Cooper wins final battles at Hangtown but Jett wins the war

2021 Pro Motocross Championship
Round 12 – Hangtown

Images by Jeff Kardas

The 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship reached its conclusion on as the summer campaign ended with American motocross’ oldest event for the 12th and final round, the Carson City Motorsports Hangtown Motocross Classic.

250

While one championship had already been decided in the 450 Class, the 250 Class title remained up for grabs, which put the division into the spotlight on a sunny afternoon in Northern California.

When the dust settled on the final two motos of the season, it was 18-year-old Team Honda HRC rider Jett Lawrence who emerged with the Gary Jones Cup as the first ever Australian champion in the smaller displacement.

Lawrence’s championship-winning ride wasn’t without serious drama as Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper did all he could to try and steal the title with his first 1-1 moto sweep and his second win of the 2021 season.

Jett’s older brother and Honda team-mate Hunter Lawrence finished third in the title chase, having taken two moto wins and one overall victory, making the Lawrences the only brothers to both finish an AMA Pro Motocross Championship in the top three.

After Frenchman Dylan Ferrandis wrapped up the 450 Title last week this also marks the first time in history that both of the premier American Motocross Championships were won by foreigners in the same year.

450

In the 450 Class, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis put the finishing touches on the championship he clinched one week ago with an impressive sixth victory while Eli Tomac finished second in the championship after overhauling Ken Roczen at the final juncture.

2021  AMA Pro Motocross Video Highlights

250 Moto 1

With the attention focused on the culmination of the title fight in the 250 Class, the division began its first moto with Cooper out front with the MotoSport.com Holeshot ahead of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire. As Cooper led, Lawrence was faced with a bit of adversity as he crashed on the opening lap and remounted deep in the field, crossing the line in 23rd place. A couple laps later Lawrence faced even more adversity when a rider crashed in front of him and forced the Australian to stop and briefly get off his bike to keep from tipping over, which caused him to lose a couple more spots.

Back up front, Cooper continued to lead the way over Hampshire while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner ran third. A little more than 10 minutes into the moto Forkner was seen pushing his motorcycle off the track, which moved Bar X/Chaparral/ECSTAR Suzuki’s Dylan Schwartz into third. Further back, Lawrence clawed his way into the top 20 and broke into the top 15 before the moto reached its halfway point.

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Hampshire was able to close in on Cooper and stabilized the margin to just over a second, but Cooper responded with his fastest lap of the moto to open it back to nearly three seconds. Behind them, the battle for third between Schwartz and Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Michael Mosiman turned into misfortune for both riders as they made contact and went down. That handed third place to Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence. The incident also worked to the benefit of Jett Lawrence, who was able to get by both Schwartz and Mosiman to break into the top 10 and slot into ninth with less than five minutes remaining.

Cooper stretched out his lead in the closing stages of the moto and went wire to wire for his sixth moto win of the season, crossing the line 3.5 seconds ahead of Hampshire, with Hunter Lawrence in third. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda finished fourth, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Vohland completed the top five. Jett Lawrence did well to overcome the odds and minimize the damage of his early misfortunes to finish eighth.

250 Moto 1 Results

250 Moto 2

As the riders lined up on the starting gate one final time in 2021 a total of 11 points separated the title combatants, who lined up side by side. If Cooper were to win, Lawrence would need to finish no worse than seventh.

As the field emerged from the first turn to begin the moto it was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Josh Varize who captured the MotoSport.com Holeshot, followed by AEO Powersports GASGAS rider Ty Masterpool and Cooper, while Lawrence went to work from a start just outside the top five. Adversity then struck Lawrence for a third time as he went down in pursuit of Vohland, which dropped the Honda rider outside the top 10.

Meanwhile, Cooper took matters into his own hands and stormed into the lead just five minutes into the moto, which put the pressure on Lawrence to respond. The Australian was patient and started to gain positions one-by-one, avoiding any additional misfortune.

Back up front, Cooper established a lead of more than five seconds as Forkner moved into second and brought his teammate Shimoda along in third, dropping Varize from the top three. Shimoda then made the pass on Forkner to take over the runner-up spot.

As the moto surpassed the halfway point, Cooper continued to do all he could and remained in firm control of the moto. However, Lawrence continued to move forward. The Honda rider once again found himself in pursuit of Vohland, as both riders made their way around Forkner to take over third and fourth, respectively. Lawrence continued to ride with patience and with mere minutes remaining he caught and passed Vohland to take over third.

Cooper wrapped up the best performance of his career with another dominant moto win, three seconds ahead of Shimoda in second, while Lawrence put forth a championship-winning ride to finish third.

250 Moto 2 Results

250 Overall

It signified the first 1-1 outing for Cooper and also marked the first time in his career that he’s won more than one race in a single season. He finished on the overall podium at all 12 rounds and ended the season with the fourth overall victory of his career.

“Every weekend on the overall podium is a big accomplishment for me,” said Cooper. “I gave it all I had today and did what I had to do. I’m really proud of that, especially to get my first 1-1. Maybe it was too little, too late, but we worked our butts off and can end the season with our heads held high.”

Shimoda wrapped up an impressive close to the season in second (4-2), as the Japanese rider captured three runner-up finishes in the final four rounds. Hampshire rounded out the overall podium in third (2-6).

“I really wanted a win, but being up on the podium is big progress for me,” said Shimoda. “I ended the last four races with good overall finishes and that is something I can take into next year. I know I am capable of more and will be working hard this off-season.”

Lawrence’s title-winning effort came on the heels of one of his worst finishes of the season in fifth (8-3), but the podium effort in the final moto allowed him to finish six points ahead of Cooper in the final standings. It marks the first 250 Class championship for Honda since 2013 with Eli Tomac.

“It feels so great,” exclaimed Lawrence. “I rode so bad today and Cooper rode awesome. I loved racing him this season because he kept me on my toes. It’s a very special day for me, but I could have never done this without all the support of my family, my team, and so many others who helped me get here.”

Older brother and team-mate Hunter Lawrence finished third in the title chase, having taken two moto wins and one overall victory, making the Lawrences the only brothers to both finish an AMA Pro Motocross Championship in the top three.

RJ Hampshire dug deep to close out the season with on a positive note with 2-6 results earning him third overall for the day. With 11 moto-podiums and a Round 4 overall win, Hampshire sealed fourth overall in the 250MX Championship standings.

“It was a good day to finish the season off,” Hampshire said. “I still don’t feel that great but we managed through the day and saved what I could in that first moto. In the second moto, I got a decent start again and ran into the back of someone first lap and went pretty far back. I knew a podium was in the cards, so I dug deep at the end. It’s a good way to end the season off on the podium, so I’m stoked on that. I’m looking forward to a good off-season.”

The 2021 Marty Smith Rookie of the Year was also named at the end of the day, as Vohland took the prestigious honors on the heels of a career-best fourth-place finish (5-4) at his home track. The second-generation racer finished ninth in the final standings.

Max Vohland

“I definitely learned a lot this season. I had a lot of ups and downs, which is pretty typical for a rookie, but to come out here and get fourth and be super close to the podium in front of this hometown crowd is amazing! I’m super honored and this is a big accomplishment for me.”

250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)

2021 AMA Pro Motocross 250MX Final Championship Points Standings

450 Moto 1

The opening 450 Class moto of the afternoon saw Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen, Ferrandis, and Red Bull Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb side-by-side coming to the MotoSport.com Holeshot, from which Roczen emerged with the lead. While Roczen asserted his position at the head of the pack, the jockeying for position behind him was exciting as Ferrandis, teammate Christian Craig, Webb, and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac all fought for second and third in the running order.

After a couple laps the field settled in, with Roczen, Ferrandis, and Webb occupying the top three spots, while Tomac ran fourth. As the moto approached the halfway point a battle for the lead started to take shape between Roczen and Ferrandis, as Tomac made the pass on Webb to take over third. Ferrandis moved to within striking distance of Roczen and began to look for alternate lines, but the Honda rider fended off the challenge. Tomac was the fastest rider on the track and made big inroads on his deficit to the leaders, only to give it away with a tip over that dropped him back to fourth behind Webb.

Out front, the season-long championship rivals from Europe went bar-to-bar for the lead. Ferrandis looked for a way around at various points on the track, but Roczen didn’t waver and was able to inch away. Ferrandis persisted and finally got the upper hand. He made the pass happen with less than 10 minutes left in the moto.

Once out front, Ferrandis ran away with the moto and opened up an advantage of more than 10 seconds. He cruised to his eighth moto win of the season, 12 seconds ahead of Roczen at the finish, while Webb followed in a distant third. Tomac finished in fourth, while Craig rounded out the top five.

450 Moto 1 Results

450 Moto 2

The final 450 Class moto of the season began with Webb at the head of the pack with the MotoSport.com Holeshot, but he was quickly passed by Craig. Behind them, both Roczen and Ferrandis were collected in incidents off the start, with Roczen unable to continue as Ferrandis got underway at the tail end of the field.

Back up front, Craig asserted himself as the leader while Webb and Tomac gave chase. Further back, Ferrandis was making quick work in his climb through the field and it wasn’t long before he broke into the top 10. As the moto surpassed its opening 10 minutes, Craig was forced to deal with both Webb and Tomac, who were eager to get by. Webb made quick work of his Yamaha counterpart to reclaim the top spot, while Tomac followed through into second shortly thereafter.

The battle was on at the head of the pack as the moto reached its halfway point and Tomac made a push to put the pressure on Webb. The distance between the leaders ebbed and flowed as they both took advantage of strong portions of the track, but eventually Tomac’s continued pressure allowed him to make the move and seize control of the moto with a dozen minutes remaining. Webb battled back and looked to keep Tomac honest.

With 10 minutes remaining in the moto the battle for the overall saw added intrigue as Ferrandis’ comeback continued with a climb into the top five. Tomac built his lead over Webb to more than four seconds and appeared to have the moto win in hand, while Webb sat comfortably ahead of Craig in third. Ferrandis was still on the charge and made an easy pass for fourth. He then set his sights on his teammate in third and got around Craig with two laps to go to take over third.

Tomac ended the season with his third moto win in the last six motos, taking the checkered flag 5.8 seconds ahead of Webb, while Ferrandis completed an improbable comeback to finish third.

450 Moto 2 Results

450 Overall

Ferrandis’ resilient second moto was the difference maker in the overall standings, as he wrapped up his sixth win of the season on the heels of 1-3 moto scores. Tomac completed his tenure with Kawsaki in the runner-up spot (4-1), while Webb ended the season with a third straight podium finish in third (3-2). A total of three points separated the top three finishers.

With his 12th consecutive podium finish, Ferrandis’ historic season added another layer as he became the ninth rider in history to earn a top-three result in every race of his first full season of premier class competition.

“I gave it everything I had today with a clear mind (with the championship wrapped up),” said Ferrandis. “I just went out there and rode as hard as I could. That was my plan. I didn’t know that I won. I thought I was too far back to win the overall, especially with a crash on the start, so I didn’t believe it when my team told me I won. It’s been an unreal season and I’m just so proud to do this for my team and everyone that supports me.”

In the ongoing pursuit of the runner-up spot in the final standings, Roczen’s DNF in the final moto, combined with Tomac’s win, saw them trade positions as Tomac finished the year in second, with Roczen third.

Eli Tomac

“In the first moto I was starting to get into a flow, I found some good lines, and I had a solid pace going until I crashed in the off-camber corner at the bottom of the hill. I tweaked my thumb in the crash, but regrouped to still finish fourth in that moto and reset for the second one. In Moto 2, I got off to a strong start and worked my way up to the lead which I was able to maintain until the end. I would have loved to come away with the overall win today, but with that small crash in the first moto, it just wasn’t in the cards. I’m happy to finish the season with a moto win.”

Coming off two consecutive podium finishes late in the season, Cooper Webb ended the season finale with 3-2 results at Hangtown for fourth overall in the championship.

Cooper Webb

“Today was my best result, even though it was a third overall, I’m stoked! Unfortunately, I didn’t get the season started very well but I have to give it up to my team and the group of people around me for pushing me and believing in me. I knew what I could do on a dirt bike, so it’s good to be better and get closer to the front. It’s a lot to get to the front and we never gave up so I’m stoked to end the season on a positive note.”

450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)

2021 AMA Pro Motocross 450MX Final Championship Points Standings