Jett Lawrence at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium
© Garth Milan / Red Bull Content Pool
Motocross

AMA Supercross Round 14 Report: Jett back on top

Honda HRC’s sensational rookie, Jett Lawrence, grabs sixth win of the season in Nashville.
By Chase Stallo
7 min readPublished on

Summary

  1. 1
    450 SX Results
  2. 2
    250SX Showdown Results
  3. 3
    450SX Point Standings
  4. 4
    250SX West Region Point Standings
  5. 5
    250SX East Region Point Standings
After relinquishing what was once a 16-point lead in the championship over the last two rounds, all eyes were on Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence at round 14 of AMA Supercross in Nashville on Saturday to see how the rookie would respond now that he was tied in the championship with Cooper Webb. If qualifying was any indication, nothing seemed to bother Jett, as he set the fastest overall time and followed it up with a win in his heat race over Webb and Eli Tomac.
Jett Lawrence at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium

Jett Lawrence at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium

© Garth Milan / Red Bull Content Pool

In the main event, the title contenders were all up front, as Tomac grabbed the holeshot over Jett and Webb. The rider on the move early was Progressive ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen, who quickly got around Jett and Webb on lap 2 and moved into second behind Tomac. On the opening laps, Roczen was the main challenger to Tomac as he stayed on his rear tire throughout the early portion of the race. Then disaster struck on lap 8, as Roczen’s shock broke just as he entered the whoops, and he got spit off the bike and thrown down hard in a violent crash. He was helped off the track by the Alpinestars Medical Unit and was unable to finish the race.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Roczen stated that he would be undergoing an MRI on his knee, ankle, and toes on Monday and hopes to know more this week.
“What a bummer. It was shaping up to be a good battle,” he wrote. “But once again you can’t take a ol German oak out just like that. We’ll be back. I just don’t know when yet.”
Ken Roczen at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville

Ken Roczen at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville

© Garth Milan / Red Bull Content Pool

With Roczen out, Jett began to make his move. He stalked Tomac for a few laps before he saw an opening when two lapped riders were down and Tomac had to take the outside. Jett shot to the inside to take his first lead of the night. It was a lead he would never relinquish as he led the final 15 laps to grab his first main event win since round 10 in Indianapolis.
“I hate losing, so that bit of a losing streak really sucked,” said Lawrence. “But [I’m] really pumped to come out and get it done here. Felt good out there [and] hit my marks. A big [bummer] for Kenny, I didn’t get to fully see [Roczen’s crash] because of all the smoke, but it looked like it was pretty bad, so I hope he’s okay or has a speedy recovery from that. But… this [win] is leading in the good direction, so hopefully we keep it going.”
It was a big night in the championship for Jett as well, as Webb took third behind Tomac in the main event, which means the rookie will carry a five-point lead into round 15 next Saturday in Philadelphia.
“I got off to a third-place start, and the guys just rode away from me,” said Webb. “When you’re not on, you’re not on, and tonight I definitely struggled. So, I’ll take it. To get on the podium is great. Those boys were riding awesome.”
Chase Sexton at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium

Chase Sexton at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium

© Garth Milan / Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull KTM’s Chase Sexton entered the weekend third in the championship, but it was a tough night for the defending champion, as his throttle body was cracked by a rock, which made his throttle stick, and he crashed hard on a jump, ending his night. According to a KTM press release after the race, Sexton is okay and is expected to race next Saturday.
"Crashed out tonight,” said Sexton. “A stone cracked my throttle body and the throttle got stuck off of that single-single, which ended my night. Bummer, but nothing's broken, and we'll bounce back in Philadelphia."
Earlier in the week, Red Bull KTM’s Aaron Plessinger was diagnosed with a fractured elbow from a crash at round 13 in Foxborough. The team announced that the injury will cause Plessinger to miss the remainder of the AMA Supercross Championship.
Nashville marked the first 250SX East/West Showdown of the year, which combines riders from both 250 regional championships. It was a disastrous night for Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammates Cameron McAdoo and Levi Kitchen, who entered the weekend leading their respective championships (McAdoo in the East Region and Kitchen in the West Region). In the second turn off the start of the main event, the two collided with both hitting the ground hard. McAdoo, who was already hurting after a crash in practice which left him with a bad shoulder, tried to log a few laps but eventually had to pull off. Meanwhile, Kitchen got up slowly, and in last place, but fought back for 14th.
Tom Vialle at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville

Tom Vialle at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville

© Garth Milan / Red Bull Content Pool

With the championship leaders on the ground early, this opened the door for RJ Hampshire (West Region) and Red Bull KTM’s Tom Vialle (East Region) to make up massive ground in the championship. Hampshire was the first to take advantage as he grabbed the early lead over Jo Shimoda and Vialle. On a rough and difficult track, Hampshire rode a smooth, calculated race and led all 19 laps to take the win over Shimoda with Vialle in third.
Behind his win and Kitchen finishing 14th, Hampshire left Nashville with a two-point lead in the West Region Championship over Kitchen.
“Tonight I executed the start in that main event, and felt like that was what I really needed,” said Hampshire. “I had the speed, so it was just giving myself a chance, and it was an awesome race from there. I had a couple of moments in the beginning, then settled in and it's a big weight off my shoulders. I knew I could close the points lead tonight but didn't expect to get the red plate back.”
Meanwhile, with his third-place finish and McAdoo being credited with zero points on the night, Vialle takes over the East Region points lead. He holds a 13-point lead over Haiden Deegan with two rounds remaining in the championship.
Tom Vialle at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville

Tom Vialle at AMA Supercross Series Round 14 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville

© Garth Milan / Red Bull Content Pool

“To finish third overall and first on my coast, it was a really good race for me,” said Vialle. “I tried to stay focused on my own race and had a good pace. The track was pretty sketchy, so you really had to concentrate, and I actually liked it a lot today. I felt like my riding was good all day. Two races to go and we're getting closer to the end! I really look forward to the next two races."
The East Region is back in action Saturday April 27 in Philadelphia, PA, while the West Region returns Saturday May 4 in Denver, CO.
01

450 SX Results

  1. Jett Lawrence
  2. Eli Tomac
  3. Cooper Webb
  4. Jason Anderson
  5. Justin Barcia
  6. Justin Cooper
  7. Hunter Lawrence
  8. Benny Bloss
  9. Malcolm Stewart
  10. Vince Friese
02

250SX Showdown Results

  1. RJ Hampshire
  2. Jo Shimoda
  3. Tom Vialle
  4. Jordon Smith
  5. Jalek Swoll
  6. Haiden Deegan
  7. Max Anstie
  8. Chance Hymas
  9. Julien Beaumer
  10. Phil Nicoletti
03

450SX Point Standings

  1. Jett Lawrence 286
  2. Cooper Webb 281
  3. Eli Tomac 253
  4. Chase Sexton 246
  5. Jason Anderson 224
  6. Ken Roczen 223
  7. Aaron Plessinger 198
  8. Justin Cooper 177
  9. Justin Barcia 166
  10. Hunter Lawrence 163
04

250SX West Region Point Standings

  1. RJ Hampshire 166
  2. Levi Kitchen 164
  3. Jordon Smith 148
  4. Jo Shimoda 138
  5. Garrett Marchbanks 121
  6. Julien Beaumer 106
  7. Anthony Bourdon 96
  8. Nate Thrasher 89
  9. Carson Mumford 88
  10. Phil Nicoletti 77
05

250SX East Region Point Standings

  1. Tom Vialle 136
  2. Haiden Deegan 123
  3. Cameron McAdoo 120
  4. Pierce Brown 116
  5. Coty Schock 105
  6. Max Anstie 94
  7. Jalek Swoll 89
  8. Daxton Bennick 88
  9. Chance Hymas 84
  10. Henry Miller 74
Motocross