Southwick: Jett Lawrence (Honda) wins and takes the lead in the championship standings

Round 6 of the US Nationals at Southwick (Massachusetts): Belgian guest rider and MXGP World Championship leader Lucas Coenen (KTM) set by far the fastest lap time in qualifying this morning. The 19-year-old was more than 1.2 seconds faster than Jorge Prado in second place on his fastest lap. He was followed by Jett and Hunter Lawrence (both Honda) and Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) in fifth place.

Roan van de Moosdijk: Qualified in 6th place

Dutch Kosak-KTM rider Roan van de Moosdijk, who currently leads the ADAC MX Masters and is currently competing in a number of races in the USA, finished qualifying in a sensational 6th place, ahead of riders such as RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna, 7th), Dylan Ferrandis (Ducati, 10th), Justin Barcia (12th) and Cooper Webb (13th). Antonio Cairoli (Ducati) qualified in 14th place.

Combined 450 Qualifying:

1. Lucas Coenen (B), KTM, 1:53.903

2. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, +1.236

3. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, +1.373

4. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, +1.473

5. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, +2.901

6. Roan van de Moosdijk (NL), KTM, +3.150

Race 1: Crash, comeback and retirement for Coenen

Pole-sitter Lucas Coenen crashed in the very first corner after the start, taking a hard tumble. Fortunately, the Belgian was able to continue and staged an impressive comeback. Jett Lawrence took the lead ahead of Hunter and Deegan. After 20 minutes, Lucas Coenen had fought his way through the field and overtaken his Red Bull KTM team-mate Jorge Prado to move into 5th place.

Lucas Coenen’s nasty crash

With two minutes remaining, Lucas Coenen’s KTM – whilst in fourth place – locked up on a downhill jump, causing the Belgian to be thrown violently over the handlebars. Although Lucas was able to walk away from the scene of the crash on his own two feet after a few minutes and make his way to the medical centre, he was unable to start the second race. Details of his condition were not yet available after the race.

Race abandoned under red flag

Jett’s front wheel sank into the deep sand, causing him to crash whilst leading. Hunter took the lead and won the first race, which, however, had to be red-flagged following another crash by Cristian Craig.

Heat 2: a reversal of fortunes

As mentioned, Lucas Coenen was unable to compete in the second race. Hunter Lawrence took the holeshot ahead of Deegan and Jett. This trio had already managed to pull slightly clear of Jorge Prado and the rest of the field. Deegan managed to fend off Jett’s attacks for a while, but the Australian eventually prevailed and moved into second place. Whilst leading, Hunter suffered a crash similar to the one Jo Shimoda had in the 250cc qualifying session, in which the Japanese rider had sustained a broken collarbone. Hunter Lawrence accidentally shifted into neutral whilst changing gears, causing him to lose all forward momentum. His front wheel sank into the deep sand and Hunter went over the handlebars. Jett, Deegan and Prado passed the rider who had crashed, leaving Hunter to play catch-up in fourth place. Jett Lawrence won the second race and, with a 2-1 result, was also the day’s winner ahead of Hunter Lawrence (1-4) and Haiden Deegan (3-2).

A good start from Antonio Cairoli

Guest rider Antonio Cairoli (Ducati), who finished the first race in 15th place, got off to a good start in the second race and was up to sixth place on the first lap. The nine-time Motocross World Champion later retired and was classified in 35th place.

Toendel’s Kawasaki works debut

Norwegian Cornelius Toendel’s first outing as a Kawasaki works rider proved promising. The sand specialist, who was brought in to replace the injured Chase Sexton, finished the Southwick National in 11th place overall with a 9-13 result.

Top 7 for Roan van de Moosdijk

Kosak-KTM rider Roan van de Moosdijk finished the first race in an excellent 7th place. The Dutchman also retired from the second race.

Results for the other Europeans

Danish Triumph works rider Mikkel Haarup finished 9th on the day’s standings with a 12-7 result. Swiss Yamaha privateer Valentin Guillod also posted two solid results, finishing 13th and 12th.

Jett Lawrence back on top of the standings

With his victory at Southwick, Jett Lawrence has reclaimed the Red Plate as championship leader after 6 of 11 rounds, but his lead over his brother Hunter is just one point. Next week, the action continues in Millville with the 7th round of the US Nationals.

Southwick results:

1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 2-1, 47 points

2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 1-4, 43, (-4)

3. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 3-2, 42, (-5)

4. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, 4-3, 38, (-9)

5. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, 5-5, 32, (-15)

6. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, 10–6, 26, (-21)

7. Dylan Ferrandis (F), Ducati, 6-11, 25, (-22)

8. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, 8-10, 24, (-23)

9. Mikkel Haarup (DK), Triumph, 12-7, 23, (-24)

10. Jordon Smith (USA), Triumph, 11-8, 23, (-24)

11. Cornelius Toendel (N), Kawasaki, 9–13, 20, (-27)

12. Justin Barcia (USA), Ducati, 14-9, 19, (-28)

13. Valentin Guillod (CH), Yamaha, 13-12, 17, (-30)

14. Roan van de Moosdijk (NL), KTM, 7-34, 14, (-33)

15. Mitchell Harrison (USA), Kawasaki, 17–14, 11, (-36)

US Nationals 450 standings after 6 of 11 rounds:

1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), 271 points

2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), 270, (-1)

3. Haiden Deegan (USA), 218, (-53)

4. Jorge Prado (E), 202, (-69)

5. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), 183, (-88)

6. R.J. Hampshire (USA), 183, (-88)

7. Dylan Ferrandis (F), 152, (-119)

8. Mikkel Haarup (DEN), 149, (-122)

9. Cooper Webb (USA), 139, (-132)

10. Jordon Smith (USA), 103, (-168)