Image: Octopi Media.

Current 450MX points leader Jett Lawrence anticipated Washougal to be one of his toughest nationals of the season, labelling it his ‘worst track of the circuit’ while still being content with second on the podium to extend his advantage in the Pro Motocross standings.

The slick, hard-packed surface of the iconic Pacific Northwest venue stands in contrast to the loamy, deeply-tilled circuits on the fixture and, as a result, provides a unique challenge for the riders.

Lawrence – who dropped only his second 450MX overall in 24 starts – qualified fastest and posted a 3-1 result for second overall after falling from P2 in the opening moto, as defending champion Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) picked up his first overall win of the year on Saturday.

“I knew Chase and Eli [Tomac] were very good here, watching them in ’22 and then racing Chase in ’23, he was on my ass the entire time and he was fast,” reflected Lawrence. “I knew this was my worst track of the circuit, and I just had to rely on my starts.

“I got screwed a bit in the first one by the Spanish mate, but I managed to wiggle my way through in the second one after not the best jump. It’s not an overall, but I’m still happy with second… I tried asking too much in the first race, and then struggled to find that flow afterwards.”

Although his round winning streak came to an end, Lawrence remained level-headed, maintaining that not all races can be won as he maintains a 61-point advantage over Honda HRC Progressive teammate Hunter Lawrence with three rounds remaining outdoors.

“I’ve had a really good run – you can’t always win everything, it always comes to an end at some stage,” he added. “We’re still happy with a second, and it was good to be able to rebound in moto two for at least a race win.”