Jett Lawrence and Cole Davies secured important victories during the ninth round of the U.S. Pro Motocross Championship at Unadilla. Both riders claimed their fourth overall wins of the season, resulting in major shifts in the championship battle. Jett Lawrence retook the lead in the 450SMX standings, while Davies is now just one point behind championship leader Levi Kitchen in the 250SMX class.
In the 450 class, Hunter Lawrence made a strong start. After Haiden Deegan took the holeshot, Hunter quickly moved into the lead in the opening moto. Jett Lawrence had a moment with Deegan that briefly forced him off his Honda, but he recovered impressively. In the closing stages, he passed Jorge Prado for second place. Hunter took a convincing victory ahead of Jett and Prado.
The second moto started with the Lawrence brothers at the front. Hunter initially led, but with just over 20 minutes remaining, Jett took over the lead. Jorge Prado moved into second and remained close to the leaders for a long time.
The championship battle then took a major turn when Hunter suffered a heavy crash on the steep section of The Wall. He was able to continue, but later had to retire with a damaged motorcycle and was classified 39th.
Jett kept Prado behind him and won the moto by more than ten seconds. With a 2-1 result, he secured his fourth overall win of the season. Prado finished second overall with a 3-2 score, while Haiden Deegan completed the podium with a 4-3 result.
Following Hunter’s problems, Jett Lawrence has once again taken the championship lead. With two rounds and four motos remaining, the gap between the brothers is now ten points.
The title battle was also wide open in the 250 class. Levi Kitchen set the fastest qualifying time before going on to win the opening moto.
Cole Davies took the lead after an early crash by Casey Cochran, but Kitchen worked his way forward from the back. He first passed Chance Hymas and later capitalized on a mistake by Davies to take over the lead. Kitchen eventually won by more than eight seconds over Davies, with Caron Mumford finishing third.
In the second moto, Davies took the holeshot, while Kitchen was classified in 37th after problems in the first corner. The Yamaha rider controlled the race from the front and secured his seventh moto win of the season.
Meanwhile, Kitchen produced an impressive comeback. After just one lap, he was already knocking on the door of the top 20, eventually working his way all the way back to sixth place. As a result, he significantly limited the damage in the championship battle.
Davies won the overall with a 2-1 score ahead of Kitchen, who finished second overall with a 1-6 result. Chance Hymas completed the podium with a 4-2 score.
Kitchen therefore narrowly retains the red plate. With two rounds and four motos remaining, his advantage over Davies is just one point.
Photo credits – Align Media
