Hunter Lawrence crowned 450 Motocross champ after intense day of racing

Jett Lawrence, in blue, hugs his brother Hunter Lawrence after he officially became the 2026 Motocross champion on Saturday. (Screen capture via NBC Motorsports YouTube)

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Jett Lawrence, in blue, hugs his brother Hunter Lawrence after he officially became the 2026 Motocross champion on Saturday. (Screen capture via NBC Motorsports YouTube)

The final weekend of the 2026 Motocross season ended with Hunter Lawrence winning the overall championship title, just two points ahead of his younger brother, Jett Lawrence, who won in 2025.

The first Moto of the final at Ironman in Indiana started with a hole shot from Hunter Lawrence, with Haiden Deegan right with him. Tomac started in 20th and Jett Lawrence in 21st after a rough start out of the gate. As Hunter Lawrence began to gain momentum, he and Deegan collided. The collision caused their bikes to tangle as they crashed, causing Hunter Lawrence to minorly injure his wrist, according to commentators after the first race.

Riders shot past them on both sides, including Jett Lawrence, who was only one point behind his brother for the championship title.

Cooper Webb moved into first, with Tomac’s teammate Jorge Prado and Mikkel Haarup right on his heels.

“We’re about to see the Lawrence’s battle for the title from the back of the pack,” commentators said.

Hunter Lawrence appeared to struggle to get back up to speed before making a move on the riders ahead of him.

Prado moved to first, with RJ Hampshire taking second as Webb, who had been in third, was passed by Haarup. Tomac moved to seventh. Hunter Lawrence raced in eighth, right behind Tomac.

Jett Lawrence rode in 12th, with commentators expressing confusion about how Hunter Lawrence was able to pass him so easily.

Haarup crashed, allowing Webb to move back into the top 3.

The race ended with Prado in first, Hampshire second and Webb third. Tomac placed seventh, Hunter Lawrence eighth and Jett Lawrence 11th.

With this placement, Hunter Lawrence created a slightly wider overall points lead over Jett heading into the last race of the day.

In Moto 2, Prado claimed the hole shot, with the Lawrence brothers close behind in second and third. Deegan raced in fourth and Tomac in 12th off the start.

Hunter Lawrence moved to first, as Jett Lawrence and Deegan battled for second. Deegan passed.

A mistake almost caused Hunter to crash. Deegan moved to first, but Hunter Lawrence managed to stay ahead of Jett.

“That championship pressure is real,” commentators said of Hunter’s mistake.

Tomac moved through the pack to get into fifth place position. Meanwhile, Jett passed Hunter as they fought for third. Jett Lawrence continued to hold on as commentators said, “They both want to win.”

Prado placed first, followed by Deegan, Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence and Tomac.

With his fourth place finish, Hunter Lawrence ended the season with enough points to be named the 2026 450 Motocross champion. Hunter and Jett are also the first brothers in Motocross history to each win a premier-class championship.

The overall results for the weekend were Prado in first, Hampshire in second, Webb in third, Hunter Lawrence in fourth, Tomac in fifth and Jett Lawrence in sixth.

The Monster Energy SuperMotocross World Championship playoffs will start Sept. 12 at the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. There will be three rounds, and Tomac announced that he will retire following the final round. The Supercross 2027 kick-off date will be announced later this fall.

bduran@the-journal.com