Image: Octopi Media.

450SX contender Hunter Lawrence left Anaheim 1 feeling ‘content’ with his top-five finish, the Honda HRC Progressive rider exiting Angel Stadium in championship contention after a P4 result in the main event.

Acknowledging the venue as one of his weaker stops on the schedule, Lawrence pieced together a measured night on Saturday, qualifying seventh before finishing second in his heat race.

The 26-year-old spent much of the race battling Jason Anderson (Twisted Tea Suzuki) before closing to the rear wheel of new Red Bull KTM Factory Racing recruit Jorge Prado and finishing just 1.722s behind the Spaniard.

“That was my best A1 to date,” reflected Lawrence post-race. “I said to myself that I’d be content with a top-five finish – I really wanted to get the win, but we’re still working, chipping away.

“I think we’re in a great spot to make progress where we want to and hopefully get that worked out. But I’m okay with tonight, for sure – this is one of my worst venues if you look back over my career, so I’m happy to move forward.”

Lawrence missed qualifying for the 450SX season-opener in 2024 before posting an 11th-place finish last year. P4 in 2026 situates him seven markers behind series leader Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) entering round two at San Diego this weekend.