Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence claimed his first premier class Supercross victory last weekend in Arlington, extending his points lead at the summit and injecting some fear into his competitors as the series heads to Daytona this coming weekend for round eight.

The Aussie’s consistency has placed him at the front of the series standings, with the win seemingly inevitable given how well he has been riding. As we all know, it is no easy feat to etch your name onto the winners’ list, but Lawrence has achieved that in just 26 premier class starts.

Words: Press Release

Hunter Lawrence: “Tonight I got around the first turn, and that’s really important with how good the class is, because it’s hard to get a bad start and expect to battle your way through for a win. It’s tough to replicate racing, but we’ve been working hard on the bike and myself. My first half of the races have been getting better, for sure. Ken [Roczen] would make a little mistake, and I’d try to get him, but then he would have the inside for the next corner; I think the racing was really cool to watch and to be a part of, when the battle goes on for multiple laps. I was playing defense but still playing offense—it’s such a tricky spot to be in, but I really enjoy that and it feels good when you pull it off. On the last lap, I was just thinking, ‘Hit your marks, don’t do anything stupid, and get across the finish line.’ I feel like I’ve been doing the same thing every round this year and it’s been going well, so I keep the same approach. I don’t need to change a lot of stuff—I’ve been getting good starts and riding well in the main events, so just keep doing that.”

Jo Shimoda: “My night was good. I wanted to keep building my momentum from last year, so I’m just happy to be here. I get paid to race and do good, but at the same time, a neck injury is pretty sensitive. I got approved by the doctors two weeks ago to ride again, but you never know until you’re on the bike. I feel comfortable and strong enough, and I’ve been doing the right preparation to come back. I was pretty rusty all day long, but it ended up being a good night. I haven’t been doing a lot of testing, so each session we’ve been getting a little bit better. When the main event came around, I was like, ‘Let’s just make it stiff enough to where I can send it and shift the focus to get a good start, jump whoops, and do the things I can do.’ Once the race came around, I was really locked in. I did see a red light on the double, so I had to slow down and roll the jump. If the red light was still on for the other guys, I think it’s fair that the points are given to me—three points could matter at the end of the year. I did better than I expected, as far as the pace and finish position. It’s a really good way to start the season, but we still have a lot to work on, the bike and myself. I think we’re only going to get better from here, so I’m excited for the upcoming rounds!”