Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, IL — September 16, 2023
Last week at Charlotte, Chase Sexton went 1-1 to claim the victory and 25 championship points, with Ken Roczen (3-3) and Dylan Ferrandis (2-4) claiming the remaining podium spots in the premier class. In the 250s, Jo Shimoda finished 4-1 to secure the victory, with Tom Vialle (3-2) and Haiden Deegan (1-5) close behind.
But, throw all that out the window. This week in Chicago, the points double. The Lawrence brothers will look to get back on track, and everyone has a shot if they can put together two outstanding rides.
Another unique course combining elements of Supercross and ProMotocross will challenge the rider’s skills. Will we see another surprise winner, or will the Superstars of the sport rise to the challenge?
250 Moto #1
Haiden Deegan(238) grabbed the holeshot, followed by Tom Vialle(128), Hunter Lawrence(96), and Jo Shimoda(30). Lawrence quickly made the pass to take over the second spot while Deegan was slowly building an interval of a second and a half.
The running order remained the same until Deegan suffered a big slip coming to the finish line jump and could not double up. Lawrence passed with six minutes remaining in the timed portion of the race.
Once out front, Lawrence grew the advantage quickly. Shimoda passed Vialle to move into a podium position.
Shimoda worked his way past Deegan with two laps to go, improving his position to one that may deliver a second win to follow up from Charlotte.
250 Moto #1 Results
450 Moto #1
In the 450 SX Class, it was back to normal. Jett Lawrence(18) led from the start and dominated the first moto to take the win by eight and a half seconds over Chase Sexton(23). Ken Roczen(94) finished third, with Justin Barcia(51) missing out on the podium.
450 Moto #1 Results
250 Moto #2
Justin Cooper was first across the start line, with Hunter Lawrence right behind him. Lawrence actually touched tires with Cooper causing Hunter to bobble enough for Jo Shimoda to pass for the second spot.
Shimoda rode to the lead with Cooper and Lawrence in close pursuit. Haiden Deegan got off to a poor start but was up to fourth after five minutes of the race.
Lawrence passed Cooper for second place, and Tom Vialle got by Deegan.
At the halfway point, Vialle moved into third. Shimoda maintained a 1.5-second lead over Lawrence, with Vialle another two seconds back.
Hunter Lawrence continued to chip away at the leader’s advantage. With four minutes remaining, Lawrence made the pass for the lead. At the same time, Deegan moved up into the final podium position.
They finished in the same order as the first moto, and that translated to the overall order of finish.
It also sends Hunter Lawrence to Los Angeles with a three-point lead over Shimoda and seven points up on Deegan.
250 Moto #2 Results
250 SMX Point Standings
450 Moto #2
At the start of 450 Moto #2, the starting gates malfunctioned and did not drop. The delay gave everyone a chance to reset and consider what they needed to do.
On the second attempt at a start, the gates performed flawlessly. Phil Nicoletti(69) and Justin Barcia led early, with Jett Lawrence and Chase Sexton hounding them early.
Lawrence moved to the lead. but, it was Ken Roczen moving past Chase Sexton for second.
Lawrence fought to maintain the lead. However, with three laps to go, Roczen moved past the leader. Taking the win was not enough for the overall title, as Lawrence went 1-2 to beat out Roczen’s 3-1 result. Sexton took third overall 2-3.
450 Moto #2 Results
450 SMX Psoint Standings
