Jett Lawrence sets sights on Pro Motocross defence
With the SX job done, Jett Lawrence now sets his sights on what is poised to be a thrilling summer of competition alongside a star-studded field of international talent during the 53rd season of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
A total of 11 rounds and a combined 44 motos await at the sport’s most hallowed grounds, where the sleeping giants of American motocross’ most storied venues will once again be awakened for the gruelling and prestigious journey to see which two riders will hoist the coveted Edison Dye Cup (450 Class) and Gary Jones Cup (250 Class) at season’s end.
With a perfect season, an SMX title, and a new Supercross championship in tow, Lawrence enters the Pro Motocross Championship as the odds-on favourite to successfully defend his No. 1 plate.
Jett’s immediate success in the premier class is an extension of the dominance he held in the 250cc division dating back to 2021, in which he consecutively won a pair of Pro Motocross titles and a crown in both 250 East and 250 West Supercross.
As a result, Lawrence is in search of a stunning eighth straight championship this summer. Only Ricky Carmichael has amassed a longer streak, with 12 consecutive titles between the 2000 and 2006 seasons, albeit he did sit out the 2004 Supercross season with an injury.
Davey Coombs – MX Sports Pro Racing President
“Year in and year out, we’re left in awe of the spectacle that is Monster Energy Supercross. Each winter, the hype of a new season never disappoints as this highly specialized discipline produces compelling drama unlike anything else in the sport, attracting hundreds of thousands of fans to fill stadiums across the country. We commend our partners at Feld Motor Sports for another incredible championship, one which was befitting of their golden celebration of 50 years of Supercross. We’re proud to welcome them into the half-century club and are excited to build off the momentum of the past 17 rounds with a summer of festive weekends full of racing, 40-rider gates, and the sport’s ultimate battle of man and machine. Let’s take it outside!”
With both Jett and Hunter Lawrence graduating to spearhead Team Honda HRC’s 450SX efforts for the 2024 season, the title vacancies they left behind in the 250SX regions opened the door for a multitude of riders to contend for this year’s East and West championships. Collectively, the division saw 10 different riders grab a victory while seven different riders took a turn at carrying the red plate as point leader.
In the end, both RJ Hampshire, one of the division’s most experienced competitors, and Tom Vialle, a two-time FIM MX2 World Champion, claimed their first-ever AMA titles, and both will surely be in the hunt for the Gary Jones Cup in the 250 Class this summer.
The incredible parity throughout Supercross bodes well for an unpredictable championship battle in Pro Motocross that will also include the likes of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s reigning Rookie of the Year and SMX Champion Haiden Deegan, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen, the breakout rider of 2024 thus far, Team Honda HRC’s Jo Shimoda, with back-to-back championship podium finishes, and many more.
Less than two weeks remain until the roar of 40-rider gates greet the most passionate fans in motorsports for another sensational summer of the Pro Motocross Championship. The 11-round campaign will travel to 10 different states, with visits to the hallowed grounds of Fox Raceway, Hangtown, Thunder Valley Motocross Park, High Point Raceway, The Wick 338, RedBud MX, Spring Creek MX Park, Washougal MX Park, Unadilla MX, Budds Creek Motocross Park, and Ironman Raceway.
2024 Monster Energy Supercross & Pro Motocross calendars
