Hunter Lawrence salvaged a result that matters. After getting hit from behind and tangled with Cooper Webb in the opening turn of moto 1 at Carson, Lawrence recovered to fourth in that moto, then put his CRF450RWE on the holeshot in moto 2 and held it to the flag. His 4-1 finishes gave him second overall and moved him into a tie for second in the 450 SMX standings, 16 points behind leader Jorge Prado with one round remaining.
The gap is tight enough to keep the title alive, but Lawrence’s path to the championship is narrow. Prado won the round outright at Carson, and triple points are on offer at next Saturday’s finale in Ridgedale, Missouri. Lawrence and Haiden Deegan are knotted at 76 points. Ken Roczen sits at 74, Cooper Webb at 72. Five riders within 20 points of second place with a multiplied round to go makes the math genuinely complicated.
The Carson result was a significant turnaround from the storm-shortened Columbus opener, where Lawrence fell twice in moto 1 and salvaged 15th overall in deep mud. At Carson, he set the fastest lap in combined qualifying and fastest lap in moto 2, confirmation that the speed was there all day. Team manager Lars Lindstrom framed the first-moto incident honestly: a track that favored the holeshot over raw pace likely cost Lawrence the overall, and possibly more in the standings. A track with no whoops and a narrow lap-time spread means a first-turn tangle is not a minor inconvenience but a championship-altering moment.
Lawrence acknowledged the physical toll of the season. He and Webb are the only 450 riders to have completed every round. “Championship drain is a real thing,” he said, “but I’m doing what I can during the week to make sure I’m ready when I show up.” The second moto was a clean demonstration of what ready looks like: holeshot, a brief back-and-forth with Prado in the early laps, then clear air to the finish.
In the 250 class, Jo Shimoda delivered Honda‘s strongest result since returning from injury. Shimoda ran sixth in moto 1 after starting mid-pack, then produced a sharper second moto, moving from outside the top 10 to fourth within the opening five minutes. Late passes on Landen Gordon and Julien Beaumer pushed him to second in the moto and fourth overall. He sits sixth in the 250 standings with 56 points, tied with Cole Davies. Levi Kitchen leads at 87.
Chance Hymas had a rougher afternoon. A fall in the sand section in moto 1 dropped him to 15th. A bad start and crash in moto 2 left him 10th in the moto and 13th overall. He holds eighth in the 250 standings at 51 points. Hymas said the team made progress on the bike during the day, which is the kind of statement that reads more hopeful than conclusive three rounds into a three-round playoff.
The Carson weekend also carried a charitable dimension the team has maintained for two consecutive years. Honda HRC Progressive partnered with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation at the event, running special SKDA bodywork featuring the Imaginary Friend Society graphics across the factory bikes. The special bodywork will be auctioned with proceeds benefiting PBTF. Honda and the foundation have worked together for more than 35 years. PBTF families were brought behind the barriers for track access, visits to the team’s technical and hospitality trucks, and a Friday-night dinner under the hospitality canopy.
Worth noting in the team’s broader organizational picture: Kelvin Fu took over as HRC US president on September 12, just days before the SMX Playoffs began. The Ridgedale finale will be the first championship-deciding round under his watch. Absent from the entire SMX series is reigning champion Jett Lawrence, who had hardware removed from his right ankle on September 9 and is targeting the 2027 AMA Supercross season. His 18 points in the standings reflect only what he accumulated before the operation.
Prado needs to stay upright in Ridgedale. Lawrence needs a near-perfect day and some misfortune ahead of him. That is the championship in one sentence, and both men know it.
Source: Honda. Images courtesy of Honda.
