Hunter Lawrence (Honda) wins at RedBud, Tony Cairoli finishes 12th

Round 5 of the US Nationals at RedBud on the 250th anniversary of American Independence. Following heavy rainfall on Friday, qualifying took place in muddy conditions. Although the track dried out as the afternoon progressed, deep ruts formed and deep mud holes appeared off the ideal line.

HRC works rider Jett Lawrence was the fastest in qualifying. The defending champion therefore started the first race from pole position. Dutch wildcard rider Roan van de Moosdijk (Kosak KTM) qualified in a respectable 7th place, whilst Antonio Cairoli (Ducati) secured 12th place on the grid.

Combined qualifying:

1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 2:16.573

2. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, +0.245

3. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, +1.006

4. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, +1.599

5. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, +2.398

6. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, +3.469

7. Roan van de Moosdijk (NL), KTM, +3.605

8. Dylan Ferrandis (F), Ducati, +4.705

9. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, +5.143

10. Cornelius Toendel (N), Kawasaki, +5.781

11. Mikkel Haarup (DEN), Triumph, +6.398

12. Antonio Cairoli (I), Ducati, +6.401

Race 1:

Jorge Prado (KTM) took the holeshot ahead of the two Australian Lawrence brothers. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) and Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) both crashed in the first corner, independently of one another. Plessinger was forced to retire from the race shortly afterwards, having sustained an injury. He was taken to hospital for a check-up. Returning rider Justin Barcia (Ducati) also got off to a good start, but later crashed as well.

For eight minutes, Jett Lawrence and Jorge Prado battled for the lead, but Hunter closed in on Jett, overtook him and eventually took the lead. Hunter looked set to take the race win across the finish line, but he crashed on the final lap after overtaking a rider who had been lapped. As a result, Jett was awarded the race win. Haiden Deegan, despite crashing in the first corner, managed to fight his way up from the back of the field to finish 10th.

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Race 2:

Jorge Prado took the holeshot once again and led ahead of Haiden Deegan and Jett Lawrence. Deegan initially wobbled but just managed to avoid a crash. Shortly afterwards, Jett skidded in a left-hand bend and crashed. The crash itself was minor, but he was left facing the wrong way and had to let several riders pass. Jett wanted to make up for his mistake as quickly as possible, but he crashed again, this time in a right-hand bend, and dropped out of the top 10. Frustrated, the defending champion continued the race and managed to fight his way back up to 5th place, which was ultimately enough for 3rd place on the podium.

Jorge Prado led until three minutes before the end of the race, but Hunter Lawrence launched a final sprint and overtook the Spaniard to take the lead. With a 1-2 finish, Hunter Lawrence claimed victory on the day and, in doing so, reclaimed the lead in the championship standings. Had Jorge Prado managed to hold on to his lead across the finish line, it would have been his first race win in the USA. As it was, he had to settle for second place.

Results for the European wildcard riders

Kosak-KTM rider Roan van de Moosdijk, who had finished the first race in 35th place on his US debut following some problems, crossed the line in a respectable 11th place in the second race. Antonio Cairoli (Ducati) finished 12th in both races and was therefore 12th overall.

Standings at the top of the table

With 5 of 11 events now completed, Hunter Lawrence has reclaimed the championship lead with a narrow 4-point advantage. Next week, the action continues at Southwick with the sixth round of the US Nationals.

RedBud 450 results

1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 2-1

2. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, 3-2

3. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 1-5

4. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, 4-4

5. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, 5-6

6. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 10-3

7. Mikkel Haarup (DEN), Triumph, 7-7

8. Dylan Ferrandis (F), Ducati, 6-9

9. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, 8-8

10. Jordon Smith (USA), Triumph, 11-11

11. Antonio Cairoli (I), Ducati, 12-12

Championship standings after round 5 of 11:

1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 227

2. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 224, (-3)

3. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 176, (-51)

4. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, 164, (-63)

5. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, 157, (-70)

6. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, 149, (-78)

7. Dylan Ferrandis (F), Ducati, 126, (-101)

8. Mikkel Haarup (DEN), Triumph, 124, (-103)

9. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, 111, (-116)

10. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, 102, (-125)