Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

15 years old motocross sensation, Hunter Lawrence, has finished a jaw-dropping third place at the 2015 World Junior Motocross Championships, held in Spain over the weekend. The Sunshine Coast teenager battled 80 of the world’s best 14-17 year old 125cc racers, in stifling conditions, to take third place with 5-4 race results and announce himself as a future star of world motocross.

On board his YZ125, Lawrence was on the gas all weekend and was the second fastest qualifier in his group and confident of achieving his goal of a top five finish at the prestigious event.Racing got underway with the winner determined by the highest points’ scorer over two 25 minute races and Lawrence was left mid pack after suffering from a poor start.

He went to work on the hard pack El Molar circuit and started picking off the riders in front of him.By the half way point, he was just inside the top 10 and 14 seconds off the race lead but the momentum was building. With one lap to go, Lawrence was in sixth and the top six riders were separated by less than six seconds in an enthralling race. A last lap move saw Lawrence cross the line in fifth, an eye opening result.

Race two and with a better start, he was 12th on the opening lap and looking to get into the battle early. Again his relentless determination saw him surge forward and this time he finished the race in fourth place and his two consistent races saw him take the final spot on the podium in third place.

“My goal coming here was to finish in the top five but after the first race, I knew I could do better than that,” Lawrence explains. “At the end of that first race I was quicker than the riders in front of me and making time every lap so with a better start, I thought I could go for the race win.

“My start in race two was better but the time I lost passing the guys around the top 10 is what allows the leaders to get away. I charged through to fourth but I would love to have a few more laps and see how things would have ended up.

“I’m really happy to finish third against the best riders in the world. My goal is to race here in Europe in the future so hopefully this result can open some doors for me.

“I also want to thank so many people who have helped and supported me and have been a huge part of this result. My Mum and Dad are awesome and continue to assist me in racing and are the reason for my success. The Yamaha Junior Racing team back in Australia are unreal and this bike I raced today was just the same bike I race at home, not some exotic bike that you can’t buy. All our team sponsors plus the help of CDR Yamaha, Dunlop and ETS Fuels who also supported me here in Spain.

“Motorcycling Australia for assisting the team to race here and Glenn Macdonald who does a great job as the team manager. Yamaha of Europe and Erik Eggens for his help and also everyone back at home who sent me a message and wished me well, thank you guys,” Lawrence ends.

Lawrence was part of a six rider team sent to contest the World Junior Motocross Championship in Spain and on the back of the strong performances by all riders, the team also finished in third place.

Yamaha Australia’s Motorsport Manager, Ray Howard also passed on his congratulations to Hunter and his family on a job well done.

“We all sat by our phones or computers last night cheering Hunter on an everyone at Yamaha Motor Australia are so proud of what he has achieved in Spain. Congratulations to Hunter and the Lawrence family on this result and it was a just reward for a dedicated motocross family.

“It’s also points to the key success of Yamaha’s Junior Racing program here in Australia and we will continue to invest in developing racing talent in the future as results like this make it so rewarding,” Howard ends.

The Hunter Lawrence, Yamaha partnership is proving to be a very successful one with Lawrence already claiming a Queensland Supercross Championship victory, two Queensland Motocross Championships and two Sunshine State Motocross championships and now a third place at the World Junior Motocross Championships since joining the Yamaha camp.

Lawrence returns to Australia on Wednesday where it’s back to school and to begin preparations for the Australian Junior Motocross Championship in Perth during September.

Log onto www.mxgp.com for more information about the event and a full list of results