An uncharacteristic final round brought Jett Lawrence’s 2026 Pro Motocross campaign to a difficult conclusion, with the Honda HRC Progressive rider aggravating his troublesome ankle and ultimately falling just two points short of a third 450MX title. In this Fast Thoughts feature, 23-year-old Lawrence reflects on the Ironman finale, a tough afternoon on the bike, and his outdoor season as a whole.

Image: Octopi Media.

Emotions of the day…

Yeah, my day sucked, honestly. I felt terrible, like, in both motos. But, yeah, that first moto, I mean, I didn’t know he went down at first until I looked back on the start straight. So, I’m like, I felt like I was riding so bad the first few laps that I’m like, surely I’m close to, like, 40th. Like, I felt so bad. I [saw] him there, so I’m like, ‘Alright, we got to try and make sure he doesn’t catch me and keep going.’ Then, like, two laps later, I look back and he’s behind me. So, that didn’t work out. But, not an ideal day for sure. I wish I could have given a better self, you know, but just kind of pushed it too hard in practice with my foot, and then that first one, just the first couple laps, I tweaked it really bad. I tried to keep pushing, but it was pretty painful. So, but, yeah, we just all around kind of sucked today.

The injury…

Yeah, definitely. I mean, I’ve been doing pretty well without hurting it or letting any ruts grab it, but just today in qualifying, it got ripped three times. But, I mean, I’ve been able to ride with it all year and have good rounds, so it’s not really an excuse. You know, I wish I didn’t do it, but I still tried my best. I’m not bummed about my result at all. You know, I gave my best and tried making it painful for Hunter and annoying, but it just wasn’t my day today.

Image: Octopi Media.

Uncharacteristic moments and mistakes…

Yeah, I mean, like I said, I have not ridden that bad in years. And honestly, once when I hit that kicker in the middle sky shot, I closed my eyes. I had a full conversation with Jesus, and I thought he had his arms open for me. But I opened them, and I somehow was safe. I don’t know how, but I’m like, ‘Dude, just red flag it already, please.’ I was like, ‘This sucks, man.’ But, yeah, I had another moment in front of Hunter in the rollers. I had headshake multiple times in pit lane. I was – yeah, I had so many moments, I can’t even count all of them. So, yeah, not an ideal day. Not normal characteristics for sure for us, but I’m just happy to be walking out of here, like, in one piece.

Not winning the title…

I’m still happy, obviously, because as a brother, I’m happy for HJ for getting his first 450 title, and I’m happy with what I’ve done this outdoor season. You know, like, everyone I versed this year, at the start of the year, obviously I was watching them while I was sitting on the couch on a three-wheeler thing trying to scoot around. So, no matter what my results were, because it was unknown for me with this injury, I’m still happy. Honestly, I’m even more stoked that I was able to be a pain in the ass to Hunter, at least for this championship. You know, I don’t want to let him get it easy, so I try being a pain as best I can. But, yeah, I’m just happy for what I’ve done this year with outdoors. Obviously HJ as well, and our team as well. You know, gosh, we almost won every race as Lawrences. So, I mean, that’s pretty cool in itself. So, yeah, I’m just happy for the team and everyone.