Image: Octopi Media.

Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence collected his seventh 450SX win of 2024 on Saturday in Philadelphia and further extended his championship lead in the process. A gate drop to checkered flag victory, Lawrence led every lap of the race in a tone setting win as the season nears its end.

While Lawrence got the lead early and worked on inching away, he had Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha teammates Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb right behind him. Webb, who entered the 15th round just five points behind Lawrence, passed Tomac for second early on and looked eager to stick with the Australian out front. But Lawrence simply inched away while Webb instead fell into the clutches of Red Bull KTM’s Chase Sexton.

Sexton would make the move on Webb for P2 with around eight laps remaining. Some quick lap times actually pulled Sexton closer to Lawrence out front, but he simply ran out of time to make it all the way to the leader. While it looked like Webb was set for third, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson had other ideas as he caught Webb late in the race. A little bump between the two going into the final turn left Webb on the ground and Anderson landed on the box for his third time in 2024.

Webb was able to pick it up in fourth, but the damage was done. He now sits 12 points behind Lawrence in the championship. Fifth place on the afternoon would go to Tomac who was right in the mix the whole way through, but was perhaps just a bit off and ended 14 seconds behind the leader Lawrence at the flag.

Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas rider Justin Barcia would end up in sixth ahead of Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence in seventh, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Malcolm Stewart in eighth, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis in ninth, and Star Racing’s Justin Cooper rounding out the top 10.

Now just two races remain as the series heads to Denver next week for the penultimate round. Four riders are still mathematically alive for the championship, but it really is down to whether or not Webb can overtake Lawrence in the closing stanza.

Detailed results