Jett Lawrence (HRC) gives Haiden Deegan the middle finger and is penalised

The AMA stated: “Following our review, it was determined that rider #1 (Jett Lawrence) breached the Code of Conduct by making an obscene hand gesture during the competition. Rider #1 (Jett Lawrence) received a penalty point on his licence and was fined.” The exact amount was not disclosed. Insiders estimate it to be between 250 and 1,000 US dollars.

AMA Penalty Points Register

As the number of points on a licence increases, AMA riders face higher fines, suspended sentences or grid penalties. In the worst-case scenario, a ban may be imposed. However, Jett Lawrence is still a long way from that following this incident.

Background

Jett had crashed during practice at High Point. Haiden Deegan rode past the Australian, who had only just got back on his bike, and Jett gave him the middle finger as he passed. There had been another incident prior to this: When Haiden noticed Jett appearing behind him, he looked for a patch of loose ground and opened the throttle wide. Jett was hit full on by the jet of sand. Jett then retaliated, overtook Haiden and returned the favour with a similar manoeuvre. After he crashed, he gave the middle finger. In the post-race press conference, Jett claimed he’d only wanted to clean his tyre to get more grip. Haiden Deegan, in particular, regards the row with Jett as part of their marketing strategy: attention at any cost.