After wrapping up the 450MX title two weeks ago, there was still pressure on Team Honda HRC’s premier class rookie Jett Lawrence to finish the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship with a perfect scorecard at round 11, and that’s exactly what he did. It was another exceptional performance from 20-year-old Lawrence at Ironman as he went on to his 11th-consecutive 1-1 result, and the success didn’t end there, as older brother and teammate Hunter Lawrence got the job done in the 250MX category and clinched his first-career outdoor crown to make it a Lawrence double in 2023. Both riders were available to the media after the races for this Debrief feature.

450MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Jett, you’d have to be excited because I’m sure you’re on the ballot for rookie of the year in the 450 class, [laughs]. Perfect season, rarified air joining Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart as the only riders to do that. Tell us about it, this seemed like a big deal for you today.

Gosh, I hope I won the rookie of the year, cause dude if I lost that, that would suck, [laughs]. I was so pumped, from where I came from and, I know my manager Lucas [Mirtl] says it and my dad says it, we shouldn’t be here. Because, the way we were living in Australia and struggling there enough, so the pathway for us to be where we are and undefeated in our rookie season in the 450 championship, there was no pathway for that for us, let alone winning a 250 championship. So, to do what we’ve done and make history and be up there with Ricky Carmichael and James Stweart, to be up there with those guys means the world, because they’re such a household name in our sport. If you bring up motocross, you think of James Stweart, Ricky Carmichael, Jeremy McGrath, all those guys. You just know they’re household names. So, to be up with those guys is an unreal accomplishment. I was nervous as hell, but thankfully I was able to do it.

Today it seemed like there were a few times that you put almost 100 percent effort in. Chase [Sexton] was pushing very hard. You mentioned going off the track on the godzilla jump. How close were you to 100 percent?

I wasn’t full 100 percent, but we were going at least 95 percent I would say. We were trying to push the envelope, trying to push Chase to his limits and trying to break him. That’s the only way to try and beat Chase, It’s already hard enough to do that, this man does not stop at all. I was pushing hard, he was pushing hard and it was awesome racing against him this year. I was glad he came back, because he’s made me a better rider. I know for sure, I feel like I’ve helped him. I think we’re at the limit of speed where it’s almost light speed. It’s been awesome racing him. That last moto I had every single bit of motivation, I was pushing the entire time. I did not care, I was almost numb to what I was feeling. I was just focused on executing every single thing and every single turn, making sure I would keep on pushing. At the end I barely felt my body, I was feeling how tired I was and it didn’t hit until after. The adrenaline I had was through the roof.

Is there any way for a championship to be more special, given that you guys are both getting it?

Unadilla was my day, wrapping up my championship and today was always, from the start, about Hunter wrapping up his championship after all he’s been through. So, that’s the reason why I wear his shirt, for me to show respect to him and I feel like it’s just the right thing to do, even if I was going undefeated, or not. It’s his day and it’s what I’m here for.

Is the family bond pushing each other to this level of excellence? Is that the foundation for you guys?

Yeah, nowadays it’s much smoother. We wake up and we go practising, we’re pushing ourselves every day. We’re trying to be the best that we can and be the best athletes in this sport.

Going into SMX on the 450, how are you preparing over the next week and a half?

Like everything I go into, I’m going to train my butt off. I’m going to try and recover from this, then go straight into training. I’m going to work my butt off and just try an get the best prep that I can in the two weeks before SMX, then just try and go in with open eyes and see what we get dealt, how the track is, then just adjust.

You said this is like an impossible dream to have come this far. But, now looking back, this crazy background you guys have, does that actually help in the end?

For sure. I think whoever goes through those tough times and makes it out, they learn something. There are only very few people that can get themselves out of that hole, and they are the people that want to succeed the most. Look at some of the richest guys in the world, they started from the bottom and went through tough times. Other people have gone through the same stuff, but you see they kind of just get beat down a bit more, or they don’t get that luck with being in the right place at the right time. We just kept our head down, then when we went to Europe, it was win at all costs, cause we didn’t have that much money, we went over there with eight thousand eurous to our name, to all of us. We had to make that last until our house was sold. We went over there and we knew we had to succeed at any cost, we didn’t care how it gets done, we’re going to do it and we’re making sure we’re doing it. So, to end up living where we’re living now, and happy, in a nice big house, we have our sports cars, which doesn’t seem real.

From a riding and training perspective, just talk about all those experiences you get, that most of the riders you’re up against probably don’t have.

I think that grit of getting out of that hole overlays into your riding. I mean, the pressure back then to try and succeed was way more than being where we are now, trying to win championships. It’s not even half the pressure compared to what we had back then. Because, say if we lose a moto now, bummer, but we can have another chance next weekend. Where, back then we didn’t have that second chance. We had to execute plan A, and it goes into our riding so much, just trying to make sure we give it everything that we have and make sure we execute everything that we’ve learned and put it onto the track.

Talk about SuperMotocross. There’s some serious cash available. Are you getting excited about it? Have you been studying the track maps?

It’s hard to study because we don’t know if it’s going to be like Monster Cup, where it’s still basically Supercross but with more long straights and no whoops, or if it’s going to be more stadium-cross, where it’s a little faster. That’s the exciting thing about it, it’s so new to us and we have zero clue going into it. As I said, we’re basically going in blind. We’re going to go there, like Hunter said, and have our notebooks out and after the first round, we’re going to see what we need to learn and go back and make some changes.

250MX

Image: Octopi Media.

Hunter, congratulations on a remarkable season. You had some ups and downs. You had that RedBud first turn crash, some injuries early on, then you had a mechanical and lost the championship lead. Tell us about the first moto today. You knew it was in your hand if you won the first moto, then in the second corner, you see [Justin Cooper] go down in that pile-up. What did your game plan become after seeing your nearest competitor on the ground early?

When I went around the first turn I was like, ‘Well, this is going to be a tough one.’ Then, we came to a stop with that pile-up and I saw that unfortunately, Justin [Cooper] was on the ground. So, it got a little easier, cause that was the only guy we really had to focus on beating to wrap it up in the first moto. So, it was honestly just riding to that, making passes that came, not really pushing above my head. I kind of knew where he was all moto and my mechanic was doing a good job of letting me know, so I kind of did that and brought it home.

Being a racer and being highly competitive, how hard was it to hold yourself back and tell yourself that you didn’t need to push as long as Justin was behind you?

Not hard. I mean it’s harder to keep pushing harder and make up that time. So, it was a lot easier on my side, because why risk it to win the battle, when you can win the war? That’s what we were here doing today, we were here to win the war.

Is there any way for a championship to be more special, given that you guys are both getting it?

Maybe if we both get the SMX title as well, that might be the only thing that makes it more special. But, no absolutely, it’s wild, both supercross titles, I think that’s been done before, but never in the same year. Now both outdoor Pro Motocross Championships… Epic.

Is the family bond pushing each other to this level of excellence? Is that the foundation for you guys?

Absolutely, whether it’s in this sport or in life in general. You’re always going to have someone that pushes you to become better. I think what’s unique about this side is that we both push each other to be better, and whenever either of us wins, it’s benefitting the same family, rather than another family or someone else. I think that’s what makes it special. We’re brothers and family first, racing always comes second.

What are you most looking forward to in the SMX playoffs?

I think more about the unknown. No one really knows what to expect. It’s the first round, so I’m sure everyone will be there with their notepads out, and then back to the drawing board after the first one. Hopefully, we can get it right with the team and we land on our feet running.

In America, it’s a pretty defined path that the kids have. Your background is different. Do you think it’s actually worked out better for you?

Yeah, absolutely. I think what was really instilled in us and why I think we are where we are, is because we started off with nothing to fall back on. So, it was do or die, you know? When we were in the tough times, it wasn’t like, you get denied a few times or pushed down, you go back to normal life, there was no normal life for us. It was just always make or break and I think that can-do attitude definitely helped. We had an unreal role model in our Dad, just him being an everyday battler and a fighter, just showing us the right things and the right attributes without even realising it. You just kind of adopt them and I think it’s paid off a tonne, to where we’re so fortunate and grateful for everything we have right now and the people we get to work with. We race dirt bikes for a job, it’s pretty damn badass.

I know you’re one guy who dedicates yourself to the craft. Can you give us one example of putting in the extra time to do whoops or a corner? I know a lot of it is going to come from Johnny O’Mara and your dad, but are there times when you critique yourself and you know you can’t leave the track until you get something right?

It was Wednesday this week. We’re always working to be better, any driven person in life aims to be one percent better every day, whether it’s dieting, or whatever it may be. Every day we try to be better, in our sport, life itself, just anything. Anyone that you meet who’s older and experienced says, ‘I’m still learning to this day’.

Talk about your situation at Honda and what you’re feeling over there. Is it just a family affair over there right now?

Absolutely, we’re going to go burn the truck down later, it’s just unreal. The boys are going to get the cigars out, it’s going to be the HRC drinking team here shortly, [laughs].