Hunter Lawrence claims first 450 MX championship

Hunter Lawrence has claimed his first Pro Motocross 450 title in a drama-filled showdown at Ironman Raceway.

The Australian-born rider entered the final round of the season with a one-point buffer over his multi-time champion Honda HRC teammate and brother, Jett Lawrence.

Pre-race chatter revolved around whether there would be team orders from Honda HRC, or whether Jett would ‘gift’ his older brother the title. However, it proved to matter little as both riders encountered trouble early in the day.

Jett, who has battled an ankle injury throughout the season, started badly but was gifted a golden opportunity when Hunter went down in a tight tussle with Lawrence arch-rival Haiden Deegan (Star Yamaha). Jett passed both riders as they scrambled to pick up their bikes, and for a moment it seemed like Hunter’s past misfortunes were set to repeat themselves in his quest for a premier-class championship.

But Hunter worked his way back through the field, passing Jett and finishing a valiant eighth, with Jett crossing the line in 11th. KTM’s Jorge Prado won the moto. That result gave Hunter a four-point lead heading into the final moto.

The two brothers battled throughout the moto, with some tense moments keeping fans on the edge of their seats. In the end, Hunter needed to finish just one position behind Jett, and he managed that perfectly, ending the race in fourth to Jett’s third.

Notably, the Lawrence brothers won 20 of a possible 22 motos between them, with Deegan finishing third in the championship in his rookie season.

It was the older Lawrence’s first premier-class title after narrowly missing out on the 2026 AMA Supercross 450 title to Ken Roczen. He has also finished second in the Pro Motocross 450 class and SuperMotocross 450 class on four other occasions. He had previously won the 2023 250 SX East and 250 MX titles.

Meanwhile, in another boost for Trans-Tasman riders, Cole Davies (Star Yamaha) from New Zealand claimed the 250 title, beating Julien Beaumer and Levi Kitchen. He is the first Kiwi to win an AMA Pro Motocross title.

The Lawrence brothers will now turn their attention to the three-round SuperMotocross playoffs before taking a well-earned break. They will miss out on defending their Motocross of Nations title, with Jed Beaton, Aaron Tanti and Alex Larwood representing Team Australia at the 2026 event in Ernee, France.

The Lawrences have also opted not to travel to Australia for the annual AUSX Open, but have left the door ajar for a 2027 return.