Roczen and Sexton on Dallas plus Lawrence on the crash with Forkner
Monday, February 28, 2022 at 2:55PM
The second AMA Supercross Triple Crown event of the season saw Team Honda HRC rider Jett Lawrence finish third overall in Arlington, Texas, helped by a first-place result in the second of three 250SX East Region races. In the 450SX class, Chase Sexton finished fourth overall, with 4-3-5 finishes, while teammate Roczen finished 13th overall in the premier class.
Lawrence was impressive all day, topping daytime qualifying and charging hard in the night program. The young Australian grabbed the holeshot in the first 250SX East race before falling in the second corner, dropping him to the back of the field. He made an aggressive charge through the pack to finish fourth. In the second race, Lawrence was up front at the start and maintained the lead to take the checkered flag first. The final race saw Lawrence slide out in the first turn and again resume the race in last place. Determined for redemption, he made impressive passes and climbed as high as third before clipping a Tuffblox cushion on the face of the finish-line jump, sending him into the path of Austin Forkner, with both riders going down. Lawrence remounted to finish 10th for third overall.
In the first 450SX race, Sexton rode well after a bad start, overtaking much of the pack to finish fourth. Meanwhile, Roczen was held up by carnage in the field, then went down in the whoop section before the finish and turned in a 16th-place result. Sexton took the holeshot in Race 2, but he slipped two positions in the race’s second half to take third. Roczen was ninth at the finish. In the final race, Sexton crashed late but secured fifth at the finish for fourth overall, while Roczen was involved in a first-turn crash and finished 16th.
Jett Lawrence: I was feeling really good all day today for my second round. I really gelled with the track, and the bike was feeling awesome. I made a few stupid mistakes, and I’m really disappointed in myself; I’m not happy one bit. The only takeaway is that the bike has been great. I’m just very disappointed and looking forward to the next round. Thankfully I’m okay but very, very sorry. My riding was good and the track was awesome. I made too many mistakes, and if I didn’t make them, there wouldn’t have been carnage. Obviously the main topic from tonight was the [Austin] Forkner crash. I’m truly sick to my stomach that it happened. I’ve never intentionally wanted to take anyone out like that or hurt someone. I’m sorry to Austin, his girlfriend Rylee and the Forkner family. I’m truly, truly sorry. I have nothing much else to say besides that. The rest of the night was great. The bike is handling awesome, and the team was awesome. I just need to tidy up my mistakes if I want a chance at the title.”
Ken Roczen: “The race here in Dallas was a better start to the day. I felt a lot better about myself and was able to put in some good qualifying laps. I haven’t been that far up on the board in a long time, so overall this was probably the first race where I was actually having fun. Come the night show though, that all turned around because of how slick the track was – they watered pretty heavily. I was really struggling with the bike and with traction, resulting in a lot of crashes which is very unlike me. It was another very frustrating weekend. I’m looking forward to Daytona, as it usually changes things up and makes for a fun track.“
Chase Sexton: “Round 8 in Arlington I guess was okay. I finished fourth overall with 4-3-5 moto scores. It wasn’t ideal but I’m happy to be back racing after last weekend. I felt fine on the bike all day, but I didn’t really execute that well with my starts, which didn’t put me in a great position. In the second race, I didn’t ride that well. I’m excited for Daytona since it’s near home for me in Florida. It’s going to be nice being back in the warm weather, and it’s just time to get after it.”
Shane Drew: “Round 8 in Arlington was definitely a frustrating event. On a positive note, all the riders showed their speed in qualifying. Chance Hymas set the tone early with pole in the Futures race, then Jett added to it by going P1 in the 250 SX class. Ken just missed the 450 top spot by 0.03 seconds, with Chase right behind in third. As we know, the Triple Crown format can be unpredictable. Jett put himself in a tough spot by falling at the beginning of races 1 and 3, but he definitely added some excitement with his charges though the pack to get back on the overall podium. We were all happy to have Chase at the race after his hard crash at the previous event. Even with a couple of midpack starts, he was able to race up to the front with the lead group and ended fourth overall. After Ken’s great qualifying pace, it was a frustrating result for him. All the riders are healthy and ready for some warm Florida weather in Daytona next week.”
Image: Feld Entertainment Inc
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