Full round recap from AMA Pro MX Round Nine at Unadilla

2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Round Nine – Unadilla, New Berlin, NY

The final three-round stretch run of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship got underway on Saturday from the hallowed grounds of Central New York’s iconic Unadilla MX.

A championship atmosphere was in the air at the Honda Unadilla National as Australian rising star Jett Lawrence entered with a chance to wrap up the 450 Class title in his first summer of premier class competition. When all was said and done, Lawrence extended his perfect season for his ninth straight 1-1 performance to clinch the Edison Dye Cup with two rounds remaining.

In the 250 Class, the elder brother, Hunter, made it the sixth sweep for the family and Team Honda HRC, which extended his championship point lead and moved him one step closer to a maiden title.

There was another Aussie on gates at Unadilla at this event also with Jay Wilson drafted into the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing line-up for the final three rounds of the championship.  Wilson scored a best of 12th place in the second 450 Moto.

450 Moto One

Jett Lawrence seized the moment to open the first moto of the afternoon with the holeshot, edging out Yamaha mounted veteran Harri Kullas, the Estonian making his Pro Motocross debut. Behind them, Yamaha’s Garrett Marchbanks slotted into third, with HRC’s Chase Sexton fourth. Both Marchbanks and Sexton were able to make their way around Kullas in the early portion of the opening lap.

The clear track allowed Lawrence to establish an early lead and manage his advantage over Sexton, who made the move on Marchbanks to take control of second.

Just over two-seconds separated the team-mates through the first 10 minutes of the moto.

While the Hondas stepped away from the field Marchbanks was forced to fend off Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis, who was on a hard charge from a start just outside the top five. The Yamaha’s engaged in a brief battle before Ferrandis made the pass.

Back up front, Sexton closed to within a second of Lawrence to initiate a battle for the lead. Eager to make a move, Sexton dove to the inside of Lawrence in a corner, which initiated some contact between the two and allowed Lawrence to slip away after Sexton was forced to collect his balance. The lead briefly ballooned to more than 1.5 seconds, but Sexton started to chip away at the deficit once more.

As they entered the final 10 minutes of the moto the HRC duo ran similar lap times, which stabilised proceedings. Lapped riders added another layer to the battle and worked in Lawrence’s favour as he stretched out a near three-second lead.

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Sexton bided his time and made a final push in the closing minutes of the moto. He dropped the hammer and was able to close the gap to within two-seconds but as he looked to make quick work of lappers Sexton lost traction and crashed. Ferrandis assumed second as Sexton remounted in third.

Ferrandis was on a charge of his own and closed within two-seconds of Lawrence on the final lap. Lawrence managed the margin though to wrap up his 17th moto win by 1.6 seconds over Ferrandis, who enjoyed arguably his best moto of the season in second.

Sexton followed in a distant third, with Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo fourth and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger in fifth.

450 Moto One Results

450 Moto Two

The final moto began the same way as Moto 1, with Lawrence at the head of the pack for the holeshot ahead of Sexton and Cianciarulo. As has been the case throughout the season the clear track allowed Lawrence to set the tone out front which forced Sexton to settle into second, about two-seconds behind.

As the Honda team-mates once again established themselves up front, a battle for third unfolded between the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Cianciarulo and Jason Anderson. Cianciarulo held onto the position for the opening 10 minutes until Anderson made the pass.

Not long after Cianciarulo lost fourth to Ferrandis, who was battling his way forward from a start deep in the top 10. The Frenchman wasn’t done as he charged onto the rear fender of Anderson. The two riders made contact, which took Anderson to the ground and allowed Ferrandis to continue on in third.

At the midway point of the moto Lawrence had added significantly to his advantage, which grew to more than five-seconds and continued to increase incrementally heading towards the final 10-minutes of the race. The lead approached nearly eight-seconds and stabilised for several laps until Sexton appeared to make a final push with just under five-minutes to go, and got within less than five-seconds. However, Lawrence responded and, combined with one of Sexton’s slowest laps, then pushed the lead to its largest margin at nearly 10- seconds.

Lawrence went wire-to-wire once more for moto win 18 to complete a perfect afternoon, taking the championship-winning chequered flag 9.2-seconds ahead of Sexton. Ferrandis finished in a distant third.

450 Moto Two Results

450 Round

Jett Lawrence’s 17th and 18th moto wins of the season, and ninth straight overall victory, move him one step closer to a potential perfect season, with two rounds and four motos remaining.

Jett’s 18-moto win streak is now only bettered by Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart, the only two riders to amass a perfect season in Pro Motocross history.

Jett Lawrence is the fifth different rider to capture the 450 Class crown in his first season in the division and becomes just the second Australian to hoist the Edison Dye Cup, joining Chad Reed.

With identical moto scores Sexton (3-2) and Ferrandis (2-3) finished tied for the runner-up spot, with the second-moto tiebreaker going to Sexton to give Honda HRC its fifth 1-2 finish of the season.

It’s the fourth consecutive second-place result for Sexton while Ferrandis’ third-place finish marked his sixth appearance on the overall podium this season.

Lawrence needed a 100-point margin to wrap up the title and now holds a 103-point advantage over Ferrandis, who took another step towards securing the runner-up spot in the final standings. Ferrandis is 35 points ahead of Plessinger in third, following the KTM rider’s fifth-place finish (5-5).

Jett Lawrence – P1 – Team Honda HRC

“I thought the track last year was fast, and I was amazed they were able to make it even faster this year. I appreciate them ripping it so deep and making it a normal Unadilla. Chase and Dylan [Ferrandis] were able to keep me on my toes all day, and I never felt like I was able to pull away. When I raced 250s, it was usually pretty easy to put a few good laps in and create a gap. Now, I have to work for it all moto. Overall, I had set a goal for myself to win the title in my rookie season, and I’m happy to get it done here.”

Chase Sexton – P2 – Team Honda HRC

“I felt like I had a great couple weeks of testing over the break, and I think it showed in the first moto. I was super comfortable all day and felt like I could seriously make a challenge. Obviously, I didn’t get the result I wanted, but it’s great to see us continue to make progress so late in the season. I’m excited to get back out there and compete again.”

Dylan Ferrandis – P3 – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

“In some races when I’m not really feeling great, I’ll get the holeshot and then today when I’m feeling great, I don’t get the starts. I guess it’s just a lack of luck. It is what it is, and I have to come from behind. Still a good day for me. It was the first race of the season where I felt like myself.”

Aaron Plessinger – P5

“Unadilla started off rough with 18th in qualifying… I only got better from there and worked really hard for both of my fifth-place finishes today with my starts – especially in the second moto. I was happy with how I rode, as I almost chased down fourth in that one. More homework to do, I need to be stronger early and find comfort sooner in the day, so that’s what we’ll work on and finish the year off strong with two to go.”

Austin Forkner – P11

“The first moto was such a bummer because I felt so good all morning and really wanted to have a shot at a top five,” said Forkner. “The second moto was much more where I thought I should be and hopefully next weekend we can put two solid motos together.”

Carson Mumford – P12

“It was a tough one and it was easy to make mistakes that cost you, which happened to me in the first moto,” said Mumford. “I really felt good, so I’m not really happy with 12th, but I’m not going to take for granted any moment I have out here and give it my all.”

Justin Barcia – P19

“The day started off really well. I was really having a good time and was going into the first moto with a lot of good vibes and good feels. Unfortunately, I got in a first-turn pile-up, and damaged my bike pretty bad. I tried to do a few laps but I ended up crashing again and had to pull her in and go back to the semi. So that was a shame for the first moto, not really the race I wanted coming back. In the second moto I had the far outside gate pick. I got off to a good jump, but pretty much had nowhere to go in the tight Unadilla first corner so I was pretty buried. I was charging through the third corner and got in another little pile-up and ended up going down. It was an extremely tough moto. That was my first 30 minute moto in a long time. So it was a tough day, but all-in-all it was very nice to be back at the races. We know we’ve got a lot of work to do and knew that this would be a good test for the future Supermotocross stuff. So we’ll keep working and be back next week at Budds Creek.”

450 Round Results

450 Round Highlights

450 Championship Points

SMX Combined Points

250 Moto One

The opening 250 Class moto got underway with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine of Levi Kitchen leading the way from the holeshot ahead of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker, followed by the Star Racing duo of Justin Cooper and Haiden Deegan.

A spirited battle on the opening lap saw Kitchen and Hammaker trade the lead, from which Kitchen asserted himself out front.

Behind the leaders a multi-rider battle unfolded in pursuit of third as Deegan lost multiple spots to KTM’s Max Vohland, Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda, and championship leader Hunter Lawrance. This trio continued their push forward as Vohland led the group around Cooper, putting the KTM rider into third, just ahead of the point leader.

Back up front the battle for the lead renewed between Kitchen and Hammaker approaching the halfway point of the moto, as just over a second separated the pair. Vohland continued to lurk in third but then came under fire from Lawrence. The top four then stabilised as the moto entered its final 10 minutes.

A quick surge by Vohland carried the KTM onto the rear fender of Hammaker where he made a quick pass for the position.

Lawrence then went on the attack and made an aggressive move for third, which allowed Deegan to close in from fifth and make the pass on Hammaker for fourth. As that unfolded Lawrence made the pass on Vohland for second and set his sights on the lead.

Deegan then followed with a pass by Vohland for third. With just a handful of minutes remaining the championship rivals looked to close in on the 3.5 second deficit to Kitchen.

Kitchen’s lead dwindled quickly as Lawrence was on a determined march to the front. Soon the fight for the lead was on as Kitchen and Lawrence battled both each other and lappers. Kitchen withstood the attack and opened up the advantage once more.

While running third, Deegan’s motorcycle appeared to expire, which brought the rookie’s moto to an abrupt and heartbreaking conclusion.

Kitchen parlayed his holeshot into the third moto win of his career, 3.2 seconds ahead of Lawrence in second, while Shimoda inherited third following Deegan’s misfortune. Vohland was fourth, while Cooper rounded out the top five.

250 Moto One Results

250 Moto Two

A red flag for a downed rider initiated a restart for the final race of the afternoon as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire needed to be attended to.

When the field returned to the starting gate and took off for the second time it was Kawasaki’s Ryder DiFrancesco with the holeshot, followed closely by Cooper, Shimoda and Kitchen.

Lawrence started just outside the top five while Deegan’s late gate pick left him outside the top 20 initially.

Just after the completion of the opening lap Cooper went on the attack and made the pass on DiFrancesco to take the lead, which left the Kawasaki team-mates to battle it out for second as Kitchen rode patiently in fourth.

Shimoda was persistent and made the pass happen to drop his rookie team-mate down to third. As Kitchen looked to apply pressure on DiFrancesco he bobbled slightly, which allowed an opportunistic Lawrence to make the pass for fourth and then make his way around DiFrancesco for third.

A shot at the overall win was on the line as Shimoda and Lawrence engaged in a battle for second, with the Honda rider able to get the better of his rival to move into second. Behind them, Kitchen kept his winning hopes alive with a pass on DiFrancesco for fourth.

Cooper and Lawrence were separated by 5.4-seconds with just under 20-minutes remaining in the moto, but the distance between them continued to grow through the middle of the race as Cooper pushed his advantage out to nearly 10-seconds. Lawrence settled into second, a few seconds ahead of Shimoda in third.

Cooper was consistent through to the finish and secured his third moto win of the season, two seconds ahead of Lawrence, who did what he needed to do in bringing home the runner-up result. Shimoda followed closely in third, with Kitchen a distant fourth.

250 Moto Two Results

250 Round

Lawrence’s consistent 2-2 finishes were the defining element of his ability to finish atop the overall standings as he edged out Kitchen (1-4) by a single point. Cooper’s win in the second moto vaulted him up to the third and final spot on the overall podium (5-1).

Lawrence’s lead in the championship standings grew to 2- points with two rounds and four motos remaining.

Cooper’s podium result moved him into second while Shimoda moved into third, 35 points out of the lead.

Deegan’s adversity-filled afternoon saw him drop from second, three points behind Lawrence, to fourth, 36 points out of the lead, after a 17th-place finish (38-10).

Hunter Lawrence – P1 – Team Honda HRC

“First of all, I want to congratulate my brother Jett on his championship. I’m super proud of him, and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future! Obviously, we had some good days off to let me heal and get ready for this final push. I know people will critique us for not emphasizing training during a break, but we just did what we know and trust. Sometimes it’s better to recharge than keep pushing the hammer down. I think it’s shown so far that we made the right decisions, so we’ll just have to go out there and prove it the rest of the season.”

Levi Kitchen – P2 – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

“I’m glad I finally did [well] in the first moto today. I’ve usually done well in the second moto, so today it was nice to get it done in Moto 1. We got two good starts and made the most of the day, so I’m really happy with that.”

Justin Cooper – P3 – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

“Sometimes you have to take some chances. We need to put ourselves in the best position each moto and do the best we can. We put ourselves out front to start the second moto and then managed the gap from there. I’m stoked on that.”

Jo Shimoda – P4

“I felt good with my riding all day, but couldn’t get the exact speed to make the passes to the front,” said Shimoda. “As the second race after the 450s, the ruts were even more crazy for us that second moto, and I tried to take advantage of that, but the other guys were good too. I am looking forward to keeping this speed up and hopefully, we can get a win before the end of the season.”

Maximus Vohland – P5

“I started the day well here qualifying in P7 – I’ve always liked Unadilla and I feel like it suits my style. I got off to a good start in moto one, inside the top five, and just felt like I had a good flow going. I tried to chase down Levi [Kitchen] for the lead, but ended with a couple mistakes and finished fourth. Second moto, rode well again, I just didn’t get off to a great start after the restart. Fought my way into sixth and then ran out of tear-offs, so that’s where my charge ended and finished the day with fifth overall.”

Tom Vialle – P6

“Unadilla is a tough track – it’s actually super-fast! There were a lot of ruts that were really long, which made for a unique challenge, and really, I just struggled with finding a flow all day, to be honest. Both motos, I didn’t ride how I’d have liked to, but we have another race next weekend and I’m excited to give it my all at Budds Creek.”

Jalek Swoll – P7

“Starts were okay. Moto one was okay. I came in with a sixth and felt like I had some more in the tank to ride a little better and get a little further up,” said Swoll. “In moto two I came together with another rider. I don’t feel like it was my fault and I felt like there was nowhere to go and was stuck in his bike for what felt like forever. From dead last I don’t know what I came back to…maybe 12th or 13th. It sucks. It feels like a lot of work is being put in but it doesn’t show. It’s all good. We’ll use the fire and try to come out firing at the next two rounds.”

Ryder DiFrancesco – P8

“It was great to get the holeshot in the second moto,” said DiFrancesco. “This track is really tough and there are so many things you have to think about when trying to attack this track. I’m really happy to be back in the top 10, and I think this could be what I need to really push these last few rounds.”

Pierce Brown – P10

“I had an all-right day, with tenth overall. I definitely want more. We struggled a little bit in both motos, just getting off the gate. I had to come from behind in both motos, especially the second one. In moto one I fell with a lap to go, so I lost some spots there. In moto two I had a charge. I made some pretty good passes with a couple laps to go to get myself in a better position. I’m happy, but I want more. We’re going to push to build for the rest of the season.”

250 Round Results

250 Round Highlights

250 Championship Points

SMX Combined Points

2023 AMA SuperMotocross Calendar