HRC Honda’s Hunter Lawrence shot to victory in the East/West Showdown at round fourteen of the Monster Energy Supercross championship in Atlanta.
In the unique Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown that pits the top riders from both regions against one another, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda jumped into the lead with a holeshot ahead of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire and Hunter Lawrence.
Eastern Regional 250SX Class points leader Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence sat in sixth and Western Regional 250SX Class points leader Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Christian Craig crossed the holeshot stripe in eighth.
Hunter Lawrence was quickly into second place after a battle with Hampshire while his brother Jett crashed exiting the whoops and dropped outside of the top ten. Craig steadily moved forward through the pack while Jett charged frantically to climb back toward the front. Six minutes into the 15-minute plus one lap race Hunter Lawrence took over the lead and was never challenged for it. One lap later Craig slipped into second and held it to the finish. With two laps remaining Jett Lawrence reached Shimoda and the two had a few near tangles. Lawrence emerged with the final podium position and Shimoda held on for fourth.
The Atlanta race commemorated Monster Energy Supercross’ ongoing partnership with St. Jude Childrenās Research Hospital through the Supercross – St. JudeĀ This Race Saves LivesĀ initiative. The entire race was dedicated to the St. Jude mission ā Finding Cures. Saving Children., with athletes and teams incorporating St. Jude patient-inspired artwork into their gear designs and motorcycle graphics. These unique items were then autographed and collected after the race to become part of the upcoming St. Jude ā Supercross online auction that will run from Monday, April 25 through Monday, May 9.
Your top ten 250SX main event
1 96 Hunter Lawrence Wesley Chapel, FL Honda CRF250R 3 2 9 1 26
2 28 Christian Craig Temecula, CA Yamaha YZ250F 1 4 0 2 23
3 18 Jett Lawrence Zephyrhills, FL Honda CRF250R 10 15 0 3 21
4 30 Jo Shimoda Menifee, CA Kawasaki KX250 7 X 1 3 4 19
5 49 Nate Thrasher Livingston, TN Yamaha YZ250F 9 10 0 5 18
6 29 Michael Mosiman Minneaola, FL GASGAS MC 250F 5 6 0 6 17
7 33 Austin Forkner Richards, MO Kawasaki KX250 2 3 0 7 16
8 24 Rj Hampshire Minneola, FL Husqvarna FC 250 6 5 0 8 15
9 54 Mitchell Oldenburg Aledo, TX Honda CRF250R 4 8 0 9 14
10 44 Pierce Brown Sandy, UT GASGAS MC 250F 8 9 0 10 13