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Image: Octopi Media.

250MX qualifying:
As he did at the opener last week, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper was the class of the field in 250MX qualifying this morning. Cooper’s benchmark came in the second session at 2m06.947s, which was a few tenths clear of RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and with red plate-holder Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) climbing to third in the final practice. Next in line was Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki), with two-time champion Jeremy Martin (Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha) completing the top five. Sixth through 10th included Guillem Farres (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM), Carson Mumford (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki), Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) and Ryder DiFrancesco (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki).

450MX qualifying:
Rookie Jett Lawrence continued his form from one week ago to top both 450MX qualifying sessions at round two, the Team Honda HRC rider’s 2m06.287s lap-time a full two seconds clear of Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) in second position. A pair of Red Bull KTMs were fourth and fifth, with Aaron Plessinger and Cooper Webb, followed by Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) in P5. Twisted Tea Suzuki’s Fredrik Noren slotted into sixth, ahead of premier class newcomer Derek Drake (BarX Suzuki), Jerry Robin (Yamaha), Ty Masterpool (Kawasaki) upon stepping up to the 450 this weekend, and Marshal Weltin (Twisted Tea Suzuki).

250MX moto one:
Despite qualifying a lowly 13th position earlier on, Haiden Deegan powered to the holeshot and managed to stay there for his first outdoor race victory at the professional level. The teenager kept Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Cooper at bay throughout moto one, withstanding late pressure to go on and win by 2.118s. Championship leader Lawrence climbed from P7 at the end of lap one and made his way to third by race’s end, with Shimoda fourth and Hampshire fifth after starting outside of the top 10. Positions six through 10 were filled by Farres, Vialle, DiFrancesco, Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and Kitchen, who in turn edged Maximus Vohland (Red Bull KTM) for position.

450MX moto one:
It was Ferrandis and Webb who got the initial jump on of the gates in moto one, but Lawrence sliced his way into the lead through the first turn and controlled the race from there. As the 19-year-old appeared to do it with relative ease at the front, eventually extending to a winning margin of 4.122s after cruising on the final lap, a solid ride from Ferrandis saw him overcome Plessinger for the runner-up result – the pair battling closely throughout the moto for position and the latter keeping things interesting all the way through to the end. Webb was a lonely fourth, as was Cianciarulo in fifth to open the day’s proceedings. P6 through 10th included Noren, Masterpool, Drake, Lorenzo Locurcio (GasGas) and Robin.

250MX moto two:
The early stages of 250MX moto two were led by a fast-starting Cooper, but it was Lawrence in tow from the outset and he soon made his way to the front of the pack around the seven-minute mark. There was no stopping Lawrence from there, quickly establishing himself in P1 and extending a final advantage of 3.111s, which was also enough for him to seal his second overall win in as many rounds. Cooper managed to hold onto second in a repeat of his opening moto finish, while double world champion Vialle was a big improver for P3 this time out, with first moto winner Deegan rebounding from a slow start to take the checkered flag in fourth position. A late move from Hampshire – also affected by his start – saw him pass Hymas for P5 with just over two laps to go and that’s how they would finish. Kitchen, Farres, Mumford and Shimoda completed the top 10. Shimoda had featured toward the front before going down with a lapped rider, as had Swoll until he went off-track on his way to 11th and DiFrancesco, who finished in 13th. Early casualties included Martin and Mosiman, both going out of contention on the opening lap of the moto. Overall for the round, Lawrence took the overall from Cooper and Deegan, while in the standings Lawrence now leads by 10 points over Deegan and with Cooper currently third.

450MX moto two:
Four starts, four wins. That’s the tally for Jett Lawrence to open his 450MX career after clinching another overall at Hangtown this afternoon, building upon his points-lead in the process. Lawrence again hit the front on lap one despite not getting the holeshot and he was able to manage his buffer from there, crossing the finish-line by 5.041s in the end. An impressive second on return to the outdoors was Webb, who was able to fend off Ferrandis in the final laps – that pair taking advantage of a late mishap for Plessinger that cost him a podium opportunity. Fourth in the race was Cianciarulo, with Jose Butron (GasGas) racing to a top-five result ahead of Plessinger, Masterpool, Drake, Robin and Romain Pape (GasGas). It was Lawrence with the round victory ahead of Ferrandis and Webb, while in the championship Lawrence already has an 18-point lead, now over Ferrandis and with Webb climbing to third.