Hunter Lawrence (Honda) wins at Spring Creek, strange crash for Jett

Round 7 of the US Nationals in Millville (Minnesota) at Spring Creek Raceway: Hunter Lawrence (Honda) set the fastest time in qualifying this morning and started from pole position. Antonio Cairoli (Ducati) qualified in 15th place, 6 seconds behind the leader. Swiss Yamaha privateer Valentin Guillod finished the qualifying session in 16th place.

Combined 450 Qualifying:

1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 1:54.746

2. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, +0.618

3. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, +1.845

4. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, +2.537

5. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, +2.825

6. Cornelius Toendel (N), Kawasaki, +3.185

7. Eli Tomac (USA), KTM, +3.680

8. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, +4.576

9. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, +4.927

10. Jordon Smith (USA), Triumph, +5.122

11. Mikkel Haarup (DEN), Triumph, +5.490

12. Dylan Ferrandis (F), Ducati, +5.602

Race 1: Chaos in the first corner

In the first corner after the start, Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) was pushed wide by Jett Lawrence (Honda). Deegan, in turn, collided with Prado, who was riding to his left, and pushed the Spaniard off the track. Prado just managed to avoid a crash, but Deegan went down and had to start a chase from the back of the field. Hunter Lawrence took the holeshot. Garrett Marchbanks collided with Mikkel Haarup, causing both riders to crash. The Dane was injured in the incident and had to be taken off the track by the medical crew. Haarup was unable to compete in the second race. Hunter Lawrence went on to build up a lead of over 13 seconds. He won the first race with a 14-second lead over his younger brother Jett and RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna). Returning rider Eli Tomac finished the first race in 9th place.

Impressive comeback by Haiden Deegan

Haiden Deegan made a sensational charge through the field after his crash in the first corner, moving up from 10th to 4th place in the final two minutes.

Antonio Cairoli takes a sensational 6th place

The 40-year-old multiple champion from Sicily got off to a good start in the first race and finished in 6th place. The three Ducati factory riders, Justin Barcia, Antonio Cairoli and Dylan Ferrandis, finished 5th, 6th and 7th respectively in Moto 1.

Topic of the week

From major doubts to a major spectacle: why GP fans have reason to be delighted

Before the start of the season, critical voices dominated, but the World Championship rounds so far have shown that the rule changes are delivering exactly what was hoped for: excitement right up to the final lap.

Vanessa Georgoulas

Read more

Jett took the lead in the second race

Hunter Lawrence got the better of the start in the second race ahead of his younger brother Jett and Jorge Prado. After 10 minutes, Jett made his move. He overtook Hunter on the outside of a right-hand bend to take the lead and immediately pulled away. The race seemed to be decided at that point, but things turned out differently.

Cairoli was forced to head for the pits

Antonio Cairoli didn’t get off to a good start in the second race. The nine-time world champion was in 20th place on the first lap, but fought his way up to 15th. After 12 minutes, he headed for the pits and ended the race. It was not clear whether his pit stop was due to a technical fault or a crash. In any case, Cairoli looked a bit shaken in the pits.

Strange crash by Jett

With 10 minutes to go, Jett had built up a 23-second lead over his brother when he made a strange mistake. Jett lapped a rider and then failed to negotiate a rutted section of the track properly. He lost control, his motorbike went down, but he managed to stay on his feet. Just as the rather unspectacular situation seemed to have been resolved, his Honda tipped over, the handlebars struck his leg and knocked the Australian to the ground instantly. Jett was even pinned to the ground by the handlebars of his Honda. This incident saw him drop back to fifth place. Hunter won the second race ahead of Haiden Deegan and Jorge Prado and, with a perfect score, was crowned the day’s winner at Millville.

Standings at the top of the table after Round 7

With his fourth win of the season, Hunter Lawrence has reclaimed the championship lead after 7 of 11 rounds and now leads by a 10-point margin over Jett. The eighth round of the US Nationals takes place in Washougal in a week’s time.

450 Results: Spring Creek

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

2. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 4-2

3. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 2-5

4. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, 3-4

5. Justin Barcia (USA), Ducati, 5-8

6. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, 13-3

7. Dylan Ferrandis (F), Ducati, 7-9

8. Benny Bloss (USA), Beta, 10-10

9. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, 15-6

10. Jordon Smith (USA), Triumph, 14-7

11. Eli Tomac (USA), KTM, 9-12

12. Cornelius Toendel (N), Kawasaki, 19-11

13. Antonio Cairoli (I), Ducati, 6-39

14. Valentin Guillod (CH), Yamaha, 16-13

15. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, 8-25

450 Championship standings after round 7 of 11

1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 320 points

2. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 310 (-10)

3. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 258 (-62)

4. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, 231 (-89)

5. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, 221 (-99)

6. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, 206 (-114)

7. Dylan Ferrandis (F), Ducati, 180 (-140)

8. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, 153 (-167)

9. Mikkel Haarup (DEN), Triumph, 149 (-171)

10. Jordon Smith (USA), Triumph, 126 (-194)

11. Justin Barcia (USA), Ducati, 120 (-200)

12. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, 102 (-218)