Tomac, Lawrence Conquer Sands of Southwick as Pro Motocross Hits Halfway Point
Images via Ned Leone
Monster Energy Star Yamaha’s Eli Tomac and Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence, as they so often have been this season, were the class of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross field on Saturday as the series returned to The Wick 338 MX in Southwick, Massachusetts. Tomac scored his third straight victory in the 450 class, while Lawrence took his fifth in six tries, as the series hit its halfway point in a thrilling 2022 season.
For Tomac, his second straight 1-1 marked the 30th win of his storied 450 outdoor career, but his first win at Southwick since 2017. In both races, he’d need to come from behind on the first lap, as Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen would take the holeshot and lead early. Tomac’s teammate Christian Craig would also spend time up front in the first moto, but in both races the three-time outdoor champion would claw his way into the lead in the second half of the race before checking out on the field.
The pair of moto wins also allowed Tomac to climb to within a single point of championship leader Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton, who also took an adventurous path to 2-2 finishes. He’d start the first race in fourth before climbing to third when Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey fell, losing the podium spot again to Tomac, and getting past Roczen and Craig; in the second, he’d need to pass numerous riders to get from the outskirts of the top 10 into second. Red Bull KTM rider Aaron Plessinger snagged the last overall podium spot with a 7-3 event, his best of the year.
In the 250 class, on the other hand, Jett Lawrence’s dominance saw him take both holeshots and lead nearly every lap across both motos. Only a crash in the first moto that briefly opened the door for Monster Energy Star Yamaha’s Justin Cooper blipped an otherwise stellar weekend. After last weekend’s disappointment at RedBud, which briefly handed the points lead to Lawrence’s brother Hunter, Jett is back out front by 15 points with six events remaining. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Jo Shimoda backed up last week’s overall win with a 2-3 and second overall, while Cooper’s 3-4 was good enough to land on the podium as well.
Local riders have a long history of surprising the regulars at Southwick, and Hartford native Chris Canning carried that torch in the 450 class. After qualifying sixth on a privateer GasGas, seven spots ahead of the brand’s factory rider Justin Barcia, Canning posted a 12-12 on the weekend for a career-best 11th overall finish. He’s finished in the overall top 20 in all three events he’s attempted in 2022. Canning’s strong performances may have him in the conversation for more work next year as the silly season begins; on a related note, earlier in the weekend, ClubMX rider Alex Martin announced his retirement from the 450 class after the season wraps.
The second half of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season gets going next weekend at Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minnesota, while the championship fight wraps up where it started on September 3 at California’s Fox Raceway at Pala. Next week’s first 450 moto will air live on NBC, while all remaining races will air live on MAVTV and stream on the new MAVTV on FloRacing platform that was announced two weeks ago.