Why We Will See a New Jason Lawrence in 2009

January 29th, 2009 • My Thoughts

The new year means a lot of things. Everyone is one year older, motocross bikes one year more advanced, and tracks one year more technical. In addition, for riders it is a chance to start over. A chance to forget what happened last year and start on a new season with fresh points and a new bike. One rider who needed this almost more than anyone heading into 2009 was Jason Lawrence.

In years past, Jason has always been fast. Blistering fast at times. However, his attitude and immaturity have cost him many race and championship wins.

Granted, he was the defending champion leading into the 2009 Supercross series, but it is undeniable that he would have achieved much greater success in past years had it not been for his attitude.

However, that is all about to change in 2009. I predict that for the remainder of this season, and seasons in the future, the motocross world will see a much more focused, harder working, and faster Jason Lawrence.

Now or Never

Jason Lawrence needed a fresh start in 2009. Photo by GuyB.
-Photo by GuyB.

Jason’s career is hinging on the 2009 Season. This year is his chance to show the motocross community and the world as a whole that he is no joke.

He needs to prove that he is serious about motocross as a career and is ready to put his head down and ride hard, ride fast, and get results.

If he fails to prove this, his career could be in for a tough future. Sure, he will continue to ride, and will probably get some good results, but for the most part, I believe that if he doesn’t impress this year, he will be looked over by the major teams in future years as a trouble-maker and a has been.

His Financial Future is on the Line

Jason Lawrence's financial future is on the line in 2009. GuyB Photo.
-Photo by GuyB.

Unlike most riders, Jason’s 2009 team is his own venture. He’s not riding for some high-roller factor team, or some trick factory supported team. Instead, he has set up his own team with his own sponsors.

This is not to say that he is not receiving great support, and that his bikes are not absolutely incredible, but the bottom line is that his success in racing will directly result to the teams, and thus his own, financial success.

His results in both Supercross and Motocross are much bigger than his racing career, they will have a huge effect on the rest of his life. It is much easier to get motivated to ride, train, and behave like an adult when your food for the rest of the week depends on it.

While this added stress could possibly have an adverse effect on his mentality, I think that the seriousness of this season will be good in actually getting Jason to treat motocross as a job, and not as a joke.

He Wants to do Good

I believe that Jason Lawrence truly wants to do good this season. GuyB Photo.
-Photo by GuyB.

As much as Jason Lawrence has shown in the past couple years that he treats motocross as a hobby, I believe that he truly wants to be successful. Obviously, he loves to have fun, but furthermore, I think he wants to be a legend in the sport.

His spunky attitude help him to stand out as a very personable and “real” rider, he needs to get results in order to truly be remembered in the motocross community. Personality can only get you so far, and if Jason really wants to succeed in not only the Lites class, but also the Supercross class, he needs to subdue his personality for a few years and concentrate on results.

Don’t Expect Jason to be Boring

Jason Lawrence will still be himself this year. Paul Buckley Photo.
-Photo by Paul Buckley.

Yes, Jason Lawrence needs to ride hard, he needs to get good results, and he needs to take the sport serious this year, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be himself this year. We’ve already seen some of his classic sarcastic and cocky remarks on the podium. I definitely think that he will still be as confident as years prior. I find his personality very funny sometimes, and am looking forward to more of his personality coming out in interviews and on podiums.

In order to succeed, he needs to find the perfect balance between personality and results

What do you think Jason Lawrence’s 2009 season will bring? Will he continue to be a punk, or will he buckle down and finally get some consistent results?

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    Reasons why the motocross community will see a reemergence in the performance and attitude of superstar Jason Lawrence.
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    Technically, JLaw wasn't even racing this weekend, he was supposed to be sick. But yet he'll get in a fit in the pits with some guys in the big bikes class? Passionate about his racing, or passionate about looking like a badass thug? Its muddy waters there. Being that he's pretty much been on probation for +/- a year it sure seems like he'd just chill the "ef" out at least while on probation. Doesn't he have a manager or agent that should put a leash on him for his own good? Apparently hitting his own "rock bottom" didn't teach him anything (Original apology letter from July 08 http://tinyurl.com/bv2ke6)

    As for his financial future on the line...there's 2 schools of thought. 1) He's a thug and no one would want him representing their products i.e. One Ind. probably feels pretty stupid now for spoiling the deal with Dungey...or 2) He is in the MX news so much getting "air time" that reinforces the idea that "any press is good press" and therefore, the amount he's being paid divided by the amount he's getting paid would be a pretty good bargain. Not saying I agree with with this, just bringing another view to the table!
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    Like I said, I'm not 100% sure what the fight was even about (what was Jlaw's motivation?) so it's hard to asses what is means, but I do think he needs to relax. But he is definitely a hot head and needs someone else to tell him to chill out. Where are his parents? I've never even heard of their involvement in his racing and maybe that is a cause of his recent issues. He does definitely need a manager, coach, trainer, or parent to come into his life and say "look kid you've got some talent, now stop wasting it!"

    I really think that One Ind. has to be kicking themselves right now. Dungey seems like a solid kid and now they're gear is out of the limelight because their "star" rider is suspended. They definitely made a huge marketing risk, and their risk failed, resulting in a large sum of wasted money. If JLaw pulled out the stops and won some races, the gamble would have paid off, but it just didn't.

    We'll see what happens as the season progresses, I hope someone steps into his life and tells him that he really needs to change.
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    Whats your opinion of jason now? His 2009 season has been pathetic.
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    I'm not 100% sure what happened regarding Lawrence, Hansen and Boniface at San Francisco, and I'm not going to pretend to. However, From what I do know, the fight was as a result of an on the track altercation. To me, this signals one thing about Jason's current mindset: he is passionate about his racing.

    I think we can all agree that Jason has a little bit of a temper, and that sometimes he allows his emotions to show through when really, he should be trying to hide them. However, I believe that it is extremely reassuring to see that his emotional outbreaks are as a direct result of racing and now of off track antics.

    I believe that Jason is far from a lost cause at this point. However, he can not go on how he has the past couple years. He has incredible talent, but needs a guiding light. He needs someone to guide him and coach both his racing and his personality. Jason can pull himself out of the rut he's in,however he needs to realize that he may not be able to do this himself and that he may need a companion in this struggle.
 

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