Team Honda HRC Progressive Ends 2024 Season With 1-2 Finish in 450 SMX Standings | Las Vegas SMX
Team Honda HRC Progressive has dominated the SuperMotocross World Championship’s premier class since its inception, and that continued on Saturday evening at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Jett and Hunter Lawrence finished first and second overall aboard their 2025 CRF450R race machines, giving the Australian duo the same final positions in the title fight. In the 250 ranks, Jo Shimoda worked to recover from poor starts, ultimately tallying 4-5 moto finishes for fourth overall and the same position in the final standings.
Jett and Hunter exited the split start of 450SX moto 1 in second and third places, respectively. Jett dogged Eli Tomac for the lead for much of the race, ultimately using an impressive scrub to get by with just over two laps remaining and pulling away to win by 2.065 seconds, with Hunter finishing a safe third.
After starting moto 2 from opposite sides of the split, Jett and Hunter Lawrence merged onto the following straight in first and second positions. Hunter kept his younger brother honest, but Jett was nearly flawless, with a late bobble in a lefthand rut (followed by an impressive save) being the only visible exception. At the finish, the margin was 1.409 seconds. That was also the difference in the championship, as the brothers tied on series points, with Jett getting the nod by virtue of having two overall wins to Hunter’s one.
The early stages of the first 250SX moto saw Shimoda get a sixth-place start and briefly slip back a spot before moving up to fifth. A tip-over by Ty Masterpool moved Shimoda up a position, and although the Japanese rider spent the rest of the race pressuring Tom Vialle for a podium spot, he ultimately accepted fourth at the checkered flag. Shimoda started just inside the top 15 in moto 2 and began picking off his rivals, with a signature late-race charge carrying him to fifth place at the finish—good for fourth overall and in the final standings.
