In a weather-affected round that could have delivered far more unpredictable results, Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence raced to P3 in the Philadelphia 450SX main event to remain in title contention with just two rounds remaining. In this Debrief feature, the Australian reflects on round 15 from Lincoln Financial Field.

Image: Octopi Media.

Balancing composure

I don’t know, really. I mean, I’m just kind of focusing on the job at hand. I was on Ken [Roczen] and I felt really good with how I was riding and just like the smallest little mistake in the wrong place of the track, some places a little more forgiving than others and just, yeah, it bit me. Then it’s like, your gloves are all muddy, so it’s just trying to try to get back into a rhythm and not have the train completely come off the tracks.

Pushing for the title

I didn’t feel like I was pushing that hard really. I mean, you couldn’t really push too much on a track like this. It’s just one of those things, the line is maybe about yay-wide that way, and like this wide in some spots and, you know, obviously I’m behind Ken and there’s a lapper ahead in the turn. And I’m trying to look like through Ken to see clear track, right? On, again, a path this wide, and it’s easy to just get off track a little bit. There was numerous other spots on the track where you’d be a little off balance and stuff, but they’re a little more forgiving than others. So just one of those things, honestly, in a mud race, they say it’s the great equalizer, but dude, like the wildest shit can happen. It could happen to anyone. Like I don’t think it’s an equalizer – if anything, it’s more just like a minefield, you know?

Image: Octopi Media.

Close racing

Just showing a wheel. I mean, I was there – I feel like I had a really comfortable rhythm and stuff and it was coming easy to me. I felt like we were in a good spot, I think for how chaotic the start gate area is and how much of a swamp the start straight looks like. I think it’s pretty funny, like not funny, but like it’s cool how the top three in the championship found themselves at the front, you know, of all the possible outcomes that can happen out of the first turn, me almost doing a front flip in the first rhythm line, but yeah, just racing, just trying to bide my time. And yeah, there’s about 100 different outcomes that could have happened tonight.

Getting off the grate

We definitely wanted to invest a lot more time into that. And I mean, that was a big positive this weekend. Heat race was a good start and so was the main event, so good to see the work pay off and it’s just racing. We ticked that box and we got that better, but we didn’t quite get the end result we wanted, but that’s racing and still anything can happen. I feel, again, great on the bike. The mud race is just, it’s like curve ball after curve ball, so I’m excited just to leave here, learn more, got to put that to theory and made progress… Ready for whatever the last two rounds bring.

Image: Octopi Media.

Two to go

I mean, I’m just taking it all in. Like we’re still racing – it’s such a long season – so yeah, two more rounds. Obviously, given the points situation now, I’m glad there’s two more rounds. It’s going to be good.

The early laps

It’s definitely a way different intensity to what a normal, let’s say dry, main event is. Because it’s like, you have to be intense, but like it feels like we’re going turtle speed in some areas. So yeah, the first straight, like the ruts, it’s tricky, obviously you don’t see on TV because they’re not in the POV we are, but all of the ruts have shadows in them, so it’s tough to really see the depth perception, the curvature, if there’s a kicker in it or not. And the rut I had, I thought was sweet, you know, looked way shallower. I saw Seth [Hammaker], what happened to him in the main, and I was like, ‘Alright, note to self.’ And I felt like I did note to self, but yeah, that left side was a little gnarly.