heat race.
• Lawrence’s 250SX West success raised his 250SX career win tally to 11. It also put him on the list of Honda-mounted Seattle support-class winners with Willie Surratt, Kyle Lewis, Ty Davis, Jeremy McGrath (twice), Cole Seely (twice) and Hunter Lawrence, and it moved Honda to within one of the record of 10 support-class Seattle wins, held by Kawasaki.
• Sexton turned the fastest time in the premier-class main event—a 51.285” lap that was .356” better than the next-best rider.
• Johnny O’Mara, the Lawrence brothers’ trainer, celebrated his birthday on race day, and their father Darren Lawrence did likewise on Friday. Jett wished them both happy birthday from the podium.
• Former Team Honda HRC factory rider Cole Seely made a return at the Seattle Supercross, riding a MotoConcepts CRF450R following a pause of over three years. The California native (now an Idaho resident) qualified for the premier-class main event and finished 21^st.
• Lawrence took part in the post-race press conference.
• Team Honda HRC now gets a well-deserved weekend off before resuming action in Glendale, Arizona, April 8.

Chase Sexton 23 “Not a great night. I almost holeshot and got into the lead super quick, but when I fell the bike was just mangled. I had a hard time moving up after that. It’s definitely a night I want to move on from. I just have to go to the next round and prove what I can do.”

Jett Lawrence 18 “The night didn’t start too well with that crash in the heat race. Thankfully, I was able to walk away from that okay and just have the bike be banged up. In the main, it was a bit of a struggle getting into the lead. In all fairness, it wasn’t my best riding. I couldn’t find my flow the whole race, and I wasn’t hitting my lines; I was making silly mistakes I shouldn’t have been making. Overall, I’m glad to come away with the win, and I’m looking forward to getting back at it in Arizona.”

Lars Lindstrom - Team Manager “I really dislike these types of nights because they’re difficult to know how to feel. When you win one class and you should win the other one, you walk away with your emotions all over the place. Unfortunately, this has happened to us a few times this year, and I still don’t know how to feel about it. Jett Lawrence was the man tonight. Even though he wasn’t super stoked on his ride, the track was difficult and he made it happen, gaining a few more points in the championship. Chase did what he needed to do early; he got a good start and was riding really well until the track bit him. After that, the bike was pretty bent up, so it was hard for him to make any headway. Now we just have to focus ahead on making the most points possible in the next six races."