Current 450SX points-leader Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) captured his second-career victory at the Indianapolis Triple Crown, also marking his first overall in the three-race format. In this Check In, the Australian details the wild night of racing that led to him finishing on top.

Image: Octopi Media.

Hunter, congratulations. What’s the level of satisfaction for a win like this in conditions that are so challenging in a Triple Crown format?

It’s pretty nice. I think it’s pretty easy to imagine. Honestly, it’s not much deeper than that. It’s just really cool. Honestly, keeping the red plate, that’s what I want to do. I felt like last weekend I was just really frustrated with my result and what I felt like could have been. So yeah, me and the team knuckled down this week and we put a lot of work in, and so it’s cool to see that pay off.

What was more difficult, the first career win in the 450 Supercross class or the one tonight, and why?

I mean, any win is difficult. All the guys are so good, especially the first main. You’re racing – I think this Triple Crown – you’re racing more guys that, you know, they get to showcase their strengths more. Like the guys that are maybe stronger in heat races generally do really well in the first main than, you know, your main event guys in the second and third. So it’s tricky. There’s three times the risk. I mean, Vince almost killed Eli [Tomac]. And then I had my own scenario in the second one where Cole Thompson and Vince would race each other and I was in the middle and just got sandwiched and ended up sending Cole off the back of the berm. And I don’t know how I stayed on my bike, honestly. Super fortunate. Honestly, I just think I just got lucky. Honestly, like there was some carnage out there.

You mentioned on the podium about the hard work you and the team put in this week. I noticed a lot of changes in your A versus your B bike this weekend – a lot of parts on it that come on a standard 450R. Can you tell me what it is you’ve been looking for and what you found this week in terms of feeling, or what were you looking for?

No, I won’t tell you, but I’ll say, yeah, we worked fricking hard, man. Tuesday from nine until dark, Wednesday the same, Thursday go out more before I fly out, then come out, press day again, and then today. So five days in a row, even though press day is small. But I mean, you can either look like an idiot because you’re tired on race day or best case like tonight. So it’s awesome. You know, the team just never gives up. They’ve got a never-say-die attitude like myself. And yeah, I’m blessed to have amazing people around me. And I can’t ask for much more, even if tonight wasn’t what we wanted.

Image: Octopi Media

It seems like you struggled in practice this morning, especially in the first one, then you kind of rounded up all the way through the day. How much strategy is going into that, how many times can you put yourself in the right place?

Hopefully a lot more, honestly. I mean, we got a lot of racing left. Today during the day, I was pretty happy with it, honestly. I went 1-1 in the qualifying sessions at Daytona, and I didn’t win. So I was like, ‘Alright, maybe I’m not a P1 qualifying guy.’ So let’s change it up. But no, I was still out there trying and the feeling was good. I think some days I can speak for a lot of riders, even if you’re maybe not at the top of the board every time you’re on track, but that feeling’s there. I think that’s almost more confidence-inspiring than putting it up top.

So we know what happened with you and Cole was not intentional, so thanks for the words on that. But talk to us about how lappers impacted the track today. This track notoriously gets pretty rough. It’s one of the more exciting ones to watch.

So dude, it just complicates it all that much more. Like we’re moving already a lot more than a normal main event track. I don’t know, I don’t mean to get on a rant, but it always seems to be the same repeat offenders in the lap traffic that are just pretty sketchy and kind of – I know they’ve got their race on, but I don’t know – it’s tricky and very unique for sure.

Can you talk about the pass you had on Jorge [Prado]? You had to give him a little body English to get by. Was that just a higher level of aggression or just purely happened by accident?

No, I mean, he pulled aside for Eli and then he tried to like not brake check, but slow me down on there. And if he’s just coming back to get in the way, then yeah, I’m going to give him some body English, you know, maybe Jett [Lawrence] will come back and do the same…