Jett Lawrence secured his third win of the season in the prestigious 450 class at the eighth round of the AMA Supercross Championship held at Daytona International Speedway. Meanwhile, emerging French talent Tom Vialle celebrated his maiden victory in the 250 East Coast Class.
Chase Sexton initially seized the lead in the race, with Eli Tomac following closely in second, and championship leader Jett Lawrence occupying third place. Displaying a strong desire for the lead, Lawrence swiftly surpassed both Tomac and Sexton within two corners to claim the front-running position.
While championship contender Aaron Plessinger endured a hard crash after falling short on a rhythm section, Lawrence, despite a few minor mistakes, faced no significant challenges on his way to securing his third victory of the season. Sexton and Tomac engaged in a tough battle for the runner-up spot, ultimately won by multiple Daytona winner Tomac, leaving Sexton in third, accumulating crucial points in his title defence.
Lawrence’s triumph at Daytona extends his championship lead to ten points over Cooper Webb, who finished the Daytona race in fourth. Defending champion Chase Sexton holds the third position, having secured one win this season.
In the 250 East Coast Championship, two-time MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle moved to the U.S. full-time last season and raced to a first Supercross podium just one week ago in Arlington, now becoming a race winner in the 250 East Coast Championship.
The 23-year-old Frenchman qualified third fastest in the afternoon and then was second in his Heat Race to keep the momentum going into the night program. Vialle was behind Seth Hammaker, Haiden Deegan, and Cameron Macadoo at the conclusion of the opening lap of the Main Event and then took charge on lap five, going on to win by 4.997 seconds. As a result, he’s moved to within three points of the series lead.
Cameron Macadoo won the battle of the Pro Circuit Kawaskai’s to finish second while Seth Hammaker was third. Haiden Deegan struggled with illness and eventually came home in fourth after a gutsy ride. Championship leader Max Anstie finished eighth, which was enough for the Brit to retain a one-point lead in the championship.
“It was nice to grab the win after having my first podium last week and now my first victory here in Daytona,” Vialle said. “The track was tough, but I actually feel good. I didn’t have a great start, but I passed a lot of guys and it feels so good – it’s amazing to win. I want to thank my team and everybody who works with me and supports me. It’s amazing to race at Daytona and to get this result!”
Racing now moves to Birmingham, Alabama for round nine next weekend.
