Paris had already consecrated an Australian pilot in 2007 in the person of Chad Reed, but never before had a Japanese pilot triumphed in Paris! By dominating the SX2 category during two evenings, Jo Shimoda became the Prince of Paris this weekend, while Australian Jett Lawrence became the 28th King of Paris.
It was an Australian double after Jett Lawrence dominated the first night and did so again on Sunday without overpowering the competition. Two “average” starts forced him to make two comebacks to finish second in the first two races, behind his brother Hunter Lawrence (Honda) and then behind Ken Roczen (Suzuki). Before the final race, it was still open between these three boys, who were quickly at the front of the pack.
The first twist came on the fourth lap when Jett caused his brother to crash while making a move for second place, and then the leader Ken Roczen crashed on his own near the midpoint of the race! The path was clear for Jett, who easily won ahead of Cooper Webb (Yamaha) and Hunter, winning both the evening’s standings and becoming the King of Paris after this 110th evening.
