Round seven of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship invades Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville, Minnesota for another action-packed weekend of racing. The iconic venue is a staple on the summer circuit and features like the infamous sand rollers, Mount Martin, and the Holy Schmidt finish line jump make it a must-watch for fans. Let’s get into the action of today’s motos which saw Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan claim the overall wins.
450 Moto 1
Jett Lawrence rocketed off the gate to take the holeshot in the first 450 moto. The Honda HRC rider led the way early on but once again fell on the opening lap and remounted back in 15th place. Just like last week, the race was on from the get go as Jett fought his way back through the field.
Hunter Lawrence started second behind his brother Jett but jumped to the lead once the number-18 fell on lap one. Hunter took over the top spot and executed a series of hot laps to build a gap on the rest of the field. The older Lawrence brother led all 18 laps and held on to take the win by 15 seconds. This marks his first moto win of the season.
Jett Lawrence fought his way back to second at the line. After crossing the line 10th on lap one, the current points leader continued to chip away at the front runners. He was making two-for-one passes and by lap six was already up to second place. Unfortunately for him, the gap to his brother continued to grow. At one point the deficit was only six seconds but Jett couldn’t get close enough to make a run. He settled for second after a disastrous opening lap.
Chase Sexton crossed the line third in the opening moto. The Red Bull KTM rider looked good in the opening laps and his intensity allowed him to make his way towards the front. He found his way to third but was no match for the two Lawrences up front.
450 Moto 2
Jett Lawrence once again grabbed the holeshot in race two. This time the points leader stayed upright and crossed the opening lap in first place. Hunter Lawrence stayed close to his brother right off the start and the two upped the pace to break away from the rest of the field.
With Jett and Hunter up front, Chase Sexton once again slotted into third place. He passed his way around Jorge Prado and Coty Schock and stayed close to the Lawrences in the first few laps. Once again though, Sexton settled into a lonely third and earned third overall with 3-3 finishes.
Jett went on to lead every lap of the second moto but the pressure from his brother remained high. Hunter looked to be riding the best he has all day but the overall win went to Jett’s favor thanks to the second moto win.
450MX OVERALL RESULTS (Top 10)
| 1. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 2-1 |
| 2. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 1-2 |
| 3. | Chase Sexton | (KTM) | 3-3 |
| 4. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 4-4 |
| 5. | Justin Barcia | (GG) | 8-7 |
| 6. | Malcolm Stewart | (Hus) | 7-8 |
| 7. | Eli Tomac | (Yam) | 6-9 |
| 8. | Valentin Guillod | (Yam) | 10-6 |
| 9. | Jorge Prado | (Kaw) | 12-5 |
| 10. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 5-13 |
250 Moto 1
The first moto of the 250MX came down to the wire to kick things off for today’s racing. The hometown hero, Jeremy Martin grabbed a huge holeshot and led most of the opening lap before being overtaken by Seth Hammaker. The Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider held the top spot for the first half of the moto before crashing out of the lead and handing the spot over to Haiden Deegan. Hammaker remounted but later crashed again and did not finish the race.
Haiden Deegan took over the lead once Hammaker fell and controlled the race for a few laps. Pressure from Jo Shimoda continued to build as last weekend’s winner hounded Deegan in second place. Shimoda made the pass stick through the rollers when Deegan’s foot came off the peg and surrendered the position.
For a moment it looked like Shimoda would take the win but Deegan fought back one lap later with a dive bomb pass down Mt. Martin. This put Deegan back in front where he’d stay to the finish. A close moment came between the leaders on the final lap when the red cross flag came out due to Hammaker’s crash on Mt. Martin. Deegan rolled the entire section while Shimoda jumped and closed the gap to less than a bike length. Deegan still held the advantage and claimed the race win over Shimoda.
After leading early on lap one, Jeremy Martin settled into a strong pace and finished third at the checkers. The crowd erupted for the Millville native and a third in race one sets him up nicely for an overall podium.
250 Moto 2
Once again Jeremy Martin shot off the line and crossed the holeshot line first to start the final race of his career. The Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha rider led the firs three laps before succumbing to pressure from a hard-charging Jo Shimoda.
Shimoda passed Martin for the lead on lap four but shortly after lost the use of his rear brake. He shot off the side of the track and handed the spot back to Martin before slipping back to an eventual fourth. 2-4 moto finishes put Shimoda third on the day.
With Shimoda having his own troubles, Martin found himself back in the lead on lap seven. The crowd went wild as the number-six circulated up front for the rest of the moto. He went on to take the race win and earned second on the day with two podium finishes. This is Martin’s first race win in four years and he ends his career with a race victory in front of his hometown fans.
Haiden Deegan started outside the top five but picked up the pace near the halfway mark. He passed Mikkel Haarup and Shimoda with ease but never made a run at Martin for the lead. A second in race two still earned Deegan the overall win with 1-2 results.
Haarup had his best ride of the season with a third in moto two. The Danish rider challenged Martin in the early stages of race two and eventually settled into a comfortable pace with the front runners. He got around Shimoda late in the moto to finish third in the race and fourth overall.
250MX OVERALL RESULTS (Top 10)
| 1. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 1-2 |
| 2. | Jeremy Martin | (Yam) | 3-1 |
| 3. | Jo Shimoda | (Hon) | 2-4 |
| 4. | Mikkel Haarup | (Tri) | 4-3 |
| 5. | Garrett Marchbanks | (Kaw) | 7-7 |
| 6. | Levi Kitchen | (Kaw) | 13-6 |
| 7. | Dilan Schwartz | (Yam) | 11-9 |
| 8. | Austin Forkner | (Tri) | 9-11 |
| 9. | Jalek Swoll | (Tri) | 16-5 |
| 10. | Jordon Smith | (Tri) | 15-8. |
QUALIFYING
450MX
Jett Lawrence is today’s fastest qualifier after setting the time to beat in the first qualifying session. Both of his fastest times were better than anyone else on track by over a full second. Once again Jett is on rails. Hunter Lawrence was second with RJ Hampshire jumping to third overall. Chase Sexton was the fastest rider on track during the second qualifying session but was sixth in the overall time charts.
450MX OVERALL QUALIFYING (Top 10)
| 1. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 1:53.219 |
| 2. | Hunter Lawrence | (Hon) | 1:54.508 |
| 3. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 1:55.611 |
| 4. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 1:55.803 |
| 5. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 1:55.875 |
| 6. | Chase Sexton | (KTM) | 1:56.162 |
| 7. | Malcolm Stewart | (Hus) | 1:56.601 |
| 8. | Jorge Prado | (Kaw) | 1:56.611 |
| 9. | Eli Tomac | (Yam) | 1:56.810 |
| 10. | Tony Cairoli | (Duc) | 1:58.454 |
250MX
Haiden Deegan seems to be fine after last week’s crash in qualifying. His inner leg is bruised badly and says he tore some fascia off the muscle but that didn’t deter him from setting the time to beat in the 250MX class. The points leader led his Monster Energy Star Racing teammates Michael Mosiman and Jeremy Martin to a top three sweep, all within three tenths of a second. Last week’s winner, Jo Shimoda was 10th overall.
250MX OVERALL QUALIFYING (Top 10)
| 1. | Haiden Deegan | (Yam) | 1:57.207 |
| 2. | Michael Mosiman | (Yam) | 1:57.443 |
| 3. | Jeremy Martin | (Yam) | 1:57.517 |
| 4. | Ryder Difrancesco | (GG) | 1:57.777 |
| 5. | Garrett Marchbanks | (Kaw) | 1:57.853 |
| 6. | Mikkel Haarup | (Tri) | 1:57.949 |
| 7. | Tom Vialle | (KTM) | 1:57.998 |
| 8. | Seth Hammaker | (Kaw) | 1:58.080 |
| 9. | Austin Forkner | (Tri) | 1:58.271 |
| 10. | Jo Shimoda | (Hon) | 1:58.379 |
Millville notes:
- Cooper Webb is out for the remaining rounds of Pro Motocross after injuring his knee last weekend at RedBud. He’s now focused on returning at round one of SMX in Charlotte.
- Jason Anderson will miss today’s race due to “health concerns”. No other info was provided from the team.
- Today marks the final race of Jeremy Martin’s career. The former 250MX champion is calling it quits as he ends things at his home track.
- Tony Carioli is back for his second of two races aboard the new Ducati Desmo 450MX. He showed promise last weekend with a ninth in moto one but a DNF in the second moto dropped him in the overall rankings.
- The Star Racing Yamaha team is rocking the white/red retro livery this weekend to celebrate Yamaha’s 70th anniversary.
