After an extremely tight points battle, 18-year old Jett Lawrence has become the first the Australian to win the 250-season championship. Lawrence’s rival, Justin Cooper swept the final round held at the famous Hangtown race track in northern California. It wasn’t enough to unseat Lawrence who took over the points lead just a few rounds ago.
It wasn’t easy for Lawrence who fought all season. He crashed on the opening lap and quickly remounted the bike. He had to finish the moto, or his championship hopes would be lost. Lawrence managed to finish in 8th. That gave him an 11-point lead over Cooper. Lawrence needed a 7th place finish or better in the second moto to clinch the title. Lawrence went down again after the second moto after chasing down Max Vohland. Up front Cooper was in the lead. Lawrence regained composure and began working his way up. With just minutes to go, Lawrence managed to finish in third place.
“It feels so great,” exclaimed Lawrence. “I rode so bad today and Cooper rode awesome. I loved racing him this season because he kept me on my toes. It’s a very special day for me, but I could have never done this without all the support of my family, my team, and so many others who helped me get here.”
Meantime, Dylan Ferrandis cruised to a sixth-place finish in the 450 class. Ferrandis already had enough points to clinch the season title at the last round held in Fox Raceway near San Diego.
Photos Courtesy: Align Media
