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Season Begins for Hunter Lawrence in San Diego
In San Diego, California, Hunter Lawrence is banking on the third attempt to bring success as he kicks off his 2024 Monster Energy Supercross season at Snapdragon Stadium this week. The season got off to a sluggish start due to an incident in Lawrence’s heat at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, and challenging muddy conditions at Oracle Park in San Francisco last week. However, the 250 SX East and Pro Motocross champion remains unconcerned about his points standing. Lawrence is simply focused on completing clean, dry laps on the track to initiate a gradual ascent towards securing a position in the top 10 or top 5 in the standings – a goal that is still very much attainable.
“(San Francisco) was an exceptionally uncommon sequence of events on the track and how it unfolded,” Lawrence shared with NBC Sports while awaiting his turn for practice on Media Day ahead of Round 3. “No one attempted any jumps throughout the entire main event. It was all done in first gear.
“When was the last time riders stayed in first gear throughout the whole race? It was quite extraordinary, and honestly, I found myself laughing at some sections of the track. We’re considered the best in the world, yet we looked like beginners in first gear, navigating through the obstacles. It was quite amusing to some of us.”
Despite the limited learning opportunities in those muddy conditions, Lawrence still gained more from Round 2 than the opener due to the valuable track time.
Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger stand out as the only two riders achieving consistent top-five finishes this season, with Dylan Ferrandis coming close. Despite missing the main event in Anaheim, Lawrence currently holds the 15th position in the standings. A significant portion of the riders ahead of him have struggled, finishing either just on the edge or outside the top 10 in at least one of the two rounds.
Rather than conceding two races, Lawrence effectively only trails by one. With a substantial amount of racing still ahead, heat races, while not contributing points, play a crucial role in rider experience. Lawrence aims to gain valuable exposure against the superstars in the 450 division.
Lawrence acknowledges that he can only influence his own destiny.
“I can only control myself,” Lawrence emphasized. “I go out there, give my best, and strive to deliver 100% of what Hunter Lawrence can offer. That’s all within my control.
“Anaheim 1 had some factors arguably beyond my control, but ‘stuff happens,’ so I move forward. San Francisco’s weather was a shared challenge for everyone, and you just have to make the best of the situation. We’ll continue with the same approach this weekend.”
Despite a 50 percent chance of rain during opening ceremonies, the field must come to terms with the possibility of encountering a third set of track conditions on Saturday. The course is expected to begin dry for preliminary action and gradually deteriorate. Lawrence sees this as another opportunity to add to his mental playbook as he progresses in his 450 career, likely gaining positions in the standings. After all, 10th place is only 12 points away.
