The Pro Motocross Championship has provided a share of action and key moments across the opening five rounds of the 2023 season, with some surprises and standout performances along the way. In this edition of Rated, MotoOnline takes a closer look at the form of a selection of leading 450MX and 250MX riders this season.

Image: Octopi Media.

Rider: Jett Lawrence
Rating: A+
Rundown: 10 from 10 race victories, five out of five overalls, the rookie 450MX season of Lawrence is off to a perfect start and the Australian is showing no signs of slowing down. The 19-year-old has displayed maturity beyond his years throughout the opening 10 motos so far, demonstrating in the second race at Fox Raceway he can keep his composure while facing constant pressure from behind. Additionally, he has shown he can manage the gap to those in tow comfortably and drop the hammer when needed to extend out front. Critics may say Lawrence has it easy and the 450 class isn’t as competitive as usual, but the sheer margin and dominance the Team Honda HRC rider has displayed five rounds into his premier class debut is nothing short of impressive. Also, in what marked his first-ever 450 race last year at the Motocross of Nations (MXoN), Lawrence did emerge on top in a highly-stacked field to take the Open overall victory. It will be interesting to see how long the victory streak of Lawrence can last and if rebuilding teammate Chase Sexton or championship number two Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) can land on the top step.

Rider: Dylan Ferrandis
Rating: A-
Rundown: Ferrandis has only been off the podium in two motos so far this year and considering he was sidelined from most of the Supercross season, also that Fox Raceway was his first outdoor race on the all-new 2023 YZ450F, it has been a solid start. However, the sheer dominance of Lawrence has the Yamaha rider 57 points back from the red plate, acknowledging he is going to have to be ‘perfect’ to stop the talented teenager. Ferrandis has progressed with the new bike throughout the opening rounds this year, trying various settings to help come to grips with the platform. He benefited from the weekend off before RedBud to conduct crucial testing and a step forward was evident in moto two at the fifth round as he was able to push Lawrence at times, with the gap down to as low as two seconds. It’s hard to see Ferrandis being able to bridge the deficit to the points lead unless Lawrence makes a major mistake, but a race win isn’t out of the question for the number 14 if he can start ahead of the CRF450R rider.

Rider: Aaron Plessinger
Rating: B+
Rundown: Consistent top-five finishes plus a couple of podiums in the mix see Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) a comfortable third place in the 450MX standings. Thunder Valley race two was the strongest showing result-wise of the season to date for the number seven, finishing in the runner-up position to secure second overall on the day. High Point marked his most challenging outing so far, finishing eighth overall with an 8-5 scorecard, and after five rounds he is 19 points from Ferrandis in third and 25 points ahead of fourth-placed Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki). Crucially, Plessinger is currently third in the combined 450 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) standings, and will look to build on his form in the remaining outdoors races ahead of the SMX post-season.

Image: Octopi Media.

Rider: Hunter Lawrence
Rating: A
Rundown: It was hard to really flaw Lawrence’s 250MX campaign across the opening rounds until an early crash in moto two at RedBud brought him down hard at turn one, unable to complete the race. Fortunately, Lawrence was cleared of any major injury and will compete at Southwick, with his championship lead reduced to 11 points ahead of Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing). The outcome in moto two at RedBud certainly isn’t a reflection of his season to date, with the Australian winning four straight overalls plus moto one at round five to start the season, showing the ability to achieve victory in both wire-to-wire and charge from behind circumstances. With Southwick – the venue where Lawrence scored his first-ever 250MX overall – up next, the number 96 has the chance to make another statement by returning to the top step.

Rider: Haiden Deegan
Rating: A-
Rundown: The progress and performance of Deegan since turning professional full-time have been exceptional, with the 17-year-old making rapid steps forward and achieving a number of impressive feats in 2023. A wire-to-wire performance in moto one at Hangtown marked his first-ever 250MX race win, and the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider took his maiden professional overall last time out at RedBud thanks to 2-3 moto scores. Thunder Valley was the only track this year where Deegan hasn’t scored a top-three race result, and after the misfortune that struck Lawrence in moto two on Saturday, he sits just 11 points from the red plate. While Deegan may lack in experience compared to the championship leader, he’s certainly got no shortage of grit and hunger to win so it will be intriguing to see how the next few rounds pan out now that he has a sniff at the lead.

Rider: RJ Hampshire
Rating: B+
Rundown: Costly second motos are a theme that Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory’s Hampshire is determined to shake following the first five rounds of his 250MX campaign. The number 24 impressed with a race win to open the season at Fox Raceway, but was left to rue two crashes on the opening lap of the second moto where he ultimately finished 11th, landing him third overall for the round. Hampshire scored his second win outdoors this year in moto one at High Point, but again his overall chances were hurt by a challenging second moto where he fell after he made early contact with teammate Jalek Swoll. A 3-7 scorecard last time out at RedBud is further indication that if he can improve his final race of the day, he could be could a real threat for some overall victories. He is currently third in the 250MX standings, 43 points from red plate-holder Lawrence.