AMA Congratulates 2023 AMA Supercross Champions in Honda Sweep of the Series
Chase Sexton claims AMA 450SX championship; Hunter and Jett Lawrence make history as first brothers to win AMA 250SX championships in the same year
PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 14, 2023) — The AMA presented No. 1 plates at three different AMA Supercross events recently, with Hunter Lawrence becoming the first recipient at the Nashville AMA Supercross round; his brother Jett Lawrence earning his plate at the Denver round; and Chase Sexton being presented with his No. 1 plate on Saturday, May 13, in Salt Lake City at the final event of the season.
With the three Honda HRC riders claiming titles, Honda swept the AMA Supercross series for the first time since 1991, when Brian Swink and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers Jean-Michel Bayle and Jeremy McGrath all won championships for the brand.
Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton clinched the AMA 450SX championship — his first — in Salt Lake City, Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence won the 250SX East title, the first 250SX title of his career, in Nashville. His brother Jett, also riding for Team Honda HRC, claimed his second 250SX championship by taking the AMA 250SX West title in Denver.
“On behalf of the AMA, we congratulate the 2023 AMA Supercross champions, as well as team Honda HRC,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “AMA Supercross serves as a premier platform that showcases the most talented riders in the world, and Chase Sexton, Hunter Lawrence and Jett Lawrence epitomized unwavering commitment, unparalleled skill, and boundless enthusiasm in their quest to claim the victories.”
Entering the Denver round, Sexton was 18 points behind Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac, but after Tomac was unable to finish due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, the door opened for Sexton, who had a blazing hot season.
“Wow, 2023 450 [AMA] Supercross Champion — it doesn’t even feel real yet,” an emotional Sexton said following the final race in Salt Lake City. “It’s what I’ve worked for since I was two-and-a-half years old, when I first got on a dirt bike; since then, this has been the goal. This year was definitely not easy; I was up-and-down in the middle of the season, but I got four of the last six wins — really came on strong at the end, when I needed to. It means so much to me. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people around me — our team, everybody. I’m super, super thankful and happy.”
Sexton’s championship win proves to be extra-special for Honda. While the brand is the winningest in the AMA 450SX class, Honda had not won an AMA Supercross 450SX title since AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ricky Carmichael’s win back in 2003. The 2023 title is the 16th for Honda, which has more titles than any other brand.
Hunter Lawrence earned the top spot on the podium for the seventh time in 2023 at the Nashville AMA Supercross, which led to him being awarded the No. 1 plate for the AMA 250SX East championship after rising to an insurmountable 56-point lead in the season standings.
“I just want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” Hunter said after clinching the championship and receiving the 250SX East No. 1 plate. “I can’t say I dreamed of this as a kid, because I didn’t know this was possible … This weekend has been incredible — the perfect day…this means the world.”
Jett Lawrence helped make history when he clinched the AMA 250SX West championship the following week in Denver, as he and Hunter became the first brothers to claim 250SX championships in the same year. The victory made Jett the fourth rider to earn both regions’ 250SX championships.
“[My] bike has treated me so well,” Jett said after the championship-clinching race where he finished in third place. “The team is unreal…it’s not even a team — it’s a family. They’ve done everything for me and my brother.”
The Salt Lake City, Utah, round concluded the 2023 AMA Supercross season, and the series will return in January 2024.
To learn more about AMA Supercross, visit AMASupercross.com.
