Jett Lawrence crowned SuperMotocross World Champion in L.A.

2023 SuperMotocross World Championship

Images by Jeff Kardas

A holeshot in the final race of the 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship was crucial in Chase Sexton’s quest to beat Jett Lawrence to the inaugural SMX crown. Sexton was riding extremely well and had a clear lead over Jett Lawrence, who only needed to finish second to clinch the crown, but with nine-minutes left in the moto Sexton made a mistake which saw him go down hard and unable to take any further part in the race.

Jett Lawrence – 2023 SuperMotocross World Champion

With Sexton out of the running that promoted Jett to the lead but the youngster had Ken Roczen hot on his heels and with the track giving up little grip in places, any small mistake would be costly.

20-year-old Jett Lawrence though withstood the pressure to bring his Honda home to the race win and with it the SuperMotocross World Championship.

This caps off a year where Jett won the 250 West AMA Supercross Championship before switching to the CRF450R to win every single moto en route to capturing the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross 450 Championship. The 2023 SMX Championship adds another million US dollars to his already very healthy bank account.

Jett Lawrence

“On the track it’s a one-man show, but behind the scenes it’s so many people. The team is awesome, and that’s what allows Chase, me and the other riders to have the best equipment we can. That also goes for my trainer O’Show [Johnny O’Mara], my dad was a big key, and also my brother—every day we were grinding to try and be better. To go out and get that [championship] is not only a massive achievement for me; it’s a big thank-you to the people who support me and helped me get to where I am now.”

2023 SuperMotocross World Championship
450 Final Points

Jett Lawrence 163
Ken Roczen 146
Chase Sexton 126
Cooper Webb 120
Dylan Ferrandis 107
Aaron Plessinger 98
Justin Barcia 98
Adam Cianciarulo 96
Garrett Marchbanks 92
Colt Nichols 90

250

17-year-old Haiden Deegan rounded out an incredible rookie season by capturing the inaugural 250 SuperMotocross World Championship at the Los Angeles Coliseum with 5-2 results earning him enough points to clinch the crown ahead of 21-year-old Japanese racer Jo Shimoda.

Haiden Deegan
2023 250 SuperMotocross World Champion

The win handed Deegan a $500,000 purse with second placed Shimoda banking $250,000 for second and RJ Hampshire taking home $150,000 for third.

24-year-old Australian Hunter Lawrence went into this final SMX play-off with the points lead but withdrew from the finale after tweaking his back in a practice crash that aggravated a nerve. It was a tough blow for the 24-year-old Aussie after he won last time out at Chicagoland.

Hunter Lawrence

“Tough to put into words honest, I am not dead so I feel like I have a shot (laughs), but I can barely walk. If I can push through the pain, is not the question, just trying to be smart. It sucks man, only reason to ride would be for the money but we don’t do this for the money, and you can’t buy a new back or new neck. The team and I feel it is for the best, we have MXoN coming up in two weeks, and we don’t want this lingering round.”