Hunter Lawrence opened the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship with a 1-1 moto sweep at Fox Raceway on May 31, claiming his first career dominant outdoor performance and extending the Lawrence family’s winning streak at the Pala, California venue. The Australian topped qualifying with a 2:16.832 lap, then won the opening moto by nearly nine seconds before grabbing the holeshot in moto two and winning by over six seconds aboard his Honda CRF450RWE.
Brother Jett Lawrence secured third overall with 4-3 moto finishes in his first race appearance since badly injuring his ankle five months ago. The result put both Lawrences on the podium and gave Honda HRC Progressive a double podium to start the season. Jorge Prado finished second overall in his Pro Motocross debut with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, posting runner-up finishes in both motos.
Hunter now holds a six-point lead over Prado in the 450SMX Class standings, with Jett 12 points back in third. The win was Hunter’s second career premier-class overall victory and marked his 24th consecutive 450-class moto finish inside the top five, a streak that dates to his class debut. Honda now has six premier-class overall victories at Fox Raceway, four more than the next manufacturer.
Jett’s return carried uncertainty even within the team. Honda HRC Progressive team manager Lars Lindstrom acknowledged the open questions heading into the weekend. “Watching him walk around, you wouldn’t think he could do much, so for him to do as well as he did is a testament to his skill and talent,” Lindstrom said. Jett admitted the physical toll: “Every jump, I’m landing with most of my weight on my left side. Some of those rough, edgy bumps out of the turns were hard on my foot, but riding the bike is actually easier than walking right now.”
The Fox Raceway result follows Hunter’s runner-up finish in the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship 450SX class and continues a pattern of close championship battles. He finished second in both AMA Pro Motocross 450 and SuperMotocross 450 standings in 2024 and 2025.
In the 250 division, Honda HRC Progressive riders Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas both returned from injury setbacks. Shimoda recorded 4-7 finishes for sixth overall despite poor starts in both motos. Hymas posted 10-5 scores for eighth overall, building momentum through the day. Shimoda noted the narrow margins: “If I would’ve made one more pass, I would’ve been third overall.”
The weekend marked a visual reset for Honda’s factory effort. All four Honda HRC Progressive race bikes carried new SKDA tricolor graphics mimicking the 2027 CRF Performance lineup announced two days before the race, part of an effort to unify the appearance of HRC teams across MotoGP, World Superbike, Rally, and MXGP. A 2027 CRF450R was displayed in the Honda pits alongside Ricky Brabec’s factory Monster Energy Honda CRF450 RALLY and SLR’s race-winning CRF450X.
The championship moves to Rancho Cordova, California for the Hangtown Motocross Classic on June 6, where Hunter will carry the red plate. The event also opens the WMX Championship, in which SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen and Quad Lock Honda’s Charli Cannon will compete.
Source: Honda. Images courtesy of Honda.
