Thriller at Ironman: Hunter Lawrence (Honda) is champion, Jorge Prado takes the win

The final round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championships took place at the Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville (Indiana): Spanish Red Bull KTM works rider Jorge Prado was already the fastest in qualifying. Championship leader Hunter Lawrence (Honda) was just 0.119 seconds slower on his fastest lap. He was followed by his younger brother Jett, who was just one point behind him in the championship standings going into the race.

Combined 450 Qualifying

1. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, 2:07.134

2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, +0.119

3. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, +0.781

4. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, +1.498

5. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, +3.115

6. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, +3.150

First race: A bitter setback for Hunter on the first lap

Hunter Lawrence took the holeshot, but Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) took the lead on the very first lap. Hunter stayed on Deegan’s tail, but ‘Dangerboy’ went over the front wheel in a banked right-hand bend on the freshly watered track. Hunter was unable to swerve out of the way and crashed into Deegan’s Yamaha. The two motorbikes became wedged together, allowing almost the entire field to pass them.

Prado seized his chance

Jorge Prado took the lead, made no mistakes and controlled the race from the front. The Spaniard won his first race in US Pro Motocross and also became the first Spanish race winner in the USA.

Hunter versus Jett

Before the race, Hunter and Jett Lawrence were the only riders still in contention for the title. “After the crash, I thought that was it…” recalled Hunter. “Surprisingly, though, Jett got off to a very poor start and, once I’d rejoined the race, he wasn’t where I’d expected him to be,” Hunter recalled. He overtook Jett and fought his way up to eighth place. Jett crossed the line in 11th place, which meant that only four points separated the two title contenders ahead of the decisive second race. After crossing the line, Jett headed straight for the team truck – clearly in severe pain in his right ankle.

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The nail-biting thriller in Race 2

The outcome would be decided in the second race. Hunter got off to a good start, but Jorge Prado took the lead once again. Haiden Deegan started in fourth place and overtook Jett in the early stages. Shortly afterwards, he was right on Hunter’s tail, and the Australian made a small mistake, which Deegan naturally capitalised on straight away to pass Hunter. After that, Hunter tried to avoid making any further mistakes and played it safe. Halfway through the race, Jett closed the gap and overtook his older brother. However, this situation was enough for Hunter to secure his first championship victory in the 450 class. Hunter Lawrence ultimately won by a narrow margin of 2 points. Both Lawrence brothers, however, missed out on the podium at Ironman.

Jorge Prado made history at Ironman

The four-time world champion became the first Spanish national champion in the history of the sport at Ironman. Considering where Prado stood last year, this is yet another story that could only happen in our sport.

450 Ironman results

1. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, 1-1, 50 points

2. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, 2-6, 37, (-13)

3. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, 3-8, 33, (-17)

4. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 8-4, 31, (-19)

5. Eli Tomac (USA), KTM, 7-5, 30, (-20)

6. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 11–3, 30, (-20)

7. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, 6-7, 29, (-21)

8. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, 5-9, 28, (-22)

9. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 16-2, 27, (-23)

10. Mikkel Haarup (DK), Triumph, 4-14, 25, (-25)

Final standings: US Nationals 450

1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 474 points

2. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 472, (-2)

3. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 404, (-70)

4. Jorge Prado (E), KTM, 401, (-73)

5. R.J. Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna, 346, (-128)

6. Garrett Marchbanks (USA), Kawasaki, 296, (-178)

7. Dylan Ferrandis (F), Ducati, 269, (-205)

8. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha, 264, (-210)

9. Mikkel Haarup (DK), Triumph, 246, (-228)

10. Justin Barcia (USA), Ducati, 226, (-248)