Image: Octopi Media.

Words: Troy Guenther

Front brake damaged sustained early in the second moto proved costly for Hunter Lawrence at Unadilla, as the Team Honda HRC rider’s result was limited to P6 overall.

Looking to build on fifth from the opening moto, Lawrence emerged seventh off the start before his front brake was bent in the fourth turn and he soldiered onto 11th.

The 22-year-old completed the race, albeit with severely limited braking power, and was left frustrated as he fell to 61 points behind 250MX championship leader Justin Cooper while remaining third in the standings.

“It was a tough weekend, very frustrating,” Lawrence explained. “In the first moto, I made mistakes in the first two corners, and the one mistake in the first turn cost me a bunch of positions.

“I had a really good start but ended up getting fifth, which was okay. I wasn’t really happy with my riding and I struggled to pass.

“In the second moto I got a decent start, but in the fourth turn something happened to my front brake – my brake rotor was that bent it was hitting the caliper.

“I had to deal with that for the moto, which was sketchy from the first lap… not ideal. It was pretty sketchy, but nothing we can do, nothing my mechanic could do, so just a bit of an unfortunate racing incident. On to the next!”

While the Honda rider experienced a difficult first outing at Unadilla, younger brother Jett Lawrence experienced success as he claimed the 250MX overall victory, drawing closer to the 250MX red plate.

The elder Lawrence brother will be looking to rebound when the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship resumes at Budds Creek, on 22 August.