JWR Honda Racing MXGP team go stateside
JWR & Alvin Östlund are racing in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Our supported Swedish MXGP team and pro rider - JWR Honda Racing and Alvin Östlund - have made the trip over to America to race in two rounds of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, starting off last weekend in Southwick, Masschusetts, at The Wick 338 famous sand track. JWR have been planning this for a few years and as a sponsor of the team, we are exctied to see them over there competing in the 450cc Class! With support from HRC Honda Racing, they were set up in the pits right next to the HRC trailer.
Alvin Östlund is racing with #290 in the AMA Pro Motocross rounds. Ph. Niklas Hampinen
AMA Pro Motocross Race Day, Southwick, 29th June 2024
Compared to MXGP, everything’s done a bit differently in the States, starting from how the paddock works, to the actual race day format. In AMA Pro Motocross, the whole racing day is spread over four sessions on a Saturday. There is no practice, just straight into it, with two qualifying heats, where best lap counts and 36 riders out of 90 qualify for the main event! Like MXGP though, the main event consists of two motos, each lasting 30 minutes plus 2 laps.
Östlund flanked by Triumph's Jalek Swoll (L) and Honda's Gert Krestinov (R). Ph. Niklas Hampinen
AMA Pro Motocross, Qualifying Heats, Southwick, 29th June 2024
In the first qualifying heat, Östlund on his Honda CRF 450 R put in some fast laps in the sand, posting a fastest lap time of 2 minutes 9 seconds for P17. As the track got rougher and more difficult to better a time, the second heat could be used to make some adjustments to the set up of the bike. Östlund qualified easily for the 36 rider gate! Click here to see a video of Östlund getting ready for Qualifying.
Alvin Östlund #290 waiting patiently to go out for qualifying, The Wick 338. Ph. Niklas Hampinen
AMA Pro Motocross Moto 1, Southwick, 29th June 2024
With a different gate and grid set up compared to Europe, Östlund found the start a bit more challenging and came out towards the back of the pack into the first corner. However, he managed to pick off a lot of riders on the first lap, moving up to P15. Over the next few laps, Östlund had a good battle with another EU rider in Estonian Harri Kullas, who was racing a KTM 450 SX-F. This battle was for P10 and it was nip and tuck between them for the majority of the race until Östlund went down in some deep sand. This dropped him down a couple of places, but the Swedish Honda man got himself back up to P11, where he finished the moto. Click here for a video of Östlund in action.
AMA Pro Motocross Moto 2, Southwick, 29th June 2024
Expectations were high for Moto 2 as Östlund showed such great pace in Moto 1. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a big crash after the start at the first turn, putting him 45 seconds down on the rest of the field by the time he got back up and got his CRF 450 R going again. Luckily, Östlund wasn't injured, but getting near the top 10 would prove difficult as he lost so much time initially. From nearly dead last, he ticked of the laps and powered up to P24, giving him and the JWR Honda team P16 overall at The Wick! Despite Race 2 not going to plan, this gives the team a lot of confidence going into the next round at RedBud, Michigan on 6th July. Congratulations from all of us at AS3 Performance on a great Pro Motocross debut and we are excited to see how Östlund and JWR do next weekend!
Östlund had to battle from the back in Race 2 at The Wick. Ph. Niklas Hampinen
Who won the AMA Pro Motocross overall at Southwick 2024?
Team Honda Racing Corporation (HRC)'s Australian rider Jett Lawrence won the overall at The Wick 338. In Moto 1, Jett took the Holeshot and led from start to finish, with his older sibling and teammate, Hunter Lawrence, coming P2, 6.2 seconds behind. Moto 2 saw Red Bull KTM's Chase Sexton grab the win, even though Jett Lawrence got the Holeshot again. With a P2 for Jett, 8.5 seconds back on Sexton and Hunter Lawrence P3, Jett claimed the overall with a 1-2.
How many 450 Class overall wins does Jett Lawrence have?
With this latest win at Southwick, Jett Lawrence now has 15 overall wins in his AMA Pro Motocross 450 Class career. This has makes him 10th overall on the all-time 450 Class wins list, tied with Jeremy McGrath!
Who is leading the AMA Pro Motocross Championship?
HRC's Hunter Lawrence leads the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship by 3 points (with 213 points) over his younger brother Jett and Red Bull KTM's Chase Sexton, who are both tied for second (with 210 points). It is currently a close, three horse race in the 2024 450 Class Championship, after Jett Lawrence dominantly won every single race in the 2023 season as a rookie!
JWR Honda Racing's mechanic making some adjustments to Östlund's CRF 450 R. Ph. Niklas Hampinen
Who was the highest placed European rider at Southwick 2024?
Phoenix Racing Honda's French rider Dylan Ferrandis placed P5 overall, with a P7 in Moto 1 and a P5 in Moto 2. Ferrandis has 6 career AMA Pro Motocross 450 Class overall wins. The Frenchman won the 2021 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, as a rookie aboard a Yamaha YZ450F, as part of the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Team. This season, he currently sits P6 in the Championship with 152 points.
Who won the AMA Pro Motocross 250 Class overall at Southwick 2024?
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Haiden Deegan won the 250 Class overall with a P1 in Moto 1 and P2 in Moto 2. This gave him the fourth overall win of the season on his Yamaha YZ250F and sixth overall of his carrier. Championship contender, Red Bull KTM's Tom Vialle, grabbed P2 overall with a 2-3 and HRC's Jo Shimoda went 9-1 to grab the final podium spot for the Japanese rider's first podium of the season. Deegan currently leads the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross 250 Class Championship by 42 points over HRC's Chance Hymas, with Vialle 1 point back in third.
What's The Wick 338 like?
The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts, is the most famous sandbox in American motocross. The Wick 338 is different to most sand tracks as it has a deceptively hard base, so mastering it can be tricky. It has served as one of the tracks on the AMA Pro Motocross Championship calendar for over four decades and Ricky Carmichael holds the 450 Class all time wins record there with 8; 4 more than Jeff Stanton who is second!
Östlund negotiating Southwick's famous sandbox The Wick 338 track. Ph. Niklas Hampinen
