High Point Raceway plays host to round four of the Pro Motocross Championship from Mount Morris, Pennsylvania. The series is hitting its stride as the schedule moves east and we’re set for an exciting day of racing.
- Round four of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship
- Lawrence and Deegan lead the points going into Saturday
- Crew added sawdust to the track surface
- Seth Hammaker back on the gate after missing round three – shoulder
- Jalek Swoll (Triumph Factory Racing) returns to racing – achilles injury
450 Moto 1
Jett Lawrence started up front with the holeshot in moto one. As usual he controlled the race from the front and fended off attacks from Justin Cooper during lap one before opening up a small three-second lead. Lawrence held the top spot for the first half of the race until a small mistake saw him stall the motorcycle and drop back to third in the order.
This mistake allowed Aaron Plessinger to sneak through with the lead for a few laps while Lawrence remounted a charge. With eight minutes left on the clock, Jett re-passed Plessinger and found himself back in the lead. He crossed the line at the front of the field and claimed another moto win.
Hunter Lawrence passed Plessinger for second late in the race to take second behind his brother. Hunter’s result made it a Honda 1-2 to start the day.
After leading during the middle of the moto, Plessinger eventually dropped back to third and came under fire from Justin Cooper and Eli Tomac. On the final lap, Plessinger and Cooper traded spots but AP7 held on to take the final spot on the box.
450 Moto 2
As the gate dropped for the second 450MX moto, the skies opened up and rain began to fall. Hunter Lawrence crossed the holeshot line first but was quickly overtaken by Eli Tomac as the number-three moved to the lead. Tomac dropped the hammer on the early laps and opened up a sizable gap right away. He’d go untouched and win the moto as the race eventually red flagged due to lightning in the area. Tomac’s 5-1 put him third on the day.
Hunter Lawrence stayed strong in second place after grabbing the holeshot. The Honda HRC rider looked to be in control of the overall win with a pair of second-place finishes but that came under fire as Jett made his way through the field. Hunter used 2-2 results to take second on the day.
Jett Lawrence started well outside the top five but slowly chipped away as the race wore on. He ran out of tear offs and the conditions only worsened but Lawrence made the deciding pass with only a few laps remaining. His move around Aaron Plessinger for third put the overall win in his hands with 1-3 finishes. Lawrence claims yet another overall victory, going four for four so far this season.
Plessinger stopped for goggles and came home fourth and went 3-4 for fourth overall. Justin Cooper put up a good fight in both motos and finished fifth overall with 4-5 scores.
450MX OVERALL RESULTS (Top 10)
| 1. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 1-3 |
| 2. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 2-2 |
| 3. | Eli Tomac | (Yam) | 5-1 |
| 4. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 3-4 |
| 5. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 4-5 |
| 6. | Joey Savatgy | (Hon) | 8-6 |
| 7. | Jason Anderson | (Kaw) | 7-7 |
| 8. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 6-8 |
| 9. | Coty Schock | (Yam) | 10-9 |
| 10. | Cooper Webb | (Yam) | 9-11 |
250 Moto 1
Haiden Deegan absolutely dominated the first 250 moto. He started up front with his Star Racing Yamaha teammates but took off in the early laps and quickly opened up a five second lead over the rest of the field. Deegan led every lap of the race, marking the first time this season he’s led from the get go.
Levi Kitchen took second at the line. The Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider made the move to second at the halfway point but Deegan was too far gone by then. A second for Kitchen marks his best moto finish so far this season.
Seth Hammaker returned to action with a third in moto one. The Pennsylvania native is dealing with a shoulder injury but toughed it out to finish on the box to start the day. This also marks his first Pro Motocross podium, fittingly at his home race.
250 Moto 2
Moto two was another episode of the Haiden Deegan show. Once again the Yamaha rider found himself in the lead on lap one which set the tone for the rest of the race. Deegan led every lap of moto two and swept the day with 1-1 finishes. With another dominant performance, Deegan now leads the points by 42.
Tom Vialle finished second in the second moto. The KTM rider started up front and ran third for nearly the entire race before bumping up one position on the final lap after Chance Hymas fell and dropped to third. 4-2 finishes for Vialle earned him second overall on the day, his first podium since round one at Pala.
Hymas still finished on the box with a third in race two but 5-3 finishes put him fourth overall. He fell on the final lap and was seen favoring his right leg as he exited the track. Still no word on his condition.
The mistake from Hymas bumped Levi Kitchen to third overall with 2-6 scores, beating Hymas by just one point. Kitchen openly struggled in moto two and finished just outside the top five. Still, third overall is his third podium in as many weeks.
250MX OVERALL RESULTS (Top 10)
| 1. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 1-1 |
| 2. | Tom Vialle | (KTM) | 4-2 |
| 3. | Levi Kitchen | (Kaw) | 2-6 |
| 4. | Chance Hymas | (Hon) | 5-3 |
| 5. | Garrett Marchbanks | (Kaw) | 7-4 |
| 6. | Jo Shimoda | (Hon) | 6-5 |
| 7. | Seth Hammaker | (Kaw) | 3-14 |
| 8. | Casey Cochran | (GG) | 11-9 |
| 9. | Nate Thrasher | (Yam) | 10-10 |
| 10. | Jalek Swoll | (Tri) | 14-8 |
QUALIFYING
450MX
Justin Cooper grabbed the quickest qualifying time for the second week in a row and was the fastest rider of the day with a 2:01.772. Jett Lawrence still leads the points and was fastest in Q2 but his time proved good enough for second overall. Eli Tomac looked fast all morning with the third best time.
450MX OVERALL QUALIFYING (Top 10)
| 1. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 2:01.772 |
| 2. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 2:02.057 |
| 3. | Eli Tomac | (Yam) | 2:03.420 |
| 4. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 2:03.477 |
| 5. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 2:05.418 |
| 6. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 2:05.514 |
| 7. | Jorge Prado | (Kaw) | 2:05.752 |
| 8. | Jason Anderson | (Kaw) | 2:06.079 |
| 9. | Joey Savatgy | (Hon) | 2:07.189 |
| 10. | Derek Drake | (Yam) | 2:07.293 |
250MX
Points leader Haiden Deegan is back on top with the fastest qualifying time as his lap in in the first session of the 250MX division held up as the best of the day. The Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha rider faced his share of struggles last weekend but looks to rebound at round four as his time was two seconds clear of last weekend’s winner Chance Hymas. Hymas was fastest in the second session but was second overall. Levi Kitchen’s time from the first qualifier held up for third overall.
250MX OVERALL QUALIFYING (Top 10)
| 1. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 2:02.798 |
| 2. | Chance Hymas | (Hon) | 2:04.621 |
| 3. | Levi Kitchen | (Kaw) | 2:05.177 |
| 4. | Jo Shimoda | (Hon) | 2:05.732 |
| 5. | Drew Adams | (Kaw) | 2:05.793 |
| 6. | Jalek Swoll | (Tri) | 2:05.845 |
| 7. | Seth Hammaker | (Kaw) | 2:06.072 |
| 8. | Julien Beaumer | (KTM) | 2:06.110 |
| 9. | Tom Vialle | (KTM) | 2:06.515 |
| 10. | Ty Masterpool | (Kaw) | 2:06.527 |
