Jett Lawrence Seizes Control of Pro Motocross Championship 
Points Lead with Statement Victory at Thunder Valley

LAKEWOOD, Colo. (June 13, 2026) – The Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, headed to the Rocky Mountains for its third stop of the summer and Round 20 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship, where the mile-high altitude of Thunder Valley Motocross Park provided one of the season’s most unique challenges. The Toyota Thunder Valley National Presented by American Petroleum Institute featured another captivating afternoon of racing, which saw Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence [#1] put forth a statement performance with a pair of wire-to-wire motos to claim back-to-back wins and seize control of the 450SMX Class points lead. In the 250SMX Class, the unpredictability continued for the third straight race as Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda [#30] became the third different winner in as many races, albeit without winning a moto. It signified Honda’s first sweep of class victories this season.

Timed Qualifying

• The most competitive qualifying session of the young season saw several riders put themselves in the mix for pole position. While Jett Lawrence topped the charts after the first session, it was his Honda HRC Progressive teammate and older brother Hunter [#96] who ultimately led the way at the end of the second session with a time of 2:01.727, which put him a half-second ahead of the 2:02.201 by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Lucas Coenen [#104], the MXGP points leader who took advantage of an off weekend to make his Pro Motocross debut. Jett Lawrence’s 2:02.489 from the first session placed him third.

Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

• The opening moto of the afternoon got underway with Jett Lawrence out front with the holeshot over Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb [#2] and Hunter Lawrence, the championship leader. Lawrence pushed on the opening lap to get around Webb and looked to close in on his younger brother. Meanwhile, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan [#38] was able to climb his way up to third.
• The Lawrences engaged in a spirited fight for the lead, with Jett able to keep Hunter at bay. For a moment Hunter appeared to have the pass made on his brother, but Jett responded immediately to prevent Hunter from completing it. That allowed Deegan to make it a three-rider battle. Deegan then made the pass for second and pressured for the lead for the first time this season. The highly anticipated showdown between Jett Lawrence and Deegan unfolded, to the roar of the crowd. While Deegan kept Lawrence honest, the gap between them soon stabilized as the moto reached its halfway point.
• Deegan overcame a couple minor miscues to close back in on the lead and brought Hunter Lawrence with him to reignite the three-rider battle. However, with a little more than 12 minutes to go Deegan slid out and dropped to third. He then went down again a short time later and dropped to fourth, which allowed Coenen to take third.
• The final 10 minutes turned into a Lawrence versus Lawrence affair, with Coenen gaining ground from third. The siblings traded momentum throughout various parts of the racetrack, which ultimately prevented Hunter from getting close enough to mount a challenge. As the clock wound down, Jett seemingly ended the threat and opened up a lead of more than three seconds, while Coenen settled into third.
• As time ran out on the race clock Hunter Lawrence went down and remounted in third, which moved Coenen up to second. Lawrence reentered the race just ahead of Deegan to set up a last lap battle for the final podium spot.
• As Jett Lawrence took the white flag he held a mere two second advantage over Coenen, who made one final push. In the end, Lawrence held on to take his third straight moto win by 1.4 seconds over the Belgian in his first ever gate drop. Hunter Lawrence followed in third, with Deegan fourth and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado [#26] in fifth. 
• At the conclusion of the moto race officials reviewed an inside line that several riders used across multiple laps that took them beyond the track limits. The racing line was deemed illegal, and three riders were subsequently penalized for cutting the track, with each lap infraction taken into account. The top-finishing rider to receive a penalty was Hunter Lawrence, who was docked one position from third to fourth. Deegan was penalized seven positions, dropping him from fourth to 11th, while Prado received a two-position penalty, dropping from fifth to seventh. The updated top five following the penalties was 1. Jett Lawrence; 2. Coenen; 3. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Garret Marchbanks [#36]; 4. Hunter Lawrence; 5. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire [#24].

Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

• Jett Lawrence completed off a sweep of the holeshots to begin the second moto with the lead ahead of his brother and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger [#7]. As he looked to apply pressure on the lead, Hunter Lawrence went down. He remounted quickly but resumed deep in the top 10.
• The clear track allowed Jett Lawrence to establish a two-second lead at the conclusion of the opening lap over Coenen, who quickly fought his way up to second. Plessinger settled into third. Meanwhile, Hunter Lawrence made an impressive recovery to fight back up to fifth place in a matter of a couple laps.
• Jett Lawrence was able to stabilize the lead at about 3.5 seconds through the middle of the moto as Coenen strengthened his grasp of second. The fight for third saw Deegan methodically close in on Plessinger and successfully take the position. Hunter Lawrence followed into fourth several laps later.
• As the lead duo continued on in their respective positions Hunter Lawrence was determined to complete his comeback from the early tip over. He closed in on Deegan and made a quick, aggressive move with less than two minutes to go to take over third. Moments later, he fell again, which gave the position back to Deegan. Lawrence resumed in fourth, but just ahead of Prado and Marchbanks.
• Jett Lawrence completed a perfect afternoon by extending his moto win streak to four, taking the checkered flag 9.6 seconds ahead of Coenen. Deegan finished more than 30 seconds back in third, with Hunter Lawrence able to salvage fourth.

Overall

• A pair of wire-to-wire performances and the 20th 1-1 result of his career gave Jett Lawrence his 26th win in 30 premier class starts. With back-to-back victories, he has also grabbed control of the 450SMX Class points lead. It’s his fourth straight win at Thunder Valley, where he remains unbeaten, and marks the sixth consecutive year Honda has claimed victory in Colorado.
• Coenen’s Pro Motocross debut resulted in an impressive runner-up effort (2-2) as he’ll now return overseas to defend his lead in the MXGP championship. He’ll race once more this summer, at Southwick on July 11th.
• Despite numerous bouts of adversity and the penalty in the first moto, Hunter Lawrence still secured a podium finish (4-4) to minimize the points lost in the championship.
• A 14-point swing at Thunder Valley has moved Jett Lawrence atop the points standings with an eight-point lead over Hunter. Deegan remains third, 32 points out of the lead.

Timed Qualifying

• The morning sessions kicked off with an impressive debut for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sacha Coenen [#109], the MX2 points leader from Belgium who joined his twin brother for a guest appearance and Pro Motocross debut. Coenen paced the field after the opening session but was surpassed by Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies [#37], who led the way in the second session to top the overall classification with a time of 2:04.463. That was seven tenths ahead of Coenen (2:05.217), who also bettered his time in the second session.

Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

• The first moto began with Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker [#10], the championship leader, ahead of the pack with the holeshot ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer [#13] and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rookie Caden Dudney [#82] in third.
• Hammaker and Beaumer battled for the lead throughout the opening laps, while Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Nick Romano [#141] slotted into third. Up front, the KTM rider kept the pressure on his Kawasaki counterpart as Romano and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen [#47] lurked behind them. Ten minutes into the moto the top four were separated by just three seconds.
• As Hammaker slowly inched away his teammates went on the attack, as both Romano and Kitchen stormed past Beaumer to put the Kawasakis 1-2-3.
• Hammaker maintained his hold of the lead as the top three settled in briefly, but just past the halfway point of the moto Kitchen picked up the pace and made the pass on Romano for second. With about 13 minutes left in the moto, Kitchen faced a 2.5 second deficit to his teammate. Behind them, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Michael Mosiman [#23] made the pass on Romano for third.
• Inside the final 10 minutes, the battle for the lead intensified as Kitchen closed in on Hammaker’s rear fender. Kitchen was the faster rider but found difficulty in finding the right lines on the rut-filled track to get alongside his teammate. This allowed Hammaker to keep Kitchen at bay and hold onto a slim lead. Kitchen lost touch briefly but made one final push after time ran out on the race clock. He closed in, found better lines, and made the move by Hammaker with two laps to go. As that unfolded a change for third also took place as Shimoda made the pass on Mosiman.
• Once into the lead, Kitchen ran away from Hammaker and stormed to his second moto win of the season by 8.1 seconds for a Kawasaki 1-2 finish. Shimoda earned his second moto podium in third, with Romano fourth and Mosiman fifth.

Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

• The deciding second moto started with Coenen out front for the holeshot ahead of Romano and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco [#34]. As the field entered the first turn, contact between Hammaker and Kitchen took the teammates to the ground with several other riders and dropped them deep in the field.
• Out front, Romano gave a brief challenge to Coenen but almost went down, which allowed Coenen to secure the position and pull away from the field. Romano and DiFrancesco settled into second and third, respectively. As Coenen was able to open a lead of more than five seconds, DiFrancesco made the pass on Romano for second.
• As the leaders settled in through the first 10 minutes of the moto the attention shifted to Kitchen and Hammaker as they looked to claw their way through the field. Kitchen gained significant ground and fought his way into the top 15, while Hammaker followed several positions behind, just inside the top 20.
• Back up front, a battle for third started to take shape between Romano and Shimoda, which carried major implications in the overall standings. After several laps of patience Shimoda made his move with a little more than 10 minutes left in the moto, which was enough to put him in the winning position.
• Further back, Kitchen continued his march forward and battled up to ninth place, while Hammaker made slower progress and moved up to 15th.
• As time ran out on the race clock Shimoda closed in on DiFrancesco for second. He showed patience and made the move just before the final lap.
• While a wild race unfolded behind him, Coenen dominated his second-ever moto and never faced a challenge after the opening lap. He took the win by 6.1 seconds over Shimoda, with DiFrancesco in third. Kitchen fought all the way up to eighth, while Hammaker finished just outside the top 10 in 12th.

Overall

• Another wild afternoon of 250SMX Class racing saw Shimoda emerge victorious following 3-2 moto finishes. It’s the seventh win of the Japanese rider’s career and gives Honda four Thunder Valley wins in the past five years.
• Kitchen’s resilient second moto salvaged a runner-up finish (1-8) and gives the Kawasaki rider back-to-back podiums.
• Romano enjoyed a career breakthrough with the first overall podium finish of his career (4-5) in his 22nd career start. He’s the third different Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider to finish on the podium through the first three races.
• Hammaker finished seventh overall (2-12) for his first finish off the overall podium this season.
• Hammaker and Kitchen now sit tied atop the 250SMX Class standings with a share of the red plate. Shimoda now sits third, six points behind the teammates.

The 2026 Pro Motocross Championship will continue next Saturday, June 20, with Round 21 of the SMX World Championship regular season and the East Coast debut from Pennsylvania’s famed High Point Raceway. The Father’s Day tradition that is the UFO Plast High Point National will shown live in its entirety on Peacock, beginning with Race Day Live at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET, followed by coverage of the motos at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.

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MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., manages and produces the world's premier motocross racing series – the Pro Motocross Championship sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. MX Sports Pro Racing is an industry leader in off-road powersport event production and management, whose mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., organizes events for thousands of racing athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators.
 
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Pro Motocross Championship
The Pro Motocross Championship sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing features the world's fastest outdoor motocross racers, competing aboard homologated bikes from one of eight competing manufacturers on a collection of the roughest, toughest tracks on the planet. Racing takes place each Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into two classes: one for 250cc machines, and one for 450cc machines. MX Sports Pro Racing, the industry leader in off-road powersports event production, organizes the Pro Motocross Championship series.
 
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SMX World Championship
The SMX World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series in the world that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the SMX World Championship Series combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the Pro Motocross Championship sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing into a 28-round regular season that culminates with the season-ending SMX World Championship Playoffs.
 
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AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization for North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. It serves as the sanctioning body of the Pro Motocross Championship.
 
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