Jett Lawrence Makes History At Anaheim
We are barely into 2024, motorcycle racing has begun in earnest, and already a record has been broken. Jett Lawrence (above), in his inaugural race of the 2024 AMA Supercross 450SX Class, took the win in dramatic fashion at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium, becoming the first rookie to snag a victory on their 450SX debut in the 50-year history of AMA Supercross. The 20-year old Australian won his Anaheim 1 race in dramatic fashion, crossing the Monster Energy finish jump by a sizable 3-second margin. Jason Anderson took 2nd place after battling with Cooper Webb much of the race, with 2023 defending class champ Chase Sexton pushing up and taking the 3rd podium spot in the closing moments.
Jason Anderson took the 2nd podium spot at Anaheim 1 on his Monster Energy Kawasaki.
Jett Lawrence, who along with his older brother Hunter, have been racing in the Monster Energy Supercross Championship for several years. Jett clinched the 2023 250SX AMA Supercross class title last year, the 2023 450cc AMA Motocross Championship (also as a class rookie), then went to the World SuperMotocross Championships last year and won the 450SX title there as well, against the best in the world. Could this young man be the new “Marc Marquez” of Supercross and Motocross racing? He’s certainly making a case for it, dominating his respective race classes in recent years.
2023 defending 450SX champ Chase Sexton took 3rd on his Red Bull KTM, after Cooper Webb took a hard fall.
The Team Honda HRC rider pulled out the spectacular win in front of a sold-out crowd at California’s Angel Stadium in Anaheim, at the start of the 50th anniversary of AMA Supercross. Some of us are old enough to remember watching the early years of Supercross on television, first called the “Super Bowl of Motocross”, and cheering on greats like “Hurricane” Bob Hannah, Mike Bell, and Jimmy Ellis, among others. Legends such as Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, and James Stewart Jr. have all left an indelible mark on the sport in its half-century history. Could Jett Lawrence one day find his name among the greats in the sport? He’s certainly off to a roaring start.
RJ Hampshire celebrating his 250SX win at Anaheim.
The 450SX class will be hotly contested this year, with the likes of Lawrence, Sexton, Eli Tomac, and Cooper Webb all gunning for the title, among so many in the talented field. The East and West 250SX classes will be thrilling to watch as well, with class newcomers Triumph putting a 3-bike team on the grid in the East series for the first time, after several years of R&D for their new TF 250-X machine. For all these reasons and more, we are excited to track the AMA Supercross season in 2024.
For more on this year’s AMA Monster Energy Supercross season, click here:
*All photos by Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
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