Jett was schooled in Europe but moulded in the US, both for the tracks he rode and his mentality. On the continent he had to milk every euro and savour each lap of the limited resources the family had at Suzuki, while across the Atlantic, he was then able to tap into Honda’s armoury and hone his supercross skills on test tracks. “Being in Europe and with tracks that don’t have the best amount of traction, you had to be light on the throttle. You couldn’t just gas it. We learnt from that and I learned from watching Hunter. He was a big help with being better on the throttle.”
The family ascendancy in the sport meant that they could buy Chad Reed’s former 63-acre, multi-track riding facility just north of Tampa and make Florida their home. The US was pivotal in Lawrence’s development, particularly for supercross, which is such an American niche, but Jett believes he would have reached the top anyway. “I think so, yes,” he nods. “I think we would have always got to where we are. I feel like we were put on this earth to race dirt bikes, my brother and I, so I think we would have found our way here no matter what. We gave a lot to get here.”
The US has helped Lawrence become a bigger star
Red Bull
“Without wanting to do him a disservice, it’s like he has a childlike brain,” Lindstrom believes. “He’s having fun and this is like ‘playtime’, rather than stressing and thinking ‘I have to make this [results] happen’. I’m sure he does have those moments, but it doesn’t seem like it. I think a lot of guys get worried and stressed about trying to improve but that doesn’t seem to happen with him, maybe because it all comes so naturally.”
“He rides at a level he’s comfortable with and when he needs to push he does, but it’s only for a little bit to stay in control,” he adds. “He keeps the consistency. When a lot of riders really have to go, and to make it happen, then they can’t; he does. Maybe that makes his confidence grow, I don’t know how he’s able to do that.”
For Honda, Jett is in Marc Márquez territory: a ‘marvel’ that could theoretically make short work of technical deficiencies. However, for bike development, the Lawrence ‘pack’ again brings accumulative worth, and Jett’s age belies a maturity when it comes to his evaluation work for American Honda and the Japanese.
“He doesn’t overthink why the motorcycle is doing something; he just tells us what it’s doing or what it’s not doing correctly for him,” Lindstrom reveals. “Being able to have him and Hunter together — and then Darren, who can interpret what they say also because he watches them every day — we get through a lot of things because they are able to ride each other’s bikes! In practice, they’ll even switch.
“Our efficiency with testing has gone up thanks to them, which is hard to expect from virtually anybody else because you don’t have riders that are physically similar enough and that like the same type of feeling and who are willing to help each other. It’s such a unique position that I don’t think you can replicate it. It might not happen again.”
Lawrence has had to deal with injuries, but he feels stronger for it
Red Bull
Temporality in SMX is tangible. Lawrence felt this in February 2025 when his ACL tore through a simple foot dab at round three of supercross in Arizona. “In a way, it was a blessing for him to think ‘wow, things can turn in a second’,” Darren says. He doubled down on the recovery and rehab and was back for a victorious motocross season in a remarkable three-month period. It seems even major surgery cannot halt the Aussie.
“I had manifested this belief that I will be back for that championship, and it influenced everything that I did,” Jett recalls. “It’s crazy how strong your mind can be when you lock in. You think that the hard pain is only temporary. It’s a hard block to get over but once you do it, it helps a lot.” He now needs to enter the same cycle for 2026.
Physical ravages aside, there are many more psychological strains with a 31-race calendar. Multi-champions Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey all retired at the age of 27. It’s hard to imagine Lawrence persisting into his 30s. “Travelling is the most tiring thing, mentally,” he admits. “There are also a lot of days where I don’t even want to see a dirt bike or a property [track compound]. I would rather do anything else. But it’s those days where you have to stop your mind, and changing the mentality to ‘I can go and do this.’ rather than ‘I have to go and do this.’ is the biggest thing.”
Lawrence admits the 31-race calendar takes its toll
Red Bull
Then there are the trappings of success, like unwanted attention and criticism. And, even in a land like the US that heralds champions, there will inevitably be a backlash to his feats. “We’ve done [won] quite a lot, which means people are now focusing on the moments when we do lose and make a big deal out of it,” Jett laments. “I will lose races! Can’t win them all.”
For a 22-year-old, it can be tough to escape the ‘noise’, especially when Lawrence has moments, like his aggressive on-track clash with former champion Jason Anderson or a public dispute with a former agent. “Every now and then, you’ll get fired up and I’ve tried to use those moments for the better. Learning also that you cannot change everybody’s mind. Whether you are doing well or doing bad there is always someone who is going to say something about you. The world can be cruel. Social media: everybody is tough when they are behind a keyboard.”
He evades pressure by swinging a golf club or wielding a padel racket. “Golf allows you to take your time and go through the process. Slow speed, low heart rate, which is nice.” Business-related activities involve some modelling and also running a Lawrence Fans VIP programme at the races. The brothers also foster connections with fans and the public. That openness comes from the humility of their support structure.
“For me, as a parent, it’s about the grit, not even the result,” Darren Lawrence told us. “Seeing your son go out there and, no matter what, not give up, but then also taking the time to speak to people. That they [Jett and Hunter] don’t think they are high-and-mighty, and that they can make another person’s day. As a parent that’s more of a reward: that you’ve raised a human being, where the ‘ground is level at the foot of the cross’-type deal. We need to treat people how we’d want to be treated.”
