Cohesion is a word that describes what is happening over at the Honda HRC Progressive team currently, with the organization a race-winning machine of late, churning victories out one after another in both the 250 and 450 divisions. It is the case that the arrival of the Lawrences has had a major influence, although the entire unit is on the same page, which is reflected in the winning culture.

It takes an army to make it in any sport. An individual is usually only as good as their team, and that is still the case even though both motocross and supercross are, in theory, individual sports. At least optically this is true, as on track it’s you versus everyone else, with no teammates playing a supportive role out there in the traditional sense.

Behind the scenes however, is an entire engine room of personnel who work tirelessly to ensure everything stays on track and that the athletes can compete at their best during each respective race weekend.

This was a formula that the US-based Honda effort couldn’t seem to master in the nearly 20 years between Ricky Carmichael’s 2004 Pro Motocross championship victory and Jett Lawrence’s maiden 450MX crown in 2023, with an ingredient or two missing throughout that time keeping them from collecting number one plates.

Image: Octopi Media.

Momentum also plays a role, in addition to luck. It has to be said that Jett wasn’t really on the radar until he made his way Stateside and captured the 250 Futures class win at the 2019 edition of the Monster Energy Cup, although even still, there was no way to predict the type of ascent that would follow.

There was a certain level of luck there, although what follows is a culture in place at the team that allows their riders to develop, enjoy racing, and ultimately thrive underneath the red tent, which you could say not only for both Jett and Hunter, but 250 contenders Chance Hymas and Jo Shimoda, too.

It’s all working – and the scoresheets have been largely red – over the course of the last few seasons, with no signs of slowing down either.

“I think the success starts at the very top, and that’s having an incredible group of managers above me,” team manager for the Honda HRC Progressive program, Lars Lindstrom, commented after Budds Creek. “All of it combined is just building to what we have now, and we’re lucky to have a lot of freedom to be able to do a lot of cool things that we haven’t been able to do otherwise.

Image: Octopi Media.

“But most of all, I’m just honored and proud to be the manager of this team, which has been around for over 50 years. I have incredible riders who make me look really good, and I just couldn’t be any more proud to be in the position that I am.”

We saw Jett claim his second 450MX championship this year, and we also saw Shimoda bloom into what now looks like a serious 250MX championship challenger, as well as Hymas’ progression, too. Add in Hunter Lawrence’s development, and there is so much that could be said about the riders, although again, it is all made possible thanks to the ethos of the team.

Lars took out the Team Manager of the Year award for Pro Motocross, Jett’s long-time mechanic Christian Ducharme earned the 450MX Mechanic of the Year honors, and even the team’s semi driver, Tom Poage, won the Transport Driver of the Year award. It’s again a brilliant display of how important the network is, beyond the individual.

As for the 22-year-old phenom Jett, he echoed the sentiment, explaining that a lot of the credit is due to the surrounding personnel, including mechanic Ducharme, with whom he has been with since touching down in the United States.

Image: Octopi Media.

“These guys don’t get enough credit,” Lawrence explained. “I’ve been with Christian since day one, and it’s been awesome – we’ve had a good winning run so far. Again, I don’t think they get enough credit because what they do is badass, and they’ve got to be perfect. We work hard, and they work just as hard as us, so it’s cool.”

The approach is there, and it’s yielding results. Whatever ingredients can be pinpointed – whether it’s humility, hard work, teamwork – or a combination of all three – it is the formula that has been missing for some time under the Honda awning, at least before the Lawrence era.

Other combinations have had the approach right throughout the near 20 years between – think Carmichael, Makita Suzuki, mechanic Mike Gosselaar, and team manager Roger DeCoster, or Ryan Villopoto and his long-time mechanic Mike Williamson at Monster Energy Kawasaki, too.

Wherever there is success, there is no doubt a team behind the scenes, acting as the engine room to what we see on television or in the record books. Right now, the chips are falling into the hands of the Honda HRC Progressive for the most part, with the entire outfit – including the Lawrences – having played a key role in revitalizing this winning culture.