Jett Lawrence Sweeps Thunder Valley | Results and Highlights from Round 3 of Pro Motocross

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.

450 Class

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.

450SMX Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

1. Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (1-1 // 50)
2. Lucas Coenen, Brussels, Belgium, KTM (2-2 // 44)
3. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (4-4 // 36)
4. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki (3-6 // 36)
5. Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM (7-5 // 32)
6. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (11-3 // 31)
7. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (6-7 // 31)
8. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna (5-8 // 31)
9. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati (8-9 // 27)
10. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (10-10 // 24)

450SMX Class Championship Standings (Race 3 of 11)

1. Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 138
2. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 130
3. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 106
4. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna – 94
5. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati – 86
6. Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM – 85
7. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki – 83
8. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM – 68
9. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 68
10. Mikkel Haarup, Silkeborg, Denmark, Triumph – 66

1st Place – Jett Lawrence | #1 Team Honda HRC Progressive (1-1)
“I felt a lot better in Moto 2, with a lot better lines and better flow. It was a really tricky track. It was a good 1-1 weekend and I’m happy with that. I’m getting more used to riding with my foot, but it wasn’t easy on a track like this. But it was still good enough for a 1-1.”
 
2nd Place – Lucas Coenen | #104 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (2-2)
“It was an amazing experience. I was able to get a good start [in Moto 2] and went from there. I’m so grateful for the team and everything they did to make this happen. The second moto was hectic with the lappers, but I’m racing against the best rider in the world. I can’t wait to come back [at Southwicjk], but we’ll go back [to MXGP] and try to win there.”
 
3rd Place – Hunter Lawrence | #96 Team Honda HRC Progressive (4-4)
“It was a tough one today. I felt like my riding was really good, but I struggled with the connectivity of the track and my motorcycle. I struggled a lot more than I usually do in keeping the bike under me. All good, we’ll move on to the next one.”

250 Class

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.

250SMX Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

1. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda (3-2 // 42)
2. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki (1-8 // 39)
3. Nick Romano, Bayside, N.Y., Kawasaki (4-5 // 35)
4. Sacha Coenen, Brussels, Belgium, KTM (14-1 // 33)
5. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna (9-3 // 33)
6. Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM (7-4 // 33)
7. Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki (2-12 // 32)
8. Kayden Minear, Perth, Western Australia, Yamaha (13-6 // 25)
9. Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Yamaha (5-14 // 25)
10. Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha (6-15// 23)

250SMX Class Championship Standings (Race 3 of 11)

1. Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki – 117
2. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 117
3. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda – 111
4. Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM – 104
5. Nick Romano, Bayside, N.Y., Kawasaki – 96
6. Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha – 93
7. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna – 80
8. Kayden Minear, Perth, Western Australia, Yamaha – 69
9. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda – 67
10. Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM – 58

1st Place – Jo Shimoda | #30 Honda HRC Progressive (3-2)
“I just needed to start up front. I wasted too much energy in the first moto, so I didn’t have as much in the second moto. We still have a lot of things to work on but still got a win. Coming back from my [offseason] neck injury, this win means a lot. Let’s keep the ball rolling.”
 
2nd Place – Levi Kitchen | #47 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki (1-8)
“I just can’t put a day together. It was a bummer [to start Moto 2]. I got up and saw a red plate in front of me and realized I just need to beat this guy [Hammaker]. I just put my head down and charged. I wasn’t really happy with how it was going, but I gave it my all. We’ve just got to keep going and keep fighting.”
 
3rd Place – Nick Romano | #141 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki (4-5)
“This is so unreal. I don’t even know where to start. I want to thank my family, friends, and Mitch Payton for giving me this opportunity. I’ve been working for this my whole life and hope I can do it again next weekend.”